BoardBuzz came across this Washington Post item asking for readers to help select the best education blogs of 2009. As the Post’s Jay Mathews writes:

I have put out a best education blogs list the last two years, but I wasn’t a blogger myself then, and really didn’t know what I was doing. Now that I face personally, each day, the pressures of being both interesting and true, I face this responsibility reborn, determined to make this the golly-whiz best list of the best education blogs ever. Fortunately Valerie Strauss, czarina of the Post’s The Answer Sheet blog, has agreed to be my colleague in this venture. Now we need your help.

BoardBuzz too has enjoyed seeing this list the past couple years. We’d especially enjoy being on it with a little support from our dear readers (hint, hint).

So go vote  by leaving a comment at the link above or send an e-mail to  mathewsj@washpost.com or straussv@washpost.com. They ask for the URLs of no more than three of the best education blogs you know and why you like them. We can think of dozens. Oh, where to start…

Whether it’s tweets, texts, BoardBuzz or pick-up-a-pen writing, it has never been more important to our communication and culture.  October 20^th was the first annual National Day on Writing, proclaimed by Congress and celebrated nationwide by the National Council of Teachers of English and other partners.  

A National Gallery of Writing continues the celebration of writing and is open for your posts: essays, email, letters, poetry, word art, videos, etc. There also are many State and Local Galleries started by schools, libraries and others.  Browse and contribute to these galleries – or start your own!  

From the first time a prehistoric woman or man used written symbols to convey meaning, writing had the potential to keep us connected.  We still ponder Mayan relics, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Nordic Runes to help us understand our human history and experience.  Technology now allows us to reach more people, more often, than ever before – by writing.

So celebrate writing and keep sharing your thoughts with BoardBuzz.  It’s the “write” thing to do.

Have you ever stopped to assess what you’ve accomplished in your life?  As we chronicle our lives via Facebook, blogs (ahem), Twitter, and other social media outlets, are we really doing anything, or are we just passing time?  Sometimes it takes a special person who has accomplished a lot in life to recognize the impact one person can have in a community.  John Harding Lucas, Sr., is one of those people.

At the Council of Urban Boards of Education(CUBE) Annual Conference last weekend, the Benjamin Elijah Mays Award was given to Dr. Lucas for his commitment to school children in Durham, North Carolina.  A former school board member, teacher, guidance counselor, coach, principal, and university president, Dr. Lucas was also on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association.  He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Boards Association as a champion of excellence, equity, and access.  The award is named after Dr. Mays, a former school board member in Atlanta, Georgia, who was a civil rights activist, teacher, minister, and author.

In his speech, Dr. Lucas celebrated his award with his family, and the pride he had in his family was evident to all in attendance.  He captivated the audience as he spoke and it was easy to see how he was an effective teacher or coach, even though he was so much more than that.  For more about Dr. Lucas, see NSBA’s press release.  So Tweet away, but the next time you update that status, think about what you are really accomplishing.

BoardBuzz wonders, have you ever considered running for your local school board?  Many school board candidates are concerned parents who want to make a difference in their children’s classrooms.  But before you throw your hat in the arena, or cast your vote for a candidate on November 3, consider the advice of Paula Campbell, a school board member from Nevada City, California and President of the California School Boards Association in this video.

You can also get more information on the 70^th NSBA Annual Conference in Chicago at www.nsba.org/conference.

Three cheers for Atlanta!  This past weekend Atlanta Public Schools won the CUBE Award for Urban School Board Governance.  The district was recognized at the 2009 CUBE conference in Austin.  This prestigious award honors urban school districts that demonstrate progress in educating children and act as role models for excellence in school board governance.

“Atlanta has shown that when a district’s governance team works together and focuses on the common goal of improving student achievement for all, progress and results will follow,” said Anne L. Bryant, executive director of NSBA. “We hope that the promise Atlanta has demonstrated will be held as an example for other large districts that may be struggling. Their gains are evidence that leadership, a strong community relationship, and high expectations are critical to a successful turnaround solution for school districts.”

Also recognized were the Broward County School District in Florida as a finalist , while Baltimore City, Md., Wake County, N. C., and Jefferson County, Kentucky were recognized for progress and leadership, respectively.  Hats off to all the outstanding urban districts!

