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.

How to build relationships with students

Key points:

Throughout my career, I’ve held many titles. I’ve been a reading specialist, a special education teacher, and an English teacher, among others. No matter what my job was called, one of the most important things I did every day was to try to build relationships with students. Especially since the pandemic, teachers have been encouraged to build rapport with their students as schools have placed greater focus on social and emotional learning (SEL).

Students with disabilities often require more frequent check-ins. Whether it’s because they need reassurance that they are doing their work correctly, have a tendency to drift off track, or just need an extra pat on the back here and there, the connection is important to their success.…Read More

4 big benefits of professional development for adolescent reading instruction

Key points:

The mission of our English Language Arts Department is for staff, families, and community members to work in partnership to ensure that all students have adequate and equitable access to high-quality literacy instructional experiences that will prepare them to graduate ready to transform their communities and beyond.  As part of our theory of action, we believe that if we support teachers in developing and delivering aligned, rigorous, and engaging literacy instruction (including targeted professional development for reading instruction), and if we use varied, intentional, and common literacy assessment data coupled with individualized student learning, then we will achieve equitable outcomes in which every student thrives, and every school is high performing. 

Our district was already engaged in a professional development program for literacy in grades K-3 when we learned about a new offering that had been created specifically for adolescent reading instruction. We were instantly interested, knowing that we had interrupted and unfinished teaching and learning, especially in grades 4 through 8 as a result of the global pandemic.  …Read More

Gale Launches Online Community to Help Educators Thrive

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Gale, part of Cengage Group, is giving educators a new social space to exchange ideas and share best practices. The company has launched Gale Community For Educators, a new Facebook community designed with K-12 educators in mind. With a mission to enhance teaching practices and foster collaboration, Gale Community For Educators offers a platform that encourages literature, English, history, and civics high school teachers to connect, share ideas and access valuable resources.

“Gale Community For Educators is a helpful resource for high school teachers,” said Shawn Clark, senior vice president of Gale’s domestic learning business. “This platform fosters collaboration and professional growth and ensures that teachers have the necessary tools to create dynamic, engaging and transformative learning experiences for their students. By connecting educators nationwide, Gale Community For Educators enables us to collectively elevate the quality of education and help students to reach their full potential.”

Networking and Collaboration…Read More

IXL and Fayette County Public Schools Partner to Boost Academic Achievement and Personalize Learning for All Students

LEXINGTON, Kentucky  — IXL, the personalized learning platform used by more than 14 million students, has announced a new partnership with Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) in Kentucky. As part of the collaboration, the state’s second-largest K-12 school system will now use IXL’s award-winning platform district-wide to boost academic achievement in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. IXL is used by nearly 40 percent of all K-12 students in Kentucky, accounting for more than 283,000 learners. 

Fayette County Public Schools strives to provide a world-class education and positive learning environment to more than 40,000 students from the Lexington area. FCPS began using IXL to support its special education and English language learner communities, and recently expanded its implementation district-wide after successfully piloting the platform. 

The district highly values IXL Analytics because it provides educators with data that allows them to track student achievement across schools and identify any gaps in knowledge. This information can then be used to quickly intervene and provide students with the support they need to succeed.…Read More

4 pieces of advice for aspiring tutors

Key points:

  • You don’t have to be an expert to be a tutor–you just need a willingness to learn as an adult
  • Working with a reputable tutoring organization is essential
  • See related article: 6 keys to effective tutoring

What do directing planes to land successfully on the runway and directing students to read successfully in the classroom have in common? A lot, as I found out during my transition to tutor following three decades of managing the flow of aircraft around the country. 

When I joined the Air Force in 1988, I became an Air Traffic Controller. I didn’t know it then, but this job would lead me down a path that included an eight-year military career and 22 years at the Department of Defense. During my 30 years of service, I managed both the training, and standardization and evaluation departments before becoming the tower chief controller.…Read More

New Evidence for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Rating Reiterates i-Ready® Instruction’s Impacton Driving Student Outcomes

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass.— A research study from Curriculum Associates recently received a Moderate (i.e., Tier 2) rating from Evidence for ESSA. The study demonstrated that students who used i-Ready Personalized Instruction gained significantly more points on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in English Language Arts and Mathematics than those who did not use i-Ready Personalized Instruction.

