E ducators in Bradley County Schools in Cleveland, Tennessee, were faced with some staggering numbers: 48 percent of third-grade students were reading on grade level. That meant five out of every 10 were not. “We were above the state average of 43 percent” says Terri Murray, supervisor of Federal Programs/Media Services for the district where […]
In the Ventura USD in California, one low-achieving middle school at risk of closure was instead transformed into the De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts (DATA), a high-achieving magnet school. A significant component in DATA’s dramatic turnaround has been its innovative project-based and collaborative learning environments and makerspaces, which employ technology as a […]
With U.S. businesses of all sizes competing on the global stage, foreign language classes—and the teachers who teach them—are vanishing from K12 schools. Only about 10 percent of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English proficiently, and just 15 percent of public elementary schools offer language instruction, according to The American Academy of […]
An innovative arts program in Connecticut allows students to study art alongside visiting Chinese students and collaborate in ways that allow a deeper appreciation for art from both cultures. The 2-year-old program is run by a magnet high school in New Haven, the Area Cooperative Educational Services Educational Center for the Arts (ACES ECA), which […]
Eighth-graders in Maine in the 2017-18 school year will be the first to adhere to proficiency-based standards. The initiative is the latest implementation phase of a 2012 state law requiring standards-based assessment by 2021. Under the law, districts have leeway in how to best provide support for students in achieving proficiency. Students can expect to […]
Throughout the U.S., the movement to privatize education is advancing, in state legislatures and local school districts, and it is a relentless force. Education reformers are on a mission to replace under-performing public schools with charter schools and other private alternatives. Most of the public schools reformers are targeting are located in urban and rural […]
Welcome to the second annual game-based learning special report in District Administration. Games continue to grow in popularity in K12 lessons ranging from science and math to English and social studies. They include alternate reality games that hook students’ imaginations and introduce social-emotional learning lessons to help students process feelings and thoughts. In a soon-to-be-released […]
Palm Springs USD helps English language learners find success with an extended instructional program that allows students to practice their English skills before or after school, on Saturdays and during breaks. It could be a recipe for other districts. The three-year-old program targets newcomers, long-term ELLs and students who qualify as early advanced or advanced […]
Allowing students to explore news articles that spark their curiosity can provide a bigger literacy boost than having them read nonfiction texts about random topics far removed from a youngster’s interests. At Lancaster Middle School near Buffalo, New York, students read news articles to help write stories for a classroom magazine and to prepare for […]
North Hills School District in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, wanted to better engage students in grades 6-12 across its English Language Arts curriculum through a commitment to education technology. With the move toward more rigorous digital learning, North Hills piloted StudySync, McGraw-Hill Education’s digital English Language Arts curriculum for grades 6-12, during the 2015-16 school year […]
