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.

Windsor Public Schools Transform Culture, Build Coherence Through High-Quality SEL Program

Charlotte N.C. – Aperture Education, the leading provider of research-based social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments for K-12 schools, and the Urban Assembly, an education nonprofit that advances the social and economic mobility of communities by improving public education, announced strong evidence of both positive student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationship building with Windsor (Connecticut) Public School’s thriving SEL program.

Over the last couple of years, Windsor has made remarkable strides in its implementation of SEL, as demonstrated by the compelling data trends. With keen attention to the SEL needs of its students, Windsor has shown an impressive uptick in the proportion of students exhibiting typical to strong SEL abilities. In just one academic year, Windsor witnessed a significant increase, with 84% of students now demonstrating positive SEL skills, up from the previous year’s 79%. Notably, 28% of students exhibit strength in SEL competencies, up from the initial 16%, a testimony to the effectiveness of the SEL interventions.

“I am immensely proud of the work being done by our teachers, SEL Specialists and support staff who are committed  to nurturing the social-emotional well-being of our students,” said Dr. Terrell Hill, Windsor Public Schools Superintendent. “Their dedication and commitment have played a pivotal role in achieving this growth in our students’ social-emotional learning competencies. Their passion for nurturing the holistic development of our students and their unwavering commitment to ensuring the success and well-being of our students is truly inspiring.”…Read More

5 ways to help educators experience more joy

I was recently working with middle school educators and asked them about the biggest challenges they are facing. Without skipping a beat, they said dealing with discipline issues, students who at times just don’t seem to care, and their own lack of motivation.

This made me think about the struggles of maintaining a positive school culture, how students often do not get what they need, and how exhausted these educators must be. Whether we are talking about life in general or education specifically, it’s very difficult to adjust, see different perspectives, and find joy when you are in the thick of it.

But, it’s not impossible.…Read More

Poptential™ From Certell Offers Content on Tax Day for High School Teachers

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — As Tax Day approaches, Poptential™, a family of free social studies course packages, offers instructors media-rich content to teach key concepts about taxation in the United States. Click to tweet.

Poptential course packages boost student engagement by using a variety of pop culture media to illustrate concepts, including those taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late-night shows, and other sources.

Tax Day ordinarily falls on April 15 each year; however, this year the federal tax deadline for individuals to submit their tax returns and pay taxes owed on 2022 income has been moved to April 18.…Read More

Navigate360 Recognizes New Jersey School District with Excellence Award for School Culture & Climate

RICHFIELD, OHIO (PRWEB) — Navigate360, the nation’s leader in K–12 school safety and student wellness solutions, announces the recognition of Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District in Atlantic County, New Jersey, with the District Excellence Award for School Culture & Climate. This award honors their noteworthy impact on student development and success through continued, proven use of Suite360. Each school within the district will also receive Suite360 Character Excellence Awards with multiple celebrations taking place on the nationally recognized SEL Day, March 10.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is poised to remain a major focus for districts nationwide. According to EdWeek Market Brief, 60 percent of all districts plan on spending more on SEL in 2023–2024 and 67 percent of all Northeast schools will increase their SEL spending, while 0 percent will decrease their spending. With SEL being a high priority, it’s essential to recognize what’s working.

Greater Egg Harbor’s utilization of Suite360 has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from all key stakeholders, including district and school leadership, families and the students themselves.…Read More

Poptential™ Free U.S. Government Curriculum from Certell Teaches Students About U.S. Debt

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Poptential™, an award-winning family of free social studies course packages, offers instructors a variety of content to help students learn about the national debt using pop culture media to engage students. Click to tweet.

On January 19, 2023, the United States hit the national debt ceiling, the limit on how much national debt Congress allows the treasury to incur. Experts predict that Congress will have to raise the debt ceiling by summer in order to prevent the country from defaulting on its debts.

“Increasing the debt ceiling isn’t new, but this time there are serious debates taking place about the need to reign in spending at the same time,” said Julie Smitherman, a former social studies teacher and director of content at Certell, Inc., the nonprofit behind Poptential. “The debt ceiling will be in the news this spring. The topic could be dry for high school students, so Poptential helps explain it using pop culture references, including video clips from the animated sitcom The Simpsons.”…Read More

Building culture and community takes more than a committee

When organizations are mindful and deliberate about generating and maintaining a sense of teamwork and shared goals, team members are put at ease and more productive. The same is true for building a school culture and community for staff and students alike.

When I was named the leader of Follett’s K12 business, one of my first priorities was to create a team dedicated to improving the culture of the organization. We didn’t necessarily have a negative culture; however, it was clear that part of building a positive culture included making deeper connections to the communities we serve, both internally and externally.

As an education company, we are deeply aware of the challenges faced during the pandemic for educators (and organizations like ours) and that those challenges were overwhelming. We know all too well that has caused strain on the educational system, staff retention, and more. However, it has also given us all the opportunity to reflect on those practices and reimagine them.…Read More

KCAV and Rise Vision Help Middle School Use Digital Signage and Social Media App to Boost Student Motivation and Engagement

Derby, Kansas – Derby North Middle School (DNMS) in Derby, Kansas, has found a unique and effective way to build culture and increase student engagement with the help of Rise Vision digital signage software and Class Intercom.

DNMS had faced issues with their previous digital signage provider, including hard-to-use software, inconsistent uptime, and lack of support. With the help of Kansas City Audio Visual (KCAV), a Rise Vision partner, DNMS switched to Rise Vision for their digital signage needs. 

DNMS has taken a unique approach to student recognition with the integration of its social media accounts and Rise Vision displays. With the use of the Class Intercom app, students create photo and video content, write a post about DNMS, and select which school social media channel to post it to. The content then gets delivered to moderators at DNMS who approve it or send back changes to the student. Once the content is approved, it gets published on DNMS’s social media accounts and automatically pushed to displays around the school for everyone to see.…Read More

Is now a good time for a reset?

At this time of year, I hear a common refrain from school leaders I know: 1) This work is challenging, 2) We have a plan for student success, and yet 3) There is a lot more we need in order to deliver on our promise of a high-quality, equitable education for every student. These leaders launched the year with an inspiring vision for creating vibrant schools where all students are engaged in meaningful learning, feel loved, and want to come to school each day. There may have been times where this vision came close to reality.

As we head into the middle of the year, however, gaps often emerge. Student culture may become strained, faculty and staff may feel tired and frustrated, lessons aren’t as strong as they had hoped, and/or the highest needs students aren’t getting the support they need. Which raises the question: What do I do right now? 

In my role as the Vice President of Innovation and Impact at Relay Graduate School of Education, the best part of my job is the opportunity to find, study, and share what is working in schools across our country. One of the moves that we see our most effective leaders do at this moment of the year is lead a strategic reset on a key area of the school that – if improved – will have a significant positive impact on student learning and experience right now.  …Read More