Coaching has surfaced as a key quality improvement strategy for early childhood instruction, according to a recent report by Bellwether Education Partners. District administrators have hired full-time, in-house coaches, some of whom had previously been in a PD or education leadership role. Coaching can be delivered in person, using email or a platform such as […]
When Upton High School in Wyoming switched from a traditional to a self-paced education model last year, Weston County School District Superintendent Summer Stephens' 15-year-old daughter reacted the way many students did. "'I don't know how to make choices,' she kept saying" Stephens recalls. "But now a year later, she has organized her classes and […]
What steps can organizations take to strengthen cybersecurity and protect themselves against threats from known and/or unknown actors and devices? There are various scenarios to consider. You might have an unknown user interacting with the system, or a known user with an unknown device—Guest, BYOD and/or BYOT. Then there is a known user on a […]
School district administrators hate it when they stumble across closets full of unused computing devices or visit classrooms where whiteboards are being used as very expensive chalkboards. Technology leaders at Dysart USD in the Phoenix suburbs had real-world experience with this phenomenon and were determined to make changes, says Diana Hawari, chief information officer. "Buying […]
Pressure to raise achievement test scores has become the driving force behind what is taught and how. Worse, the results from these tests reveal only a fraction of the overall picture of whether students are learning—and whether teachers are effective in their jobs, says Daniel Koretz. As one of the nation's foremost experts on education […]
School leaders everywhere have experienced parent, staff and student anxiety about school safety following the tragic attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. While these emotionally charged climates are understandable, making knee-jerk decisions with a "do something, do anything, do it now" mantra can lead to high-risk, high-liability actions that administrators and […]
Striving to ensure the implementation of best practices that support all learners is critical to academic achievement for diverse populations. Dearborn Schools is committed to ensuring that all students reach academic success. With a population of 20,907 of which 50 percent are English learners (several refugees and newcomer students), 8 percent special education and approximately […]
After February's deadly school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there was no shortage of suggestions for improving school security, ranging from adding more guards to arming teachers. One area not widely addressed, however, is how to prepare teachers and administrators psychologically for dealing with a crisis. For example, although teachers […]
We pretty much understand rocket science, says Doug Green. That is, we understand the complex math and physics that propel objects into space. "The human brain, however, which is the learning playground for students and teachers, is much more complex and less understood." An educator since 1970—as an elementary principal, district computer director, K12 science […]
