New Report out by TNTP

The New Teacher Project, has just published a report on how schools measure teacher effectiveness. It argues that teachers are too often thought of as "widgets" (thus, the title of the report - "The Widget Effect") instead of individuals. The authors conclude that schools 

“fail to distinguish great teaching from good, good from fair, and fair from poor. A teacher’s effectiveness – the most important factor for schools in improving student achievement – is not measured, recorded, or used to inform decision-making in any meaningful way.”

To read the report, go to widgeteffect.org

NCTAF & Online Professional Communities for New Teachers

The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future announced a partnership with Pearson- a private educational resources company - in March 2009 to develop an online program for hosting new teachers' professional learning communities.  The project is officially called "Teachers Learning in Networked Communities" or "TLINC."  TLINC will use the established "Tapped In" platform for the project.  It is based off of pilot programs from the University of Memphis, University of Colorado-Denver,  and the University of Washington. 

For more information, visit the NCTAF website or go directly to this link - 

http://www.nctaf.org/resources/news/press_releases/PearsonTLINC.htm