Serious concerns—such as student anxiety, lunch shaming and immigration policy—shared 2017's education headlines with the whirling whimsy of fidget spinners. But what lasting impact will these developments have? And how will administrators and policymakers handle issues that stretch into 2018 and beyond? A look back at the year's top stories sheds some light on the […]
What if we taught kids how to think, not what to think? That question is the focus of Re:Thinking, a new documentary that inspires educators, politicians and the public to reimagine schools. The film is based on the work of Derek and Laura Cabrera, cognitive scientists who apply systems-based concepts to learning design, leadership and […]
I recently heard a friend ask his student a question that captures how parents and teachers should discuss future aspirations. The question was not "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Instead, he asked the boy, "What problems do you want to solve when you grow up?" Today's students will enter a […]
Nationally, the number of English learners continues to grow, presenting district administrators with unique challenges. Blended learning that incorporates computer-adaptive assessments and instruction can be a vital resource to meet the needs of these students and to help them become proficient in English and succeed academically. This web seminar focused on key strategies for implementing […]
Giftedness is not just a test score. How many students have we seen who did not have a test score to qualify for a gifted program but became an expert in an area of passion and interest? This broader definition of giftedness is one I learned from Joseph Renzulli, a longtime professor of educational psychology […]
Photo credit: Rockfon. Bellevue School District in Washington transformed its one-story Sammamish High School into a three-story educational facility. It's the last phase of the district's initiative to rebuild all four of its high schools. The 323,000-square-foot building currently serves 1,060 students, with room for 1,800. CHALLENGE: Bellevue originally performed minor renovations for all four […]
Crafting a strong and well-balanced social media policy requires considerable time and effort. The policy must be flexible enough to accommodate new tech trends—such as anonymous messaging apps and livestreaming—yet thorough and specific enough to address a multitude of potentially troublesome scenarios involving students, faculty and staff. When a few students at Eudora High School […]
Big city districts are taking the lead in funding pre-K programs as states work more slowly to expand access. "While states continue to make progress in expanding access to early education, cities have increasingly taken it upon themselves to supplement those resources with local contributions" says Albert Wat, senior policy director at the Alliance for […]
Visit just about any racially mixed school and you will see black, white, Asian and Latino kids clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, an authority on the psychology of racism, says straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are […]
At four elementary schools in Idaho's Boise School District, families in need can go to specially designated community rooms to pick up food, clothing and other necessities.
