Throughout the U.S., the movement to privatize education is advancing, in state legislatures and local school districts, and it is a relentless force. Education reformers are on a mission to replace under-performing public schools with charter schools and other private alternatives. Most of the public schools reformers are targeting are located in urban and rural […]
In the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, education was designed to produce students who could follow directions, read simple sentences, and solve basic math problems in order to prepare them for factory work. Thinking critically and solving complicated problems wasn't necessary for most jobs. As we've moved from that era into the digital age, we've […]
Palm Springs USD helps English language learners find success with an extended instructional program that allows students to practice their English skills before or after school, on Saturdays and during breaks. It could be a recipe for other districts. The three-year-old program targets newcomers, long-term ELLs and students who qualify as early advanced or advanced […]
School system leaders need guidance to advance and achieve technology goals. To support the efforts, CoSN has a new peer review service—a program that leverages CoSN's national Framework for School System Technology Success. Under the service, a team of education technology professionals can visit districts to identify what they are doing well and what needs […]
Bonsall High School in San Diego County, California, is one of approximately 150 New Tech model schools in the country, where innovations in experiential learning foster college and career success. Moving beyond technologies that merely mimic traditional educational strategies, Bonsall uses an all-in-one computer—Sprout by HP—to fundamentally change the classroom experience. The result is highly […]
While the news media environment has changed, our goal as communications professionals hasn't—create a simple, accurate and relevant message for quick delivery to parents, employees, students and community. Editor's note: DA's new marketing column will appear quarterly. The news media has changed and is still changing. The internet's ability to provide free or cheap marketing […]
A Georgia school system partnered with local manufacturers to create German-style apprentice programs that teach skills through project-based learning. A district on Florida's west coast expanded manufacturing internships with help from small businesses. And in Tennessee, high school students are developing high-tech skills and earning college credit at a Volkswagen automobile factory. School districts are […]
In rural Indiana, Jay School Corporation supports local manufacturers—which make up about half the private employment in Jay County—with educational programs geared to the jobs that need to be filled. The school now has 80 students in manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and robotics programs, and is working with other organizations and a nearby college to develop […]
By combining the plumbing of the internet with heavy-duty encryption, a VPN can help keep a district's secrets. Under the surface, VPNs use a technique known as tunneling to create an encrypted data path from sender to receiver and back. The key is that everything from the web address to the actual data is encoded […]
Every morning, principals in the West Bridgewater School District in Massachusetts get on the PA system to lead students through a few minutes of mindful breathing exercises.
