6 steps to transforming parent engagement, one message at a time
We always want to make it easy for families to receive, consume, and respond to our messages, and our new communications platform helps us achieve that goal.
5 cybersecurity green flags: A practical guide for sourcing edtech
Although educators are excited to innovate, school leaders must weigh every new app or online platform against cybersecurity risks and the responsibility of protecting student data.
Grading student writing with AI: What we lose when AI replaces teachers
A colleague of ours recently attended an AI training where the opening slide featured a list of all the ways AI can revolutionize our classrooms. Grading was listed…
What really shapes the future of AI in education?
A few weeks ago, MIT’s Media Lab put out a study on how AI affects the brain. The study ignited a firestorm of posts and comments on social media,…
The move from principal to district leader was fraught–here’s what I missed the most
I knew taking a central office role meant trading the school building for a district badge. I knew the days would be filled with policy, meetings, and personnel…
Data, privacy, and cybersecurity in schools: A 2025 wake-up call
In 2025, schools are sitting on more data than ever before. Student records, attendance, health information, behavioral logs, and digital footprints generated by edtech tools have turned K-12…
Digital learning in a new age
Digital learning--in the form of online, hybrid, and blended schools and courses--is growing steadily in U.S. schools. These learning options can transform education because they allow for learning,…
How we’re rebuilding literacy–and confidence–in our high school
By the time students reach high school, reading struggles are harder to hide--and harder to address. Unlike early grades where texts are simpler and foundational skills are the…
From pen to prompt: Navigating AI in the classroom
Education helps develop our cognitive muscles. Letting AI do it for us is not the answer, but could AI be a thought partner to help build this skill?…
National AI training hub for educators to open, funded by OpenAI and Microsoft
More than 400,000 K-12 educators across the country will get free training in AI through a $23 million partnership between a major teachers union and leading tech companies.
Why should we care about cuts to funding for science education?
The Trump administration is slashing the funding for new projects focused on STEM education and has terminated hundreds of grants focused on equitable STEM education.
Navigating back-to-school anxiety: A K-12 success guide
As the 2025-2026 academic year approaches, experiencing anxiety about returning to the classroom is a natural response to change that affects everyone differently.
Bridging the language gap with AI tools every teacher can use
AI tools aren’t a replacement for good teaching, but they offer powerful scaffolds. Teachers can differentiate, reinforce, and expand instruction, without needing to become language specialists.
Rethinking K-12 cyber strategies amid federal budget cuts
The recent suspension of the K-12 Cybersecurity Government Coordinating Council marks a pivotal shift in how the nation’s public school systems manage cybersecurity.
Real talk: What it really takes to lead successful grading reform
What started as a deeply rooted effort to promote equity has grown into a districtwide, cross-curricular system that blends teacher voice, clarity for families, and support from the…
Young minds: New teachers’ impact on equitable science learning
New elementary teachers who promote equity in science are proving highly effective at engaging students, no matter their background, a new University of Michigan study shows.
Digital learning is different
In the animated film Up, the character Dug is a talking dog with an interesting mannerism. Each time he sees a movement off to the side, he stops…
Centralized IT governance helps improve learning outcomes
As school districts continue to seek new ways to enhance learning outcomes, Madison County School District represents an outstanding case study of the next-level success that may be…
Using AI to reimagine teacher preparation for scale, equity, and reflective practice
With growing teacher shortages nationwide, particularly in high-need subject areas and underserved communities, educator preparation programs (EPPs) have a big task at hand.
How Kai Cenat saved my high school English class
Like many teachers since the public release of ChatGPT, I’ve encountered frustration. For a lot of us, it has felt as though we are spending more of our…
School choice and homeschool freedom go hand in hand
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” Many homeschoolers have embraced this lesson after learning it the hard way. That vigilance has paid off recently in a couple of…
Integrating technology in CTE classrooms
By integrating advanced tools and digital resources, CTE educators can better engage students and mirror the high-tech environments they will eventually work in.
How Gimkit engages my students
During the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, teachers needed to become resourceful in how they delivered content to students. During this time, students experienced significant change and evolved…
The Tennessee Educational Technology Association: A blueprint for success
Since its official founding in 1994, the Tennessee Educational Technology Association (TETA) has been a driving force in uniting K-12 leaders across the state, championing the advancement of…
Beyond formulas: Embracing complexity in writing instruction
Early in our careers, when we were fresh-faced and idealistic (we still are!) the prepackaged curriculum and the advice of more experienced colleagues was the go-to resource.
How our district turned a sea of data into a compass for change
Before Bullitt County Public Schools implemented a comprehensive data system, we often found ourselves looking at multiple different data sources for each individual child.
China’s kindergarten coders: The AI arms race begins at age 4
In a brightly lit preschool classroom in Shenzhen, 4-year-olds are gathered around an AI-enabled robot named Toubao. With practiced ease, they issue voice commands, identify image patterns, and…
In Rhode Island, a partnership brings STEM lessons to life
Sixth grade science lessons at Governor Christopher DelSesto Middle School in Providence were more interactive this year thanks to a partnership with the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate…
Why the Trump administration grounded these middle schoolers’ drones–and other STEM research
Give a girl a drone, and she might see her future as a scientist. But if her teacher doesn’t have the training or resources to turn cool tech…
5 reasons why game design is the best way to teach STEAM skills
Industries are evolving quickly, and they need workers with strong STEAM skills. But most traditional classrooms aren’t set up to keep pace. Students often aren’t getting the real-world,…
Why math hints matter–and how AI can help
Research shows that productive struggle in math leads to better learning. But there’s a fine line between productive and unproductive struggle. When tasks are too difficult, frustration takes…
Reversing the absent trend: A school’s community-powered comeback
Since the global pandemic shut down schools and forced students to learn remotely, chronic absenteeism has more than doubled in schools nationwide. Our elementary school is no exception.
Trump nominee Penny Schwinn pledges alignment with president’s education agenda after GOP criticism
Penny Schwinn, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the No. 2 role at the U.S. Department of Education, said she agrees with his push to dismantle the department and…
You’re using ChatGPT? A true story about why AI literacy starts with us
Math isn’t my strongest subject, and when a student asked me to help solve an equation involving angles as I covered for a fellow teacher, I hesitated. Rather…
Trump moved fast and broke things in education–but what he’s creating isn’t clear
The Grandview school district’s headquarters is nearly 1,000 miles away from the White House. Yet President Donald Trump keeps taking up Kenny Rodrequez’s brain power.
Understanding and mitigating academic regression from summer learning loss
Summer learning loss, also known as the "summer slide," represents a significant challenge in education where students experience academic regression during extended breaks from formal instruction.
Many students decide they’re not a ‘math person’ by the end of elementary school, new study shows
Roughly half of middle and high schoolers report losing interest in math class at least half the time, and 1 in 10 lack interest nearly all the time…
Ensuring academic integrity in the AI age
Students' AI usage can range from summarizing content to full-scale writing support, which begs the question: What can educators do if they suspect an assignment is authored by…
Bridging the digital divide to empower the youngest learners
In Greater Houston, where nearly half of children start kindergarten unprepared, Collaborative for Children is taking bold steps to close the digital divide, beginning with our youngest learners.
AI can personalize learning–it can’t make students care
I recently read 10 to 25, a new book by David Yeager, one of the leading research psychologists in adolescent development and motivation. The book explores what young people…