Editor's note: DA's new security column will appear quarterly. The world of security can be daunting. Security tools and technologies are often expensive, and school leaders are not typically trained to know what will offer their institutions the greatest benefit. It is essential for schools to maximize safety and security, and the best way to […]
Is cursive writing doomed to become a long-lost art? Not if some educators have anything to say about it. After decades of remaining a main component of elementary education, cursive is up for debate under the Common Core standards. Its detractors argue that cursive is an antiquated form of writing that's not necessary in the […]
After the Great Recession, the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township in Indianapolis knew it had to prepare students for a new world of work skills and knowledge. Leaders decided that the district's McKenzie Career Center had to morph from a traditional vocational training facility into a school that would equip students with future-ready skills, […]
When Polk County Public Schools started its wellness program back in the late 1980s, the district hoped to get employees moving with weekend fun runs and weight-loss challenges. "Everybody thought it was fluff" says Debbie Zimmerman, who today manages the wellness program for the 96,000-student school district in Central Florida. "How are you going to […]
Operations at Oxford School District in Mississippi came to a halt on February 7, 2016, when a ransomware attack shut down the district’s computer network. Hackers infected 80 computers with malware, and then demanded $9,000 in bitcoin to remove it. The district did not pay the ransom, instead opting to wipe clean its servers and […]
"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 […]
Pre-K programs for students with special needs vary widely in quality and scope. Some states and districts have long included students with special needs in pre-K classes alongside their more typically developing peers.
Today's educators need versatile products that can be used to teach more than one aspect of STEAM. Schools want to engage students with hands-on activities that, for example, blend art and reading with core science and math instruction. Manufacturers have therefore developed cross-curricular STEAM tools that cover multiple subjects and align with learning frameworks such […]
Plumas USD, a rural district tucked away in the rugged terrain of northeastern California, uses its own backyard for its "Outdoor Core" K12 curriculum. Plumas USD, a rural district tucked away in the rugged terrain of northeastern California, uses its own backyard for its "Outdoor Core" K12 curriculum. The surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains, Plumas National […]
