Walch Education

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2010-10-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

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Recently Reviewed by NSTA (National Science Teachers Association)

2010-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Walch Education title "Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology" was recently reviewed by Professor Susan Behrens for the National Science Teachers Association:

Read the full review here.

To purchase the title, visit walcheducation.com. Also, browse through Walch Education's entire Hands-On Physical Science series and download a free "Teachable Moment" pdf here.

The Frustrating Reality of Test Scores

2010-08-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's New York Times had an article on plummeting test scores in New York City. The state has recalibrated and made tougher its expectations on state English and math exams. As you might expect, the results have been dramatic. Schools in New York City that were flying high saw their passing rates plunge. Not a pretty picture.

Teachers and principals interviewed for the article put a game face on the situation, and what else can they do? Any school looking for state or Federal funds has to play according to state or Federal rules, which means measuring results on test scores and pass rates. Of course, one of the many challenges of this dynamic comes in situations like these, when those measurements change and schools and districts scramble to face a new reality.

One solution, as discussed in a recent Time cover story, The Case Against Summer Vacation, is to do away with the notion that public schooling is a nine-month affair. In this scenario, June, July, and August are culprits in the unintended crime of helping students to forget, during the summer months, much of what they learned the previous year. Keep 'em in school year-round, this argument goes, since we don't need them out in the fields helping with the farm anymore (the original logic behind a September-June school year).

Perhaps the answer is indeed more summer school, or versions of summer school. But as another New York Times article notes, "The scoring adjustment could raise questions about the precision of educational testing." In a word, precisely. Let's use as a baseline the assumption that there are many components to improving success in public schools. Better materials that reflect specific student populations, smaller class sizes, improved teacher pay, more coordination and sharing among educators -- the list can grow, but it's hard to argue with the basics.

Living (and sometimes dying) by the score, however, can be a hazard. It's a natural human desire to look for some objective measurement against which we can compare ourselves to one another. That makes sense in sports, in science, and in other fields. But in education, the variables are so many, and they so deeply depend on the human response under varying conditions, that a strict numerical assessment can be limiting.

Especially when Those On High alter the rules by which the assessments are made. That's what happened in New York, and it regularly occurs across America. If there is a lesson or a moral to be derived from all of this, it's that there is no sure, single solution to educational progress. Students need many approaches, many avenues to success. What works for one often doesn't work for the next. And measuring success is rarely as easy as pointing to a test score.

Thinking about dropouts

2010-07-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Here in Portland, Maine, where Walch Education is headquartered, we have a new superintendent for our school system, Dr. Jim Morse. One of the interesting things about Dr. Morse is that, as a child, he attended Portland High School -- and he dropped out of PHS for much of his junior year. Obviously, he worked his way back into the system, thence into a career in education, until today he runs the state's largest school department.

But the dropout issue is one that Dr. Morse understands all too well. Currently, the city's three high schools graduate about 78% of their students, a figure slightly better than the recent national average. Another way to look at it: according to the America’s Promise Alliance, U.S. high schools lose close to 1.3 million students every year. By now, we're all far too aware of the importance of a high-school education (not to mention a college degree), so those numbers represent a huge loss for our country and individuals involved.

What to do? Here's one place to learn more: Clemson University hosts the National Dropout Prevention Center which, at this link, showcases 15 strategies for increasing graduation rates: http://dle-mediasite-hehd.clemson.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=1d84b884-4d32-41e9-b761-64878271fd38.

From Walch Education's perspective, we get involved, obviously, at the curriculum level. And it's interesting to see, from the NDPC's web site, the importance of active learning. Much of the language from this site is virtually identical to what we've been saying for years:
"Research has shown that not everyone learns in the same way. Some of us are visual learners that need to see to understand; while others need to hear or verbalize information. Others are hands-on, kinesthetic learners. Some learners prefer to work alone, while some like to teach each other in small groups. Some need time to quietly reflect, while others need to move and be active. Teachers know that they need to use a variety of activities to meet the learning styles of their students."

The site goes on to discuss cooperative learning, project-based learning, and other strategies that we likewise champion. It's important to note that these strategies are not useful solely to prevent students from dropping out. Rather, they're an approach that assumes that a one-size-fits-all style of educating doesn't do anyone any good. Students are as different and unique as the adults they grow into being. Similarly, how we teach them should be unique to each student.

Many of our programs, such as our Academic Support Programs, or our Expeditions series, or our Real Life series, do just that. They give the educator a variety of ways to instruct, and students a variety of ways to engage the content. No one single program or approach will lower dropout rates, but there are ways to help to turn classrooms into environments that students will want to return to, next week, next month, and next year.

Summertime, and the schoolin' ain't easy...

2010-06-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Interesting article in today's Washington Post on new ways of looking at summer school. 1 in 4 American students attends a "summer learning program." But there's a still a great stigma attached to summer school, and it isn't just from the students' perspective, either. Parents are often loathe to send their kids back to school over the summer, reasoning that June-July-August is a time for relaxation, for getting away from school, etc. etc.

As the article points out, summer school takes many forms, and is not necessarily a remedial environment. Many summer school programs are enriching, offering students curriculum choices unavailable during the academic year.

But it's more serious than that. "Summer learning loss" is a real problem -- students who arrive back in classrooms in September having forgotten far too much from the previous year. For teachers, that means that the new year doesn't necessarily pick up where the old one left off. Rather, there is often too much time spent reviewing what summer vacation erased.

Many Walch programs and materials are specifically designed for use during summer school. We've long recognized that learning is a flexible concept; it doesn't magically begin when the first leaves fall or end when the yellow buses pull away. Increasingly, we're seeing school districts across the country extend and broaden their academic calendars, to provide alternatives for students who simply need more.

A new way of approaching Accuplacer

2010-06-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

If you're a high school senior, then you're likely aware of, or will soon be aware of, the Accuplacer test. The College Board administers the tests, usually given to seniors or incoming college freshman. The Accuplacer, in math, reading, or English, helps academic advisers and counselors place college freshmen in the appropriate courses.

Many students find out, after taking the Accuplacer exams, that they need (non-credit) remedial courses in college. It's to everyone's advantage if those students can instead take the classes in high school that help them to catch up, rather than in college. So more and more schools are now giving the Accuplacers in (high school) junior year, so that any remedial work can happen in 12th grade.

We've just entered the Accuplacer universe with a new set of six units of math instruction we're developing. The units will be administered in junior or senior year, and students can then do any necessary remedial work before they hit college.

Here's the cool part: these six units aren't a book. They aren't a PowerPoint. They're digital instruction that will be delivered via iTunes U, the Apple-developed curriculum program, downloadable right onto an iPhone or iPad. We're piloting them here in the state of Maine, and iTunes U will make them available free of charge to Maine teachers.

Using the digital technology, students will be be able to work through math problems and, depending on their answer, get directed on-screen to resources that help them tackle and resolve any particular issues.

We're developing this program in partnership with the Maine International Center for Digital Learning, through a grant funded by the Davis Family Foundation. As part of our development work, we recently conducted a focus group with Maine educators currently administering the Accuplacer (that photo was taken at our focus group session). Plans are to have a working pilot by this winter, make refinements to it in the spring, and have it available as instructional material for the 2011-2012 school year.

