By James McElligott, Author at eSchool News

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Latest posts by eSchool News Contributor (see all)

Incident response plans help district address student safety - September 5, 2011
Viewpoint: A rational approach to student-teacher ratios - September 1, 2011
Hybrid approach drives retention success - September 1, 2011

Incident response plans help district address student safety

September 20, 2011September 5, 2011 by By James McElligott

Following the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the East Coast, U.S. Homeland Security determined that schools and hospitals…

District Management

Viewpoint: A rational approach to student-teacher ratios

October 27, 2011September 1, 2011 by By Mickey Revenaugh

What number of students should each teacher teach? How many is “too many”? It turns out that the right answer is: It depends.

District Management

Hybrid approach drives retention success

November 6, 2013September 1, 2011 by By Angela Naginey

In 2007, when California Lutheran University (CLU) campus leaders noticed a drop in freshman return rates, they charged me with serving as CLU’s retention champion. As the first…

Featured Funding News

Universal Service reform: What it means for schools

September 1, 2011August 30, 2011 by By Cynthia Schultz, Contributing Editor

Changes to the government's Universal Service programs will result in new broadband options for schools—but they'll also create new compliance challenges as the web of federal programs supporting…

Curriculum

Closing the math skills gap and boosting achievement

November 6, 2013August 29, 2011 by By Gil-Rey Madrid

As with so many other schools around the country, it was apparent that too many of our students, at all grade levels, were struggling with math and were…

District Management

Would you like to wow parents all year long?

November 6, 2013August 25, 2011 by ESchool News Contributor

You won’t likely wow parents by sharing the classroom rules and procedures. You will, however, wow them by sharing valuable information about their child. How do you do…

Curriculum

Free curriculum resource helps educators teach to Common Core standards

November 5, 2013August 23, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

A popular online education resource now provides interactive curriculum tools specially tailored to correspond with both state standards and the Common Core standards—and U.S. educators can use the…

IT Management

The digital natives are restless

November 6, 2013August 22, 2011 by By Alan Rudi

We believe many American schools today provide an effective education, but that the bar is rising, requiring new ways to think about how to educate today's students. A…

District Management

Our digital natives are immigrating

November 5, 2013August 18, 2011 by By Karl Ochsner, Ed.D.

Marc Prensky eloquently coined the metaphor of the “digital immigrant” to define an adult who has “immigrated” into the use of technology. This is opposed to a “digital…

District Management

Report: Federal action needed to expand digital learning

April 26, 2012August 15, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

As schools increasingly embrace digital learning, a new report says more federal action is needed to encourage the effective use of educational technology.

District Management

Hybrid online classes: What we’ve learned

November 6, 2013August 15, 2011 by By Len Lubinsky and David Greenberg

Three years ago, in an attempt to reach students throughout the state more effectively, the Massachusetts Collaborative for Educational Services tried a hybrid model blending face-to-face instruction with…

District Management

What makes an effective school principal?

August 5, 2011August 4, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

Recent research shows that good principals in K-12 schools can create dramatic improvement, particularly in the lowest performing schools—but the consistency, fairness, and value of current principal evaluation…

District Management

Schools need relief from onerous regulation

September 24, 2012August 1, 2011 by By Daniel A. Domenech

Our schools are overwhelmed by regulatory mandates that have been heaped upon them by NCLB, writes AASA Executive Director Dan Domenech. In spite of the harsh economic reality…

STEM & STEAM

Math research reveals early-learning needs

July 27, 2011July 25, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

Numbers, counting, and low-level arithmetic are three basic competencies that are vital to later success in math, and students should have these key math skills in first grade…

Curriculum

New framework aims to shape K-12 science

July 25, 2011July 22, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

A report released July 19 by the National Research Council proposes a new framework for K-12 science education that emphasizes deep understanding of key topics and practices, and…

District Management

College-ready teens in short supply

July 15, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

Recent research demonstrates a troubling inverse relationship between job market and higher-education trends: As the job market increasingly demands postsecondary training, the number of recent high school graduates…

STEM & STEAM

How to make STEM education a success

July 15, 2011July 14, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

What makes science programs at specialized science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) schools better than ordinary programs? A new report identifies key factors that contribute to effective STEM…

Helping Students Learn with Reliable Wireless Connectivity

Solving the challenges of mobile device management

April 5, 2012June 22, 2011 by By Jennifer Nastu, Contributing Editor

While the potential for mobile learning with smart phones or other portable devices is huge, many challenges remain before everywhere, all-the-time learning becomes a reality.

