Ga. Tech to host disabled STEM students in Second Life
Classroom Innovations
K-12 Curriculum news
Personalizing history for more impactful student learning
Social studies teachers can help students personalize history by embracing individualized pathways and oral or local history projects
Ten great sites with free teacher resources
With cuts to school budgets, teachers are often left searching for ways to innovate without breaking the bank. There are numerous sites that can help, but we've picked…
A nationwide day for honoring Charles Darwin, but handled with caution
There was trepidation on both sides when a squadron of biologists set out to celebrate Darwin Day in rural America during the weekend, the New York Times reports.
How—and why—to teach innovation in our schools
It’s wonderful to hear President Obama call for a nationwide emphasis on innovation, but it raises an interesting challenge: Where will all those innovators come from? Currently, we…
Texas district takes math skills to the next level
As with so many other school districts around the country, we at Brazosport Independent School District (ISD) in Texas have struggled with ensuring that our ninth-grade students start…
Fewer than half of students proficient in science
The nation’s students are still struggling in science, with fewer than half considered proficient and just a tiny fraction showing the advanced skills that could lead to careers…
Bending and stretching classroom lessons to make math inspire
Vi Hart's mind pondered the mathematical implications, reports the New York Times.
JFK library opens first online presidential archive
In a move that will make primary-source documents more accessible for students, Caroline Kennedy unveiled the nation’s first online presidential archive on Jan. 13, a $10 million project…
‘Whitewashing’ of literary classics paints controversy
The internet is abuzz with reaction to a publisher’s controversial decision to replace the N-word with "slave" in Mark Twain's classic novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in an…
Publisher tinkers with Twain
A new edition of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is missing something, reports the New York Times.
Montgomery schools’ decision to slow pace of math courses divides parents
Last month, Maryland's largest school system announced that it would significantly curtail its practice of pushing large numbers of elementary and middle school students to skip grade levels…
Teachers turn learning upside down
Some innovative teachers are turning the traditional classroom model on its head in an effort to make instruction more valuable to their students.
Civil-rights groups seek review of Texas curriculum changes
Two civil-rights groups are seeking a federal review of public school education in Texas, accusing state school administrators of violating federal civil-rights laws as a result of social…
Learn HTML5, JavaScript and CSS with Mozilla’s free “School of Webcraft”
Mozilla is getting ready for the January semester of School of Webcraft, a 100% free developer training resource run in partnership with Peer 2 Peer University, Mashable reports.
How to spur more technology use in the classroom
Superintendents and educational technology directors discussed how to ensure that technology is integrated into the curriculum during a Dec. 7 webinar sponsored by the Consortium for School Networking.
Panel: Remove barriers to digital learning
Digital and blended learning have the potential to improve U.S. education dramatically, because they can help teachers provide a more personal learning experience for their students. But for…
High-tech school bus extends learning
The Pope County, Ark., district is participating in a new program for rural schools believed to be the first of its kind: It's is playing math and science…
Fairfax school experiments with letting cheating students retake tests
The Fairfax County high school that asked teachers to all but banish F's from its recent report cards has been experimenting with an approach that would allow students…
North Carolina students offered Microsoft certification course
North Carolina is on track to becoming the first U.S. state to offer Microsoft computer training in every high school.
Ten steps for better media literacy skills
A new white paper from Temple University's Media Education Lab gives policy makers and education leaders a detailed plan to boost media literacy skills in their communities.
DARPA-funded project to spark computer science education
In an effort to boost computer science education for middle and high school students, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded TopCoder a $5.57 million contract…
Maryland districts strengthen elementary math curriculum
Two Maryland school districts have implemented a math program to bolster math competency for thousands of the state's youngest students in kindergarten through third grade.
Website combines project-based learning, social responsibility
A new partnership between Microsoft Corp., the Smithsonian Institution, and TakingITGlobal uses educational technology to help students solve real-world challenges through online collaboration with their peers around the…
Study points to uncertainty of K-12 engineering standards
With efforts to ensure U.S. competitiveness in a global economy revolving around stronger STEM education, some policy makers are looking at whether it makes sense to include engineering…
White House honors student achievement in STEM education
President Barack Obama announced several new initiatives geared toward improving U.S. competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education during the first White House Science Fair on…
New online tool helps teachers use primary-source documents
The National Archives has created a new web site to help educators teach with primary-source documents. The site, called DocsTeach, not only lets teachers explore thousands of documents…
Over 10 million students now use Google apps for education
Google just announced, there are over 10 million students, staff, faculty and alumni that are actively using Apps for Education, reports ReadWriteWeb.
50 iPad apps for a lifetime of learning
Yes, the iPad can be your classroom and iPad apps can be your teachers, reports Datamation.
School of One boosts individual learning
Although an innovative school model in New York City called the School of One has just started its first full year of implementation, it already has garnered national…
State is likely to ease a rule on extra help for students
The New York State Board of Regents is set to excuse school districts from a requirement to provide extra help to all students who fail the state’s standardized…
Students sing the stories they see in the news
Middle school is an unlikely launching pad to musical superstardom, but a group of politically aware students at Charles Carroll Middle School might have rocketed ahead of the…
Summit: U.S. needs more computer science teachers
Fewer than 65 percent of K-12 schools in the United States offer an introductory-level computer science course, much less rigorous training, according to a recent study conducted by…
Boston schools failed non-English speakers
Thousands of students in Boston who are not proficient in English will be entitled to language assistance under an agreement between the city's public schools and the U.S.…
House bill would create office of STEM education
Calling the country "woefully inequipped" to teach students about science and math, Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., introduced a bill Sept. 29 that would create an office to oversee…
Making math lessons as easy as 1, pause, 2, pause …
An increasingly popular approach to teaching math emphasizes visual aids and a slow pace, with a week on the numbers 1 and 2. And while teachers initially are…
Virginia using iPads to teach social studies
In a huge step forward for K-12 education's move toward an all-digital curriculum, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), in collaboration with education publishing giant Pearson, is implementing…
Kids’ science kits could take hit from new safety ruling
One of the tools that teachers often use to get kids jazzed about science—hands-on science kits—could face an uncertain future amid a debate over safety.
Obama calls for more STEM teachers, longer school year
Barely into the new school year, President Barack Obama issued a tough-love message to students and teachers on Sept. 27: Their year in the classroom should be longer,…
Putting our ideas of assessment to the test