A day at Poland Spring (Academy)

2010-06-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

For many years, Walch Education has been a fan and supporter of Poland Spring Academy (PSA). They're located in the town of Poland Spring, Maine, about 45 minutes or so northwest of Portland. Yes, that's the same town that gave rise to the "Poland Spring" brand of bottled water.

PSA is a small private school, focused on providing an individualized education to each member sof its student body. They offer many different programs to accommodate different lifestyles and educational requirements. They refer to it as "Individualized Learning At Its Best."

A couple of weeks ago, we accepted PSA's offer to visit the school and observe their graduation exercises. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly by PSA parents, students, and staff, and we quickly felt at home. It was clear that this was a place where everybody was invested in the common purpose of supporting and nurturing students.

The graduation ceremony itself was highly inclusive, personalized, and student focused, and it reinforced our satisfaction at supporting this fine school through the years. In our business, we have the opportunity to see close at hand many hard working, dedicated educators and administrators. They work conscientiously all year long, often in very challenging circumstances. But year after year, in school after school, teachers do manage to inspire and educate their students, and prepare tomorrow's leaders. It's a delight for us to say that PSA’s staff ranks at the top of the list.

A Novice Teacher

2010-06-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

What an eye opener it was. I was invited to a local middle school to teach seventh graders about Financial Literacy, Decision Making and Careers (courtesy of Junior Achievement). After 12 forty minute periods, I came away with even more respect for good teachers, a lot of appreciation for how sophisticated today’s teenagers are and an appreciation for the substance of many of the things educators say every day.

I prepared before each class, using the teacher’s guide I was given, sorting out and playing with the manipulatives and, at the beginning, writing my own personal “script”. I soon found out, however, that a script doesn't take you very far, esp. in a roomful of adolescents.

Some of the things I learned:

* There is no substitute for personal connection to and facility with the material. It allows you to respond to and interact with the ebb and flow of the classroom, bring the discussion back around to whatever your objective is and build on students’ curiosity even when it’s peripheral to the main topic

* Wow, do these kids need a hands-on, diverse, active, engaging approach! They are easily distracted and quite varied (intellectually, socially, knowledge-wise, etc). They are natural multi-taskers. Recently the head of Math for a large district in MD observed the following in an email to me: “The traditional class structure in which the teacher does most of the talking and the students just sit and listen and do practice problems for a whole class period (day in and day out) is not effective for a large number of students.” Boy, do I get it!

* Each class is a such a small part of a student’s day, and mind share, that it’s a real challenge to reach beyond the 4 walls and 40 minutes you share. I was humbled, and flattered, when I ran in to one of my students’ parents at a ball game. When I mentioned that her boy was in one of my classes she remarked that he had been talking about financial literacy around the dinner table and had been wondering where he was picking it up. What a great feeling. In a very small way, I can begin to appreciate what keeps so many of our great teachers coming back year after year.

My final observation is that this experience reinforced to me the wisdom of hiring teachers at Walch. At least half of our product development and partnership team has experience in the classroom- there's no substitute.

Reading the tea leaves on state standards

2010-05-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

If you look at Texas, based on Friday's vote to approve a controversial new social studies curriculum, you'd conclude that states are reaffirming their right to make their own judgments and decisions, even when there is enormous pressure to do otherwise. But if you look at Massachusetts, you'd conclude that states (or at least this one) might be giving up some "local control."

That's one of the ways to interpret the news out of Massachusetts. The story there is that state education officials are looking seriously at a proposal to do away with standards in English and math (the "MCAS" exams) and replace them with standards developed across many states -- or perhaps even to-be-crafted national standards: http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/mcas/articles/2010/05/20/education_officials_may_scrap_mcas_test/

So is there a single way the wind is blowing, or are there multiple crosswinds? Perhaps the primary conclusion is that the standards issue is in flux and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Even in Texas, where the curriculum vote is binding for the next decade? Yes, even in Texas. If a new (i.e. Democrat) governor is elected in November, the curriculum issue could theoretically be brought up again before the state Board of Education.

And in Massachusetts, while some are already bemoaning what is seen as a possible retreat from rigorous state standards, it's clear that there are many potential outcomes, including multi-state standards, national standards, or some version of state standards cobbled together with them. Naturally, money is at the root of some of this: Massachusetts, like some other states, may have lost out on early Federal "Race to the Top" funding because of a perception that state officials didn't want to water down stringent local standards. Now, perhaps, that position is being rethought.

It's the educator in the classroom who faces the greatest challenge in the long run. She or he still has to teach those twenty-five-or-so students every day AND ensure that what is being taught meets the (sometimes rapidly changing) standards. It's just one of the reasons why our customized materials are striking such a chord with district decision-makers. Because we can develop and produce new content quickly, customized Walch programs can meet new standards and easily be re-fashioned if the standards alter.

On beyond books

2010-05-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's easy to beat up on PowerPoint. We've all sat through more than our fair share of presentations featuring that ubiquitous Microsoft application, bullet after bullet, screen after screen. The New York Times even recently had an article about how PowerPoint has become an obessive time-devourer within the U.S. Army.

But one of the reasons PowerPoint is so universal is because sometimes it really does the trick. That was the case in a Maryland district that wanted to use a PowerPoint presentation to supplement their regular Algebra program. Working with the district, we developed 100 Lesson Starters for Algebra I, and it's now available in both a Maryland and a national version.

The "book" is a 100-slide PowerPoint program (it comes on a disc, easy to install, just insert it into a computer). Each slide has an image showing something students can identify with: a mall, a concert, a swim meet. And below each image is a basic Algebra problem that relates to that place or event. Teachers can use one or more of these screens every day to introduce Algebra in a more friendly format for students. [The speaker notes for each slide give suggestions for how to use the material, what student responses might be, and more.] Most students are familiar with PowerPoint -- they often use it themselves in class presentations. Makes sense to employ the same format to teach. We're not suggesting that PowerPoint can (or will) replace books or other educational media. But here's a case where it works well as a supplementary aid in the teacher's toolkit.

Turning the world upside down

2010-05-14T07:07:00.001-07:00

Since 1927, Walch Education (known back then as J. Weston Walch) had published supplemental books, primarily for middle and high schools following a tried-and-true publishing process. Generate ideas internally for a number of book ideas, winnow them down (using any one of a number of filters), and then write and publish the books. And then hope/trust/pray that any market research done in advance was accurate, and that the books would appeal to teachers.

In the last few years, we've been quietly turning that world upside down. The costs and the risks are simply too high to continue tossing books towards schools and waiting for a response. Plus, educators have increasingly specific needs for the classroom, and increasingly demanding state and Federal standards to meet.

In states throughout America, we're now several years into a new system that starts with a novel premise: ask the educators what they need. We first talk to administrators and teachers in key districts and find out from them where there are holes to be plugged, skills that are not being taught or learned properly, standards -- and students -- that are slipping through the cracks. We then take those needs and build them into curricula that fit that particular state's standards and testing expectations. And we have them partner with us throughout the development process, reviewing and improving our materials.

