Attendance is the scoreboard–connection is the game
If I had been asked a few years ago, I would have told you that chronic absenteeism was a school system's problem to fix. With better data systems,…
IT
What it really takes to accelerate adolescent literacy across our district
When people hear about the literacy gains we’ve seen in our middle schools, they often ask a simple question: What program did you use?
Today’s classroom isn’t broken–but it wasn’t built for today’s top students
Walk into almost any classroom in America, and you’ll see a system designed for consistency: same lesson, same pace, same expectations for every student. For decades, that model…
5 ways AI can strengthen your teaching this school year
A year ago, many educators were still asking whether artificial intelligence belonged in the classroom. Some were cautiously experimenting with AI-generated lesson plans, while others were focused on…
The biggest back-to-school challenge
As students return to classrooms across America this fall, parents are focused on school supplies, class schedules, and academic expectations. Teachers are preparing lesson plans, organizing classrooms, and…
4 things new principals can do to strengthen school culture
Over the last 15 years, I have observed a recurring pattern. A new principal, whether brand new to the role or a veteran principal arriving at a new…
Don’t forget nature’s classroom
Outdoor education has been shown to improve academic outcomes across subjects, including science, reading, and math, while also strengthening motivation, well-being, and school engagement. Studies also link outdoor…
Digital detox: Reducing screen time creates space to build literacy skills
Walk into almost any elementary classroom today and you will likely hear the same concern from teachers across grade levels: Many students can swipe, tap, and navigate a…
Summer reading for teaching and school improvement: Harnessing the Science of Learning
Every summer, I find myself in conversations with teachers and administrators trying to figure out why their current pedagogical practices are or aren’t working. So, once I came…
My son wasn’t dyslexic—he was never properly taught to read
When my son Hunter was in fifth grade, his teacher told me he was struggling with reading comprehension. I nodded politely and moved on.
Chronic absenteeism isn’t the problem–it’s the signal
Every school leader I know has a version of the same moment: You pull up a student's attendance record expecting to find a discipline problem, and instead you…
PD for innovation: Reimagining solutions for engagement, burnout, and achievement gaps
Do you think you’re creative? Try this: List as many uses for a paperclip as you can in two minutes. Most people imagine a standard size metal or…
WorkKeys is lowering the bar on student proficiency
School accountability systems measure whether students are mastering the academic standards states expect them to teach and signal where additional support is needed. Education is one of the largest budget…
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…
Schools need behavioral 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…