That's right, at long last, we've changed our name. Much as we love to connect with classrooms, we think InsideEd better reflects our mission: to stimulate dialogue among those who work inside the world of education, and to provide an insider's guide to parents trying to navigate the educational system.

We've been making some changes to our site in the past few weeks. We have a new blogroll and a new list of ed-related sites we use. Tomorrow, we'll put up as a permanent post a glossary of education-related jargon (K-12 to start, though we can get into higher ed later). Feel free to send additional educationese our way. We'll also have periodic "How To" posts explaining different components of the educational bureaucracy.

We've started an occasional "Where Are They Now?" feature, catching up with newsmakers of education stories past.

So you can get to know us better, we've all posted new bios of ourselves. If you've ever wondered why John-John gets to have two Johns in his name while I, for instance, have only one Sara, here's your chance to get the scoop.

Questions? Comments? E-mail any or all of the nine of us. Ready for more? Help us spread the word about our new redirect: www.baltimoresun.com/insideed.

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Several months ago, I started making a glossary of education jargon to give to colleagues new to the education beat. While we try to use educationese as little as possible in our stories, it's critical for us to understand to do our jobs.

Now, we're working on updating and adding to the glossary so we can put it up as a permanent post on this blog, hopefully to serve as a resource for parents and new teachers trying to understand the jumble of acronyms thrown at them.

I started to wonder if I have a) been covering education too long or b) gone insane when I sat down and banged out more than 100 entries off the top of my head, divided into local, state and national sections. (NCLB, AYP, AMO, MSDE, MSA, HSA, BCR, ECR, SR, IEP, FAPE, BCPSS, not to be confused with BCPS... where was I to stop?) And yet I still feel I haven't even scratched the surface. Which brings me to this post.

To those of you who are immersed in education every day, send us the acronyms and other inside baseball lingo that are a regular part of your life. And if there are any newbies out there wondering what something means, pass along your questions as well.

We'll post our first stab at the glossary next week, but I hope it will be a continual work in progress, with regular updates and changes based on your feedback.

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Thanks to M. Corbin for the referral to the new student blog at the Academy of College and Career Exploration. ACCE is one of the city's innovation high schools and, at four years old, it will graduate its first senior class in June. The blog, News from Room 123, is written by students in that class, reflecting on their lives and what lies ahead after graduation. In its week of existence, the blog has touched on subjects ranging from excitement over good SAT scores to getting by without family to lean on to playing catchup for credits. Consider this entry, by student Qwashawn Daniels, called "Mind of a Senior":

As (I) sit in room 123 my mind sometimes wonders off into space. I look at my peers and within I see excellence, but when I analyze myself I don’t find the same greatness. I live in the projects with my mom and two younger sisters. My mother has always tried to make a way for us, she takes care of needs instead of wants. When I see my mother struggle taking care of my sisters it makes me think. I want more out of life and I know that if I apply myself then I can be something or make something out of my life. We talk about college and the steps we take to reach our goals in this class. In my daze I always find myself putting myself down and giving up. In my heart I know that I can do it and it shows in some of my work, that’s only when I feel that I’m college bound. Other times I feel that I am as smart as the young adults that surround me in this class. Im afraid that I won’t make it in the “real world” because there won’t be anyone to push me. Over time I sit in room 123 my mind shuts the world out and thinks of the negative aspects in my home and educational life. 

I look forward to hearing more of these students' stories throughout their senior year.

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