Student Success

4 K12 predictions to help you lead effectively in 2025

Are you prepared to navigate 2025's challenges? Here are some predictions to help guide your list of priorities for the new year.

How this district improved graduation rates by 25 percent–and how you can, too

The Lansing School District has pioneered an intentional approach to boosting graduation rates. And here's the good news: It's seamlessly replicable.

You may want to borrow this district’s successful smartphone rules

Many schools are enforcing strict policies that keep students from checking their smartphone throughout the entire school day. This superintendent is doing it a little differently.

SEL in high school: How K12 leaders provide better support

Along with ongoing political pushback in some parts of the country, one barrier to SEL programs is that mental health positions are often funded by grants and other short-term sources, a new report contends.

Why this superintendent aims to ‘push the genius in every child’

Martin County School District Superintendent Michael Maine is in his second year as the top educator in the district. This year, he wants his staff to know that anything short of excellence is not good enough for kids.

Social-emotional assessments: Things you need to know before implementation

Are the items written with language appropriate for the intended audience? Is the assessment reliable across diverse groups of respondents? Here's some research on how to choose the right assessment for your students.

ACT scores are still declining, new data shows

In the last five years, average composite ACT scores nationwide were the lowest among the 2024 graduating class at 19.4.

School safety: Why the human element is so important

The human element outlasts any federal relief program or obsolete hardware, and it’s the most important component of any district’s safety strategy, says one administrator.

School safety: How to shift from reaction to prevention

Schools need to rethink safety through a comprehensive framework that assesses, plans, tracks and audits safety solutions across both proactive and reactive measures.

Deepfakes: Why they are now K12’s problem, too

Students and teachers are now contending with "a substantial amount" of sexually explicit deepfakes and other troubling forms of what tech watchdogs call "non-consensual intimate imagery."

Here’s the student perspective on chronic absenteeism

The majority of these absences are a result of illnesses or doctor's appointments, new research affirms. But a substantial amount of students say school is too boring.

Know this for next week: How to create trajectory-changing schools

There's no "silver-bullet" solution or perfect curriculum for building an academically solid cohort of students. Instead, leaders ought to focus on these three areas.

Know This For Next Week: Most kids have hope

As you set the course for the next week and the rest of the school year, know this: Most kids—a whopping 95%—say they are hopeful about the future. 

Attendance boosts: How to drive achievement and engagement

Let’s commit to making our schools places of inspiration and possibility, where students show up eager to learn, grow and thrive.

Let’s take a look at back-to-school’s ‘Big 3’

Here's what comes next as leaders formulate post-ESSER spending plans, craft smartphone policies and try to keep kids in schools.

Community Schools Roundtable: Data-Driven Systems for Physical, Social, & Mental Health Support

Date & Time: Wednesday, October 2nd at 2 pm ET

In this DA webinar, learn how Hamilton County Schools (TN), Hartford County Schools (MD), and Lancaster Public Schools (CA) are building sustainable whole-child systems that are informed by student voice and leverage community partners to proactively support the physical, social, and mental health of our students. Their approaches are united by an emphasis on data-informed decision making.

***All attendees will be able to safely download "Growing Community: The Community Schools Framework in Action Across Three States."

Smartphones have derailed childhood. Here is how to fix it

In our latest webinar, best-selling author Jonathan Haidt shares with school leaders the most effective ways to create a truly phone-free school and re-engage students.

Chronic absenteeism: Addressing the cultural shifts behind a new normal

By recognizing how the reasons for chronic absenteeism have shifted over time, we can develop targeted, innovative approaches to ensure all students benefit from the irreplaceable experience of daily, in-person learning.

Sensory rooms: See this district’s innovative new models

Here's one rule for creating a powerful K12 sensory room: It doesn't necessarily have to pop on Pinterest. It only has to appeal to students and teachers who will rely on the space to provide a calming break from regular school day activities.

What will high school grads pursue if not college?

While 43% of Gen Zers would like to pursue options aside from a college degree, many of them don't have a clear picture of their postsecondary aspirations.

8 ways you can boost student attendance now

Strong family engagement is one of the most potent tools district leaders can use to raise student attendance and achievement.

Absenteeism: School is now “optional” for some families, report warns

Attendance has improved "modestly" since the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, attending school has apparenlty become less important for some families.

Micro-credentials have a place in K12. Here’s how to get started.

Micro-credentials can be awarded long before a student reaches college. In fact, they're a great way for leaders to ensure historically marginalized students earn employable skills and prerequisites.

Learn from one state that bested chronic absenteeism

Rhode Island's chronic absenteeism rates ballooned to 34% during the pandemic. Here's what leaders did to fix that.

Student mental health: Teens are feeling a little better

The latest data from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey show that slightly fewer teens in 2023 reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, compared to two years prior.

End of ESSER: How to extend student-support past the deadline

Researchers share how leaders in several states are spending on student well-being—and why these initiatives should continue.

Flexibility in Education: How Alief ISD Bends Over Backwards for Student Success

Date & Time: Wednesday, September 11th at 2 pm ET

In this webinar, large and small districts can learn how to enhance their offerings from Alief ISD, the 112th largest district in the US, as they share their remarkable journey in expanding teaching services to meet diverse student needs not only within their district, but throughout the state.

These states are the best nationwide for their pre-K systems

Meeting quality benchmarks and per child spending were among the key indicators used for comparing each state.

Do college degrees lead to better jobs? Typically, yes

Although students' perspectives of college have changed, new research affirms that a bachelor's degree will be the best route to a good job by 2031.

Insights from Around the Nation: The New Normal for McKinney-Vento Student Support

Date & Time: Wednesday, August 21st at 2 pm ET

In this webinar, discover how to better support students experiencing homelessness from the second annual Nationwide McKinney-Vento Study's year-over-year trends, data-based perspectives, and new insights. Also, learn how your peers across the country are navigating the complexities of identifying and supporting at-risk students.

These states are home to 2024’s best school systems

For the second year in a row, these two states boast the best school systems in the country based on these criteria.

The Power of Curiosity for Student Engagement, Motivation, and Persistence

Date & Time: Thursday, August 8th at 2 pm ET

In this webinar, district administrators dedicated to prioritizing engagement, motivation, and persistence will provide guidelines for curiosity outcomes, which teachers and administrators ranked as the second strongest form of evidence proving that students were engaged with a program in an EdWeek Research Center study. Currently, state standards haven't defined outcomes explicitly related to curiosity.

***Attendees will be able to safely download “Rubrics for Observing and Assessing Four Curiosity Traits” for student self-reflection and growth by speaker Dr. Tim Hudson, Ph.D.

Student misbehavior on the rise? Let’s focus on character development

By reframing character education through the lenses of ‘being’ and ‘doing’, school administrators can partner with educators to curb the rising rates of misbehavior.

4 ways tech is helping kids avoid summer learning slides

What's encouraging you is that a healthy number of students, particularly those in grades 2 through 8, are engaged in summer learning—and parents deserve the credit.

School cellphones: 2 more states consider big bans

Los Angeles USD has approved the nation's largest districtwide cellphone ban, which will take effect in January and also targets social media.