With students tuning out, it’s time to rethink the classroom
Across classrooms right now, many educators are noticing the same shift: Students are even harder to reach than they were just a short time ago. In a recent…
classrooms
Maybe we have too much teacher training
“Maybe we have too much teacher training.” That headline is a sentence I never thought I’d write, given that I run a company built around supporting teachers’ professional…
Beyond the ban: Rethinking cell phone policies in schools with smarter solutions
Across the country, educators, parents, and policymakers are struggling with a question that schools can no longer afford to avoid: What role should cell phones play in today’s…
What U.S. and international classrooms can teach us about improving math instruction
Last year, one of my strongest students could solve complex equations flawlessly--but paused when I asked a simple question: “Why does this method work?”
In Illinois, charting a path for responsible AI use
AI is a daily reality in the nation's schools, and in Illinois, it shapes how students research, problem-solve, and create. Now, Teach Plus Illinois and the Illinois Digital…
This elementary school banned screens in the middle of the year. Will it solve their reading crisis?
Last month, Mesick Consolidated Schools banned digital devices in its elementary school of about 250 students. The decision wasn’t an agonizing one. The ban came at astonishing speed,…
When AI means something different in every classroom
In many schools, AI is being handled through individual teacher decisions rather than a shared structure. That makes sense in the short term. Teachers are responding in real…
The hidden cost of fragmented student data in K–12 schools
In many K–12 schools today, fragmented student data has quietly become one of the most significant barriers to effective decision-making and day-to-day operations. While digital tools have expanded…
From innovation to impact: Three ways school districts can build a sustainable AI framework
AI is here, and it’s moving fast. For schools, that speed is both an opportunity and a risk: The right tools can transform learning, but the wrong ones…
How to navigate historically high absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism has stabilized at historically high levels, signaling a long-term engagement challenge rather than a short-term pandemic disruption, according to a new national white paper released by…
The AI-resistant classroom is a myth: Designing assessments that assume AI is present
Artificial intelligence is no longer approaching the classroom--it is already embedded in it. Students are using generative tools to brainstorm, summarize, translate, draft, and revise.
As classrooms go digital, are educators ready?
Today, about 80 percent of K–12 students use computers or tablets at school--up from about 50 percent before the pandemic. Even as parents worry about too much “screen…
A new PLC model that builds collective efficacy and fights teacher burnout
In schools across the country, teacher turnover and burnout have reached crisis levels. Educators are stretched thin, often working in isolation, and many professional learning communities (PLCs) fail…
What’s in and out in literacy instruction for 2026
The conversation around literacy instruction has reached a turning point. After decades of debate, we're finally seeing a broad consensus around evidence-based practices--but the challenge now is moving…
Avantis Education Transforms Classroom Inclusivity with Launch of EduverseTHRIVE at TCEA 2026
Chicago, (February 1, 2026) — Avantis Education, a global leader in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology for K-12 schools, ... Read more
Learning the “why” behind the math: How professional learning transformed our teachers
When you walk into a math classroom in Charleston County School District, you can feel the difference. Students aren’t just memorizing steps--they’re reasoning through problems, explaining their thinking,…
Decision Education: A new approach to driving STEM workforce readiness
STEM workforce shortages are a well-known global issue. With demand set to rise by nearly 11 percent in the next decade, today’s students are the solution. They will…
A smarter path to standards-based success: How Superior Public Schools united curriculum and data
Creating consistency between classrooms and ensuring curriculum alignment school-wide can be challenging, even in the smallest of districts. Every educator teaches--and grades--differently based on their experience and preferences,…
How AI can fix PD for teachers
Many teachers have experienced PD sessions that are disorganized, disconnected from practice, or delivered by outsiders who misunderstand the local context.
4 ways AI can make your PD more effective
If you lead professional learning, whether as a school leader or PD facilitator, your goal is to make each session relevant, engaging, and lasting. AI can help you…
Rethinking icebreakers in professional learning
I was once asked during an icebreaker in a professional learning session to share a story about my last name. What I thought would be a light moment…
Powering college readiness through community partnerships
Texas faces a widening gap between high school completion and college readiness. Educators are already doing important and demanding work, but closing this gap will require systemic solutions,…
Room to grow: Creating a classroom built for success
For decades, curriculum, pedagogy, and technology have evolved to meet the changing needs of students. But in many schools, the classroom environment itself hasn’t kept pace.
Making career readiness meaningful in today’s classrooms
How can we make classroom learning more meaningful for our students? In today’s rapidly evolving world, preparing learners for the future isn’t about gathering academic knowledge.
Rethinking substitute teacher preparation
Many of us remember the days when having a substitute teacher meant movie day--a wheeled video cart appeared, and the substitute teacher’s main goal was making sure students…
The paradox of Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating heritage means honoring students’ languages
Every year, Hispanic Heritage Month offers the United States a chance to honor the profound and varied contributions of Latino communities. We celebrate scientists like Ellen Ochoa, the…
Why interactive solutions are a smarter investment for schools
School IT leaders face a constant balancing act to deploy technology that enhances learning while keeping systems secure, manageable, and cost-effective.
BBC Learning Hub Launches Walking with Dinosaurs Virtual Field Trip Resources
San Antonio, TX (August 26, 2025)—Over 25 years since Walking with Dinosaurs first stomped across the screen and following its ... Read more
The advantages of supplementing curriculum
Classroom teachers are handed a curriculum they must use when teaching. That specific curriculum is designed to bring uniformity, equity, and accountability into classrooms.
4 tips to help older K-12 readers
Teachers are noticing that older readers need ongoing support to read materials used in their classrooms. In a study commissioned by the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund…
26 insights about what back-to-school season has in store
As the back-to-school season begins, educators and students alike are stepping into classrooms that look and feel increasingly different from just a few years ago. Technology is no…
Better Behavior, Thriving Students
To promote classroom behavior that supports student learning, educators need proactive, practical strategies. The Second Step® behavior mitigation guide ... Read more
Phones, devices, and the limits of control: Rethinking school device policies
A growing body of research and an even louder chorus of educators point to the same conclusion: students are distracted, they’re disengaged, and their learning is suffering. What’s…
Tips, tools, and truths: Making PD meaningful in today’s classrooms
As a classroom teacher and district leader with over 26 years of experience, I’ve attended countless professional development (PD) sessions. Some were transformative, others forgettable.
Is gamification the key to achieving true inclusion in special education?
Key points: For students with special needs, learning can often resemble a trek through dense woods along a narrow, rigid ... Read more
Optical LAN: The silent hero of modern learning
From immersive AR/VR learning in science labs to hybrid classrooms, real-time collaboration platforms, and remote learning at scale, how students learn and educators teach is changing rapidly.
4 ways AI is empowering the next generation of great teachers
How can we best prepare and support our teachers as they navigate increasingly complex classrooms while also dealing with unprecedented burnout and shortages within the profession?
We’re losing STEM teachers–here are 5 ways to keep them and grow the ones we need
The critical shortage of qualified STEM teachers continues to challenge schools and districts across the country. This is especially true in high-need schools where early-career or uncertified teachers…
Grading student writing with AI: What we lose when AI replaces teachers
A colleague of ours recently attended an AI training where the opening slide featured a list of all the ways AI can revolutionize our classrooms. Grading was listed…
ISTE25 Takeaways—BBC Studios Launches Free Global Education Platform to Support Teachers, Students, and Families
BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, today announced the launch of BBC Learning Hub, a free global education ... Read more