With the ever-increasing reach of technology and the corresponding growth of STEAM-related curricula, it is challenging to find the right tools to help bring such concepts into the classroom in engaging, student-friendly ways. STEAM-focused classroom products also must easily integrate into existing lesson plans. "Coherence is certainly part of the equation," says Shelley Pasnik, director […]
Teachers and administrators face tough challenges in education. Politicians are constantly trying to micromanage our practices, while accountability measures are abundant and budgets are tight. Coming to work isn't always pleasant when it feels like the odds are stacked against us. Improved collaboration and communication across district teams, and across school districts, can allow us […]
Students living in states with an antibullying law that includes at least one U.S. Department of Education-recommended legislative component had lower reported bullying and cyberbullying rates compared to students living in states without such legal provisions, according to recent research. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2015, examined data from 25 states to evaluate […]
A Tale of Two School Principals: And the Superintendent Who Wanted to Lead Them is not your conventional leadership book. Told in a narrative form, the book is a journey of discovery as the characters learn to get to the deeper meaning and intent of a new district policy. A Tale of Two School Principals: […]
Libby Schaaf, mayor of Oakland, established in January the Oakland Promise, a project with more than 100 community partners working to triple the number of the city's low-income, public school students who go on to graduate college. Over the next decade, 55,000 college savings accounts (totaling $14 million) will be opened for children born into […]
Counties in North Carolina are rated on a scale from Tier 1 to Tier 4 for economic wealth, with Tier 1 counties being the most economically disadvantaged. Montgomery County Schools is located in a rural Tier 1 county in the geographic center of the state, with 77 percent of its 4,200 students receiving free and […]
Most recognize the role of technology as an equalizer for information and access. Yet, it is amazing that only 2,000 out of 13,000 superintendents signed the Future Ready Schools pledge. Of those who signed, it is likely that only 300 to 400 school districts are taking steps toward the seven commitments outlined within it. While […]
Traditional parent-teacher conferences may go the way of dial-up internet as administrators experiment with innovative family engagement programs to increase student achievement, experts say. "Parents are really interested in activities and events that involve interaction with teachers," says Elena Lopez, associate director of the Harvard Family Research Project, a national platform for family and community […]
Tucked among the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia is a high-poverty school district that looks a lot like the United Nations. It was something Harrisonburg City Public Schools Superintendent Scott Kizner was most proud of. "These refugee students feel like a part of the social fabric," Kizner says. "And every day all students at this district […]
New York University education professor Jonathan Zimmerman's new book looks at the history of sex ed and how schools can use technology and connections with community groups to give students the information they want about healthy behaviors. Last fall, the tiny town of CaÁ±on City, Colorado, was the focus of unwelcome national attention when more […]