The U.S. Department of Education has released details of how school districts and nonprofit organizations can tap into the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) which is part of the economic stimulus package.  

Unlike the Race to the Top Fund and the School Improvement Grants, i3 funds will be distributed directly to school districts and their nonprofit partnerships. The official proposal will be published in the Federal Register soon, then the public will have 30 days to comment before the Department finalizes the proposal.

Although i3 is a relatively small program ($650 million) compared with the School Improvement Grant  ($3 billion) and Race to the Top ($4 billion), its funding goes directly to the school districts and it has a different focus from the other two programs. i3 provides seed money to school districts and their nonprofit partners to scale up effective practices and to support existing or new promising programs on school reforms. 

NSBA will be preparing comments on i3. Check out the Department’s website for more information.

BoardBuzz loves online learning and here’s just one more opportunity to get yours!  STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – is at the forefront of discussions on global competition and 21^st century skills. But what does it take to strengthen these subjects for your students? Get ideas and inspiration at a webinar sponsored by American School Board Journal and NSBA.

Panelists include

• Denise Mewborn, head of mathematics education at the University of Georgia;
• David Bressoud; head of the Mathematics Association of America;
• Michele Cahill of the Carnegie math and science commission; and
• Mark Koester, math instructor at Gateway High School in Colorado.

The free webinar will be held tomorrow at 2 p.m. EDT. All you need is a phone  and an Internet connection.

You can register for the webinar here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/504969265

And also be sure to check out the STEM coverage in American School Board Journal. 

Yesterday BoardBuzz told you about a new school safety alert program from Consumer Reports, supported by NSBA and National PTA.  The story is picking up steam and was featured on the Today Show this morning.  For more information, click here.   For NSBA’s press release, click here.

BoardBuzz was excited to see NSBA teaming up with National PTA and Consumers Union.  The groups have banded together to share safety alerts on product recalls with schools across the country.  The new School Safety Alert website offers information on all product recalls that schools and school districts can access and share directly from their websites. 

“Working with our communities – with parents and businesses – and by using the communications tools that are available to us is the best way for school boards to make sure that this kind of message reaches the public,” said C.H. ‘Sonny’ Savoie, President of NSBA. “NSBA is proud to be working with the Consumer’s Union and PTA on this unique partnership.”

“Time and time again, we’ve seen incidents of recalled products including bassinets, window blind chords, and toys killing or injuring children.” said Jim Guest, President and CEO of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. “The goal of the School Safety Alert Program is to get key recall and safety information to parents and prevent those tragedies. The National PTA and NSBA are ideal partners given their incomparable reach and impeccable reputations as trustworthy resources for educators and families.”

“National PTA prides itself on being a resource for parents and child advocates. For decades families have relied on PTA for information important to them. That’s why we’re proud to serve as a key partner with Consumer Reports and the NSBA to help keep children and families safe by providing them timely and relevant information,” said Chuck Saylors, National PTA President.

For more information on the program and to add the link to your school district’s site, click here.

BoardBuzz was interested to learn of Samsung’s Four Season of Hope contest that New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning is supporting. Manning, the Giants’ nominee to be the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2007 and 2008 for his off-field contributions, kicked off the start of the Four Seasons of Hope contest last week.

Over the past five years, Hope for Education has provided millions of dollars in Samsung technology and Microsoft software to more than 270 K-12 schools across the United States in an effort to reduce the technology gap within our education system. 

The contest asks children to submit 100-word essays on a given topic. This year’s essay topic focuses on the following:

Despite the rapid growth of new technologies, many schools do not have the tools and equipment they need to properly educate their students. So we want to know, how the consumer electronics, computer equipment and software awarded through Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope could benefit your school? Essays should focus on:

1. How consumer electronics, computer equipment, and software can enhance the education process.
2. How access to these technologies and the use of social networking can change the way that students learn.
3. The unique and innovative teaching methods that are enabled by computer and consumer electronics technologies.

At stake is the chance to win top-notch tech gear and cash grants supplied by Samsung and program partners Microsoft, DIRECTV and Best Buy. Entries are due November 1st.