AAE Blog

In Support of School Choice

2023-01-28T13:37:19Z

Imagine touring the school your child is supposed to attend and finding that it is not at all what you had pictured school to look like. My parents toured our neighborhood school in the 1980s and couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea of an open-concept school building where each grade level had “pods” that served as classrooms and you could see and hear everything going on in all of the other pods. What my parents imagined when they thought about a good learning environment involved one teacher, desks in rows, in one classroom with four walls and a door, with no more than 15-18 students. This “pod” situation was not what they envisioned at all and luckily, they had several parochial schools to choose from as well in our area. It was important to my parents that the school align with their values, with a focus on rigorous academics and a grounding in their religious faith.

Retreat in the Reading Wars

2022-06-02T13:31:46Z

There are few elementary educators who are unfamiliar with the name Lucy Calkins. Calkins rose to prominence alongside the curriculum she wrote with the Teachers College at Columbia University. Her Units of Study quickly became the poster child for the balanced literacy approach that has dominated reading instruction over the past several decades. Schools have increasingly integrated the methods that Calkins promotes even if they don’t adopt the whole curriculum, which is why it’s so problematic that mounting research has indicated the approach is flawed.

Jennifer Jenkins on her AAEF Grant

2022-03-24T14:57:52Z

Educator Jennifer Jenkins used her AAEF Classroom Grant funds for the purchase of leveled readers for her students, who since the pandemic, have been struggling to meet their reading goals.

I have taught Kindergarten for seventeen years and this year has been the most difficult. I have noticed over the past two years, students are getting further and further behind as they enter Kindergarten. Students need to have a love for learning and a love of reading, and my job is to create an environment that does just that.

Filing season reminder for teachers: Some educator expenses may be tax deductible

2022-03-17T16:58:26Z

When tax season is upon us, teachers are especially looking for every deduction and each opportunity to document and claim allowable professional expenses when filing. To help you, here is the latest information and tax policy specifically for educators from the US Internal Revenue Service. The educator expense deduction allows eligible teachers and administrators to deduct part of the cost of technology, supplies and training from their taxes. They can only claim this deduction for expenses that were not reimbursed by their employer, a grant or other source.

AAE Grant Helps National Security Magnet Program

2022-02-25T20:54:57Z

I’d like to share with you something written by Steven Herrera, one of our Fall 2021 Classroom Grant Winners. He used the funds to purchase textbooks for the National Security Intelligence magnet program. He writes:

Give Grace

2022-01-27T22:25:01Z

Today's Post is a guest post by 2022 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Jessica Saum.

What started as a two week “break” to slow the spread in March of 2020, is showing no sign of going away as we rapidly approach the two year mark of life and education impacted by COVID.

Teacher Uses AAE Grant for Document Camera

2021-12-10T15:20:15Z

Each year, AAE gives thousands of dollars away to teachers for use in their classrooms. These funds can go to professional development, to large classroom projects to just staple supplies. This week, we're featuring grant winner Jennifer Lambert. She used her funds to pay for a document camera. Of her purchase, she says:

Is It Time to Move to a Four-Day School Week?

2021-11-09T16:25:52Z

The four-day school week first gained popularity after the recession of 2008, when schools were looking for ways to cut funds. In this model, students attend school for only four days, usually Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday, with the fifth day of the week being used for teacher planning. Because students go to school for fewer days, those school days tend to be longer than their five-day week counterparts. This model has been especially popular in rural areas, where one less day of the school week saves districts from bussing students long distances to the building. Teachers, who are always strapped for time and under stress, appreciate having a day to plan lessons, catch up on grading, and schedule appointments.

The Power and the Value of a Teacher

2021-10-25T20:38:27Z

Maya Angelou said:

“This is the value of the teacher, who looks at a face and says there's something behind that and I want to reach that person, I want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that color, behind that language, behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me.”

Additional Support for Social-Emotional Learning

2021-09-22T19:59:30Z

A new school year is in full swing across the country. While many educators hoped for a year that resembles normalcy, the current surge from the COVID-19 delta variant continues to create obstacles for the education system. With students returning to the classroom, there is one acknowledgment that all educators must make: tha pandemic has shaken the foundations of many of our students and the related trauma they experienced did not disappear over the summer.