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Powerful digital literacy curriculum advances reading and critical thinking skills

Adam Galvan | January 24, 2016

Robert C. Fisler School serves 960 K8 students in the suburban Fullerton School District in Orange County, California. Second- through eighth-grade students participate in the school's 1-to-1 laptop program, which has been in place since the school opened in August 2004. But access to technology is meaningless without the right digital programs. Elizabeth Ellison, eighth-grade […]

Administrators battle threats from anonymous apps

Adam Galvan | January 20, 2016

Anonymous apps popular among high school students continue to create problems for administrators looking to root out cyberbullying and threats of violence. In 2014, Yik Yak drew concern over its ability to connect users within a 10-mile radius to an anonymous message board. In 2015, the app After School grew rapidly, allowing more than 2 […]

Virtual Learning: Keep School in Session

January 21, 2016

Virtual learning ensures continued instruction through inclement weather, student and teacher illness, and natural disasters.

Collaborating to close the achievement gap

Adam Galvan | January 19, 2016

Efforts to address the achievement gap have taken an innovative path in Connecticut. In response to the call from legislatures disgusted with 25 years of NAEP data trends that showed little improvement in closing gaps, a task force was created to examine the disparities. Simple innovation This is where the innovative path came in. The […]

Smarter school spaces

Adam Galvan | January 19, 2016

Alexandria Public Schools leaders re-envisioned classrooms a few years ago when planning a new high school at their central Minnesota district. The educators were driven, in part, by students who refused to enroll in industry skills courses taught typically in classrooms tucked away in dark basements. District leaders also hoped to change the stereotype that […]

Report: Digital learning shifts from states to districts

Adam Galvan | January 17, 2016

Online learning activity in public districts has overtaken state-level virtual schools and charters, according to the 12th annual "Keeping Pace with K12 Digital Learning" report, released in December. With more affordable online options, growing teacher and CIO expertise, and improved digital curriculum products, schools can more easily adopt blended learning models, the report states. Most […]

Tackling the teacher shortage

Adam Galvan | January 17, 2016

The bad news seems to be everywhere. The School District of Philadelphia had 190 teaching vacancies in October. From New York to California, enrollment in teacher-preparation programs has fallen by double-digit percentages. The president of Nevada's Board of Education called her state's teacher shortage "horrific" according to published reports, warning that, if conditions don't improve, […]

Cedrick Gray named Superintendent of the Year by black educators

Adam Galvan | January 15, 2016

Cedrick Gray of Jackson Public Schools in Mississippi was named 2015 Superintendent of the Year by the National Alliance of Black School Educators in November. The award goes to an administrator whose leadership has brought significant improvements for students of African descent. Since Gray became superintendent in 2012, the district’s state and national accreditation was […]