"Why can't Johnny read?" It's the question Rudolph Flesch asked in 1955 with his seminal book by that name. Unfortunately, it's still being asked today. Mark Seidenberg has studied the behavioral, computational and neural bases of reading and language for over 30 years, and he believes he knows the answer. In his new book Language […]
Learning social skills such as sharing and teamwork in preschool has become all the more critical as kindergarten has become more rigorous and focused on academic assessments, says Jenifer Cline, student services coordinator in Great Falls Public Schools in Montana. In the past, students learned to play cooperatively and to follow instructions in kindergarten. But […]
High school students in the tiny Magazine School District in Arkansas receive three hours of sex education a year in grades 9 through 12—an approach that Superintendent Brett Bunch acknowledges is inadequate.
Some parents of students in Magazine, Arkansas, can't afford the gas to drive their sick child 50 miles to the nearest doctor, says Brett Bunch, superintendent of the town's school district. Some parents of students in Magazine, Arkansas, can't afford the gas to drive their sick child 50 miles to the nearest doctor, says Brett […]
In the latest round of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam, given to more than 500,000 15-year-olds in 72 nations, students in the U.S. once again scored in the middle of the pack—and below average in math—raising concerns and sending educators looking for answers. The search often turns to the top of the […]
As we face a new year with a new president, Newsletter Editor Ariana Fine looked back on 2016 to consider the biggest and most influential stories in K12 education. Will they continue to be important in 2017? Will school leaders find better solutions? Will we see improvements? Here is a sample of what she found […]
Marc Prensky, an authority on the connection between learning and technology, coined the phrase "digital native" in 2001. In his new book, Education To Better Their World: Unleashing the Power of 21st-Century Kids (2016, Teachers College Press), Prensky says our current education system is wrong for the future—not because we haven't added technology and so-called […]
Julie Lindsay believes that, in today's increasingly turbulent societies, it is vital that children experience other cultures and develop the skills that will help them in a connected world. These learners will be "better prepared to be productive and compassionate citizens in a global economy and they are able to improve their communication skills, collaborate […]
Using tablets, apps and YouTube videos, students at Greenwood Elementary School in the Wayzata Public Schools in Minnesota have added new virtual elements to paintings and other artwork, so their masterpieces include videos that not only get them engaged, but also help them better understand ideas behind the art itself. It's a technology called augmented […]
It's never too early to start thinking about college and careers. And that's why kindergarteners at Kankakee School District in Illinois are already on the right path. Superintendent Genevra Walters, and her two adult children, attended the suburban district 60 miles south of Chicago, while her young son is currently enrolled. In May 2014, when […]
