Education is an ever changing field. Teachers must be adaptable and willing to change in order to stay relevant. It’s not just a matter of keeping on top of ever more regulations, but also figuring out how to stay relevant in a culture where every year students have adopted new technologies, invented new ways of communicating, and understand the world in a different way than the year before.
There are numerous high quality resources available to teachers to help them keep on top of the ever shifting political, social, economic, and technological environments. This list of resources features some of the best resources available to teachers today.
Associations
The Association of Teacher Educators is a professional development organization devoted to the advancement of teachers and those responsible for the education of teachers. The organization was founded in 1920 and still is the only one of its kind.
National Education Association is the most prominent teacher’s union in the United States. If you want to teach in public school systems, you will likely have to be a member.
National Science Teacher’s Association is the foremost organization devoted to the professional development of science teachers. The NSTA also advocates for the interests of science teachers in regard to education policy.
Association of American Educators is the largest non-union organization for educators. The focus is on professional development and seeking a more collaborative approach to advocacy.
National Association of Special Education Teachers advocates for the interests of special education teachers and their charges. The organization also prioritizes specialized professional development initiatives for special education teachers specifically.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is the primary advocacy group whose focus is on the needs of math teachers both in terms of policy advocacy and professional development.
National Council for the Social Studies is the premier advocacy and professional development organization for social studies teachers. The organization hosts conferences, and networks with other, more generalized teacher organizations to collaborate on the development of best practices.
National Council of Teachers of English is the primary advocacy group for English educators and focuses on advancing instruction in English, and the Language Arts through emphasizing the importance of literacy in the modern culture.
National Art Education Association is an advocacy group devoted to promoting arts education in the United States. The organization sponsors research on art education and enhancing the professional development of arts educators.
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education is devoted to the professional development of current and future teachers and is one of the primary organizations developing accreditation standards in the country.
Publications
Ed Week is an independent, non-profit publication that focuses on addressing the major issues in education with a critical and discerning eye.
American Journal of Education bridges the gap between education practitioners and scholars. The journal seeks to encourage intellectual dialogue about the diverse range of education methodologies.
American Educational Research Journal publishes empirical and theoretical papers with the goal of contributing to the improvement of educational processes.
Teaching Education seeks to provide a forum for the discussion of innovation in education. The journal features an interdisciplinary approach designed to comprehensively address major issues in education.
Teaching and Teacher Education is an international journal focused on publishing articles geared toward advancing the discipline of teaching in a global scale. The journal looks at issues from a unique international perspective and seeks to highlight the best and worst of the world’s varying systems.
Emotional Evaluation and Policy Evaluation publishes scholarly articles focusing on empirical and theoretical research that has potential to impact policy in a significant manner.
Research in Mathematics Education publishes refereed articles that cover the subject of mathematics broadly. The focus is on original content featuring empirical investigation and theoretical argumentation.
Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance is a peer reviewed professional journal focused on advancing the cause of physical education in modern culture and education. The journal features studies and methodological expositions on physical education, topics include motor skills development, and overall fitness improvement among many others.
Applied Measurement in Education publishes information designed to aid in the application of the theoretical side of educational measurement to the every day practice of the discipline.
Cambridge Journal of Education publishes original refereed articles addressing major issues in education as a whole. The goal is to facilitate understanding and communication between people in all aspects of the field.
Teacher Classroom Resources
Discovery Education features classroom materials for grades K-12 for the subjects of Science, Mathematics, Social Studies and English. Materials include lesson plans, worksheets, and brain booster challenges among others.
PBS Classroom Resources features education materials across primary, middle, and high school grade levels. Resources include lesson plans on subjects from ecology to Shakespeare, and guides for effectively integrating technological innovations with the education experience.
Teachers First Classroom Resources features curriculum resources, lesson plans, and classroom activities for grades K-12. Teachers First offers both professional and classroom resources including Teachers First exclusives.
Scholastic Classroom Resources offers teachers ideas on classroom activities, tools to help with streamlining lessons and activities, curriculum resources and lesson plans. Scholastic also offers teachers ideas on classroom strategies, and methods for utilizing certain books in the classroom.
National Science Foundation offers teachers classroom resources useful for instruction in the sciences. The NSF also awards distinguished teachers in the sciences and has funding programs to help teachers acquire the materials they need for effective instruction.
Teacher’s Corner features a broad range of resources including lesson plans, to seasonal items, thematic units, worksheets, and other resources such as classroom management strategies. The site is free and runs on the donations of teachers to keep itself operational.
Classroom Teacher Resources features classroom management and design resources for teachers. The resources offered cover areas such as classroom discipline, success enabling methodologies, and effective teaching strategies.
Smithsonian Education offers extensive educational resources to teachers covering all major subjects. The Smithsonian provides educators with lesson plans, professional development resources, field trip guides and a large resource library. The site is searchable by subject and grade, which streamlines navigation.
National Geographic Educational Resources features many quality resources for K-12 educators. The magazine provides educators with many useful geography resources that can be integrated into any subject to enhance the students’ understanding of the world.
Teacher Vision features extensive resources including lesson plans, themes, printables, graphic organizers, and classroom management resources across all subjects and grades.
Conferences
International Society for Technology in Education Conference features presentations and workshops on innovative methods of integrating new technology into the classroom experience in ways that will enhance education and not distract.
Conference on Teaching Excellence is a conference hosted by ASCD, an organization dedicated to enhancing the professional development of teachers. The focus of the conference is on helping teachers leverage their educational pursuits in the classroom.
Professional Association for Childhood Education: Leadership Summit is a professional development conference designed to help early childhood educators advance in the field.
Seventh International Conference on Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education is devoted to exploring the types of sciences and mathematics that should be emphasized in education to best ensure that tomorrows leaders and inventors will have the tools to build a sustainable and innovative civilization.
National Conference on Innovative Counseling Skills and Strategies may seem like it’s geared toward school counselors or psychologists but this conference is all about emphasizing the teacher’s role as a counselor. The conference seeks to help teachers identify signs and head off potential problems among their students.
Executive Skills for School Success: Enhancing Self Regulation, Reasoning, and Working Memory is a conference conducted by Learning & the Brain devoted to the goal of cultivating executive skills in children in order to prepare them for future leadership roles.
National Quality Education Conference is a professional development conference geared toward helping teachers innovate in the classroom, and to encourage creativity and innovation in their students.
National Science Teacher’s Association’s: National Conference is all about discussing the next generation of education and the strategies that must be employed if educators are going to communicate effective and meaningful truths in an ever changing environment.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators Annual Conference is themed around evaluating the best and worst trends in education on a global scale, and providing a forum for educators to collaborate on adopting the most effective strategies in education.