The result: when we deliver a program to a given district, or school, or teacher, it has already been designed and vetted so that it successfully meets unique needs. Our operating mantra is "one size does not fit all." Students are unique, schools are unique, districts are unique, states are unique -- and they all deserve materials that teach uniquely. When we get feedback from teachers in the field, they tell us that our custom programs are unlike anything they've experienced before. For many of these teachers, it's the first time they've worked with materials that were designed with local input.

We think this is the direction all educational publishing is heading towards. And we're just excited to be one of the pioneers.

The Gift of Books in Portland, Maine

2010-03-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Portland (Maine) is our hometown -- Walch Education was founded back in 1927 by a Portland High teacher, J. Weston Walch. So whenever we can give back to this city that has nourished and supported us for so many years, it's an honor.

Recently, we contacted Portland's School Department (http://www.portlandschools.org/) to arrange donations of books from our warehouse. Given the state of school finances these days, we knew that our materials would be appreciated. The reality is, fewer and fewer teachers are able to make purchases on behalf of their classrooms.

Most recently, we haqve donated books to Peter McCormack at the West School, a school in Portland serving students with special needs. And we've donated books to Steve Nolan, principal of Lincoln Middle School. (The picture here shows McCormack, on the right, accepting books from John Spritz, Walch Education's Direcrtor of Marketing.) It's a great opportunity for us to connect to the schools around us and the extraordinary work they do day in and day out.

Name Change Alert!

2010-02-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

Concurrent with the addition of a new title to our Critical Literacy series (Comparative Reading), we've changed the series title from Critical Literacy to Adolescent Literacy.

We change series titles infrequently, so this deserves a little explanation. All too often, "literacy" is thought of as pertaining almost exclusively to the K-3 or maybe K-5 world. You're taught reading when you're young and then...you're on your own. The reality is that literacy needs continue right up through middle school, in other words, through adolescence. And adolescent literacy has come to be seen as important in its own right: the reinforcement of literacy concepts and approaches while students are working their way through middle school. So we now have three titles in our Adolescent Literacy series: Figurative Language, Making Inferences, and Comparative Reading. This newest title, by the way, gives students ways to analyze and compare different texts and their elements. Topics include "Mostly the Same or Mostly Different?", "Dear Editor,", and "Same Place, Different Map." You can find out more at http://walch.com/Critical-Literacy-Comparative-Reading.html.

Gee, I Need Geography!

2010-02-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

It's true. Most students today -- heck, most people -- are challenged by geography. Where their street is on a city map, where their country is on a world map, how geography affects politics and culture, how geography defines our local and global economy, etc. etc.

That's why we've developed a new series, Thinking Critically About Geography. We've started out with three titles, focusing on 1) United States, Canada, and Greenland; 2) South America; and 3) The Middle East. Each is jam-packed with maps, lessons, key vocabulary, hints for how to read the maps, and so on. And each coems with a CD-ROM that has all of the contents on an easy-to-use PDF.

The Middle East title is particularly exciting, given how central that region is to our nation's future. Lots of maps and critiques that help you understand how and why the different countries relate to one another and the world at large. Need more info? Go to http://walch.com/Critical-Thinking-About-Geography-Series.html

5 Common Problems for Curriculum Leaders

2010-01-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year. I trust that 2010 is off to a good start.

As you know, Walch has worked directly with a number of urban districts over the past few years, and discussed the issues and challenges faced by Superintendants and Curriculum leaders with hundreds of you in that time. Below is a list of five common problems:

Five Common Problems

1) You’ve adopted a text but kids don’t connect with it. It’s too abstract and uninteresting.
2) The curriculum you have, or have identified, is not genuinely based upon your state/local standards or sequenced the way you want it to be.
3) State standards are in flux and/or there are new and evolving course requirements.
4) You have one set of materials, but multiple needs and goals. Some students need to be retaught, or require more intensive instruction, and you know that using the same materials and approaches is awkward at best.
5) Budgets are up in the air. You can’t be certain whether specific programs will happen, how they will be structured and staffed or what their enrollment might be, until they are almost upon you.

Sound Familiar?

We can help. If there’s one thing we would suggest, and it’s admittedly a bit self serving, it’s that you pick up the phone and call us.

Before sharing how we have assisted others in similar situations, it’s important to acknowledge the realities of today.

The economic constraints we have all been under are not likely to change, and may even get worse. As the National Conference of State Legislatures puts it, “The longest economic downturn in decades appears to be well entrenched...Many states already foresee budget gaps in FY 2011 and FY 2012. It is hard to see when they will end. Ironically, a contributing factor to future state budget gaps is the end of federal stimulus funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)...That money recedes in FY 2011 and, when it is gone, will leave big holes in state budgets—what many state officials are calling the “cliff effect.”

At the same time, the pressures to improve student learning and connect with students in myriad, relevant ways are unlikely to change. Everyone recognizes the need to differentiate, extend, enhance, remediate and improve test scores. As a matter of fact, these pressures are likely to increase as calls for “Race to the Top” reform, 21st Century Skills and AYP are increasingly part of the ever-changing mix.

A lot of this is promising, and it’s certainly well intentioned. But meanwhile you have a district to run and students whose future depends on you.

Here’s how we have helped others in similar situations:

You’ve adopted a text but kids don’t connect with it: We hear this all the time. Often it’s the curriculum department or selected teachers who try to adapt by writing exercises and activities to enhance the text, or by using their own materials and exercises and using the expensive text as a supplement. Other times, you simply try to make do, realizing that the teachers are frustrated and the students are suffering.

For a 40,000 student district in Maryland we developed a set of Lesson Starters to enhance their Glencoe Algebra 1 text. They are designed to preview each units’ content through lens of application. Our partner had started the project in house, and we came in to complete the content and package and organize it to maximize utility.

The curriculum you have, or have identified, is not genuinely based upon your state/local standards or sequenced the way you want it to be: Again, a common problem. Your pacing charts are awkward. Your teachers are forced to hop scotch though the units, incorporate other materials and otherwise improvise to fill in gaps.

For a 140,000 student district in Maryland we developed a comprehensive Algebra/Data Analysis program for students who will be taking the HSA. It also addresses key concepts found in the 8th grade MSA, and supports a problem based learning instructional design.

State standards are in flux and/or there are new and evolving course requirements: We’ve seen this challenge as Georgia transitioned to the GPS from the CLGs and as NC is starting to adopt its Essential Standards. Districts can’t find materials to address the new standards, nor can they find materials to support the transition.

For a 50,000 student district in Georgia, we developed the only complete, integrated set of Math 2, Math 2 Support and Accelerated Math 2 (Geometry / Algebra II / Statistics) math materials that are fully aligned to the GPS. These include a variety of instructional approaches (direct instruction, guided practice, real life applications, etc.) and instructional elements (warm ups, station activities, etc) plus pre and post tests and mini assessments. We are now developing Math 3 and Math 4.

You have one set of materials, but multiple needs and goals. Some students need to be retaught, or require more intensive instruction, and you know that using the same materials and approaches is awkward at best. This is a very common problem in extended learning environments, summer schools and elsewhere.

For a 100,000 student district in Georgia, we developed a summer science program to help students who had failed, or were at risk of failing, the GHSGT. For the first time, teachers had easy to use, fully aligned materials that were organized and sequenced to support their five week course. Pass rates improved dramatically.

