Could your school system be eligible to receive an astronaut helmet from a space mission?

NASA is retiring the Space Shuttle Program in 2010 after its last scheduled mission. They are sharing the wonders of space exploration through donations to eligible educational institutions, museums, and libraries.

They are donating small items such as astronaut helmets, gloves, and boots, as well as large items, such as shuttle Motion Based Simulators and Crew Compartment Trainers. The artifacts are free, but recipients must cover shipping and special handling fees.

Organizations must meet eligibility requirements and register to preview the items. Download the free information pamphlet   for additional information as well as links to pertinent agencies.

The end of the Space Shuttle Program does not mean an end to space travel, however. The next generation of exploration, called the Constellation Program, promises some pretty exciting missions.

For the latest information about the NASA shuttle transition and artifacts, visit www.nasa.gov/transition.

The teacher down the hall. Most schools have at least one. That experienced teacher whose classroom is interesting, fun, and surprisingly calm and orderly. The teacher you can always turn to with questions, the teacher whom kids confide in. These teachers earned their educational chops through years of trial and error and hard work, and they want to share what they've learned. These teachers offer the voice of experience.

Approximately 50 percent of our nation's public school teachers are baby boomers who are 50 years of age or older. Many are considering retirement; others want to stay in the classroom. The Experience Factor (from Teacher Magazine's free e-newsletter) includes anecdotes from a handful of teachers over 50 who talk about how much they love teaching and how their years of hard work are now reaping rewards. Susan writes, "I teach alongside colleagues who are younger than my own children and some of whom are my former students. . . . They have energy and technology skills that I don't, but I have pedagogical skill and experience that I can share and that they want."

Kathie shares that she started teaching special education students in her 60s. "When I gave up instructional coaching to teach again, I worried if the kids would still relate to me and vice versa. What I've found is that my years of experience (most of the time since 1970) and the patience I've learned on the job is just what these students need. Even my most hyperactive boys seem to wander in before class or hang around after class to share stories with me."

Certainly, school systems plan for some retirements and bringing in new teachers with new ideas and practices. But imagine the impact of a wide-scale retirement if the boomers left en masse. Imagine losing the teacher down the hall.

Literacy is key to success in school and life. We know that if reading is encouraged early on, it is likely to become a lifelong habit. We also know that students who read and write well have better success in upper grades and are less likely to drop out.

Education Week reports that legislation was recently introduced in both the Senate and the House to authorize $2.35 billion to improve reading and writing in kindergarten through twelfth grade. This legislation would replace Early Reading First, Reading First, and Striving Readers. A federal study of Reading First found that while an increased number of students recognized letters and words, comprehension levels were unchanged. A similar evaluation of Striving Readers found significant improvement at only three of eight sites two years after program implementation.

While this comprehensive literacy bill is being introduced separately, if passed it will likely become part of the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) reauthorization. The new bill proposes at least 10% of the funds for early childhood, 40% for K-5, and 40% for grades 6-12. If the bill makes it through the House and Senate intact, it will be an unprecedented federal commitment for adolescent literacy.

Bravo.

School personnel are continually asked to choose between curricula, such as phonics vs. whole language, or skills vs. content. A uniform approach allows schools or districts to concentrate resources and professional development as well as to provide equitable assessment of student learning.

However, some schools out there skirt the uniform approach. Over the past five years, the EducationTrust has studied high-achieving schools that have large low-income populations. How do they do it? As one teacher said, "It's not rocket science. You figure out what you need to teach, and then you teach it."

For example, educators using the prescribed reading program in Fairfax County, Virginia, noticed that their students, most of whom do not speak English at home, had a great deal of difficulty deciphering words they hadn't seen before. Now teachers in kindergarten and first grade supplement their normal reading instruction with phonics, and students are meeting or exceeding state reading standards.

A New York middle school was expected to teach a curriculum that focused on skills rather than a set content. The teachers worked hard, yet the results were poor. The students at this middle school just didn't have the content knowledge to make the skills relevant. The principal brought the Core Knowledge program to the school and provided teachers with professional development to teach skills with content. Again, students are excelling.

I am impressed that these schools adapted their teaching to their students' needs. And, not to sound like a broken record, but isn't that what differentiation is all about?