keys Archives

From explaining to empowering: How tutors can support student thinking

November 11, 2025 by Dr. Halley Bowman, Saga Education

Building cognitive lift doesn’t require a complete overhaul--it comes from small shifts tutors can make in every tutoring session.

Consider the work of a personal trainer. They can explain and model a workout perfectly, but if the athlete isn’t the one doing the lifting, their muscles won’t…

AI in Education

AI, CTE are key to preparing students for future careers

October 8, 2025 by ESchool Media Contributors

Rising educator confidence in CTE and growing urgency for AI tools that build--not bypass--students’ essential skills.

Educators are embracing AI and career and technical education (CTE) as keys to preparing students for their future after high school, according to the 2025 Savvas Educator Index…

AI in Education

Digital dementia: Are we outsourcing our thinking to AI?

September 25, 2025 by Laura Hakala, Magic EdTech

When it comes to AI, students need to learn critical thinking skills before they delegate that thinking to a machine.

I’ll admit that I use AI. I’ve asked it to help me figure out challenging Excel formulas that otherwise would have taken me 45 minutes and a few…

AI in Education

5 keys to AI success: A roadmap for K–12 administrators

September 9, 2025 by Ben Talsma, Van Andel Institute for Education

AI and its growing presence can make teachers nervous, but it doesn’t change the fundamental mission of education.

Like many educators, I have strong feelings about the abundance of artificial intelligence now used in schools. Some teachers choose to take a Gandalf approach to AI and…

AI in Education

From pen to prompt: Navigating AI in the classroom

July 28, 2025 by Kris Astle, SMART Technologies

Students can (and should) still show their work in the age of AI--but it might look a little different in today's classroom.

Education helps develop our cognitive muscles. Letting AI do it for us is not the answer, but could AI be a thought partner to help build this skill?…

STEM & STEAM Trends

3 keys to making math engaging

November 12, 2024 by Ki Karou, MIND Education

$Embracing game-based learning and using data to adapt tools to students’ needs will bring math to life and make math engaging.$

One of the challenges to getting students engaged in math is the perception that it's a subject where you sit at a desk and do 30 math problems…

Coding and Robotics

3 keys to success when introducing robotics to young learners

October 28, 2024 by Danielle Curry, Garfield Elementary School

The most effective robotics lessons for pre-k-2 students are hands-on, open-ended, and collaborative to engage young learners.

In my role as the school library media specialist and enrichment teacher at Garfield Elementary School, I was researching student-centered robotics products for K-2 students last year when…

Teaching Trends

4 keys for unlocking student curiosity and critical thinking

March 19, 2024 by Ben Talsma

Often, modern teaching tools stifle students’ curiosity and critical thinking potential—but this doesn’t have to be the case.

As an educator, I have always been fascinated by my students’ innate curiosity. From an early age, they have an insatiable desire to learn.

Literacy

3 keys to successful summer reading (regardless of the languages students speak)

March 14, 2024March 12, 2024 by Claire Hagen Alvarado, Ed.L.D.

A great summer reading program for students is buoyed by focusing on student strengths and maintaining excitement by checking in.

When I began teaching English as a second language (ESL), I had anywhere from seven to 13 different languages in my classroom because our district was in an…

Teaching Trends

6 keys to effective tutoring

May 17, 2023 by Dan Tracy, Senior Solutions Strategist, MIND Education

To truly help students build deep understanding, effective tutoring intervention requires the right time, place, people, and curriculum.

As educators continue to work to accelerate learning for students following the pandemic, many are turning to tutoring to provide support. Tutoring is one of the most effective…

Five Keys to Success with Virtual Education

January 4, 2023August 19, 2022 by Jeff Festa

Virtual education meets the needs of so many students who aren’t being served well in a traditional school setting, which ... Read more

Teacher Professional Development

Seven keys to effective teacher development

December 5, 2022February 21, 2022 by Martha and Dustin Jez, Co-Founders, Fair Chance Learning

K-12 leaders can drive true teacher development in their schools by fostering an environment that truly supports teachers as they grow.

