Simplification and integration are the main focus for student information systems (SIS). SIS users are looking for a single sign-on that gives them access to all information they are seeking and also provides a connection to other enterprise software, such as Microsoft or Google products. Users also want to be able to use SIS on […]
Using multiple measures, instead of just test scores, to determine an education endeavor’s success can lead to enhanced student performance, better decision making, and a more comprehensive view of school quality and student achievement. There’s no single way to do multimetric evaluation right. Each state and local community must determine for itself the ideal outcomes […]
In less than a generation, schools have entered a complex new world of security concerns. They have gone from a focus on fire drills to “hardening” against intruders to deter the rising threat of shootings and copycat violence across the nation. With 74 school shootings since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, money is being […]
As one of today's most promising models for instruction, blended learning is growing rapidly across the country. But what really is blended learning, and how can educators use it to improve student outcomes? In a blended learning environment, students learn through a combination of online instruction—with some element of student control over time, place, path […]
As smartwatches, wristbands, headsets and other wearable products become more sophisticated, expect to see classroom networks of these "ultramobile" devices interacting with each other and enabling students and teachers to share digital information as never before. Teachers, for one, will receive immediate feedback on how students react to particular lessons. "Imagine a campus where the […]
A third-grader studying the Spanish settlement of California found a virtual tour online and shared the trip with her classmates by slipping a smartphone into a Google Cardboard viewing device. Such limitless online resources represent a big, blended leap beyond the essays students in Coalinga-Huron USD in Central California used to write. Blended learning for […]
A new teaching model that's gaining traction in classrooms bases instruction on how different areas of the brain function. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) consists of three primary principles to leverage the what, how and why stages of learning. UDL's guidelines also encourage educators to create flexible learning environments to meet the needs of […]
Equity in K12 education doesn't mean the same thing as equality. In fact, achieving true equity often requires providing lower-income schools and students with more resources than are given others in the same district, says Joel Boyd, superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico. "Fair student funding means some students are funded at […]
Apart from the sciences, there are few areas as heavily steeped in research as education. But, as Stanford University education professor says Linda Darling-Hammond says, "too often, important education research is left on the shelf and not used to inform policy decisions." Apart from the sciences, there are few areas as heavily steeped in research […]
Many students at Oxnard Elementary School District in Southern California have a dual challenge in gaining reading proficiency. Not only do they struggle with developing literacy skills, but over 56 percent of Oxnard's 17,000 pre-k through 8 students are learning English as a second language. To help these students overcome their literacy deficiency, in 2014 […]