Evidence for ESSA is intended to provide educators with reliable, easy-to-use information on programs and practices that meet the standards of evidence in the ESSA. This classification of Moderate by the organization, out of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins School of Education, demonstrates that i-Ready meets the standards of evidence in the ESSA as well as reinforces the validity of the program in driving significant positive student outcomes on rigorous state tests.

“Educators want—and need—to feel confident in the programs they are using to support their instruction and, in turn, student achievement,” said Dr. Kristen Huff, vice president of assessment and research at Curriculum Associates. “This latest third-party validation underscores the power of i-Ready Personalized Instruction and its ability to effectively support the teaching and learning process throughout the school year.”…Read More

10 reasons we love teachers

My second-grade teacher made me love Ramona Quimby.
I’ve never forgotten my multiplication tables, thanks to my fourth-grade teacher.
My fifth-grade teacher taught me to confidently project my voice (much to my husband’s chagrin when I’m on video calls!).
My sixth-grade teacher inspired me to be a fast typist and gave me independent reading time so I could accomplish my goal of finishing Gone with the Wind.
My high school Algebra II teacher made me believe I was, in fact, really good at math.
My English literature teacher inspired me to write a book.
My Humanities teachers inspired me to travel the world.

Just seven days a year to celebrate teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week is hardly sufficient.  After all, they celebrate our students’ wins and teach them lessons through their mistakes every day of the school year. Let’s reflect on 10 reasons we love teachers…

  1. A Lifetime of Influence

    Growing up in a small town and attending a school with approximately 25 classmates from pre-school through eighth grade, I had a couple of teachers twice and interacted with all the teachers in the building regularly. Whatever the length of interaction, it can go a long way for students, like artist Dean Thompson. Dean shared his teacher’s valuable guidance: “Robert Dominiak was an art teacher who was a mentor to me. He taught me how to look at things with a different perspective, and he helped me put together a portfolio when I applied to the Art Institute of Chicago. With his help I received my degree from there, and I’m still in contact with him to this day.”…Read More

    How are ELLs, students with disabilities IDed for gifted and talented?

    States with formal policies around gifted and talented programs tend to identify more English learners and students with disabilities for those programs, according to a new study from NWEA, a not-for-profit research and educational services organization serving K-12 students.

    The study uses data from the 2017-2018 Civil Rights Data Collection, the Stanford Education Data Archive, and the researchers’ own coding of individual states’ policies toward gifted and talented education.

    A number of key themes emerged:…Read More

    Arkansas Department of Education Names Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Reading™ Foundations an Approved English Language Arts Foundational Skills Program for Grades K–2

    NORTH BILLERICA, Mass.—The Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently named Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Reading Foundations to its list of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) for foundational skills in English language arts. Now, districts across the state can use the instructional program, which is rooted in the Science of Reading, to help teachers in Grades K–2 deliver explicit instructional routines and a systematic scope and sequence that helps students become confident readers.

    “Arkansas DESE’s review of instructional materials provides teachers with access to the highest-quality resources available and underscores the state’s commitment to the overarching success of its teachers and students alike,” said Elizabeth Bassford, associate vice president of content and implementation at Curriculum Associates. “Being named to the Arkansas DESE list of HQIM reinforces the power of Magnetic Reading Foundations in helping students develop the skills they need to excel in reading. Schools and districts in Arkansas can now confidently use our program—alongside our online i-Ready® program—to meet all their Grades K–2 reading assessment, instruction, and curriculum needs.”

    The Arkansas DESE review of instructional materials is conducted in partnership with EdReports, an independent nonprofit that conducts evidence-based reviews of instructional materials. The Arkansas DESE requires that all K–2 Literacy Curriculum Programs first advance through EdReports’ review process and then meet Arkansas-specific criteria.…Read More

    5 practical ways to support English learners in the classroom

    For English learners, acquiring language proficiency opens the door to thrive across all subjects. However, learning a new language can be a long, difficult process that requires courage, resilience and trust from students who initially might feel vulnerable and out of place.

    Schools are challenged by the growing number of English learners in their classrooms, with some districts having as many as 100 different native languages spoken by their students. While many regions of the country are equipped to integrate these students, there is still a struggle to find the best ways to support English learners and their caregivers. 

    It’s crucial for teachers to create classrooms that are safe places for students to try, experiment and get meaningful feedback that allows them to make sense of what’s going on around them. The first step requires developing a more comprehensive linguistic profile of students.…Read More