Building on the changes that school systems have made during the pandemic to achieve true digital transformation requires an adaptive approach to K-12 leadership, as well as a…

District Management

Redesigning education for post-pandemic success

January 5, 2022 by Martha and Dustin Jez, Co-Founders, Fair Chance Learning

Here are three keys to effective digital transformation in schools and classrooms

COVID-19 arguably produced the biggest shift in education since the invention of the printing press. Nearly overnight, teaching and learning moved from classrooms to online environments. School systems…

Evidence-Based Strategies to Boost Student Engagement and Success

November 10, 2021July 26, 2021 by Jeff Festa

Congress has passed more than $190 billion in pandemic relief aid for K-12 schools since March 2020. To take advantage of ... Read more

COVID-19 Update

6 tips to give students a skills refresh

May 11, 2021 by Aubrey Vance, Educational Services Manager, Pitsco Education

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students have been victims of ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’--here's how to refresh their skills.

Many students have been learning remotely or may have been learning in-person but the structure of the day was far from normal. Without a doubt, many students have…

Student Data Security

3 keys to protecting student data and privacy

December 5, 2022April 29, 2021 by Ben Pierce, Director of Data Services, Xello

How do educators ensure that they keep student data, records, and personal information private and secure?

How do educators ensure that they keep students’ data, records, and personal information private and secure?

Empowering Students with Equitable Access to Career Experiences

September 8, 2021April 16, 2021 by Jeff Festa

Aiming to help all students succeed beyond high school, a growing number of K-12 school systems are expanding opportunities for ... Read more

Blended Learning

7 keys to effective online learning

March 8, 2021April 1, 2020 by Carol DeFuria, President and CEO, VHS Learning

High-quality and engaging online learning programs have a number of common characteristics, like this young girl sitting learning online at her laptop.

Online learning’s reputation has taken a hit in recent years amid reports of poor academic performance and concerns over lax regulation. While there is certainly some cause for…

District Management

4 common barriers to accessible content for all students

March 8, 2021March 12, 2020 by Steven M. Baule

Icons demonstrate digital accessibility, including accessible content for all students.

This summer, many faculty will work on developing or revising curricular content for their courses. One of the keys in developing new digital materials is verifying that those…

Featured on eSchool News

Redefining what it means to be ‘college-ready’

October 15, 2019October 11, 2019 by Dr. David Schuler

New research is calling for a new definition of what it means to be college-ready, like these graduates walking in graduation caps.

Societal pressures on high school seniors seemingly grow by the year. These days, a student’s level of college and workforce readiness is said to be dependent on their…

School Makerspaces

3 keys to cultivating the maker mindset

December 7, 2022July 15, 2019 by Megan Haddadi and Kimberly Fogarty

The two sides of the brain illustrate left and right brain concepts--both are used to cultivate a maker mindset.

When we dreamed of starting construction on a space where teachers and students alike could cultivate a maker mindset, our goals went beyond creating a dedicated makerspace. We…

Featured on eSchool News

Ensuring accessible content for all students

June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by Steven M. Baule

A person types on an ipad seeking accessible content for all students.

This summer, many faculty will work on developing or revising curricular content for their courses. One of the keys in developing new digital materials is verifying that those…

STEM & STEAM

4 keys to building an equitable STEM program

August 18, 2020October 1, 2018 by Joel Jacobson

This year in schools across the nation, approximately 136,000 students took advanced placement (AP) computer science, a 31 percent increase from last year. This group included a record…

District Management

3 keys to student success with early college programs

May 19, 2017April 13, 2017 by Dennis Pierce

Like a growing number of school districts, North Carolina’s Guilford County Schools (GCS) has early college programs that allow students to earn college credit while they’re still in…

District Management

These 7 keys are helping one district better prepare its students

August 30, 2016August 29, 2016 by Chris Marczak

In any given third-grade classroom, you can find a student who is reading at a level far beyond their age, and another who is still working on letter…

District Management