Classroom Q and A

Are Common Core Standards an asset or a liability for teachers working with English language learners? Follow @larryferlazzo @debbiezacarian @bamradionetwork Maria Montalvo-Balbed is the Director of ELL Professional Learning Programs for Metro RESA in Georgia and she is an ASCD Faculty. Debbie Zacarian, a nationally known author, speaker, and consultant in education, works in advancing student achievement with culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse populations.

It has been argued that student achievement is impacted by too many factors that are beyond a teacher's control. Which begs the question, is it possible to effectively evaluate teachers based on factors within their control. Follow @larryferlazzo @debbiezacarian @bamradionetwork Ted Appel is a Principal of Luther Burbank High School for the past 11 years. Previously, he trained new high school teachers for the district. Started out as an Outward Bound instructor providing experiential education programs for at risk youth. Teach For America alum, Ben Spielberg has taught middle school math and science, worked as a math instructional coach for middle and high school teachers, and served on the Executive Board of the San Jose Teachers Association. His blog, 34justice, covers education and a variety of other social justice issues.

In this segment we take a closer look at student engagement and how to do it successfully. Follow @larryferlazzo @DrDebbieSilver @bamradionetwork Debbie Silver is an award-winning teacher, an internationally known presenter and humorist, an author of numerous books and educational journal articles, and a passionate advocate for students, teachers, and parents. Dr. Bryan Harris is the Director of Professional Development & Public Relations for the Casa Grande (Arizona) Elementary School District. He is the author of 3 highly-acclaimed books from Routledge and a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader who focuses on the topics of student engagement, classroom management, and brain-based learning.

In this segment we check our understanding of formative assessment and look at tools and strategies for responding to the results. Follow @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Nancy Frey is a professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and teacher-leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College, where she learns from students and teachers every day.

Close reading is a term that is being bandied about frequently these days. In this segment we examine our definitions and understanding of close reading. Follow @iChrisLehman @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Christopher Lehman is an international speaker; New York Times bestselling author; and Founding Director of The Educator Collaborative, a think tank and educational consulting organization working to innovate the ways educators learn together. His most recent book, Falling in Love with Close Reading (co-authored with Kate Roberts), explores joyful methods of inspiring complex thinking about texts and life.

In this segment we take a look at the rationale for using high stakes testing and explore other ways to achieve the goal of teacher quality. Follow @BenSpielberg @ProfessorJVH @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Julian Vasquez Heilig, Ph.D. Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Director, Doctorate in Educational Leadership California State University Sacramento. A Teach For America alum, Ben Spielberg has taught middle school math and science, worked as a math instructional coach for middle and high school teachers, and served on the Executive Board of the San Jose Teachers Association. His blog, 34justice, covers education and a variety of other social justice issues.

Math is a subject that even many teachers don't enjoy. In this segment we talk with passionate, creative math teachers about how we can make math more engaging. Follow @SueOConnellMath @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Dr. Anne M. Collins is the Director of Mathematics at Lesley University. She has taught mathematics at every grade level from primary to graduate school. Sue O'Connell is the coauthor of Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Addition and Subtraction, and Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Multiplication and Division (Heinemann Publishing Co.). Sue has years of experience as a classroom teacher, instructional specialist, testing coordinator, district school improvement specialist, and university PDS coordinator. She is Director of Quality Teacher Development, providing on-site professional development for schools and school districts across the country.

Race and class are often unspoken issues that teachers must deal with whether we are prepared to or not. Hw can we best manage race and class issues in schools? Follow: @plthomasEdD @NBCTeacherMommy @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork P. L. Thomas, Associate Professor of Education (Furman University), taught high school English in South Carolina before moving to teacher education. He is currently a column editor for English Journal and co-editor of Social Context Reform (Routledge). Ashanti Foster serves as ASCD Emerging Leader and Academic Dean at Oxon Hill Middle School in Prince George's County, Maryland. She is a wife, mother of six and national board certified teacher.

