Some teachers are spending four hours per day commuting, or have relied on charitable funding for mortgage assistance. While several districts have tried to make it easier for teachers to live where they work, their efforts are not always welcomed by local homeowners, opening up new debates over gentrification and what obligations the expanding tech sector has to the cities that host its offices.
When Tiffany Anderson took over as superintendent of Jennings School District near St. Louis in 2012, she faced high poverty and low academic achievement. As part of the turnaround effort, she focused on building supports for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, particularly those in foster care who struggle with social-emotional trauma and frequent changes in […]
Shawn Stover helps principals move beyond what he calls “the tyranny of the urgent.” Stover, an instructional superintendent in District of Columbia Public Schools, says it’s all too easy for principals to devote the bulk of their days to busing, athletic schedules, discipline, building maintenance and other issues that can demand immediate attention. Yet mounds […]
Nestled in America’s Heartland is a public school where two of our nation’s most defining mottos, “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” and “The Land of Opportunity” intersect daily for military-connected students. At Knob Noster Public Schools in Missouri, we keep these thoughts in mind every day as we educate […]
At four elementary schools in Idaho's Boise School District, families in need can go to specially designated community rooms to pick up food, clothing and other necessities.
When Gary Brantley began his career as an IT leader 14 years ago, he primarily provided technical support and made sure the hardware was running. “It had everything to do with techy stuff” he says. Since then, Brantley’s role as chief information officer at DeKalb County Schools in Georgia has expanded significantly. He now spends […]
American philosopher John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Dewey, a strong proponent of progressive educational reform, believed that education should be based on the principle of learning through doing. While Dewey’s hands-on approach has always been the foundation of career and technical education, his educational concept continues […]
In the 2013-14 school year, there were more than 1.3 million homeless students, a 7 percent increase from the previous year and more than double the number in 2006-07. While that number is troubling, researchers believe it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Erin Ingram, chief author of “Hidden in Plain Sight: Homeless Students in […]
Equity in K12 education doesn’t mean the same thing as equality. In fact, achieving true equity often requires providing lower-income schools and students with more resources than are given others in the same district, says Joel Boyd, superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico. “Fair student funding means some students are funded at […]
