Educator Effectiveness

Teachers' Top Three from ESE — January 19, 2017

1. The Buzz: Massachusetts Teacher Named Finalist for National Teacher of the Year
   Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Sydney Chaffee, a ninth grade humanities teacher at Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester, has been named one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year! To learn a little bit more about Sydney and her work, read her Teacher Reflection piece in the September 15, 2016 edition of Teachers' Top Three, in which she talks about Codman Academy's partnership with the Huntington Theatre Company and having her students take to the stage.

   Sydney is Massachusetts' sixth finalist for National Teacher of the Year. The previous five were Bruce Penniman from Amherst in 1999, Jerry Howland from Boston in 1995, Thais Waldron from Reading in 1974, John Moulton from Brookline in 1967, and Edward Frude from Shelburne Falls in 1960. The National Teacher of the Year will be announced this spring.

   To nominate someone for 2018 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, please visit our website and click on the nomination form. Nominations are also open for the 2017 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year program. Please share this information with your colleagues and consider nominating someone!

2. In the News: Education Week Puts Massachusetts at the Top
   Education Week released its annual Quality Counts report on state education systems this month and for the third year in a row listed Massachusetts first in the nation in overall quality. The Commonwealth was also top in the nation on two of the indices that went into the overall ranking: K-12 achievement and the publication's Chance for Success Index, which considers outcomes from early childhood through adulthood. Thank you to all whose work made this possible!

3. Get Involved: Survey on History and Social Science Framework Revision
   As we revisit the 2003 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, we hope educators and others will offer comments on and suggested revisions to the current framework via a survey. It takes about 10–20 minutes and will be open until February 6, 2017.