IT Management

Students, educators leverage educational streaming media

November 6, 2013June 20, 2011 by By Matt Jacobson

Students and staff at a Galesburg, Ill., school district are giving a ringing endorsement to Learn360’s broad range of services that have enhanced the interactive learning experience at…

Curriculum

Custom curriculum publishing on the rise

June 13, 2011June 10, 2011 by By Jennifer Nastu, Contributing Editor

In a new trend made possible by advancements in digital publishing, a number of K-12 schools and colleges are working with textbook publishers to create customized curriculum content…

Blended Learning

Five ways to connect with online students

November 6, 2013May 27, 2011 by By Rebecca M.R. Costello

The online classroom poses unique challenges for classroom management and connection with students. Online students might report feelings of loneliness, a lack of connection, and a need for…

Teaching Trends

Tips on choosing and implementing an LMS

June 13, 2011May 26, 2011 by By Jennifer Nastu

Adding a learning management system to a school’s existing ed-tech inventory involves many difficult decisions. When choosing an LMS, make sure you choose the five or 10 things…

Teaching Trends

Digital signage competes for students’ attention

April 19, 2012May 20, 2011 by By Jeff Hastings

Budget-conscious colleges and universities are finding digital signage not only helps them improve their campus-wide communications and emergency messaging, but many discover that it’s cost-effective and eco-friendly. And…

District Management

How social media can help, and not hinder, during a crisis

November 6, 2013May 5, 2011 by By Terri Howard and Ralph Metzner

It’s important for school leaders to understand basic crisis management principles—and how social media might play a role in the event of a crisis, for better or worse.…

District Management

Six steps for a successful online summer school

November 6, 2013April 25, 2011 by By Debi Crabtree

For some students, the education process requires more than the allotted time frame of 180 days. Online learning can be an effective, affordable means of getting lagging learners…

IT Management

District future-proofs for more capacity, safety

November 6, 2013April 22, 2011 by Kirill Malkin, CTO of RELDATA

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Castro Valley Unified School District’s (CVUSD) new synchronized system allows for a centralized database that is maintained and shared across…

Blended Learning

Speech therapy moves online

November 5, 2013April 11, 2011 by by Jennifer Nastu

Offering speech therapy to students can be a challenge for school districts: Speech therapists are in short supply; it can be expensive to hire a speech therapist, particularly…

District Management

Solving our document dilemma with Enterprise Content Management

November 6, 2013March 23, 2011 by By Kellie Barron

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – we’ve all heard the term “paperless office” too many times to count. It’s a term so undefined and it often…

Teaching Trends

Three successful mobile learning projects

February 25, 2011 by ESchool News Contributor

The Katy Independent School District in Texas has about 60,000 students. During the 2009-10 school year, the district used bond funds and federal e-Rate funding to create a…

Teaching Trends

Where are we going? A look at the future of mobile learning

February 25, 2011 by ESchool News Contributor

The movement toward a one-to-one computing environment—that is, one device for every child—soon will be moot, says Phil Emer, director of technology planning and policy for The Friday…

Teaching Trends

Innovative learning content for mobile devices

February 25, 2011 by ESchool News Contributor

Though many educators believe there needs to be more content developed specifically for mobile devices in order to take full advantage of mobile learning, some excellent sources of…

Teaching Trends

Successful credit recovery programs from four districts

September 20, 2012February 22, 2011 by ESchool News Contributor

While the Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, Texas, has a strong early intervention program that is successful in keeping more kids from failing classes, the district…

District Management

Reducing bullying and cyber bullying

November 6, 2013October 6, 2010 by By Elizabeth Englander and Kristin Schank

As in many states, K-12 teachers in Massachusetts now have new responsibilities to respond to, report, and address bullying and cyber bullying. The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC)…

Curriculum

Reading instruction: Getting it right the first time

November 6, 2013May 20, 2010 by By Robert McCabe

In his sweeping 2004 article, Preventing Early Reading Failure, Joseph Torgesen established that the reading skills students acquire in their earliest elementary years are critical predictors of their…

Incident response plans help district address student safety

Viewpoint: A rational approach to student-teacher ratios

Hybrid approach drives retention success

Universal Service reform: What it means for schools

Closing the math skills gap and boosting achievement

Would you like to wow parents all year long?

Free curriculum resource helps educators teach to Common Core standards

The digital natives are restless

Our digital natives are immigrating

Report: Federal action needed to expand digital learning

Hybrid online classes: What we’ve learned

What makes an effective school principal?

Schools need relief from onerous regulation

Math research reveals early-learning needs

New framework aims to shape K-12 science

College-ready teens in short supply

How to make STEM education a success

Solving the challenges of mobile device management

Students, educators leverage educational streaming media

Custom curriculum publishing on the rise

Five ways to connect with online students

Tips on choosing and implementing an LMS

Digital signage competes for students’ attention

Six steps for a successful online summer school

District future-proofs for more capacity, safety

Speech therapy moves online

Solving our document dilemma with Enterprise Content Management

Three successful mobile learning projects

Where are we going? A look at the future of mobile learning

Innovative learning content for mobile devices

Successful credit recovery programs from four districts

Reducing bullying and cyber bullying

Reading instruction: Getting it right the first time

Title I Educators Win More Than $16,000 For The Purchase Of Over 3,350 Books In The Lexia Library Wish Program

Avantis Education Launches Eduverse+ for ClassVR

Slooh’s New Earth Science Curriculum Offers Standards-Aligned Learning Activities Utilizing Orbital Satellite Feeds

Benton County Schools Chooses Intelitek’s SmartCIM 4.0 for New CIM Lab Funded by Tennessee’s Innovative School Models program

Survey Reveals Critical Insight Into Teachers’ Technology Use and Challenges

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