Mr. President, Meet Mr. Ohno

2009-12-17T07:47:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama and Apolo Ohno are two of the 16 individuals profiled in our new 16 Extraordinary Multiracial Americans. It's the latest release in our (now 11-title) Extraordinary Americans series.

Like the other titles in the series, 16 Extraordinary Multiracial Americans contains 16 easy-to-read biographies, each including extension activities, background notes, a vocabulary list, references, and more. They're known as "hi-lo readers" -- high content, low readability level. As American society becomes more multiracial and more diverse, titles such as these help strugling readers understand the value and promise of our changing demographic landscape. (Oh and by the way, they're fun to read!)

Bio This, Bio That

2009-12-17T07:37:00.001-08:00

We have a double-barreled "Bio" introduction at Walch this month.

First of all, we've just released our new Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology title. It's pretty remarkable -- 20 lessons that get middle or high school students deep into the worlds of cloning, natural antibiotics, jobs in biotech, much more. When you think "21st century careers," biotechnology is right up there, and we think this new title goes a long way in helping students understand and think about the field's potential.

Second, we have a new free download in our Teachable Moments series. It's called Fly Eyes and Whale Hearts, and it zeroes in on biomimicry. That's a whole new field in which man-made design looks to natural solutions and ideas. Neat stuff, and it ties in nicely with the biotechnology title, above.

Take a look, and let us know if there are other contemporary scientific topics you think we should explore!

2009-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

I went to a school board meeting this week to listen in on a discussion regarding budgets cuts and the impact on class sizes.

I should say, as background, that our schools are both excellent and small. That said, the issues they are struggling with are widespread.

Our schools are facing a state budget curtailment of $326 per K-12 student this year. In ‘10/11 they are facing a curtailment of $697 per student, and in ‘11/12 anticipate a curtailment of $557 per student. And, of course, when the stimulus $ dry up who knows what the budget will be.

I was astonished by the magnitude of these cuts. We live in tough times, and we all are being forced to cut back. Most districts are facing tough decisions and have very limited resources.

That said, I respectfully asked our school board to maintain a focus on resources in the classroom. It’s of paramount importance that we fund education sufficiently, and the top priority must be to ensure that teachers and students get what they need to teach and learn.

I hope that districts everywhere place student learning first. And I also hope that Walch can continue to help them save with targeted, research based curriculum delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional “one size fits all” materials. We can help a district do a lot more with a lot less. That seems to be particularly relevant these days!

-Al.

More Math in Maryland?

2009-12-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Tuesday's edition of The Baltimore Sun had an intriguing article about the (possible) future of high school mathematics education in Maryland: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.regents01dec01,0,408359.story

The gist of the story is that the University of Maryland's Board of Regents is considering requiring students to take four years of high school mathematics -- not three -- when applying to the university system. Even if a student completes algebra II by the end of 11th grade, he/she would still need to continue with another math course in 12th grade.

The article notes that "The requirements would align with a national trend toward toughening math standards, part of a larger quest to produce more science, technology, math and engineering, or STEM, professionals. The National Governors Association is leading an effort to develop core standards for high schools across the nation and those standards might include similar math requirements."

Walch Education's programs in Maryland align well with this "toughening math standards" approach, especially version 2.0 of our Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis and our Building Math program, which develops STEM skills.

25% off all titles at Walch.com thru December 31st!

2009-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Well, that headline pretty much says it all. If you go to www.walch.com, you'll see that we're running a site-wide sale on each and every title we carry -- well over a thousand. The sale is for 25% off, for all orders shipped by December 31st, and you have to order on the site. It's just our way of thanking custoemrs at the end of the year.

Enjoy!

2009-11-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

I read with interest the news (Washington Post, Nov. 20, 2009) about The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $335 million grants to improve teacher effectiveness.

The article cites a conference call in which, Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation, said she and Microsoft founder Bill Gates had discovered that innovation takes long-term commitment because school systems are often "entrenched" in their ways and teachers "siloed in their classrooms."

"We have been in this work for almost a decade" she said. "We've learned a lot about what works. . . . Let's focus on the thing that actually matters the most, which is the teacher." (Gates serves on the board of the Washington Post Co.)

Of course, we all agree that the individual teacher is critical. What we lose sight of, however, is the importance of foundational systemic changes which can raise the performance of teachers as a group.

The Frameworks Institute just published some very important research on the perception of the general public with respect to education.

"Teachers were seen as having the ability to motivate students and informants saw teacher caring as a particularly important trait. For a majority of informants, the focus on caring teachers being good teachers overwhelmed, overshadowed, and obscured the importance of teacher knowledge and training, characteristics that were not frequently connected with being a “good teacher.” Also missing from the interviews were discussions and explanations of the importance of school leadership, organizations, and other factors related to the school setting and environment".

It’s critical that we not lose sight of the needs for tools and systems that give teachers the resources and guidance they need to succeed with our children. Even (or perhaps especially) the best teacher is overworked and over-tasked these days. At Walch, by uniquely providing teachers with targeted materials that improve their efficiency and focus, we help remove some of these burdens, and help them spend time on what they are best at- teaching.

-Al.

SFI OKs Walch Education Books

2009-11-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

If you're up on your sustainability acronyms, then you know that SFI stands for Sustainable Forestry Initiative. And you know that, along with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), they're one of the major organizations that certify whether wood products come from sustainably managed forests.

As a publisher, we use a lot of wood products, i.e. paper. We use less than we used to, because more and more of our titles are available as CD-ROMs or digital downloads. Plus, our on-site digital printing allows us to minimize the amount of paper (and books) we keep on on-hand in our warehouse. But we still use a lot of paper. And we're headquartered in Maine, the most heavily-forested state (by percentage of overall land) in the country. So we're particularly sensitive to the need for sustainable forestry. That's why we were so pleased, this past week, to get approval from SFI to print our books on SFI-certified paper. As Chuck Thomas, our VP of Operations noted, it was a big step to get SFI certification earlier this year. Now we've taken the next big step: getting approval to use that certification on virtually all of our books. Beginning now, all of our new books, and all of the reprints of existing titles, will show the SFI logo on the copyright page. It may not look like much, but it indicates that we're trying to do our job to ensure that the forests we depend on will still be there, and be healthy, many many years from now.

Georgia District Sees Test Scores Rise

2009-11-06T13:26:00.001-08:00

We're very fond of Clarke County, Georgia. Yes, it's home to Athens and the University of Georgia. But we're especially fond of...

...summer school test results! (Well, who isn't?) This past summer, Clarke County 8th graders in summer school used our new Georgia Academic Support Program Comprehensive Mathematics, Grade 8. According to Clarke County School District Mathematics Coach Glenda Huff, “The 8th grade teachers loved the resource. The planning time was cut in half for a summer program that was packed with content.” Just as significantly, students using the program saw their test results rise 12.8%, from pre-test to post-test.

It's one thing to develop and publish programs that you think make a difference in the classroom. It's another thing to see some concrete proof.

Digital Downloads!

2009-11-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

All new Walch Education tiles now come with a fully searchable CD-ROM attached to the printed book. But we're not stopping there: we now also offer 18 of our most popular titles as Digital Downloads on our web site.

