LeadScape Principal Whitney Oakley of Sylvan Elementary School was recently selected as the 2010 Alamance-Burlington School System Wachovia Principal of the Year. Ms. Oakley has served as principal at Sylvan since 2008, and previously as assistant principal at Alexander Wilson Elementary from 2006-2008.

She has been involved with NIUSI-LeadScape since 2008. Last spring, she contributed to our LeadCast blog, writing about her efforts to combat deficit perspectives at Sylvan by encouraging staff to identify students’ strengths that will help them to reach their full potential as future leaders of the community. We congratulate her for her being recognized for her extraordinary leadership. It is our pleasure to be associated with Alamance-Burlington School System’s Wachovia Principal of the Year, Whitney Oakley!

We are excited to announce the release of the first publication in the Equity Alliance at ASU’s What Matters series: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Matter! presents general trends in the social and emotional well-being of youth who identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ), followed by a guide of sexual orientation definitions. Additionally, readers learn a series of steps that schools must address in order to build inclusive, safe, and effective schools for all students, including those who identify as GLBTQ.

October is GLBT History month. Download Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Matter! to use in dialogues and share with students, educators, and families.

The National Mathematics Panel recently reported findings on an important question that schools are facing:

What is the best available scientific evidence to advise on improvements in the mathematics education of the nation’s children, up to and including Algebra?

Research revealed several areas of concern:

• The importance of early learning (pre-K) in math
• ”Math Wars” pitting conceptualization against computation are futile – BOTH must be taught for effective math instruction
• Spiral Curriculum is ineffective – fragmented “bits of knowledge” only impede math learning, and students with disabilities in particular need solid foundational skills before moving on
• Teacher fewer standards more thoroughly is the most effective method of developing mathematical skills
• The need for ALL teachers need to understand content, not just “math teachers”

The panel concluded that special education teachers need to have good math skills so that they can adapt that knowledge for students focusing with more depth on critical skills, using benchmarks and formative assessments, and planning instruction for both struggling and gifted students.

You can download the full report or view a power point presentation of the panel's findings or find resources to support mathematics teaching at:

• The U.S. Department of Education's Doing What Works site
• The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics website
• The U.S. Department of Education's Math and Science Partnerships Program

Many school leaders, teacher educators, and technical assistance providers use our Topical Briefs to support professional learning in their work. These helpful publications are available for purchasing for a minimal cost – around $5 per copy. Order your own glossy, durable booklets using our online order form.

Dr. Carol Kindt, a founding member of our LeadScape community of inclusive school principals, has been selected as the new Senior Executive Director of Human Resources for Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida. As principal of Chain of Lakes Middle School, Dr. Kindt has been transforming practices to support students of all backgrounds and abilities by focusing on rigor and relationships, including implementing Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems, training staff in effective strategies for English language learners, and continually increasing inclusive scheduling for students with disabilities. We applaud Orange County Public Schools’ excellent judgment in selecting Carol Kindt for this position, as she brings excellent understanding of how hiring talented staff members can help to create schools where all kids can be successful.

Online learning can take place in many spaces. One of these includes online communities. The Equity Alliance at ASU has joined the online communities of Facebook and Twitter. Facebook and Twitter are both online communities of students, educators, and others that allow users to communicate and form networks with people from all over the country. Our Facebook community is named equityallianceatasu, and our Twitter community is named eQuinews. Online communities generate a unique venue for discourse that is informal and uncensored.

The Center for Mental Health in Schools offers suggestions for what teachers can do in the weeks leading up to vacation to keep students motivated and prevent unnecessary loss of skills over the break in their article Re-engaging Students: Using a student’s time off in ways that pay off! They believe that this is the time of year to reevaluate teacher-student relationships, student relationships with their peers, and instructional practices that may not be allowing all students to experience the successes necessary to maintain confidence and interest in school. Changes in these areas may bring the results necessary to send the rest of the school year in a positive direction for a student who may otherwise have given up.