"Black students' minds and bodies are under attack," begins Teaching for Black Lives, a new book from Rethinking Schools that touches on many subjects as it looks at curriculum, teaching, and policy. Meanwhile, Norton launches a children's imprint, the National Council on Teacher Quality ranks teaching programs, New York City tries to pick a book to read together, and more. 

Teaching for Black Lives Provides Resource for Educators

Teaching for Black Lives, published this week by Rethinking Schools, aims to provide educators "with critical perspectives on the role of schools in perpetuating anti-Blackness," along with offering them "concrete examples of what it looks like to humanize Black people in curriculum, teaching, and policy," according to the introduction. The book is a collection of essays, teaching activities, poems, and artwork, discussing various topics including loving Blackness, teaching Blackness, the school-to-prison-pipeline, Black history, exploring identity, and more. The book was edited by Wayne Au, University of Washington professor in the School of Educational Studies; Jesse Hagopian, ethnic studies teacher at Seattle's Garfield High School and founding member of the Social Equity Educators (SEE); and Dyan Watson, associate professor and social studies coordinator for the secondary program in teacher education at Lewis & Clark College. In the introduction, the three write, "We recognize that anti-Black racism constructs Black people, and Blackness generally, as not counting as human life. The chapters in Teaching for Black Lives push back directly against this construction by not only providing educators with critical perspectives on the role of schools in perpetuating anti-Blackness, but also by offering educators concrete examples of what it looks like to humanize Black people in curriculum, teaching, and policy. Throughout the book, we demonstrate how teachers can connect the curriculum to young people’s lives and root their concerns and daily experiences in what is taught and how classrooms are set up. We also highlight the hope and beauty of student activism and collective action. “We do not expect Teaching for Black Lives to end police violence against Black communities, stop anti-Black racism in schools, or end the school-to-prison pipeline. We do, however, see this collection as playing an important role in highlighting the ways educators can and should make their classrooms and schools sites of resistance to white supremacy and anti-Blackness, as well as sites for knowing the hope and beauty in Blackness. The ferocity of racism in the United States against Black minds and Black bodies demands that teachers fight back. We must organize against anti-Blackness amongst our colleagues and in our communities; we must march against police brutality in the streets; and we must teach for Black lives in our classrooms. We call on others to join us in this fight.”

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Boughton to lead new Norton children's imprint

Simon Boughton will launch W. W. Norton & Company's new children's imprint, Norton Young Readers. As publishing director, he will guide the new imprint in its goal to bring "enduring works of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and anthologies, and now even picture books and series" to younger readers. Boughton, who most recently was senior vice president and publishing director at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, brings extensive children's publishing experience, as well a history working with the Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader, Connecticut Center for the Book, and the Association of American Publishers Freedom to Read Committee.

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Best teaching programs from NCTQ ratings

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released its ratings for elementary and secondary teachers programs around the country. The 567 traditional graduate programs, 129 alternative route programs, and 18 residencies were assessed on many factors, including "how well they ensure teachers’ subject matter content knowledge, teach classroom management skills, and provide high-quality practice opportunities." Here are NCTQ's best: National Top 10 Graduate and Alternative Route Elementary Programs

• INSPIRE Texas: Educator Certification by Region 4
• YES Preparatory Public Schools, Inc.: Teaching Excellence Program (Texas)
• Johns Hopkins University (Maryland)
• Lipscomb University (Tennessee)
• Houston Independent School District: Effective Teacher Fellowship
• CUNY Hunter College: Childhood Education, Grades 1–6, MSEd (New York)
• University of Houston
• College of Saint Rose (New York)
• COMPASS: Alternative Certification Teacher Academy of the Dallas Independent School District
• University of New Mexico: MA Elementary Education, Alternative Route to K–8 Licensure

National Top-10* Graduate and Alternative Route Secondary Programs *three programs tied for 10th

• CUNY Hunter College (New York)
• Richmond Teacher Residency (Virginia)
• CUNY Lehman College (New York)
• Teach For America (District of Columbia Region)
• Arizona State University: Masters and Arizona Certification (InMAC) program, TFA Partnership
• INSPIRE Texas: Educator Certification by Region 4
• University of California, Irvine
• Memphis Teacher Residency (Tennessee)
• University of California, Santa Barbara
• Aspire Teacher Residency (California)
• Boston Teacher Residency (Massachusetts)
• Virginia Commonwealth University

NCTQ aprovides a complete list of all programs in the United States and full analysis of the 2018 Teacher Prep Review.

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Winner of 2018 Lippincott award announced

Sally Gardner Reed was named the 2018 Joseph W. Lippincott Award winner for "her many accomplishments during a long, varied and distinguished career as a library administrator, author and advocate for libraries at the national, state and local levels.“ The award, sponsored by Joseph W. Lippincott III and presented by the American Library Association, is for distinguished service to the profession of librarianship.

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NYc tries one Book campaign

The New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, New York Magazine, and Vulture have launched One Book, One New York (#OneBookNY) for the second straight year in hopes of getting residents of the five boroughs to choose one book and read it together at the same time. People can vote for one of five choices: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago, White Tears by Hari Kunzru, and Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. The winning title will be revealed on Thursday, May 3. Last year's selection was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

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New Scholastic Professional titles on literacy and fluency

Scholastic Professional has two new books for K–8 teachers. Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework book covers "six essential parts of responsive literacy: professional learning; organizing for learning; reading; writing; building blocks of language; and learning communities." The Megabook of Fluency: Strategies and Texts To Engage All Readers is a resource for fluent reading with skill-building strategies, practical lessons, and tips for involving families.