That means that if you're searching for Dialogue, Discussion, and Debate: Science, or Daily Writing Fundamentals or Daily Warm-Ups: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots, or any other of 18 titles, you can purchase them as traditional print-format books. Or, you can download them right from our web site -- and save a few dollars in the process.

So go to the full list of our Digital Downloads and bring our best-sellers right into your classroom or home instantly!

You Gotta' Have Art!

2009-11-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

...and we have it, hot off the press!

Meet Daily Warm-Ups: Art History, the latest addition to our acclaimed Daily Warm-Ups series. It's a stand-alone or a companion to our perennially popular Daily Warm-Ups: Art.

Difference is, Daily Warm-Ups: Art History zeroes in on how art mixes and mingles with culture and history over time. The familiar, successful format applies: 180 quick activities that require little or no prep time for teacher. These are ideal for the beginning of class, end of class, or any transition or down time.

Fact is, Daily Warm-Ups: Art has been well received year after year. So we went back to the teachers who use it and asked what more we could give them? More of this, they answered, and that's why we developed this new title. Needless to say, it includes a handy-dandy CD-ROM that's completely searchable, so you can copy from the book itself or project/copy from the disk.

Did we mention that Daily Warm-Ups: Art History addresses National Standards for Art Education? That it has links to other web resources? That it's spiral-bound and lays flat? That it's darn cute?

We did? Well, then, what are you waiting for?

Time to Visit North Carolina!

2009-10-30T06:15:00.001-07:00

Right now, our Senor Director of Programs and Partnerships, Jill Rosenblum, is down in Greensboro, North Carolina. She's at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Jill is showcasing our newest program there, Foundations of Algebra. Designed, written, and piloted with North Carolina educators, Foundations of Algebra prepares struggling students for Algebra 1 and beyond. It's aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and can be used in 9th grade as a semester or a full-year course.

Definitely Not Your Father's High-School Science Class

2009-10-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Forensic science is all the rage on TV, what with C.S.I. and similar shows. Makes sense that it would percolate down to the high-school classroom, too. Teachers across the country are now using the cool parts of forensic science -- you know, the blood, the fingerprints, all that -- to teach basic science.

Sean Cavanagh reports on this phenomenon in a recent article in Education Week: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/28/09forensics_ep.h29.html?tkn=PQQFA0Hu7sxGMDVWXWtNmgy65xvOiTLMBWKp

And it's nice to see our new Hands-On Science: Forensics featured in the article as one of the resources educators are using!

It's Show Time!

2009-10-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when many subject-specific teacher associations have their annual gatherings. Today, October 16th, is particularly conspicuous: Walch Education representatives are exhibiting at the Florida Council of Teachers of English, the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics! Whew!

We're showing samples of, among other products, the Georgia Math 2 suite, the Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis program, and our Critical Literacy series. If you'd like to see a sample of any of these, or just find out more about Walch Education products, let us know. You can always reach us through Customer Service at (800) 341-6094, customerservice@walch.com.

Blood, Glass, Garbage...Forensics!

2009-10-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

With all of the interest in television shows about forensics (C.S.I., etc.) -- and there are plenty of middle- and high-school classes on the subject -- it's nice to see our Hands-On Science: Forensics title pick up a nice review.

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) regularly takes a look at new science titles in the classroom. On September 8, they recommended our Forensics title, saying, among other things, that it "...offers teachers a wealth of activities that are aligned with NSES content standards...Each activity gives instructional objectives, NSES correlations, vocabulary, materials, helpful hints, and scoring rubrics...Hands-On Science: Forensics provides teachers with a total package for implementing forensic lessons that are relevant and engrossing for students." You can read the full recommendation here.

Hands-On Science: Forensics includes 20 activities that introduce students to the science of crime scene investigations. Sample topics include:

Blood pattern analysis

Glass fracture patterns

Photographing a crime scene

Searching through garbage

Microscopic fibers

The program is proving popular in middle schools, high schools, and adult ed/community college settings. For more information, contact (800) 341-6094, or customerservice@walch.com.

Video Games as a Teaching Tool? That's Right!

2009-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Our popular Media Literacy series explores how different media have developed, how they influence us, and how they can be used to teach critical skills in the classroom. The series has looked at media such as television, the Internet, newspapers --

-- and now, Video Games and Virtual Worlds! For many students, the online gaming and simulation worlds are far more interesting and "real" than the actual world we inhabit. OK, then, if that's the case, how can educators respond? We've developed this program, formally called Thinking Critically About Video Games and Virtual Worlds, to hekp students -- and teachers-- interpret, analyze, and evaluate interactive digital entertainment.

The program includes 48 lessons, zeroing in on topics such as:

The role of violence in video games

How video games affect parent-child relationships

Video games and players with disabilities

Scams and cheats

Linden dollars and other virtual world currency

What messages video game developers and sponsors are sending

Educators are using this new title in media, design, and computer classrooms, as inter-disciplinary resources in language arts or social studies classrooms, or to address the National Educational Technology Standards. You can find our more at (800) 341-6094, or customerservice@walch.com.

New Georgia Web Site Focuses on Education

2009-10-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

Walch Education has just launched http://www.walchgeorgia.com/. The new site focuses on our programs and partnerships in the Peachtree State.

We've partnered with many of the leading districts in Georgia, including Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Lumpkin counties. The site highlights some of our work with those districts, and the resulting programs.

Want to know more? Then you should talk to Andrea Newman, our Regional Partnership Manager in Georgia. She's at (404) 543-2478, anewman@walch.com.

Lexile Measures Make the Difference in Walch's New Georgia English/Language Arts Program

2009-10-13T09:46:00.001-07:00

Our Georgia Academic Support Program for English/Language Arts, High School, has been very popular in the Peachtree State. Now, Georgia educators have more evidence of the program's strength.

Metametrics, a leading educational measurement company, has applied its Lexile Framework for Reading to the 92 reading passages in the program. The average measure, 887L, places the majority of those reading passages squarely within a 9th-grade reading ability.

In other words? As Walch's Director of Education, Susan Graham, notes, "This demonstrates that the Georgia Academic Support Program for English/Language Arts, High School, is appropriate for a range of abilities. We're supporting Georgia educators with the data, and assurance, they need, that this program works well in diverse high school classrooms."

In Georgia, students receive a Lexile score along with their regular score for the CRCT Reading or GHSGT English/Language Arts tests. Educators using the Georgia Academic Support Program for English/Language Arts, High School, can now see just how each reading passage in the program matches student reading ability.

By the way, the Georgia Academic Support Program for English/Language Arts, High School, was recently cited as a "Recommended Learning Resource" by the Georgia Department of Education.

Getting Ready for the New York Regents Exams - Something New

2009-10-13T09:27:00.001-07:00

If you're a student or educator in New York State, you know all about the Regents Examinations, or as they're usually called, "the Regents," a series of comprehensive high school exams.

In our opinion, too many programs prepare students for the Regents with short-term test-prep drills. Result: students who get a blip of insight into how to take the test, but who lack a true understanding of the material and the skills thathelp them interpret and think through what they've learned.

