Developers of equity programs offer the following tips for success: You need it first—Equity PD gets the best results when leaders—from superintendents to school board members to principals—are trained before their staff. Dialogue, collaboration and role-play—Kids don't love PowerPoints or lectures, and neither do educators. PD that gets teachers talking, collaborating and even role-playing seems […]
Effective professional development helps educators better address the rapidly evolving needs of students. But with limited budgets and teacher time, how can PD be served up effectively, and integrated and tracked? Education leaders share their best practices for ensuring that professional learning time is well-spent, focused, shared and rewarded. 1. Offer various formats. Just as […]
A1,100-student school district in Minnesota had been purchasing food supplies through a buying group of five other school systems—but it wasn't efficient. "We would have to meet quite often" says Director of Food Service Sandie Rentz of Wadena-Deer Creek Public Schools. "We wrote our own bids and market basket. Then we would go out for […]
Every spring, Graham Local Schools fourth- and fifth-graders hatch and release trout during a unit that covers aquaponics, hydroponics and conservation. Older students raise corn and soybeans on a sustainable farm operated by the rural district in southwest Ohio. Teachers in the Jim Thorpe Area School District in Pennsylvania have incorporated software such as GarageBand […]
Landing a big fish. Finding a hidden checkpoint. Mastering a video game. Snagging a flag. These—not grand slams, hat tricks or game-winning touchdowns—count as the big "plays" in the nontraditional sports that high schools are adding.
The reach of K12 bulk purchasing and co-op agreements has expanded substantially as more districts join to save substantial amounts on everything from software to playground equipment, according to a recent AASA report. Education funding has recovered somewhat since the 2008 recession, yet 73 percent of superintendents surveyed consider their district still "inadequately funded" says […]
Principal Doreen McSain of Glenwood Elementary School has taken to heart the quote "Everything I know, I learned from dogs." She welcomes canines into her school in western Long Island, New York, to encourage her students to read to them. McSain also instituted a program wherein second-graders read to residents at a senior living community. […]
"Don't blame boys' bad behavior on the way we dress." That's the message—first delivered by a group of female high school students—that led Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico to adjust its dress code in spring 2018. "We had several young ladies who felt the dress code was somewhat sexist, and that it was […]
Teachers in the Susquehanna Township School District are finding success with their new curriculum mapping program using Chalk. With it, they can easily locate and align state standards with lesson plans, and if they have any questions, they can get live technical assistance through "Mr. Chalk" an online chat feature operated by company employees. Mr. […]
