After shouldering responsibilities for keeping students and staff safe and healthy in a global pandemic – you may have felt the weight of the world on your shoulders…
The past 18 months tested everyone, and few were more tested than teachers. Many educators adjusted to entirely new teaching requirements during the pandemic, while districts rushed to…
In 2017, 52 percent of all students enrolled in public schools were racially or ethnically diverse. By 2029, this number is projected to be 57 percent. However, in…
What’s the best way to get K-12 students across the U.S. to bounce back from the pandemic? MIT’s Justin Reich has an idea: Ask them. Reich, an associate…
While COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available, the Delta variant of the virus is raging across the country and forcing schools to navigate continued risk. Because of this,…
Five years ago, we had about 900 students in our K-5 elementary school, with roughly 40 percent of them either eligible for free or reduced lunch. Being in…
Americans love their pets. Turns out, two out of every three American homes include a pet, and 95 percent of households consider their pets to be family members.
The definition of success is a “favorable or desired outcome.” At Title I schools, where students are often at a disadvantage from the start, measuring success can look…
Off the bat, it’s probably either a hyper-realistic robot that can’t be distinguished from a human that sets out to take over the world, or ‘Disneyfied’ robots such…
It’s the last day of summer break. You walk the halls, ducking your head into classrooms as you go. Each room looks ready for the year: inspiring quotes…
The past year has taken a toll on students’ mental health. Rates of anxiety, depression, and stress are up and the CDC reports emergency room visits for adolescent…
A simmering demand for reliable connectivity in education turned to a boil during the pandemic when the digital divide--something that many under-connected communities were already facing--exploded. This was…
Since the first patent for additive manufacturing (more commonly known as 3D printing) was filed in 1980, the industry has expanded rapidly. As with any new technology experiencing…
Positive experiences can be life-changing for a child. In a previous installment of this series, I shared how positive experiences with teachers throughout my childhood helped counteract some…
I am currently in an online doctoral program at Winona State University. One of our recent discussion queries required answering the following prompt: "Share three pieces of your…
As schools all over the nation reopen their doors this fall, technology departments are looking at how best to accommodate not a newer normal, but a healthier, more…
In 2020, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing reported that one in six children under the age of 18 experiences a mental health disorder each year. The pandemic…
As we enter the 2021-2022 school year, many of us are still reeling from the last one. Last year was defined by massive changes to the learning landscape.…