ASCD Offers Professional Development Resources to Support New Teachers

Alexandria, VA (7/17/2014)—ASCD, a global community dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and leading, is pleased to offer a variety of professional development resources for new teachers entering the education profession this upcoming school year. Through ASCD resources, teachers will find support from leading experts and veteran educators who understand the challenges of the early years in the classroom.

“Becoming a teacher can be a rich and rewarding experience, but it can also be a challenging one,” said Judy Seltz, ASCD acting executive director. “That’s why ASCD is committed to providing teachers at every level with the tools, resources, and support they need to ensure their success for the upcoming school year and throughout their careers as educators.” 

ASCD Book Bundles for Teachers

ASCD has compiled several book bundles specifically for teachers’ professional development. Each bundle is packed with sound advice, strategies, and solutions for teachers seeking to improve their practices. 

• ASCD New Teacher Bundle—In this three-book bundle, each publication addresses common concerns and challenges teachers face during the early years of teaching ($63.88 for print; valued at $80). Read asample from the books in the bundle:
  • Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching, by Robyn R. Jackson
  • The New Teacher’s Companion: Practical Wisdom for Succeeding in the Classroom, by Gini Cunningham
  • Where Great Teaching Begins: Planning for Student Thinking and Learning, by Anne R. Reeves
• ASCD Teacher Resource Collection—This collection of 10 titles explores effective instructional practices, classroom management, and student engagement ($202.88 for print; valued at $270). Read a samplefrom the books in the bundle.
• ASCD Teacher Resource Library—This library of 17 titles covers foundational concepts in an accessible way and emphasizes strategies that teachers can use immediately ($299.77 for print; valued at $428). Read a sample from the books in the bundle.

Enhance Your Professional Career

• Join ASCD—ASCD membership offers more information and ideas about learning and teaching than any other single source. Multiple membership levels offer an increasing number of valuable benefits and resources, including substantial savings on ASCD publications.
• Pathfinder—This new ASCD membership benefit offers a variety of practical articles for educators at any career stage who want to expand or redefine their jobs.

Join ASCD’s Social Networks

• #ASCDL2L Twitter chat—ASCD (@ASCD) invites educators to participate in a monthly conversation about learning, teaching, and leading during the Tuesday night #ASCDL2L Twitter chat. Held on the firstTuesday of each month using #ASCDL2L, the chat allows participants to submit questions, share insights, and offer resources that help all educators support the success of each learner.
• Pinterest—ASCD has added a new pin board to the ASCD Pinterest page that is specifically for new teachers entering the education profession. The New Teacher Resource board features practical articles, publications, and other professional development resources that will enhance new teachers’ practices in the classroom.
• Instagram—Follow ASCD on Instagram and get a glimpse inside ASCD events, read inspiring quotes from ASCD experts, learn about ASCD publications, and interact with our community through inspiring pictures and videos.

In addition, teachers can connect with ASCD via other award-winning social media channels including Twitter,Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. ASCD’s social media presence connects ASCD with educators and allows ASCD to share unique content that is dedicated to learning, teaching, and leading.

For more information about ASCD, visit www.ascd.org or read the 2013 Annual Report.

ASCD PD Opportunities For Educators Heading Back to School

As students head back to school for the start of the 2013–14 school year, ASCD—the international education association—offers a new selection of professional development opportunities to enable educators at every level to support the success of each learner.

New professional development opportunities include

ASCD Arias™ (publications): Educators are encouraged to pick up all of ASCD’s new short-format publications. These convenient and succinct publications offer the expertise of education thought leaders, experienced practitioners, and researchers. Each Arias title is 48 pages in length and will answer a crucial and timely “How do I…?” question. ASCD Arias contains original, standalone content that can be read in one sitting and then immediately applied to practice. The first four publications in the imprint are Fostering Grit by Thomas R. Hoerr; Teaching with Tablets by Nancy Frey, Alex Gonzalez, and Douglas Fisher; Grading and Group Work by Susan M. Brookhart; and The 5-Minute Teacher by Mark Barnes. All titles will be released in August 2013 and are available now for pre-order in print ($12.99) and e-book formats ($6.99).

ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership (event): On November 1–3, 2013, join ASCD in in Las Vegas, Nev., for the 2013 ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership. The conference promises to guide educators of all levels to add new ideas to their leadership knowledge base, focus on what matters most in leadership, and connect them with global education leaders. The conference will feature more than 90 sessions, including three General Sessions: “Leading with the Brain in Mind: Five Approaches to 21st Century Leadership” with Eric Jensen; “College and Career Readiness: What We Know, What We Can Do” with David Conley; and “Passion-Driven Leadership: A Commitment to Student Success” with Salome Thomas-EL.

Closing the Attitude Gap by Baruti Kafele (book): As educators head back into the classroom, ASCD encourages them to pick up this motivational guide for all educators of underperforming students, Closing the Attitude Gap. This new book by Baruti Kafele, available now for pre-order, helps readers understand how to achieve remarkable results by zeroing in on their attitude toward students, their relationship with students, their compassion for students, the learning environment, and cultural relevance in instruction. “Before we can close the achievement gap, we must close the attitude gap and help all students develop a foundational ‘attitude of excellence,’" explains veteran educator Principal Kafele. Known nationally for his success turning around Newark Tech High School in New Jersey and his ASCD best-seller, Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life, Kafele continues to pursue his mission to help all learners succeed with this practical and inspiring book.

Additionally, ASCD’s blog Inservice will be featuring “Back to School Week” August 19- 23. Visit inservice.ascd.org during back to school week for advice and information relevant to the beginning of the school year from ASCD’s leading voices.

ASCD is the global leader in providing programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner. Enjoy ASCD’s resources? Become a member. ASCD membership offers more information and ideas about learning and teaching than any other single source. Multiple membership levels offer an increasing number of valuable benefits and resources, including online membership.

5 Free Summer Professional Development Resources from ASCD

ASCD is offering what they call “high-impact, in-depth professional development resources” at no cost. Nothing better than Free! These offerings let educators take professional learning into their hands by selecting desired areas for growth and immersing themselves in targeted learning at their own pace. All five are available anytime and anywhere there is an Internet connection.


ASCD’s Free Educator Summer Professional Development Resources

ASCD School Improvement Tool—Designed for use in schools and school systems around the world, this online tool offers educators a comprehensive needs assessment as they prepare for the coming year. The tool launches a 15-minute survey that evaluates a school’s strengths and weaknesses in areas of school climate and culture, family and community engagement, curriculum and instruction, and ability to provide and sustain a whole child approach to education. It also recommends targeted resources that will help educators make the most significant school wide improvements and ensure all learners are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

The EduCore™ digital tool—This digital tool is a repository of evidence-based strategies, videos, and supporting documents that help educators transition to the Common Core State Standards. Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the tool was developed for U.S. educators implementing the Common Core State Standards in both mathematics and literacy.

ASCD’s policy page—This one-stop shop for educators interested in advocacy and education policy offers tips on how to get informed, get involved, and make a difference. Educators can stop by to access ASCD’s legislative agenda (PDF); sign up to receive action alerts; and read ASCD’s policy publications, including the Capitol Connection e-newsletter.

Summer Boot Camp Webinar Series­—This five-part summer webinar series just kicked off and will run through August. Attendees will hear tips and strategies from renowned ASCD authors including Harvey Silver, Donald Kachur, Mike Fisher, Janet Hale, Wendy Ostroff, and Judy Willis. Featured topics include teacher-led walk-throughs, curriculum, and motivation and engagement from a developmental science perspective. Sessions will be archived for later viewing. The full ASCD webinar archive dates back to May 2010 and features ASCD’s collection of targeted, expert-led webinars.

Book study guides and more—ASCD publishes more than 40 education books a year, often offering free study guides and author interviews that enable educators to read between the lines of their favorite professional development publications. ASCD has also released the ASCD for iPad app, which allows for easy reading of ASCD e-books and lets users explore free electronic versions of member benefits like Educational Leadership,Education Update, and Policy Priorities.


“This lineup of free online tools is a perfect starting point for the resourceful educator planning a summer of learning,” said ASCD Executive Director and CEO Dr. Gene R. Carter. “We hope teachers around the world will make the most of this not-to-be-missed opportunity for professional growth.”

For more information about ASCD or ASCD membership, please visit www.ascd.org. To learn more about ASCD's professional development resources and to sign up for free trials of ASCD’s online learning programs, please visit www.ascd.org/pd.


NOTE: ASCD's resources for educators are always tops. I love their books, as you can tell through many of my past reviews.