Without the right intervention tools, it is nearly impossible to turn a struggling reader into a successful reader. But with the right program, combined with effective teaching strategies, extensive gains for struggling readers in comprehension, fluency, and spelling are attainable in any district. In this web seminar, the principal of an innovative middle school in […]
School district administrators hate it when they stumble across closets full of unused computing devices or visit classrooms where whiteboards are being used as very expensive chalkboards. Technology leaders at Dysart USD in the Phoenix suburbs had real-world experience with this phenomenon and were determined to make changes, says Diana Hawari, chief information officer. "Buying […]
Whether it results from misinformation, staff complaints or faculty disagreements about new policies, all districts face employee issues. Some have learned better than others how to address problems early, before they erupt. "In large districts, there's more opportunity for a communication breakdown" says Jeff Filloon, HR director at Chandler USD in Arizona. "Most problems can […]
Last fall, a national problem arrived in Superintendent Richard Scaletta's corner of rural northwestern Pennsylvania. Principals in the General McLane School District began reporting unprecedented levels of misbehavior: students in frequent and severe distress, sometimes kicking, biting or throwing things.
Today's more sophisticated visitor management systems allow K12 leaders to get a better handle on who's trying to enter (or leave) their buildings—including tardy students. Lobby kiosks can perform automated and instant background checks, screen guests, and issue badges. This process can immediately identify registered sex offenders and alert staff to parental custody issues, among […]
For the past two years, leaders at Muhlenberg South Middle School in Greenville, Kentucky, have been working to decrease the number of teacher absences as part of a wider effort to improve school culture. Although this has occurred during a financial crisis in which all Muhlenberg County School District staff took a 10 percent pay […]
The new Fordham Institute report, Is There a Gifted Gap?, gave me a lot of food for thought this week. Let's start with some important positives: Although gifted education research is in many ways thriving, attention to policy research has been woefully underdeveloped, and this study is a major contribution to filling that void. I've also […]
How can district administrators make more efficient, effective and strategic decisions? There is data available to support many of the decisions that school administrators make every day. Often though, it takes time to manually gather and model that data. If a project uses 80 percent of its timeline to gather and model data, that leaves […]
The spread of learning on mobile devices has driven providers to push science platforms into the cloud. At the same time, the need for hands-on activities and real-world connections has led to the development of more advanced robot-building kits and products that allow students to experiment on microorganisms. Educators also increasingly connect STEM to other […]
