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As I'm sure many of you did, I enjoyed reading about Sesame Street turning 40. All the coverage noted that Cookie Monster now includes fruits and vegetables in his diet and treats cookies as a "sometimes" food. If we needed any reminders of the long-term consequences of the spread of childhood obesity, last week retired military leaders issued this report noting that many young people who want to serve their country in the armed forces, cannot. One reason: 27 percent are too overweight to join the military. After-school educators are making great efforts to introduce kids to healthy cooking and provide regular fitness activities, even though many programs lack access to gyms or schoolyards. If he can get kids on track toward better health, I'm happy to take a little help from a reformed Cookie Monster.
What role do teachers play in helping their schools expand learning time? The Center for American Progress explored that question by profiling three traditional public schools that have implemented a longer day or year, and examining how teachers and teachers' unions collaborated with schools and districts. In the ELT programs TASC manages in New York City public schools, teachers are included from the outset in each school's planning team (along with parents, principals and community partners). Without a core of teachers providing input and feedback, schools cannot make the leap.
Living in New York City, it's easy to overlook the fact that one out of five kids in America attends a rural school. You can get a fascinating snapshot of rural education in your state by perusing this fifth biennial report from The Rural and Community School Trust. One interesting fact: the number of kids in New York State's rural schools who are English Language Learners is significantly higher than the national average.