Student Engagement is often confused with only teaching topics students are interested in or are related to one another. Here is an article on true student engagement - reaching each child through his strengths. Courtesy of ASCD SmartBrief.

The myth of student engagement
"Caring about students beyond the boundaries of the classroom is the first step of sparking engagement,"

writes middle-school teacher Beth Morrow. In a recent Inservice post, Morrow argues that student engagement comes from when a teacher knows a student’s strengths and interests beyond the classroom and uses that knowledge to deepen relationships. Read on.

Why the CCSS? Courtesy of ASCD SmartBrief.

PISA: U.S. students score above average in creative problem-solving
Fifteen-year-old students in the U.S. who took part in a new Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, problem-solving exam scored above average in creative problem-solving. The test questions differed from traditional PISA math questions in that they were offered online and used a more interactive question-and-answer format. Singapore ranked highest overall in problem-solving. The Hechinger Report/Education By The Numbers (4/1), T.H.E. Journal (4/1)