Civics—a mainstay in public schools for generations, but widely sidelined in recent years—is making a comeback. At the federal level, pending Senate legislation would require federal grant recipients to teach the U.S. Constitution—vital for students to understand the "fundamental principles and values on which our system is based" says Chuck Quigley, executive director for the […]
An increasing number of educators use elements of the design-thinking process—empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test—to find solutions to and think analytically about the many ails plaguing the world around them. Michael Cohen, printmaking and design expert turned educator, says district leaders can use design thinking to address systemic educational issues such as high dropout […]
Districts increasingly look outside of existing budgets to supply IT teams with the apps, technology and professional development today's K12 environment demands. Leaders who are solving this funding puzzle turn frequently to regional and national grant opportunities. "On the one hand, it's the best of times, and on the other, it's the worst of times" […]
In her book, After the Education Wars: How Smart Schools Upend the Business of Reform (The New Press, 2018), Andrea Gabor shows how corporate philanthropists have hurt, rather than helped, public education. From limiting the ability of teachers to do their job, to making poor-quality test results bellwethers of effective teaching, this influence has alienated […]
Greene County Career Center (Ohio) Initiative: A truancy interventionist helps students cope with life challenges such as daycare for their children, homelessness and driving parents to chemotherapy appointments. Result: Truancy court referrals fell from 24 to one in just two years. Meriden Public Schools (Conn.) Initiative: District leaders asked school-based behavioral teams to monitor attendance. […]
When school leaders want to bring innovative practices to classrooms, what's the greatest challenge that stands in their way? Lack of funding? Inadequate in-house expertise? According to a recent SpeakUp survey (DAmag.me/su), 46 percent of administrators point to one key factor above most others: teacher motivation. This finding makes intuitive sense. Teaching children is no […]
LRP Media Group, parent company of District Administration, has acquired Atlantic Research Partners' National Superintendents Academy. The first cohort of the superintendent training program will launch in February 2019, with subsequent academies to be announced later, says Robert Avossa, senior vice president and publisher, education products, for LRP. "We are excited to launch DA's National […]
Most current assessment systems rely on generating data in order to identify, sort and label students, as well as educators. But this approach is at odds with what has always been the true purpose of effective assessment, which should instead be to build hope, efficacy and achievement for both learners and educators. In this web […]
Rigor is increasingly a concern in our schools. We continue to see evidence that our students in all grades are not working at a level that is challenging enough to prepare them for college and careers. However, we often misunderstand the definition of rigor. Rigor requires creating an environment in which each student is expected […]
To increase diversity in the social studies curriculum, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) recommends these strategies: Conduct field studies. Field trips to a historic site, civic building or museum create more engaging experiences. Additionally, tap into digital resources provided by cultural institutions. Invite guest speakers. Students are eager to see "real people […]
