Editor's note: CIO Hot Topic is produced in collaboration with CoSN. Districts must provide learning materials that are accessible to all students. Digital accessibility—a challenging undertaking—involves making websites, learning platforms, videos, digital textbooks and portals available to students with physical, visual, speech, auditory, neurological or cognitive disabilities. The consequences of failing to do so can […]
The Syracuse City School District serves more than 20,000 students across 34 schools, most of which have been classified by the New York State Education Department as either "priority" or "focus" schools. These schools have the overall lowest student academic performance on state assessments, persistently low graduation rates, and had shown little improvement. As educators, […]
In southern California's Brawley Union High School District, students newly arrived from Mexico study math and science using a university-developed curriculum written in Spanish. In the Omaha Public Schools, bilingual picture books created by district staff supplement the education of students who speak the Karen language of Burma. Despite research showing that native-language instruction improves […]
The assessment that prospective principals must take to obtain an administrative license in 18 states may be a barrier to non-whites and urban educators, says a 2017 study. Researchers focused on the use of the School Leaders Licensure Assessment in Tennessee and found that the exam did not provide an effective performance screen. A team […]
The challenge of finding curriculum materials in languages other than English is especially complex for districts embracing a growing trend: dual-language immersion programs, in which native English speakers join English language learners in studying academic subjects in two languages. Nine years ago, Utah launched an ambitious effort to enroll thousands of students in dual-language immersion, […]
Every school district has that "last stop school" where the so-called "bad kids" end up. In California's Morongo USD that school is Black Rock High School, remotely situated in the Mojave Desert. The school serves a population of students who are often struggling academically and living in households with poverty, drug use and neglect. A […]
Power in Numbers: Coaching principals to build teams that transform schools NYC Leadership Academy This guide helps principals improve instruction by strengthening their coaching techniques to mold teachers and staff into team-oriented leaders. The book poses questions that build self-awareness and also details exercises that promote team development. Principals will learn to design collaborative team-building […]
When adding a mindfulness program, superintendents and principals may face parent backlash, possibly about religious concerns, especially when it includes yoga. Fiona Jensen, whose nonprofit trains teachers in mindfulness instruction, says she has met with "pretty conservative Christian scholars" to make sure nothing in her curriculum can be misinterpreted as promoting Buddhism or any other […]
Every morning, principals in the West Bridgewater School District in Massachusetts get on the PA system to lead students through a few minutes of mindful breathing exercises.
In March 2016, The Atlantic magazine article “When Social and Emotional Learning Is Key to College Success” stated, “While test scores can predict academic success, self-management and relationship skills may better prepare students to thrive and graduate.” In September, The Aspen Institute formed the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, to advance “the […]