That's why we developed the Academic Support Program for English Language Arts, NY State Regents Prep. Yes, it has assessments and answer keys modeled after the Regents Exam, to give students practice. But it also has:

More than 80 hours of correlated instruction

More than 40 lessons correlated to IRA/NCTE Standards for English Language Arts

Strategies for direct instruction, differentiatd approaches, alternative assessments, and extending learning

And the whole program comes packaged in an easy-to-use, completely reproducible 3-ring binder. Throw in a CD-ROM with all of the content on a PDF, and you can see why the program is a boon for New York educators. Want to find out more? Call us at (800) 341-6094, or email customerservice@walch.com.

Walch Team Grows with Maryland Hire

2009-10-13T09:14:00.001-07:00

We've added to our team with Rorye Jordon, our new Regional Partnership Manager in the Maryland/Virginia/DC area. Rorye lives in Maryland, and she'll work with existing accounts and new partnerships.

Rorye is a find, and we're very lucky to have her aboard. She has been a teacher in the Baltimore City Public School System and has taught at Baltimore City Community College. She's also worked as Regional Education Quality Manager for Education Station, a partner of Sylvan Learning.

Among the programs Rorye will be focusing on in Maryland will be:

Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis

Maryland Academic Support Program for English II HSA Mastery

Maryland Academic Support Program for Biology HSA Recovery

If you're a teacher or district administrator in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia, and you're looking for affordable, flexible ways to boost student success, talk to Rorye. She's at (443) 255-8125, rjordon@walch.com.

Prince George's County Sees Scores Rise

2008-11-18T13:57:00.001-08:00

Interesting article in The Washington Post about the recent rise in test scores in Prince George's County, Maryland: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111401342.html?hpid=sec-education

As the article notes,

"The Prince George's County school system made "significant progress" in the 2007-08 school year, the first time it has met Maryland academic standards since a new testing regimen began in 2003, state officials announced yesterday."

We're particularly proud of progress in Prince George's County, which has been a partner of ours in this year's new Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis program: http://www.walch.com/product/2386

2008 Election Ideal for Classroom Discussion

2008-10-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Our newest Teachable Moment at Walch.com uses the 2008 election as a springboard for discussion. The 10th in a series of free lesson plans, this Teachable Moment helps students explore what it means to be labeled a "Democrat" or "Republican," how those terms came into use, and how political parties function today.

Complete with worksheets, answer keys, online references, and a list of National History Standards addressed, the Teachable Moment gives educators an opportunity to use today's headlines to further informed classroom research and learning. Here's the link:

http://www.walch.com/teachable/teachable_moments_10_billboard_controversy.pdf

We developed each Teachable Moment to supplement your own instructional materials, providing background information and student prompts. The 2008 election is now only a week away, but the lessons it can teach students about how political parties were created, how they define themselves, and what that means for the political process -- these lessons will be as valuable next year and for the foreseeable future.

Time was, political affiliation was unquestioned by many Americans. You were a Republican or a Democrat -- and that was it. Today's students want to know the real meaning behind these terms, and our newest Teachable Moment is a great way to kickstart that discussion.

FCTE, FCTM, GCTM, MCTM

2008-10-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

One week ago, at the same time, Walch Education was exhibiting at four educational conferences: the Florida Council of Teachers of English (http://www.fcte.org), the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics (http://www.fctm.net), the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (http://www.gctm.org) and the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (http://www.marylandmath.org).

In the South and in the North, talking to language arts teachers and talking to mathematics teachers, we kept hearing the same things:

Even the textbooks that supposedly align to state standards often miss the mark, leaving the teachers to fill in the gaps
Hands-on learning is critical
If it makes a teacher's life easier, it has value
Test prep drives much of what teachers work on

That last item is particularly noteworthy. Whatever an individual teacher's -- or district's, or state's -- opinion about "teaching to the test," those standardized tests cannot be ignored.

And more are coming. According to Outsell, a research and advisory firm focused on the publishing, information, and education industries, "Starting in 2012, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) will for the first time measure technology literacy and proficiency among K-12 students on a national level."

The materials and programs that garner interest are those that make a teacher's life easier and help prepare kids for tests.

One of our programs that drew a lot of attention was the Station Activities series: http://www.walch.com/search.php?catid=42 We currently have versions addressing Georgia and Florida standards, as well as a national version. These are all for middle school mathematics classes; in a few months, we'll have language arts versions, too.

PD in the USVI

2008-09-15T12:33:00.001-07:00

That's Jill Rosenblum, our Director of Standards and Assessment, conducting a professional development (PD) program this past week in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

As was noted below in the June 25th post, Walch Education is providing junior-high and high-school Academic Support Programs (ASPs) for both Language Arts and Mathematics to the St. Croix School District. Jill and Susan Graham, our Director of Education, helped to develop the four programs, and spent some time in the USVI (a territory of the United States), working with local educators to implement the programs, each of which was correlated to the Virgin Islands' Academic Content Standards.

In Jill's words, “Each of the ASPs contains approximately 60 hours of instruction. They’re complete programs with a variety of teaching tools and strategies, something the instructor can use to review core concepts, assess students’ needs, and—maybe most important—provide remediation and support for the skills identified as needing special attention.”

Maryland HSA Prep Boosted with New Walch Course

2008-08-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

More than 10,000 8th- and 9th-grade students are starting the school year using Walch Education's Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis program, which you can learn more about at http://www.walch.com/news/Maine%20and%20Maryland%20collaborate%20on%20math%20program.pdf.

We developed this program in partnership with Prince George's County, but it's already creating quite a buzz elsewhere in Maryland. What makes the MD ADA so special? Not only is it ideal for helping kids get ready for the HSAs and MSAs, it also gives teachers a wide range of instructional methods to choose from, in dealing with (we are told) a wide range of learning styles and abilities.

The MD ADA comes as two teacher binders, which are completey reproducible, plus a hardbound student book. Total cost is as low as $45/student -- and that's for a full-year course.

Getting graphic about organizers

2008-07-25T12:24:00.001-07:00

We recently came across a very useful paper written by the good people at CAST, the Center for Applied Special Technology: www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_go.html

The topic is graphic organizers, those ways of displaying information or data visually and creatively. Sometimes they're called "knowledge maps," sometimes they're referred to as diagrams, but however you name them, they're incredibly useful in working with a diverse group of students, especially those who learn visually. The paper is a great overview of some of the basic forms of graphic organizers, what distinguishes them from each other, and how they are applied.

Walch, of course, has a number of books focusing on graphic organizers within disciplines. Here, for instance, is our title on Graphic Organizers for Geometry.

Florida rule heralds more summer school

2008-07-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Miami Herald from Tuesday, July 8th, has an intriguing story about a new law in Florida: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/596955.html.

The law, enacted two years back, requires middle school students in the Sunshine State to pass their core subjects before moving on to ninth grade, high school. That means that thousands and thousands of Florida middle schoolers who were previously "passed through" to high school will now be required to take summer school classes or in some other way raise their grades to an acceptable level.

