René Hill

Recent Stories (view all stories)

Abundance of testing leading to exhaustion: Wednesday, June 3, 2009; As the emphasis on testing students to find how they have progressed over the years continues, an interesting trend in the reading scores for middle and high school students has emerged. In the last 30 years the state has been administering a proficiency exam, there has been very little measurable increase in achievement.
Teaching can be a rewarding career: Wednesday, May 20, 2009; It's graduation time again and high school graduates are deciding on what college to attend as they think about future careers. I hope many of them are considering a career as a teacher. Teaching isn't for everyone, so I would like to mention some things to keep in mind if you are thinking about joining our profession.
Study shows exit exams affecting graduation rates: Wednesday, May 13, 2009; A new study conducted by the Center for Education Policy has shown that exit exams impact some groups of students more than others. The study was based on California's exit exam, but he results are relevant for other states that require an exit exam.
Priorities can get lost in flurry of testing: Thursday, April 30, 2009; Public disappointment with student achievement has led to extensive criticism of the school system. The media has reported that our district's dropout rate has risen and today's headlines heralded the failure of federally mandated tutoring programs. There are so many issues that are swirling in the education pot that it is sometimes hard to take a clear view of what is really happening.
Level head can prevail over feared phone call: Wednesday, April 22, 2009; Calling home to discuss academic or behavior problems is never easy for a teacher to do; it is a delicate situation that often makes parents panic or get defensive.
'One size fits all' not an effective approach to teaching reading, writing: Wednesday, April 15, 2009; I have spent the past few weeks doing research for a paper on literacy and the reading and writing connections. It has been an area of debate among educators for a while now.
Program catching on at secondary level: Wednesday, April 1, 2009; In 2004, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was reauthorized with a new provision to help students who are struggling learners.
Two different approaches to math showing success: Wednesday, March 18, 2009; A large-scale federal study has identified two math programs as effective in teaching early learners. Math Expressions and Saxon Math emerged in the large-scale study as promising even though they embody different approaches to teaching math in the K-2 grades.
Teachers keep the bar high: Wednesday, March 4, 2009; As teachers, we work hard to encourage students to do their best and achieve their full potential. Sometimes students go above and beyond while others, sadly, do as little as possible.
Parents' knowledge of English directly affects child's success: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009; As we approach another season of state-mandated testing, teachers and students alike are busy preparing in math, science and English. Over the years, scores have increased in math but are dropping in reading and writing.