As teachers we encourage our students to read. However, many of us find it difficult to squeeze professional reading into our busy schedules. In this segment we ask for recommendations for busy educators. Follow: @KleinErin, @redhdteacher @jeff_zoul @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Megan Allen is a National Board Certified teacher and the 2010 Florida Teacher of the Year. She is currently working as a visiting instructor at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she is teaching and developing new programs in teacher leadership. Dr. Jeff Zoul currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Deerfield Public Schools in Illinois. He is the author of "Improving Your School One week at a Time" and several other books about education. Erin Klein is a Scholastic Top Teacher. MACUL 2014 Teacher of the Year. #EdTech Blogger.#NWP Member. SMART Exemplary Educator. Michigan Reading Association Tech Chair.

Should teachers dress up or dress down? What is the balance between dressing professionally and dressing comfortably? What about jeans, tee shirts, short skirts and sneakers? Our guests weigh in. Follow: @TeachMoore, @roxannaelden @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Roxanna Elden is a National Board Certified high school teacher, a speaker, and an author. Her book, See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers, is widely used as a tool for teacher training and retention. Renee Moore, NBCT, teaches English at Mississippi Delta Community College. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Moore has co-authored Teaching 2030 (2011) and is profiled in Teacherpreneurs: Innovative Teachers Who Lead But Don't Leave (2013).

Globalization is now an inescapable reality. In this segment we discuss how how our teaching is changing as a result. . Follow: @edrethink @dlaufenberg @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork John Spencer is currently a sixth grade ELL teacher in a low-income urban school in Phoenix, Arizona. He blogs regularly at Education Rethink, writes a column for Kappan magazine and has written several books. Diana Laufenberg is a Nationally Board certified Social Studies teacher currently teaching 7th graders in Flagstaff, AZ. Her work focuses on inquiry-driven, project based teaching and learning that uses the modern tools of the day. @edrethink @dlaufenberg

Common Core requires teachers to push students to read increasingly complex text. What meets the definition of a complex text? What strategies, tools and resources can teachers use to achieve this goal? Today we'll explore these questions. . Follow: @Amybenjamin1 @wendi322 @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork @bamradionetwork Amy Benjamin is a national consultant specializing in the literacy standards for the Common Core. She is the author of numerous books, including Vocabulary at the Core and Teaching Grammar: What Really Works. Her most recent book is Focus on Text: Tackling the Reading Standards of the Common Core. Wendi Pillars is a National Board Certified ESL Teacher, who has been teaching K-12 for 17 years.

There have been significant changes in the availability of arts programs since the emphasis has shifted to a narrow focus on standardized test. What is the impact of the loss of arts education? What can teachers do about it? Follow: @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork Virginia McEnerney is th Executive Director, Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. David Booth is a professor of Literacy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He has written many books on effective reading and writing strategies, on helping boys develop literacy proficiency, and on the arts in education.

The culture of an organization is a powerful predictor of success. This applies to school cultures as well. In this segment we explore the markers of a successful school culture and look at what we can do to develop them. . Follow: @larryferlazzo @chrislehmann @tweenteacher @bamradionetwork Heather Wolpert-Gawron is a middle school teacher, blogger, and author of the books Writing Behind Every Door: Teaching Common Core Writing in the Content Areas and ˜Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers. She has also authored workbooks on Internet Literacy and Project Based Writing Chris Lehmann is founding principal of Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. The Science Leadership Academy is an inquiry-driven, project-based, 1:1 laptop school that is considered to be one of the pioneers of the School 2.0 movement nationally and internationally.

Despite the love that many history teachers have fore the subject, It can be difficult to engage students who may think that studying the founding fathers is irrelevant to them. In this segment we go looking for ways to make history more compelling and engaging. . Follow: @larryferlazzo @edteck, @bamradionetwork Peter Pappas is a veteran of 25 years in the classroom. His work continues as blogger, keynote speaker, curriculum designer, university adjunct. Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez is a National Board Certified fifth-grade teacher in the Folsom Cordova School District. She was a participant in the Teaching American History Grant, Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Summer Institute, and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.