lunch Archives

Screen-free students: How Spokane Public Schools is helping kids engage in real life

January 24, 2025 by Sean Duke, Washington State School Directors' Association

In just two years, the district has seen attendance increase, student engagement and wellness improve, and dependence on smartphones diminish

The adverse effects of this excessive screen time have significantly impacted students’ social- emotional health. Forty-one percent of teens with the highest social media usage struggle with mental health issues.

COVID in Schools

The pandemic is over–but American schools still aren’t the same

November 21, 2023 by Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat

Many students and educators say school feels closer to normal than it has in over three years, but profound pandemic-era consequences persist.

On a recent Friday at Gary Comer Middle School in Chicago, you had to squint to see signs of the pandemic that upended American education just a few…

District Management

How we ensure flexibility in our school district communications

August 18, 2023 by Gina Gentry-Fletcher, Director of School & Community Relations, Fairfield City School District

A director of community relations explains how her school district communications improved after working to reach families in different ways.

Like any district, we often need to communicate with our families about upcoming events, days schools might be closed, or details about crises, among other things. With such…

Classroom Innovations

How to educate in the 4th Industrial Revolution

January 11, 2023September 6, 2022 by Dr. Marissa Prather, Director of STEM and Fine Arts, Douglas County Schools

Education must be appropriately responding to the 4th Industrial Revolution if students are to achieve success in the real world.

Just for a moment, think about your physical environment. Perhaps you’re taking your lunch break in your car that has satellite radio and reading this article on a…

District Management

3 strategies to address new school nutrition standards

April 26, 2022 by Katy Hoyng, Nutrition Implementation & Training Manager, LINQ

Technology can play a critical role in ensuring up-to-date reports on the many moving parts in a school nutrition program

The summer of 2022 brings changes to school meal requirements for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, as school nutrition programs transition from pandemic-era…

COVID-19 Update

How wireless screen sharing helps schools cut cords

November 19, 2021 by Steve Cummins, VP of Marketing, Airtame

Wireless screen sharing meets the need for easy classroom collaboration and simple technology solutions

Technology has become central to day-to-day processes inside schools, whether it’s the classroom, common areas, staff rooms or lunch areas. In fact, 95 percent of teachers report that…

SEL & Well-Being

4 SEL success tips for elementary schools

October 5, 2021 by Barbara Vella, Retired Principal, Chattahoochee Elementary School

Here are the steps one elementary school principal took to ensure both initial and long-term success of a social emotional learning curriculum for grades K-5

Five years ago, we had about 900 students in our K-5 elementary school, with roughly 40 percent of them either eligible for free or reduced lunch. Being in…

District Management

5 tips to help districts bridge the equity divide

November 20, 2020November 19, 2020 by Robert Runcie, Superintendent, Broward County Public Schools, Florida

A superintendent offers insight on tackling not only academic performance gaps, but also equity challenges such as racial disparities and long-term outcomes for students of color

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed historic inequities that have long-plagued our schools and society. Schools have always served as a hub of support and aid to children, their…

Classroom Innovations

4 ways school leadership encourages proficient readers

August 14, 2019August 9, 2019 by Dr. Elizabeth Crawford Brooke

At a time when schools are held accountable to the highest level of standards, strong school leadership is critical for success. Fortunately, researchers have been exploring the school…

Classroom Innovations

How we turned around our disciplinary infraction rate

July 10, 2019July 9, 2019 by Analisa Ficklin and Carissa Janguard

Turnaround Tuesdays feature examples of innovative solutions to problems, such as this district's SEL efforts.

Demographics Cordata Elementary School is a 400-student public school serving grades PreK-5 in the Bellingham School District in Washington. The school has the highest percentage of English Language…

District Management

How we turned around our new teacher retention

May 7, 2019May 7, 2019 by James Montgomery

Gaston County Schools, located in North Carolina, is the 10th-largest district in the state. We have a very diverse, economically challenged population in our school system, with roughly…

District Management

Here’s a must-do for E-rate applicants

October 29, 2018October 26, 2018 by Laura Ascione

Calling all E-rate coordinators--there is one important step you can take now to ensure a smooth process when the E-rate filing window opens in 2019. The FY2019 application…

District Management

6 tips for making the most of your Chromebooks

October 6, 2017October 4, 2017 by Elisabeth Mooring

Before my second year of teaching, my principal suggested that I pilot a class set of 35 Chromebooks in my ninth- and 11th-grade English classes. In exchange for…

IT Management