The Department of Education has recently beefed up its Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, introducing the traveling US ED road-show this summer, which is actually getting some rave reviews from teachers. Educators who want innovative classroom ideas are invited to attend regional US ED-created workshops (several days apiece) in which expert teachers present classroom-proven strategies.

Critics are arguing that the road shows are a small gesture (reaching just 1,400 teachers) but it sounds like these events are, at the very least, worth teachers' time, and certainly must help the Department in its "we're really not anti-teacher" message.