It's clear that the trend towards tougher state standards is not going to rest at the high-school level. More and more, we're seeing states formalize their learning expectations in middle schools, too. That's a major reason why we've been developing targeted programs for that age group: http://www.walch.com/search.php?query=florida&per_page=

2008-06-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Walch Education has inked a deal with the St. Croix School District of the U.S. Virgin Islands. We'll be developing and providing customized versions of our award-winning Academic Support Programs (ASPs). The material is being developed for approximately 700 special education students in the St. Croix district. We're creating four distinct ASPS, one each for Junior High and High School Mathematics and English Language Arts.

Each ASP will be developed according to NCTM and NCTE standards and correlated to the Virgin Islands’ Academic Content Standards. The ASPs will also include implementation guides keyed to the basal series being used in various classrooms.

Walch Education’s ASP series has been widely used in both national, standards-based versions and state-specific versions in Maryland, Florida, and Georgia. The national Algebra and English Language Arts versions were recently given Distinguished Achievement Awards “For Excellence in Educational Publishing” at the annual meeting of the Association of Educational Publishers.

To Tutor: In-house or not?

2008-06-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting article in last Friday's Washington Post about how schools in Virginia, Maryland and elsewhere are finding that hiring outside tutors to work with their struggling students doessn't necessarily lead to better test scores. The headline is "Mandated Tutoring Not Helping Md., Va. Scores," and you can read the full article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/12/AR2008061203681.html

The issue in a nutshell: NCLB requires certain schools to provide tutors to struggling students. But after all the time and expense of hiring and bringing those outside firms up to speed, the results are often negligible.

That emerging story is certainly contributing to the success of our customized Academic Support Program ("ASP") materials. Because the ASPs can be tailored to individual district needs, they also make sense in an in-school tutoring context. Rather than paying outside resources that may or may not hit the target, districts can use the ASPs as a comprehensive program for teacher-tutors.

That's what we're especially good at: developing customized materials that zero in on a particular district's particular needs. And then creating the materials, printing them quickly on our in-house digital presses, and delivering them with customized professional development. Sometimes the materials are new from the ground up, sometimes they're more of a tweak on the established state standards, or what the district next door has already developed. But however we work with a district, we're able to offer a level of attention and detail they simply can't find from traditional publishers.

And that includes materials that work for tutors, too.

3 for 3 ain't bad!

2008-06-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Our Director of Education, Susan Graham, just returned from Washington, D.C., site last week of the annual conference of the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP). This, our industry group, gives out annual awards for the "best of the best" published materials for schools. They're known as "Distinguished Achievement Awards."

We jokingly told Susan before she left that she shouldn't "return without any metal." Well, she didn't disappoint. Walch Education had three books nominated in three separate categories -- and we won for each of our entries! They are:

1) Our Academic Support Program (ASP) for Mathematics (in the category of Curriculum Packages for Mathematics, grades 9-12) http://www.walch.com/product/2157

2) Building Math (in the category of Currriculum Packages for Mathematics, grades 6-8) http://www.walch.com/product/2137

3) Our Academic Support Program for English Language Arts (in the category of Curriculum Packages for Reading & Language Instruction, grades 9-12) http://www.walch.com/product/2106

No, it may not be quite the same as receiving an Oscar or Tony, but it nevertheless makes us awfully proud. These are materials we created in close consultation with educators, they have been extremely successful in the field -- and now we have the kudos of our professional peers, as well.

Susan tells us there were photos taken in Washington, with her holding the three awards...we'll find those and post them, too.

AEP Distinguished Achievement Awards

2008-05-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

3 of our titles have been nominated for the annual "Distinguished Achievement Awards" issued by the Association of Educational Publishers (http://www.aepweb.org/). The titles include our Algebra Academic Support Program, Building Math (created in alliance with Boston's Museum of Science) and Academic Support Program for English Language Arts. The actual awards are given out at the AEP's annual event, in Washington, D.C. in early June.

What's Next? Life skills!

2008-05-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

Our newest release is What's Next? A Simulation of Adult Life Stages.

What's Next? was developed for middle- and high-school students, or special education classes, focusingon life-skills, consumer mathematics, or other similar curricula. Through role-playing activities, students learn the skills they will need as they transition into adulthood.

Take our word for it, this book is a lot of fun. Essentially, adulthood is conceived of as a "game" (and who's to say it isn't?) that the players (students) must learn how to manueuver through, gaining credits along the way.

Helping students prep for the November election

2008-05-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Another new set of releases for us are Dialogue, Discussion, and Debate: Social Studies and Dialogue, Discussion, and Debate: Science. Each is particularly apropos, considering the upcoming elections. Each title helps students develop methods for talking about and analyzing controversial subjects, such as genetic engineering, evolution vs. creationism, illegal downloads, assault weapons, hate speech, and more.

If your children are like my 7- and 12-year-old, then getting them to think and articulate clearly about topical matters is a challenge. That's why we think the "D3" series will prove to be so useful in classrooms.

You can learn more about the titles at http://www.walch.com/product/2197

Building Math recognized in District Administration magazine

2008-01-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

It's nice to see Building Math, Walch Education's 3-book series that teaches middle school students algebra by solving engineering problems atop Everest, deep in the Amazon, or on a deserted island, recognized as the featured product in the "New Products" section of the current issue of District Administration magazine:

http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1368

Building Math has been hailed as an innovative approach to STEM curricula (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in middle schools. The series was developed in partnership with Tufts University and Boston's Museum of Science.

Now in South Korea

2007-11-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Walch has always had strong international sales, of course, but we recently made a great leap forward with the announcement that IAM Books, located in South Korea, would print and distribute, in Korea, nine titles from our popular Daily Warm-Ups series.

As you might expect, out of the more than four dozen Daily Warm-Ups titles, those chosen have to do with mastering the English language: Spelling & Grammar, Level I; Grammar & Usage, Level II; Analogies, Level I; Analogies, Level II; Common English Idioms, Level I; Common English Idioms, Level II; Commonly Confused Words, Level I; Critical Thinking, Level I; and Critical Thinking, Level II.

If you aren't familiar with Daily Warm-Ups, they're meant to be used as supplements in the classroom; each book has 180 short exercises that take 5-10 minutes each. Something to turn down-time into productive time.

In any event, what makes this sale exciting for us is not only that it represents a positive foray into a significant market, but also that it validates the work we've been doing stateside. Educators have been responding to our Daily Warm-Ups with great enthusiasm for many years -- that's why there are more than four dozen titles! -- and it's great to see that these books can now play a part in educating foreign students, too. (John Spritz)

NCTE in NYC

2007-11-21T08:54:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, we, along with a few thousand teachers, attended the annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE, http://www.ncte.org)/ at the Javits Center in New York City. If you've never been to the Javits Center before, it is truly overwhelming. The NCTE show was just one of several mammoth events occurring simultaneously within its halls. (In fact, the NCTE show itself was so large that many of its sessions took place at the Marriott, on Times Square.)

Several hundred education providers were on hand, in booths ranging from a few feet across to mega-booth pavilions that looked somewhat akin to Oz, the Emerald City. No matter their size, however, they all had something interesting to show or talk about -- and for the most part, that meant books. In fact, the number of vendors displaying video or audio materials was surprisingly small...can it be that the printed word will indeed triumph?

