Education Week: Teacher Talkback Forum

Education Week: Teacher Talkback

Freedom of Speech
Should teachers have the right to express their opinions in classroom discussions?

Full Course Load
According to a recent AP story, Utah is considering dividing the school year into trimesters to alleviate the teacher shortage. Teachers would have to work year-round, but stand to gain as much as a 60 percent hike in salary. Students,...

Gender Blender
Do blurred gender lines among your students disturb your classroom equilibrium? Should gender differences among students be encouraged or discouraged?

Giving Students a Say
Should students have a say in the classroom routine?

Ousting Ineffective Teachers
How big a problem are ineffective teachers in schools? How can school systems decrease the numbers of such educators? What do you think of New York's planned approach?

Professional Development
What's your opinion of professional development opportunities for teachers? What could schools do to make professional development better?

Ranking the Schools
In a recent article, high school English teacher Mary Tedrow argues that magazine rankings of the "best high schools" in America only serve to reinforce the worst aspects of our educational culture. According to Tedrow, such rankings simplify the definition...

Reading Lessons
Have students' reading skill and their interest in reading declined? If so, why? How can teachers best address the issue?

Required Reading?
Which do you think is a more effective method of teaching—requiring certain texts for all students or letting students choose their own books?

Senseless School Violence
The deadly shooting at Northern Illinois University marks the fifth such incident this week at a school. How safe do you feel?

Teachers and Sexual Misconduct
How can sexual misconduct by teachers be prevented? What can school systems do to keep abusive teachers out of the classroom? What can teachers as a profession do?

The Facebook Dilemma
Can creating a presence on social networking services like Facebook help teachers forge more constructive relationships with students? Is it wise for teachers to become online "friends" with students? What limits should be set?

The Fall of English?
Have students' verbal skills declined? Or are they just different? What's contributing to the change? How should English be taught to today's students?

The Future of NCLB
How do you think the NCLB act should be changed? What specific proposals would you offer? How well is the law working and what improvements could be made to help schools and teachers?

Whom Do You Trust?
How would you feel about "In God We Trust" hanging in your classroom? Do the words raise First Amendment or cultural-sensitivity issues? How would you frame a discussion with your class about the motto?