How important was collaboration when designing the FirstView¬Á suite of products? Extremely. When we began to develop FirstView, we conducted nationwide focus groups asking both parents and administrators for their transportation pain points. We received meaningful feedback. The study enabled a thorough and open dialog. Administrators wanted bus tracking and easy communication. Parents gave us […]
Two years ago, the Mehlville School District in suburban St. Louis passed a tax levy that included dedicated funding for professional development and strategic plans focusing on middle school STEM programs. For Tina Plummer, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in Mehlville, that meant implementing the STEM Innovator program with Discovery Education, where staff had […]
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 […]
The much anticipated third and final phase of a construction project at Sonora High School (Sonora Union High School District, Calif.) ended with the creation of a new aquatic center featuring a 25-by-30-yard outdoor community pool. CHALLENGE: In 2012, the Sonora community voted for a $23 million bond to retrofit the school's facilities. The project […]
The small rural district of United Local Schools in northeast Ohio has seen its math scores increase in the eight years it has used Everyday Mathematics® in its elementary school classrooms. In 2015-16, the first school year in which all sixth-grade students had used Everyday Mathematics since kindergarten, those students scored 26.8 percentage points higher […]
Environmental science teacher Jamie Esler takes his Idaho high school students outdoors for hands-on learning about climate science and climate change. They take core samples from trees, measure declining snowpack and calculate carbon dioxide levels. This hands-on field work is more impactful than a slideshow packed with data and graphs, Esler says. Before students step […]
Two years ago, Elizabeth Rincon was seeking to end the last-minute scramble to cull professional development for approximately 125 special education paraprofessionals on days when teachers had preplanned PD. "Principals had to either swiftly get something together for paraprofessionals in terms of PD or they would email me and I would have to quickly plan […]
Finding quality professional development for science teachers continues to be a challenge as school districts expand STEM programs. Many science centers and museums offer STEM-related PD, and want to partner with districts to develop programs that align with school curriculum and Next Generation Science Standards. "One thing we hear from teachers is they appreciate science […]
Many things threaten to keep a public education leader up at night. With some issues, it's because they stir excitement and inspiration; but with others, not so much. To bring the persistent, insomnia-inducing challenges into clearer focus, the 2018 installment of DA's annual Outlook issue gives prominence to the voices of educators and experts who […]
The path for raising student performance to meet or exceed the new math standards has proven elusive for many schools and districts. After two, three or more years of flat or declining student performance, some educators are beginning to wonder if their students can ever achieve the new standards. This web seminar featured educators and […]