No question that author signings are a surefire attraction. Put an author down at a table (or better yet, an author and his/her illustrator) and the line forms almost immediately. And of course there is nothing like free books, either. For the most part, those consisted of advance copies of 2008 fiction releases, primarily for the young adult market.

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the show was the continuing appela of an author named...William Shakespeare. In booth after booth, there were reprints of his plays (often annotated in a variety of styles), videos of Shakespeare films, audio CDs of Shakespeare readings, even a "manga" version of Shakespeare (and if you don't know what manga is, ask your adolescent or teenage son or daughter). At least among English teachers, the Bard is alive and well and flowering in a myriad of ways. (John Spritz)

Algebra and data analysis in Maryland and North Carolina

2007-11-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

We’re just back from a couple of days visiting districts in Maryland and North Carolina. It was a fascinating trip, one in which we picked up many new insights into the issues and challenges facing educators in those states.

Let’s start with Prince George's County, Maryland, where we met with the mathematics team. They are a group of three intelligent, energetic women who were frank in describing some of the "unintended consequences" of Maryland's High School Assessment in Algebra and Data Analysis. Because the test includes as much as 45% data analysis items, the algebra curriculum has been "adapted" to incorporate instruction to prepare students for the HSA. Inevitably, this leaves out or gives short shrift to some important algebraic concepts.

The result? Geometry and algebra II teachers are left to fill in the gaps. Thinking through these issues, we realized that Walch could provide a solution for Prince George's County by developing a middle school algebra and data analysis program that addresses this domino effect before students reach high school.

Moving on to North Carolina, we found that math and science leaders in Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools shared our enthusiasm for our new Building Math series. (http://www.walch.com/product/2137 These just-released books, created in partnership with Boston's Museum of Science and with support from the GE Foundation's Math Excellence program, provide middle school students with hands-on opportunities to apply algebra and engineering concepts in real-world contexts.

Building Math is getting a lot of accolades from educators who appreciate how the integration of math with basic engineering concepts can transform the learning experience in the classroom. The Charlotte-Mecklenberg folks are particularly excited about the opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching and learning, with potential for program crossover from mathematics to science and even social studies. We're hoping to return to North Carolina this summer to provide professional development for teachers who will be implementing Building Math there next year.

Our last meeting in North Carolina took place in Winston-Salem. There, we saw up-close a very real problem facing district level educators everywhere. The assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction had invited us to meet with all of the subject area specialists in hopes that we could "take something off their overflowing plates." The fruitful conversation that ensued reinforced a valuable lesson: educators often know what they want to achieve, but finding the time and capacity is a problem.

That's where Walch can help – developing materials and doing the work that curriculum coordinators and teachers would do themselves if they had the time. (Jill Rosenblum)

Professional development and Sunshine State standards

2007-10-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Florida Council of Teachers of English's (http://www.fcte.org/) 2007 Institute for Professional Development took place on October 18th – 20th in Altamonte Springs, Florida. This year’s theme was “Teaching: The Heart of Learning.” While I’ve attended conferences as a teacher and as a workshop presenter, this event was a first for me. My role at the event was as an exhibitor. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.

Ahead of time, I had spoken to the Program Chair, Jane Feber, an award-winning educator from Jacksonville. She told me that the conference’s goal is for teachers “to leave with a plethora of new ideas and new friends and return to their classrooms energized.” I was to expect to meet teachers, literacy coaches, department chairs, principals, curriculum directors, college professors, student teachers, and educational professionals interested in literacy.

Meet them, I did! The Grand Opening of Exhibits began Thursday night with a reception, allowing attendees to mill around the space to meet one another while chatting with folks like me. I had brought stacks of titles from Walch’s Daily Warm-Ups series, the new series of 16 Extraordinary Americans, our Media Literacy series, the Critical Literacy series, Daily Writing Fundamentals, and a few other titles. It’s always so fun to see educators react to these titles that we work so hard to produce. I was pretty proud to see one woman thumbing through one of the Daily Warm-Ups (http://www.walch.com/catalog.php?catid=22) when a complete stranger walked up to her and said, “OH, I loooooove those! I use them every day!” What a warm welcome for Walch titles!

For the next couple of days, I learned more about how Florida differentiates among teaching reading, teaching writing, and teaching English. I was well versed in the reading and writing benchmarks according to the Sunshine State Standards. What I didn’t know was there are distinct characteristics among who teaches each discipline. Reading teachers specifically address word analysis, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Writing teachers address prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and technology. English teachers, generally, focus on literature. Of course, all of these distinct roles integrate content and skills to some extent.

That said, this information made my conversations with each educator pretty specific. With writing teachers, I discussed Daily Writing Fundamentals (http://www.walch.com/product/2005). We’d talk about how students benefit from looking at samples of one another’s work and drilling down on specific tasks (just what this series happens to do).

With the Florida Supplemental Reading Adoption taking place this year and assessment results always under scrutiny (specifically the FCAT), those were two hot topics—particularly for reading teachers. Word had gotten out that Walch’s Florida Academic Support Program for English Language Arts (what we call the “ASP,” http://www.walch.com/product/2165) had just been unanimously recommended to the Florida Department of Education (http://www.fldoe.org/) for Supplemental Intervention Reading Program adoption. So, I was eager to showcase the materials and recommend how the ASP can help. Teachers and literacy coaches seemed particularly pleased with how the ASP not only can be used according to a scope and sequence but also how its targeted approach functions as a toolkit.

All in all, it was a terrific trip. I had the pleasure of talking to energetic educators about some of the classroom issues facing Floridians today and how product developers like me could lend a hand. But I have to admit that the highlight of the conference was meeting two literacy coaches who had been told to “look me up” by a friend I had in Manatee County schools. So, while the goal for the teachers was “to leave with a plethora of new ideas and new friends”— I managed to reach that goal too! (Susan Graham)

New education standards and funding questions in Florida

2007-10-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Our hats are off to the organizers of this week's annual meeting of the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics (FCTM, http://www.fctm.net/). They’ve used a "math rocks" theme to put together a well organized and well attended conference. You can pick up a great t-shirt with a chalkboard on the front for under $10, the food is super and the discussion is lively.

At the Walch Publishing booth, and elsewhere on the convention floor, we’ve been hearing two topics on everybody’s lips. First is the anticipated state budget cuts that are expected to have a negative affect on educational funds. This, in a state where the per-pupil spending level is already one of the lowest in the country. The Miami Herald covered the story of the budget cuts, and the School Board chairman of Broward County has weighed in with a reasoned reaction. (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/267528.html
and
http://www.browardschools.com/pdf/consortiumwilliams.pdf

The second issue is testing. The current Sunshine State Standards are changing, but the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) isn’t scheduled to be revised for there years. Understandably, there's some confusion: will districts wait to implement the new standards, because the existing FCATs reflects the old ones?

While these appropriately weighty matters are being discussed, we took the opportunity to introduce show attendees to our "coming out" party for the Academic Support Program for Middle School Mathematics, developed with the School District for Palm Beach County. The reactions were resoundingly positive and it looks like we have a winner on our hands. We look forward to working closely in the future with Palm Beach and other districts to keep these products fresh and relevant, and, most importantly, effective. (Al Noyes)