STOP THE PRESSES!!!! This article by Elizabeth Green (who's been doing excellent writing for years, first for the NY Sun and now for www.gothamschools.org) will appear in the NYT Magazine on Sunday. It focuses on the pioneering work by Uncommon Schools's Doug Lemov (I can't wait to read his book), and nicely complements the article in January in The Atlantic (http://edreform.blogspot.com/2010/01/stop-presses-heres-new-article-not-yet_07.html) on what TFA has learned about what makes a great teacher. Here is Uncommon Schools's CEO, Evan Rudall (the link to the article is below):

March 4, 2010

Dear Friends,

Uncommon Schools Managing Director Doug Lemov has dramatically enhanced teacher effectiveness across the country through his Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices. We are thrilled to share that the Taxonomy will be featured in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine. The article is now available online.

The Taxonomy is a collection of instructional techniques gleaned from years of observations of outstanding teachers in some of the nation's highest-performing urban classrooms. Developed by Doug and Uncommon teachers, this set of specific and concrete actions, paired with a library of 750+ video clips of highly-effective teachers in action, has provided teachers nationwide with the tools to drive greater student achievement and a shared language to discuss teacher effectiveness.

We are extremely proud of Doug, his team, and the many teachers, leaders, and supporters who helped to make the Taxonomy a success. Doug extends his heartfelt appreciation to the many teachers whose amazing practices are embedded in the work. We also are especially grateful to Carnegie Corporation and the Kern Family Foundation, whose generous support continues to enable the Taxonomy's development and dissemination.

Please enjoy the New York Times Magazine article here and accompanying Taxonomy videos here.

You can find additional Taxonomy videos and request training materials on our website.

Finally, we encourage you to order a copy of Doug's book, Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College, which will be released in April but can be pre-ordered here.