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
Visual learning a key strategy for helping students succeed
Software that takes a visual approach to teaching math has led to double-digit gains in the test scores of Orange County, Calif., students—and the software’s maker was one…
Study: Female teachers can pass math aversion to young girls
Female elementary school teachers can pass on their anxiety and stereotypes about math to female students, and girls who adopt this outlook perform worse at math, research at…
Girls might learn math anxiety from female teachers
Young girls might learn to fear math from the women who are their earliest teachers, new research suggests.
Interest in hybrid courses on the rise
A growing number of schools now offer what's known as “hybrid” courses, which mix an online experience with traditional classroom learning.
Tapscott: Digital natives need tech-rich education
Educators should change the way they view technology's role in everyday life in order to understand students' educational needs, said Don Tapscott, chairman of nGenera Insight, during a…
Free videos explore the science behind the Olympics
Teachers looking for ways to incorporate the Olympic Winter Games into their instruction have a new resource they can use: NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News,…
In wireless age, schools begin to offer text education
Text education is coming to Canadian schools, thanks to a new curriculum that sheds light on the dangers of sexually explicit mobile messages, textual harassment, and other potential…
Technology gives engineering programs a real-world impact
Drexel University engineering student Jeffrey Dowgala says real-time information recorded by electronic sensors has helped him and his classmates understand the many environmental factors that can affect a…
Schools must embrace mobile technology
BBC News reports that need for schools to prepare for 21st century learning was top of the agenda at this year's BETT conference. They must embrace mobile technologies,…
Texas debates how history should be taught
The latest ideological battle over what gets taught in U.S. public schools is being waged in Texas, where the state board of education is considering new classroom standards…
University seeks new ruling in turf war over online degree program
State university leaders in Maryland, in what they call a quest to expand college access to students across the state, are working to reverse an October decision by…
New Nickelodeon TV show to focus on math
Nickelodeon, whose pre-school television shows focus on teaching social skills as much as letters and numbers, is moving squarely into the academic realm with the introduction of “Team…
Christianity’s role in U.S. history at issue
When the Texas State Board of Education meets this week to tackle revisions to the social studies curriculum in Texas public schools, some of the most contentious public…
Study questions learning-style research
As educators struggle to define effective 21st-century instruction, one practice that many have viewed as fundamental to teaching and learning has come under new fire: catering to different…
National STEM program increases reach
President Barack Obama on Jan. 6 announced an expansion of the Educate to Innovate program he launched last November, including the creation of several new partnerships to help…
Foreign language teaching is becoming just Spanish
The Washington Post reports that a survey by Nancy C. Rhodes and Ingrid Pufahl of the Center for Applied Linguistics, entitled "Foreign Language Teaching in U.S. Schools," has…
New programs aim to lure students into digital jobs
The country needs more cool nerds -- people who can use computing in ways that haven't even been thought of yet. And high schools are starting to do…
ED names student video contest winners
In the conclusion of the U.S. Department of Education's video contest, "I Am What I Learn," federal officials have named three winners out of hundreds of entries. While…
New Tennessee partnership to promote science, math
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen on Dec. 11 announced a partnership with the Battelle Memorial Institute to establish a network of math and science programs in Tennessee schools, reports…
Geographic software helps teach critical skills
Thanks to a new statewide license, all schools in Arkansas will have access to geographic information system (GIS) technology--software the Arkansas Department of Education (DOE) hopes will continue…
New programs help English-language learners
As educational opportunities in the United States attract the families of students from across the globe, the need for effective methods in educating English-language learners (ELLs) continues to…
Future cyber sleuths get an early start
Thirty-seven students at the Delaware County Technical School in Aston, Pa., are enrolled in a new network systems program that offers a concentration in the exploding field of…
Obama launches new STEM initiatives
President Barack Obama on Nov. 23 announced the launch of several nationwide programs to help motivate and inspire students to excel in science and math, including a grassroots…
Obama to honor young inventors at science fair
Aiming to boost the status of math and science education in the United States, President Barack Obama on Nov. 23 said he would convene a national science fair…
How to fix the STEM education ‘crisis’
According to experts ranging from White House advisors to leading education organizations, the state of math and science instruction in the United States is in crisis--and only a…
New 21st-century skills guide available
In yet another step toward helping schools and their students achieve 21st-century success, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has released a new guide intended to help…
Danish pupils use web in exams
In Denmark, the government has taken the bold step of giving pupils full access to the internet during their final school-year exams, reports the BBC News.
Google co-founder wants more computers in schools
High school dropout Sergey Brin has a few ideas on how the U.S. education system should be improved. Not surprisingly for the guy who co-founded Google, where he…
Science, tech initiative targeting Mass. 6th-graders
A new nonprofit initiative will dispatch professionals from the worlds of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) to sixth-grade classrooms across Massachusetts in an effort to persuade students…
Military tries out virtual schooling: Students, classes will move together
Members of the military often move from base to base, forcing their school-age children to switch schools time and time again. Now, the Defense Department wants to make…
State’s technical high schools working to emphasize ‘green’ skills
All ninth-graders in Connecticut's 16 technical high schools are learning about solar energy, renewable energy, and energy conservation -- a first step in the schools' ongoing effort to…
Comcast, Discovery team up to extend learning
In a move that could help extend students' learning after school hours, the state of Indiana, Comcast Corp., and Discovery Education have teamed up to provide students with…
Engineering program’s huge expansion includes Milwaukee area schools
A project-based curriculum known as Project Lead the Way has seen widespread expansion across the U.S., including within the Milwaukee Public Schools, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Another step forward for common standards
In a move that could help states procure part of the $4.3 billion Race to the Top Fund, the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief…
‘Schools of Distinction’ honored by Intel
In the spirit of innovation, education stakeholders gathered Sept. 15 in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the six schools that were named Intel's Schools of Distinction for 2009. Located…
New program teaches students about 9/11
Schools in seven states will be trying a new curriculum this week that uses online videos and interactive lessons to teach middle and high school students about the…
Site spurs debate over required courses
