In fall 2017, an elementary school art teacher in Mansfield ISD in Arlington, Texas, introduced herself to her fourth-grade students with a slide show about her life. It included a photo of her partner, who the teacher presented as her future wife. The photo, and a lesson about an artist and his same-sex partner, led […]
Every weekday during the academic year, more than 50 million children across the United States enter public school buildings, says Lori Peek. Many of these buildings are so dilapidated and poorly designed that children's health and safety are at risk. In a New York Times editorial, Peek called these schools "deathtraps" a term intended to […]
Four-day school weeks lead to jump in student crime Shortening school weeks may cut costs for districts, but the practice also increases student crime rates, according to a June study published in the Economics of Education Review. Researchers analyzed data from 1997 to 2014 in Colorado, where more than half of the state's 178 districts […]
Decades of research have established a clear link between a positive school culture and improved student outcomes. Many K12 leaders try to foster a more positive culture in their schools, using strategies such as positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) to teach and reinforce good behavior among students. But this raises some important questions. Is […]
The "4 C's" smart model is a tool for school brand builders who are on the path to "telling, not selling." While our students strive for A's in the classroom, school administrators can focus on the "4 C's." This smart model from Jez Frampton, CEO of global marketing leader Interbrand, brings a tight structure from the […]
How do you ensure students who excel at math remain engaged? Heidi Williams intended to solve that challenge by starting an after-school coding club while she was a gifted-and-talented teacher at Bayside Middle School near Milwaukee. Instead of using pen and paper, her students created an interactive children's book on Scratch, the MIT Media Lab […]
After the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, Matthew Mayer and Shane Jimerson knew they had some work to do. Mayer, from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, and Jimerson, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, both specialize in studying school violence. "In 2006, there were several school shootings, and we […]
Where should schools start when it comes to implementing technology? As strange as this may sound, you have to start at the end, by which I mean determining the desired outcomes. If you start by debating Chromebooks or iPads, Microsoft Office or G-suite, laptops or tablets, your tech implementation won't deliver on its full potential. […]
The human brain is notable for its ability to support cognition, communications skills, consciousness and plan appropriate behavior for future occasions. This was evidenced millions of years ago as our ancestors’ brains alerted them to life-threatening risks, as well as to life-enhancing opportunities. Consider early man foraging for food in the same space as a […]
What does research reveal about independent reading and overall reading performance? We've known that kids who read the most do the best overall, but we've recently learned that students who read 15 or more minutes per day tend to grow at a rate that keeps them on pace with rising expectations and national norms. That […]
