New film fights negative perception of teachers
Think of it as kryptonite for ‘Superman’: As lawmakers work to strip teachers of their collective bargaining rights and school reformers place much of the blame for the…
Latest posts by Jenna Zwang (see all)
- New film fights negative perception of teachers - September 16, 2011
- Textbook-free schools share experiences, insights - September 7, 2011
- Social websites are latest sources for plagiarized material - September 1, 2011
Textbook-free schools share experiences, insights
Nearly one year after a pilot program that put Virginia's fourth, seventh, and ninth grade social studies curriculum on an iPad, Virginia state officials say they have learned…
Social websites are latest sources for plagiarized material
Plagiarism is going social, according to Turnitin.com, which found that one-third of plagiarized material in student papers can be traced to social networking, content sharing, or question-and-answer websites.…
Teachers prepare for 10th anniversary of Sept. 11
As the nation prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, many teachers are struggling with how to teach…
Resources for teaching about 9-11
From the NCSS, a variety of resources and lesson plans on 9/11 and the war in Iraq: http://www.socialstudies.org/resources/moments From PBS, ... Read more
Survey suggests Americans support teachers, but not online education
New poll results from Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup reveal that the American public has an overall positive outlook on its children’s schools, although poll respondents seem to…
Companies focus on student health, nutrition
As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, and as First Lady Michelle Obama promotes her “Let’s Move” campaign to encourage children and families to live active, healthy lifestyles,…
Seven keys to an effective autism education program
With incidences of reported autism increasing exponentially, educators are struggling to accommodate the needs of this growing population of students. But some key steps, including individualized assessments and…
Maryland becomes first state with environmental literacy requirement
Maryland has become the first state to mandate an environmental literacy requirement for all students: A new policy adopted by the state board of education requires public schools…
Matt Damon, others speak out to ‘Save Our Schools’
Teachers and their supporters turned out by the thousands July 30 for the Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C. They came to protest budget cuts, the outdated…
Teen’s social media use inspires others
Too often, we hear stories about students using online anonymity to bully their peers. But one Illinois high school student is using social media to improve campus morale.
Facebook app tracks student cafeteria purchases
North Carolina schools are using a new Facebook application to streamline cafeteria processes and inform parents about the nutrition their children receive at school. Meals Plus cafeteria software…
Facebook and Time Warner join to stop cyber bullying
A new partnership between Facebook and Time Warner aims to expand the companies' individual efforts to prevent online bullying. The initiative, called “Stop Bullying: Speak Up,” will combine…
Writing software teaches students how to correct their own mistakes
Students struggling with writing tend to fall behind in multiple disciplines; however, it can be hard to correct their writing behavior effectively on an individual basis. That’s where…
Why Illinois might be a model for education reform
Illinois’ Senate Bill 7, passed in June, ushered in numerous changes designed to improve teaching and learning—and it demonstrates the power of collaboration between education policy makers and…
Rhode Island act prevents cyber bullying, not social media access
Rhode Island’s recently-approved “Safe School Act,” created in response to online bullying, seeks to standardize school responses to online bullying issues. And despite some media reports decrying the…
$65,000 to support literacy
The Barbara Bush Foundation For Family Literacy Is Pleased To Announce Our 2012 National Grant Competition. The Foundation's Grant-making Program Seeks To Develop Or Expand Projects Designed To…
iPhones, iPads may be susceptible to hackers
A new security hole has opened up in Apple Inc.'s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, raising alarms about the susceptibility of some of the world's hottest tech…
Report highlights importance of early childhood education
Children who attend high-quality pre-kindergarten programs are more likely to graduate from high school, says a new report that calls on states and communities to build an aligned…
California bill would require public schools to teach about GLBT contributions
California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that would make the state the first requiring public schools to include the contributions of gays and lesbians insocial…
Why school stakeholders should worry about the ‘funding cliff’
More than 80 percent of schools anticipate budget cuts in the upcoming school year, and administrators are scrambling to maintain school operations in the face of diminishing funds,…
Warehouse manager earns his district thousands through online auction
While schools around the country are dealing with major budget cuts, one supply warehouse manager has figured out how to put money back into the hands of his…
Ten of the best high school lip-dub videos
Lip-dubbing has taken high school video production classes by storm. The trend, which began in 2006, describes the process of dubbing music over a lip-sync video that is…
New PBS resource could help advance digital learning
The Public Broadcasting System and Boston-based PBS station WGBH are releasing a new digital media platform for pre-kindergarten through college, called PBS LearningMedia. The site will provide digital…
Digital Wish makes school fundraising easier
Websites that let teachers post their classroom "wish lists" for donors to fulfill have been around for more than a decade, but now one of those sites—Digital Wish—has…
Virtual network promotes sharing of learning content across state lines
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York are joining forces to fund an open-source technology network that would give teachers access to…
‘TV textbooks’ bring access to low-income Florida students
Prompted by lackluster reading scores, Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Fla., is attempting to reach low-income students by turning students' televisions into learning centers.
Companies respond to ACLU’s ‘Don’t Filter Me’ campaign
Web filtering software companies have started to respond to the American Civil Liberties Union’s call to remove filters that block websites with content geared toward the lesbian, gay,…
Alliance: Keep spending rules in place with NCLB fix
As Congress works to update the No Child Left Behind Act, members of the nonprofit Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) hold out hope that a bipartisan agreement will…
Robotics engages students, experts say
Engaging students at younger ages and making science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education more appealing were some of the main topics up for discussion at a roundtable…
Ten ideas for interactive teaching
Interactive teaching methods are an effective way to connect with a generation of students used to consistent stimulation—and education professor Kevin Yee has some advice for how teachers…
New Jersey district plans iPad-only algebra course
New Jersey’s Edison Township School District will be the first in the state to implement an entirely iPad-based Algebra 1 curriculum.
Alliance calls for ‘deeper learning’ to better prepare students
Mere proficiency in regurgitating facts is not enough, the Alliance for Excellent Education says in a new policy brief: To be competitive in today’s complex society, students need…
Report: U.S. should model education system after other countries
The U.S. must mirror the educational practices of top-performing countries if it is to regain its competitive advantage, according to a new report from the National Center on…
Software uses auditory methods to boost language acquisition
Computer programs are playing a more active role in language acquisition, and many include features that let English as a Second Language (ESL) students and those learning a…
Free websites use social networking tools to share content
As social networking and education become increasingly compatible, free websites like Wiggio and Sophia are working to strengthen this bond by providing additional tools for educators and students.
Survey highlights changing teacher opinions on ed tech
A new survey reveals evidence of a major shift in educators’ opinions regarding technology as an educational tool, which might be attributed to the increase in educator and…
New report cites need for more arts integration
Although No Child Left Behind has prompted many districts to focus on core subject areas and ignore or cut arts education programs, a new federal report suggests that's…
Reading boosts brain pathways, affects multiple disciplines
Recent research shows that reading has a massive impact on brain function and can actually affect understanding in nearly all school subjects.
Professional development app helps schools personalize training
With budget cuts slashing districts’ ability to provide intensive professional development for their educators, PD 360 and its mobile component Observation 360 are offering schools a way to…