Science for all: How to reach English learners
Nationally, English learners (ELs) make up nearly 10 percent of PK-12 classrooms and almost 15 percent of urban classrooms, and these numbers are on the rise. Many supports…
5 tips for getting over your #edtech fears to engage and empower students
I have been lucky. I was on a computer at a young age, playing Math Blaster or Oregon Trail until my eyelids grew heavy and I had to…
4 simple questions school leaders should ask about cybersecurity
In today’s world where hacking and other forms of cyber-attacks abound, it isn’t enough to simply expect that the IT staff has data security under control. According to…
7 computational thinking strategies to help young innovators fail forward
Computational thinking has been trending, but what is it, really? Simply put, computational thinking is a method of reasoning that teaches students how to solve real-world, complex problems…
Making the move to standards-based grading: How we did it & what we learned
Traditional letter grades have been around since the beginning of the 20th century. Today’s parents received As, Bs, and Cs from their teachers when they were in school,…
How to champion change in your district
Change is an ongoing exercise, and in schools and districts, every year is marked by shifts. Some of those are major, some minor, but there is little doubt…
4 reasons why some children have difficulty learning to read
According to Hill for Literacy, about 66 percent of fourth-grade readers cannot read proficiently, which often translates into a growing achievement gap for these children. Why is reading…
Teacher absent? How tech can bridge the gap
The teacher-absence policy at my school was clear: The teacher isn’t coming to school? No technology for the class. The rationale is that it’s just not worth it.…
SEL should be an easy sell for U.S. schools and districts
In light of tragic events that have put a spotlight on school safety issues, it’s more important than ever to understand the value of students’ social and emotional…
6 key principles for a successful SEL program
A social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum adds valuable lessons to a student’s normal school day that will help propel them beyond academic success and onto success in life. No…
The 5 most important things to do in the first month of school
If the beginning of the school year feels like you’re being pulled in 12 directions at once, then you’re not alone. Student have nervous flutters about returning to…
3 reasons elementary schools should adopt an LMS—and where to begin
Is it really possible for young learners to effectively use a learning management system (LMS)? This is a common question administrators and educational practitioners ask when considering LMS…
The New Librarian: How to set up a Global Citizens program
At Tudor Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska, “show and tell” has an inspiring twist. Instead of sharing an interesting rock or a favorite toy, they are sharing messages…
12 tips to help you identify classroom-ready tools
The Common Sense Education team is constantly searching for the best tools for digital teaching and learning. Our experts have rated and reviewed more than 3,000 (and counting!)…
The growing role CTOs play in advancing K-12 education
The demand for K-12 school districts to implement technology that drives smarter decision-making for teachers and administrators has never been greater. However, given the demands facing school districts…
What’s up with Whatsapp?
In an age where students seem to be attached to tech, why not take that as an educational opportunity? With WhatsApp being such a popular messaging app, there…
3 backchanneling websites to replace TodaysMeet
If you haven’t already heard, TodaysMeet has closed its doors. While you can download transcripts of your past chats, you’re gonna need to find a replacement tool for…
8 essential qualities of a digital literacy curriculum
“Jeff. I’ve got a big challenge. Help!” That was a voicemail message I received from a friend, a principal at a local elementary school one sunny summer afternoon.…
How to prepare students for the unknowable
The workforce is on the cusp of a major evolution. But will Gen Z—those born after 1996 and just beginning to think about their careers—be prepared with the…
3 ways small districts can go big on PD
As a leader in a district in Indianapolis with nine schools and limited resources, I’m well aware of the fact that most districts don’t have the time or…
4 ways AR/VR can transform your lesson plan
The post-1990’s generation, Gen Z, doesn’t remember a world without digital technology. In fact, the children of millennials, born after 2010, are sometimes described as Generation Alpha. They…
10 reasons why you’ll love Edcamp as much as I do
Have you ever been in a professional learning (PL) experience where you don’t keep looking at the time, checking Facebook, or texting people? I have! I spend several…
Political & organizational savvy–it’s not just about the kids
Some educators tell me they “aren’t political.” They don’t want to get involved in the “drama” of the organization. They went into teaching to avoid all that organizational…
Want to get struggling readers enthusiastic about reading? Here’s how
With 10 million students in grades K-12 struggling to read, taking those struggling readers from disengaged to enthused may seem like a huge feat. However, doing just one…
3 data-driven tips for successful bonds and levies
At some point during the year, many school districts will fall into one of these three areas: Thinking about planning a bond or levy measure Attempting to pass…
10 tips to boost executive function
Every day in the classroom, students are expected to engage in tasks such as paying attention to and remembering information, completing their work on time, waiting to speak…
3 outstanding tips for training new and veteran teachers
Research tells us that students’ attention spans correlate to their ages, but did you know that this applies to adults as well? In fact, humans have less of…
A 3-step recipe for personalized learning
What are the ingredients and directions in a recipe for personalized learning? Take one learning platform (because we want only one place to go for everything) and add…
It’s time to change our learning model
As a 22-year-old first-year teacher, I was introduced to one of the biggest challenges within our schools. While setting up my classroom, my principal came by to deliver…
10 districts with awesome brands
No one is great at everything, but everyone is great at something. These 10 school districts identified why their district is awesome, then structured everything they do around…
Get the most out of LinkedIn
Until recently my professional social media presence was exclusively on Twitter (@matthewxjoseph). That was until I had a conversation with a successful and reputable professional—Rita Oates—who told me…
Does your district’s PL measure up?
Is your current professional learning (PL) program aligned with the federal definition of professional learning? Can you measure your progress against your organizational goals? How does your organization…
9 things schools can do today to improve attendance
Excused absences, unexcused absences, suspensions—all contribute to chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10 percent or more school days per year. While the causes vary, chronic absenteeism…
5 best practices for teaching challenging subjects
One of the most effective ways to cultivate skills such as empathy, problem solving, and emotion management is to help students productively struggle through an examination of the…
6 things you need to know about digital badges
Today’s classrooms use a variety of learning approaches, some formal like lectures and some informal like watching videos. As a teacher, your learning is no different and your…
Now is the time to transform how we teach students with autism
America, we may have a problem. The CDC recently announced new prevalence rates for autism. The increase from 1 in 68 to 1 in 59 children identified as having…
Edtech expands to the stadium
Video scoreboards have long been an important feature of professional and college stadiums and other sports facilities. Now high schools are eyeing these boards as a way to…
Data-driven learning, not instruction, is the future of education
Data-driven instruction may be the popular catchphrase in education, but in a recent edWebinar, the speakers advocated for data-driven learning. The student, they said, should be at the…
The New Librarian: How to build a face-to-face PLN in 3 easy steps
By now the term professional learning network (PLN) is used very often, but much of the time it refers to the virtual type, meaning our online colleagues and…
A look inside an innovative high school
High school graduation is one of the big milestones of life. Regardless of the destination, the transition is a major one. To ensure the transition is successful, schools…