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Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

IRIS Offers Lessons to Help STEM Educators Teach About Recent Earthquakes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 8, 2021) — The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) is providing free resources to help STEM educators teach about recent earthquake events, such as the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Mexico on September 8 and the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti on August 14. These Teachable Moments presentations contain an explanation of the science of why the earthquake occurred, and often also includes Associated Press photos, animations, and other resources to help educators link the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to earthquake phenomena in a way that makes it relevant and engaging for students. 

“The Teachable Moments lessons help engage students in scientific inquiry and offer a critical connection to real-life events,” said Dr. Tammy Bravo, Seismology Outreach Specialist of IRIS. “By bringing knowledge, insight, and critical thinking to the classroom following a newsworthy earthquake, teachers are able to help students explore and analyze real event data, which helps to further spark their passion for science and STEM learning.”

Each Teachable Moment lesson consists of a downloadable and editable PowerPoint presentation, which is available in both Spanish and English and pertains to a specific earthquake. The lessons include interpreted U.S. Geological Survey earthquake information, plate tectonic and regional tectonic maps and summaries, concept animations, seismograms, damage photos, and other event-specific information and hazards.…Read More

Volunteer pays for hot lunch for kids who can’t afford it

A volunteer at a Houston-area elementary school who noticed some students were getting a smaller lunch of cold cheese sandwiches is digging into his own pocket to cover delinquent meal accounts so every child can get the same full lunch tray, the Associated Press reports. Kenny Thompson is a volunteer tutor and mentor at Valley Oaks Elementary in Houston. He says he asked about the lunch differences after hearing about some Utah students who lost meals because of non-payment…

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Ex-NC Gov. Perdue unveils education tech effort

Former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue says she wants to jump start collaboration among teachers, students and entrepreneurs to develop electronic technology that improves learning for adults and children, the Associated Press reports. Perdue announced Wednesday the initiative called DigiLEARN, or the Digital Learning Institute. She chairs the group, which held a strategic planning meeting at North Carolina State University. Perdue was elected North Carolina’s first female governor in 2008 and left office a year ago after choosing not to seek re-election. Since then, the New Bern Democrat has spent time at Harvard and Duke universities and started a consulting firm…

Houston-area school district ends $16M iPad plan

A Houston-area school district has abandoned a $16 million initiative to incorporate thousands of iPads into classroom curriculums after a consultant found widespread problems, the Associated Press reports. A review of the program, called iAchieve, found it had unrealistic goals when unveiled last year in the Fort Bend school district southwest of Houston. The Houston Chronicle reports use of the iPads was limited, managers had inadequate skills and a vendor hired to develop the learning platform was a startup with no curriculum experience. Administrators had hoped to improve science scores by providing an interactive curriculum. The initiative was eventually expanded to 14 schools…

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Magic Johnson launches initiative for at-risk kids

Earvin “Magic” Johnson is getting a little help from Chicago rapper Common for his newest off-court endeavor, the Associated Press reports. The former NBA star launched his “Friends of Magic” initiative Wednesday. The idea is to help at-risk students, including dropouts, graduate from high school. Johnson, Common and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn attended the event at Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academy, another education facility backed in part by Johnson’s business enterprises. An emotional Johnson spoke after listening to one of the students who has had successful in the academy’s education programs…

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‘Heat days’ becoming almost as common as snow days

When city students arrived for the first day of school under the blazing temperatures of a Midwest heat wave, staff greeted them with some unusual school supplies: water bottles, fans and wet towels to drape around their necks, the Associated Press reports. What they couldn’t always offer was air conditioning. This year’s late August heat exposed a tug-of-war in school districts that are under pressure to start school earlier than ever but are unable to pay to equip aging buildings with air conditioning. Parents who worry hot classrooms are a disadvantage for their kids are issuing an ultimatum: Make classes cooler or start the year later…

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Starting high school later may help sleepy teens

Quinn Cooney of Mill Creek, Wash., is excited about starting high school in September, but she’s not looking forward to waking up at 5:30 a.m. to arrive on time, the Associated Press reports. Classes for ninth-graders start at 7:30 a.m., 45 minutes earlier than they did in middle school. “I think it is going to be harder to get up,” said Quinn, 13. “I do think it is better to start early so that we can be finished early and do things after school, but I am worried that if I have a boring class for my first period that it will be hard to stay awake.”

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High school seniors fare no better than in 1970s

Students preparing to leave high school are faring fare no better in reading or math than students did four decades ago, the government said in a report Thursday that was certain to renew concerns about U.S. schools, the Associated Press reports. Test scores for 17-year-olds have changed little since the early 1970s, while students ages 9 and 13 improved their performances during the same period, according to the government review popularly called the nation’s report card. Black and Hispanic students achieved the greatest gain in reading and math scores since the 1970s and the performance gap between white and minority students narrowed…

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New rules aim to rid schools of junk foods

High-calorie sports drinks and candy bars will be removed from school vending machines and cafeteria lines as soon as next year, replaced with
diet drinks, granola bars and other healthier items, the Associated Press reports. The Agriculture Department said Thursday that for the first time it will make sure that all foods sold in the nation’s 100,000 schools are healthier by expanding fat, calorie, sugar and sodium limits to almost everything sold during the school day. That includes snacks sold around the school and foods on the “a la carte” line in cafeterias, which never have been regulated before…

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Teacher mental health training approved

Texas school teachers would receive training to identify mental illness in their classrooms under a measure that has cleared the Texas Legislature, the Associated Press reports. Lawmakers sent the bill to the governor on Sunday. It would add the training to the requirements for a teaching certificate. Republican Sen. Robert Deuell of Greenville has said about a million students in the state suffer from illnesses and addictions that contribute to failing grades, misbehavior, crime and sometimes suicide. He proposed the training to help teachers manage their classrooms…

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