Welcome to NSTA's WebNews Analysis, a feature designed to help science educators monitor and study the latest issues in education and science. The NSTA WebNews Analysis offers teachers a digest of online news articles focusing on a particular issue of importance to science educators.
Back to School
Although both teachers and students share one thing in common in the fall, the new school year presents a variety of issues for educators.
The first issue teachers face is the question of when classes begin. Although in most districts the traditional start date has occurred after Labor Day, some school districts have moved the start date to July or August.
Teachers also must plan to attend orientation sessions and equip themselves with the necessary teaching tools. A growing number of educators are switching from red pens or markers to purple ones to correct papers and grade tests, for example. The color purple embodies red’s sense of authority and blue’s association with serenity, making it a less negative and more constructive color for corrections, according to color psychologists.
Some teachers also face the challenge of teaching students whose native language is not English. Last year, a school district in Texas, for example, encountered students who spoke as many as 97 different languages.
Teachers in other parts of the nation will return to the classroom without new contracts. Officials are optimistic, however, that negotiations will not delay the first day of school.
Read more about these issues by clicking on the links listed below. Please note that some articles require free registration.