One of the major themes of 21st Century Education is standards-based education. In my opinion, that theme is most prevalent in Career and Technical Education (CTE). In CTE, students must meet the academic and technical rigors in math, reading, writing, the ISTE NETS•S, and the program of studies (technical standards) for their occupational program. Considering the challenges this may cause, it is often overwhelming when teachers initiate this in their classrooms. Below are some simple examples of how to engage students in class and facilitate their learning, while at the same time having them meet both the academic and technical standards.

Meris Stansbury, of eSchoolNews.com, compiled a list of the best education blogs that contain useful information for educators. This is a portion of that list of blogs, which have won numerous awards and have been recommended by readers.

One of the most important skills that we can teach our children is how to be a good listener. As they get older, they can better understand how valuable it is to be not only a good listener, but to also learn the art of active listening. The classroom is an ideal setting to develop active listening skills, as students can be taught that although listening to the teacher is important, listening when their classmates speak is equally as important.