Superintendent Tiffany Anderson, who lives more than 60 miles from her office, arrives at Topeka Public Schools every day at 5:30 a.m. and leaves at 7 p.m., so she can spend more time getting to know the district. This came after convincing the district to change its policy that superintendents must live in the area. […]
Statewide teacher strikes and walkouts in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado and Kentucky left students out of school for days while superintendents scrambled to communicate with parents, to make up missed class time and to reschedule state tests. In West Virginia, all schools in the state's 55 districts were closed for nine days in February […]
Quick quiz: After the buildings, salaries and benefits, what is one of the biggest expenses for most school districts? Chances are that it's those ubiquitous yellow buses that pick up kids in the morning and return them home (or close to it) after school. With the typical school bus costing between $45,000 and $90,000 a […]
Last fall, a national problem arrived in Superintendent Richard Scaletta's corner of rural northwestern Pennsylvania. Principals in the General McLane School District began reporting unprecedented levels of misbehavior: students in frequent and severe distress, sometimes kicking, biting or throwing things.
Pressure to raise achievement test scores has become the driving force behind what is taught and how. Worse, the results from these tests reveal only a fraction of the overall picture of whether students are learning—and whether teachers are effective in their jobs, says Daniel Koretz. As one of the nation's foremost experts on education […]
Whether it's a small district with just a few schools or a mammoth operation that spends billions of dollars, one thing is certain: getting tech support in the right place at the right time is mission critical. This not only requires having trained staff to fix problems, but maintaining careful coordination and communication between the […]
We pretty much understand rocket science, says Doug Green. That is, we understand the complex math and physics that propel objects into space. "The human brain, however, which is the learning playground for students and teachers, is much more complex and less understood." An educator since 1970—as an elementary principal, district computer director, K12 science […]
Many elementary school students in Marion County Public Schools spend more than 20 minutes per night reading with family members. Parents in the central Florida district also report their children feel less stressed this school year.
Nestled in America's Heartland is a public school where two of our nation's most defining mottos, "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave" and "The Land of Opportunity" intersect daily for military-connected students. At Knob Noster Public Schools in Missouri, we keep these thoughts in mind every day as we educate […]
Doug Johnson held the title of audiovisual director when he launched his career in school technology in 1991. Back then, teachers didn't have computers on their desks and technology needs maxed out at replacing the bulbs in overhead projectors, developing black-and-white film and silk-screening, says Johnson. His role has evolved since the dark days before […]
