Curriculum & Instruction

Teacher Ron Hustvedt is selling a smart product. In his classroom at the Salk STEM Magnet School in Elk River School District in Minnesota, Hustvedt encourages his history students to buy into his brand of inquiry-based learning. This year’s National Council of the Social Studies Outstanding Teacher of the Year at the middle school level […]

Here are three approaches to social-emotional learning Washoe County Schools, Nevada District social-emotional learning standards address five crucial competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and decision-making. The district has defined indicators for development in each area, such as “demonstrates knowledge of personal strengths, challenges and potential.” Each school in the district has a social-emotional learning […]

DA’s Districts of Distinction program, which honors innovative projects in America’s public school districts, will be showcased in a special annual edition of the magazine each July, starting in 2017. “Districts of Distinction will become the centerpiece of our July edition, which we think will serve as a reference guide for school district leaders across […]

High school math classes focus traditionally on solving equations. The world of mathematical modeling emphasizes creating equations. The nonprofit Association of Computational and Mathematical Modeling is developing a free mathematical modeling curriculum that it plans to share with teachers by early 2017. It will show students how to construct equations that solve complex real-world engineering, […]

Four years of development in Michigan has produced an arts platform where educators can share a curriculum and better methods for assessing student work. The instructional materials align with state and national standards, including the Every Student Succeeds Act, which emphasizes the arts as part of a “well-rounded education.” Arts can teach students valuable soft […]

When Christopher Marczak joined Maury County Public Schools in Tennessee as superintendent in fall 2015, he quickly realized that while every school in his district of 12,000 students was doing the best job possible, each had a vastly different approach to teaching literacy. “There were no systemic solutions” says Marczak. “Yet I wanted to get […]