5 ways to use AR and VR in the classroom
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are the new hot trends in education. But what does that mean and how is it going to benefit our students?…
How we created a growth mindset in math
Historically, students have been led to believe that they are either destined to be good at math or that they just “aren’t a math person.” At Springfield (MO)…
Curate like a professional
Curator. What does that world call to mind? Museums? Art? A simple Google Images search will reinforce that notion. Now think about curation. Maybe you envision the very…
How we turned around our English language learner (ELL) program
West Broward High School, located in Pembroke Pines, Fla., serves more than 2,000 students in grades nine through 12.
12 activities & tools to build curiosity
Building social and emotional-learning (SEL) skills such as curiosity requires face-to-face interaction, meaningful discussion, and reflection. Edtech is no complete substitute for that, but there are tools that…
How we created the classroom of the future
In 2014, we were looking for ways to modernize aging classrooms in the Tahoe Truckee (CA) Unified School District to enhance the overall educational experience.
Teaching financial literacy: The bottom line
April is Financial Literacy Month, and while it’s always a great time to talk about financial literacy, April shines a big spotlight on my favorite topic! Not everyone…
8 reasons why my students lead their own conferences
I can clearly picture my eight-year-old self staring out the large window, waiting for my parents to come home from my parent-teacher conference. I wanted to know what…
Teachers’ essential guide to cyberbullying prevention
What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is the use of digital media (such as websites, apps, and text messages) to intimidate, upset, or harm someone. It includes repeatedly sending, posting,…
5 steps to ensure accessibility
While the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was last reauthorized in 2004, with amendments in 2015, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) updated back in 2008,…
Make your Google Docs more accessible
As educators, there are many things we can do to make our Google Docs more accessible to our students. We should always be thinking about including universal design…
4 ways that better edtech management empowered our district
Billings Public Schools is the largest school district in Montana, supporting more than 16,800 students across 33 schools. With the support of technology levies, we have invested $1…
How we turned around our ability to support BYOD for now and for the future
Rio Rancho (NM) Public Schools is the state’s third-largest school district; it has 18,000 students and more than 2,000 employees across 19 schools.
Overcoming your own anxiety to become an effective K-12 leader
Leadership skills require people to look inward and find self-confidence that will not only guide them toward successes but focus them through failures—an inevitable part of all leadership…
Data-informed instruction can affect every lesson; here’s how
Teachers from previous decades may have focused on “What did I teach?,” but the new focus is “What did the students learn?”
Is return on investment achievable in K12?
Return on investment (ROI) is an oft-cited goal in K12 arenas, but it is achievable? In Morgan County School District, we’ve found that it is. Here’s how we…
Using data to solve boundary challenges
Redrawing boundaries reallocates a district’s resources at a fundamental level, and with that reallocation comes a great deal of concern, anxiety, and turmoil as members of the district’s…
Can audiobooks be the great equalizer for students with learning differences?
Low reading ability is a major contributor to learning inequality in our schools. An estimated 26 million students have learning differences, including tens of thousands of students with…
How can educators support the parents of students with anxiety?
As educators struggle to understand anxiety and its implications for student success in schools, so too do the parents of these students. Whether it’s failing to complete work…
Understanding cyber liability insurance
Have you read the latest newsflash? School district data breaches are on the rise, and your school district’s student information system (SIS) data could be a prime target…
How we turned around our reading program
Rockford Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in Illinois. More than 28,800 students attend the 44 schools in the district.
7 ways to drive district-wide innovation
When the Gresham-Barlow (OR) School District (GBSD) hired Dr. A. Katrise Perera as the superintendent in July of 2017, she set out to listen and learn from students,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Want to improve your leadership development? Use simulations!
American schools are facing a crisis in the lack of professional learning for school leaders.
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.