How can mathematics educators benefit from professional learning? It's helpful for teachers to develop a shared image of what instruction looks like in mathematics. Classroom videos are really helpful; when teachers are preparing to teach a module, they are making sense of the standards for that module, they're looking at the learning arc for that module, they're seeing how concepts are linked to […]
Today's school district food-service directors often find that joining purchasing cooperatives saves them at least 5 percent in food costs. Co-ops also save time by handling the request-for-proposal process and assisting with compliance reporting in the wake of increased federal nutrition requirements. In addition, co-ops track vendor performance and offer forums for sharing best practices. […]
In August, Woodbrook Elementary School in Albemarle County Public Schools in Virginia completed a renovation and expansion that features much larger classrooms to facilitate multiage learning. Each family at Woodbrook can choose whether to place their child in a traditional, single-grade classroom or in a multiage classroom with two grade levels combined. With the new, […]
Years ago, it was easy for districts to ignore what high average daily-attendance numbers can conceal: kids, sometimes lots of them, who miss weeks of school every year. The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act has changed that calculus. For the first time, the law requires states to report chronic-absenteeism rates, and more than two-thirds of […]
When school leaders want to bring innovative practices to classrooms, what's the greatest challenge that stands in their way? Lack of funding? Inadequate in-house expertise? According to a recent SpeakUp survey (DAmag.me/su), 46 percent of administrators point to one key factor above most others: teacher motivation. This finding makes intuitive sense. Teaching children is no […]
YONKERS, N.Y.—Brian Schulder, the security and safety director at Yonkers Public Schools, considers himself an educator, first and foremost. He's not some hardened, former city beat cop or detective—he's spent a majority of his 20-plus years in this large urban district teaching and coaching. "I think being an educator lets me see things from a perspective […]
Keeping Students Safe Every Day: How to Prepare for and Respond to School Violence, Natural Disasters, and Other Hazards ASCD This guide provides insight on creating emergency operations plans that follow government guidelines and best practices, such as ways to decentralize authority and responsibility during a crisis. Keeping Students Safe Every Day teaches school leadership […]
There are a variety of steps that administrators can take to create a data-driven district culture that will help teachers use the right data in the right way to address the diverse learning needs of students and lead powerful learning outcomes across schools. This web seminar focused on ways to create a data-driven culture. The […]
Rigor is increasingly a concern in our schools. We continue to see evidence that our students in all grades are not working at a level that is challenging enough to prepare them for college and careers. However, we often misunderstand the definition of rigor. Rigor requires creating an environment in which each student is expected […]
American schools have become increasingly data-driven in many important ways. School officials often rely on measurement and data for long-term strategic planning, budgeting and curriculum selection. However, they often do not evaluate school safety with the same level of care and accuracy. In providing oversight for security, climate and emergency preparedness assessments for more than […]
