Developers created some of the world's most recognized software in garages and college dorms. The same do-it-yourself (DIY) spirit thrives today across public education. School innovators customize software that ranges from small applications used within a single classroom to programs that support a district's full administrative functions. Districts build their own software when they can't […]
Teaching research skills once meant asking students to turn stacks of library books into essays on the poetry of Emily Dickinson or the causes of the Civil War. But today, it's just as likely to mean asking second-graders to design a museum exhibit on the physics of flight, encouraging a 10th-grader to make the case […]
Injecting the arts into science, math, engineering and technology encourages students to think creatively and critically in traditional STEM subjects that, until the recent and widespread adoption of new standards, didn't often encourage students to think outside the box. The rising popularity of blended STEAM programs reflects a nationwide K12 push to develop the next […]
Schools are the center of the community and when schools are transformed in positive ways, communities are transformed. The continued rise of poverty is not surprising when policies and practices that could contribute to eliminating poverty are not addressed well. The foundation of systematic oppression is rooted in practices that contribute to a system becoming […]
Recent surges in charter enrollmentÁ'and reported scandalsÁ'have led some states to pass new laws that seek more accountability from the schools, their administrators and their sponsors. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws permitting charter schools to operate. In 2013-14, 2.57 million students enrolled in charters nationwideÁ'up from 1.29 million in 2007-08, […]
With national attention intensifying on preparing students for college and careers, the nation's estimated 103,000 school counselors in K12 schools are playing a more critical role in preparing students for life after graduation. When Cory Notestine moved to Alamosa, a southern Colorado town founded by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, he saw many barriers […]
A new curriculum released by the USDA teaches middle school students about the most dangerous invasive species threatening the nation's trees, plants and crops. Available this fall, "Hungry Pests Invade Middle School" is the first curriculum created by the USDA that focuses on all 18 species, including the khapra beetle, the Mediterranean fruit fly and […]
Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education Viking Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader on creativity and human potential, proposes a transformation of the nation's schools from an outmoded industrial system to a highly personalized, organic model. Robinson's approach draws on today's unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love […]
The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (ISLLC) are now available. The seven standards, redrafted after the public comment period ended last fall, identify areas that school leaders should be able to demonstrate competency. An initiative of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the final versions yield some significant changes in wording, but […]
Back-to-school has become a thing of the past in an increasing number of districts that keep class in session all year. The number of public, year-round schools, also called "balanced-calendar" schools, increased by 26 percent from 2007 to 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. More than 3,700 schools operate year-round nationwide, accounting […]
