6 steps to promote good digital citizenship for all students
By the time today’s digital natives enter high school, most of them have already been using devices, computers, the internet, and social media for years. They use these…
Month: March 2019
Why students’ emotional well-being in school is tied to their success
Alongside growing awareness about the benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL), new research from Microsoft demonstrates once again that emotional well-being in school is a strong predictor…
5 ways to promote & share edtech success
“Toot your own horn,” my dad often advised me. “The squeaky gate gets the oil.” The advice to self-aggrandize often went against my shy nature. As a school…
4 lies the system teaches school leaders about struggling readers
There are four lies/misconceptions about struggling readers that have become embedded in school systems, said Terrie Noland, vice president of educator initiatives at Learning Ally, during a recent…
How to tackle testing trauma in 4 effective ways
It’s that time of year again. Standardized testing is making its way throughout American schools, and with it, nerves are ramping up. Because high-stakes tests happen all year…
5 secrets for rolling out a successful 1:1 initiative
Classrooms have become increasingly tech-focused, though technology alone isn’t enough to change a classroom. Instead, it’s a mix of the right training, tools, and support. Powerful digital resources…
How we turned around our students’ confidence and scores
Hillsboro High School is part of the Hillsboro Independent School District in Hillsboro, Texas. It is a rural district that serves over 2,000 students on five campuses; 77 percent of…
Student safety management is more important than ever
Along with students' increased use of and reliance on technology comes another avenue to detect risks for harmful behavior or violent attacks. School safety management systems can play…
Transform your staff lounge to support teacher wellbeing
According to a study done by the University of Missouri, 93% of teachers are experiencing high levels of work-related stress. Mindfulness has already been proven to boost the…
Designing a K–5 robotics class from the ground up
As a former computer engineer with a background in applied math, I’m a firm proponent of STEM education. As a math teacher with 14 years of experience facilitating…
11 educators share how they bring coding into the classroom
By now, most educators understand the importance of coding. Programmers continue to be in high demand, and coding improves much-needed skills like creativity, persistence, problem solving, and critical…
Is it time to say goodbye to textbooks?
People have been predicting the end of the traditional, paper-based textbook for years.
10 activities to integrate SEL in your classroom
Students are at their best in environments that focus on respecting and educating them as whole people. Research shows that students whose social emotional learning (SEL) needs are prioritized…
How 4 schools are improving student motivation
When students feel motivated, everything is better--grades, class engagement, standardized test scores, and determination. That's why improving student motivation is at the top of many administrators' to-do lists.…
3 quick & easy ways I connect with parents
Parents are at the center of a child’s academic success. A Columbia University study done in 2017 revealed that when the parents of middle- and high-schoolers received texts each…
Do teacher prep programs need an overhaul?
Teacher prep programs are failing to pay attention to the content knowledge teacher candidates need, and an astonishingly high number of elementary teacher candidates fail professional licensing tests…
How we turned around our scheduling methods
Alpine School District in Utah serves over 82,000 students across 89 schools.
Why K-12 accounts payable teams should embrace automation
Across the country, K-12 schools are embracing technology to strengthen learning and engagement inside the classroom. But while technology has an ever-increasing presence in the classroom, the opposite…
How should we define SEL in schools?
We are often asked for the definition of social-emotional learning (SEL). One common and useful SEL definition is the process of learning to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving…
6 of the coolest education grants we’ve ever heard about
Funding usually sits at the top of school leaders' list of challenges, and for good reason--there's only so much money to go around. That's where education grants come…
5 things to say to students suffering from anxiety
Understanding anxiety is something that educators, parents, doctors, therapists, students, sufferers, and non-sufferers are still working on. Just like anything else we attempt to understand, we will never…
5 things to avoid saying to students suffering from anxiety
Currently, schools are being inundated with cases of anxiety in young adults. Although the dramatic increase in attention being paid to the illness has been beneficial to those…
This program could help aspiring principals succeed
Students in schools where new principals participated in a research-based training program outperformed students in schools with new principals who did not participate in the program, according to…
Want to improve your leadership development? Use simulations!
American schools are facing a crisis in the lack of professional learning for school leaders.
5 unique TED-Ed Lessons to liven up the classroom
We're past winter break, and while spring break is around the corner, we still have months to go before summer brings empty classrooms and a bit of relaxation.…
How we turned around our school culture and student performance
Santa Rosa County (FL) District Schools is a high-performing rural district of about 28,000 students that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to Alabama.
What you should know before moving ahead with online assessment
Even in today’s tech-heavy environment, before moving to online assessments, leadership needs to ask: Should we? According to Glenn Robbins, superintendent of Tabernacle Township (NJ) School District, and…
4 ways I make learning fun in the classroom
As a middle school Spanish teacher, my #1 goal is to have my students fall in love with learning a language the way I did in middle school.
How I empowered my students to love learning
Metal detectors, panic alarms, and active school shooter drills are often what come to mind when the education community first thinks of school safety.
Take a peek at the research behind educator micro-credentials
Educator micro-credentials are gaining more mainstream acceptance, but it's important to ensure the process surrounding micro-credentials is grounded in rigorous research, according to a new whitepaper from Digital…
Helping ALL students feel like they belong
When students don’t perform well in a subject, the typical responses relate to student motivation, e.g., they need more grit, they don’t have the right growth mindset, or…
5 blended-learning myths to bust in 2019
In February 2016, the Christensen Institute debuted the Blended Learning Universe (BLU)—an online hub of blended learning resources—in response to more and more schools across the U.S. implementing…
Why we love our coding & robotics tools
According to Code.org, the majority of Americans want schools to teach computer science, but only 35 percent of high schools teach ... Read more
All (or most!) of your district leadership questions answered
A leader is someone who has a certain amount of expertise in a field and actively shares their insights with those around them through writing, speaking, and acting.…
6 fun programmable robots for K-12
Introducing a robot into the classroom is a surefire way to grab students' attention--but robots do more than excite. When educators use programmable robots for K-12 learning, they're…
Calling all teachers: Who’s up for the 1,000-word challenge?
How might a lesson run if the teacher were allowed only 1,000 words of whole-group instruction each class period?
How we turned around our reading program
Rockford Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in Illinois, with more than 28,800 students and 44 schools.
Bam! 5 tools for project-based learning
Educators know project-based learning isn't simply another teaching strategy--tools for project-based learning are a great way to engage students by solving challenges that link classroom learning to real-life…
10 things I do to boost my students’ self-esteem
Every day, students come into our classroom spaces from their own life experiences the day before. As educators, we do our best to make students feel welcomed and…
Survey shows SEL is critical for K-12 English learners
Most teachers of English learners say their students have lots of academic potential, but social and emotional obstacles could potentially stall these students' progress, according to the English…
