In middle school, students are being readied for higher level math concepts. Educators must engage learners to achieve deeper understanding, as well as prepare students for high stakes assessments. This web seminar, originally presented on April 16, 2014, featured an education expert and sixth grade teacher who discussed using technology in practical ways to achieve […]
Teacher quality is crucial to the success of schooling, yet the teacher-hiring process is sometimes rushed and ad hoc. A late-summer flurry of activity in which subjective factorsÁ'from where a candidate went to high school to how many resumes an exhausted principal has already reviewedÁ'can weigh as heavily as meaningful evidence of academic achievement or […]
District leaders across the country are broadening and personalizing their approaches to attendance because the old way of sending truants and their families to court often fails to bring students back to school. "It's important to get to the root of why students aren't coming to school and be able to align the solution with […]
In Placentia-Yorba Linda USD in Orange County, California, there is a great amount of socioeconomic diversity among the district's 26,000 students. "We have elementary schools where every student has his or her own iPad, and some where students do not have access to any technology at home," says Joey Davis, director of assessment & accountability. […]
At the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, Principal James Lee was concerned when he compared P.S. 20 Anna Silver's math and ELA scores to their science scores. "There was a huge discrepancy," says Lee. "Students scoring 4s on the science test were scoring as low as a 1 in other subject areas. We knew […]
A National Council onTeacherQuality report citing a lack of rigor and grade inflation in teacher preparation courses is being disputed by the organization that represents college and university education programs. The November report, "Easy A's and What's Behind Them"Á'which is based on graduation data from 500 institutions surveyedÁ'found that students graduate with honors from teaching […]
As debate over the Common Core continues to spread in major media outlets, local administrators must address parent and community concerns to keep the focus on student learning. "The need for parent communication with the Common Core caught many administrators by surprise, because this idea of having standards and revising curriculum isn't new for district […]
Teaching math in middle school is challenging! Teachers deal with adolescent volatility, a wide variance in student ability, and a surprisingly sophisticated set of mathematical ideas. Adding to these challenges, the new Common Core assessments probe students' understanding of mathematical concepts at a depth not previously widespread on State tests. To combat this, teachers need […]
By integrating technology into mathematics classrooms to complement face-to-face instruction, educators can provide uniquely individualized learning for all students. This web seminar, originally broadcast on August 28, 2014, featured administrators and a blended learning expert, who shared successful approaches for implementing this technique, including strategies, tips for modeling blended learning for elementary mathematics, and as […]
Kimberly Moritz is in her seventh year as the superintendent of Randolph Central School District. Prior to leading the district of 977 K12 students in this rural community in western New York, Moritz worked as a teacher for ten years in a neighboring rural school district and as a principal in two other school districts. […]
