Children learn best on paper: We need better technology, not less of it
It is an odd thing to hear from someone who builds education technology for a living, but the most important tool in an elementary classroom is still a…
IT
Schools need SEL assessments to fight chronic absenteeism
Our schools face a paradoxical challenge: chronic absenteeism, which is being treated as an attendance problem, actually isn’t.
5 ways to rest, reflect, and recharge this summer
Summer break has finally arrived, and if you're like most educators, you're probably feeling a lot of conflicting emotions. There's relief that the school year is behind you,…
Rethinking employability skills in K–12 education
What does it actually mean to prepare students for the future? What skills do they need to succeed in tomorrow’s workforce?
Data-driven decision-making is the key to unlocking K-12 district success
Today’s K-12 school districts have numerous responsibilities, from managing staff resources, to ensuring student safety, to fostering a learning environment where all students flourish.
The hidden curriculum gap
A post-graduation readiness report by YouScience found that the majority of graduating high school seniors lack confidence in their post-graduation plans, including choosing a college, paying for it,…
Learning doesn’t happen by accident–it starts with consistency and communication
A student’s school experience can shift dramatically--not just from year to year but from classroom to classroom each day. They may feel seen and encouraged by one teacher,…
For schools, cyber resilience starts at the data layer
Cyber resilience in education starts at the data layer. That is because the data layer is where schools' most important information lives and where recovery begins when something…
New generational reading, math scores have bright spots, but there’s still work to do
Ameer Baraka knew something was wrong long before anyone gave it a name. Ameer grew up in poverty in Louisiana and had difficulty learning to read, but no…
Don’t wait for September: Reach students now, when it matters most
Here is a lesson for you: If you wait until the first day of school to address attendance, you've already lost the battle.
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…
Engaging K-12 families over the summer
It’s easy to connect with the families who show up in September already invested: responding to messages, attending events, kids showing up on time. In most cases, building…
Will schools answer the Canvas breach’s wake-up call?
The recent Instructure/Canvas breach should be a wake-up call for every school and university relying on third-party platforms to power teaching and learning.
Data alone doesn’t determine school success–leaders who know how to use it do
Educators often see recommendations, dashboards, and strategic plans labeled as “data-backed,” as if the numbers themselves drive outcomes. The truth is that data alone cannot make decisions or…
How districts can build a shared AI structure
In the second week of January, a senior mathematics teacher with 22 years in the classroom raised a hand at the end of a staff meeting and asked…
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…
Beyond Audit Season – A Checklist for Finance
For K–12 school districts, audit readiness isn’t built during audit season. It’s built one transaction at a time—through consistent, controlled, ... Read more
Finding the “low way”: Reclaiming creativity in schools
When my daughter was little, every time we climbed into the car, she’d look up and ask, “Are we going to take the low way?”
When it comes to absenteeism, the real work begins in summer
Every June, once the last bus leaves and the halls go quiet, I get the strong desire to take a deep breath and to allow the pressure of…
Apple’s MacBook Neo has entered the K-12 debate–are IT teams ready for it?
The MacBook Neo may narrow a pricing gap, but it also exposes a management gap. A lower-cost Mac may be enough to spark fresh interest. However, it alone…
Summer isn’t just a season, it’s a strategy
Summer is full of learning opportunities that many children miss. When back-to-school season begins, some kids are already starting behind. That's all due to a lack of access…
How comprehensive school safety planning protected our teachers and students
When people outside of education talk about comprehensive school safety planning, it can sometimes sound theoretical: a checklist of protocols or a compliance exercise.
We can’t punish our way out of the attendance crisis
In the Ithaca City School District, we have long understood that relationships are not peripheral to the work; they are the work. A culture of love is not…
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,…
Oracy is the missing link for multilingual learners
For multilingual learners, language is not just a subject to be learned--it is the very medium through which they access the curriculum.
ClassMate by World Book Recognized with Prestigious ISTE Seal
CHICAGO, May 5, 2026 — ClassMate by World Book, the leading platform of trusted content that helps build knowledge through ... Read more
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…
What it takes to build teacher confidence in math: 4 lessons for district leaders
After 20 years teaching high school math, I thought I understood why students struggled. Then I sat in my first professional learning session focused on early math and…
The 4 keys to creating meaningful student-led inquiry
Does the thought of student-led inquiry make you nervous? For some teachers, handing over control of the classroom to their students sounds like an invitation for disaster.
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…
5 ways to make reading click for teens
Reading is competing for attention in a world built for scrolling. A recent University of Florida study found that the share of Americans who read for pleasure on…
When a teacher ditched screens, class got harder. That may be why it worked.
Seventh-grade math teacher Dylan Kane decided to conduct an experiment in his classes by going cold turkey on ed-tech.
Education in a connected world: Preparing students for global careers
The world of work is changing fast. Careers no longer sit neatly within a single industry, city, or even country; they span disciplines, time zones, technologies, and cultures.
The screen-time debate’s blind spot
Last fall, during a professional development session I was running with a group of teachers in São Paulo, a fifth-grade teacher raised her hand and asked a question…
What schools need to know about accessibility compliance as ADA deadline looms
Recent updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act means digital accessibility for public educational institutions can not be ignored. It will become a legal mandate.
It’s time to rewrite math standards for the future–and to stop expecting AI to do it for us
While nearly every industry is racing to integrate artificial intelligence, most schools are still teaching high school math the way it’s been done for decades--rooted in instructional material…
5 secrets to stronger high school connections
I’ve been a principal for 14 years, during which time I served as the leader of an alternative school, an early college, and a large middle school. Through…
The next wave of K-12 innovation: How educators are shaping the future of edtech
Every school year brings an influx of IT solutions designed to reinvent K-12 education. Schools are primed to jump on the latest technologies to address the issues most…
Why digital resilience is critical for U.S. K-12 schools
While prevention remains essential, 2025 has reinforced a hard lesson for district leaders: it’s not a question of if a cyber incident will occur, but how prepared a…
Boosting student engagement on World Math Day
If you’re feeling a bit sluggish (rightly so), most likely your students are. It may not feel like they are the prime audience for learning about multiplication, division,…