school Archives

“My boss probably used AI”: What school leaders need to know about AI, authenticity, and trust

October 6, 2026 by Nesreen El-Baz, ESL Educator

AI can help us communicate more effectively, yet it can also make communication feel less authentic--school leaders must navigate carefully.

AI is increasingly part of everyday leadership work, from drafting emails and reports to organizing ideas. Used thoughtfully, it can reduce administrative burden. But when AI enters more…

AI in Education

Learner agency comes first in AI-driven digital literacy

October 5, 2026 by Dr. Mark Taormino, College of Southern Nevada

Curriculum must evolve beyond AI tools and teach learner agency, judgment, verification, and critical thinking for true digital literacy.

For many schools, the path to AI literacy remains unclear. The challenge is not simply AI’s rapid evolution, but its ability to generate answers almost instantly, forcing educators…

Students with Special Needs

Denver is opening more specialized classrooms as the number of students with autism grows

October 2, 2026 by Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat

As the number of children identified with autism rises nationwide, more students are needing special education services.

The autism center at Denver’s West High School is twice as big as a typical classroom and more than half as empty. That’s intentional: These specialized centers are…

Case Study: Reaching the Students Traditional Ed-Tech Budgets Miss

October 1, 2026September 28, 2026 by Vcarlson

AI, online coursework, and remote learning are raising the bar for connectivity in and out of the classroom. Learn how ... Read more

E-rate Funding

What E-Rate makes possible: Four lessons from our district

September 30, 2026September 28, 2026 by Dr. Chris Smallen, Lenoir City Schools & Rachel Little, United Data Technologies

Lenoir City Schools uses E-Rate to create an environment where all district students have access to the same opportunities and resources.

For nearly three decades, E-Rate has helped school districts build and sustain the network infrastructure that supports teaching, learning, safety, and the many systems educators rely on every…

Student Well-Being

An early childhood classroom: Supporting emotional well-being amid everyday challenges

September 24, 2026 by Jennifer Fernandez and Lynnette Cornett, School Specialty

Simple design choices can turn sensory overload into calm, predictable learning spaces in early childhood well-being.

Early childhood classrooms are seeing a clear shift. Young children are starting school feeling increasingly worried and overwhelmed compared to years past.

College and Career Readiness

Inspiring curiosity for career exploration and mentoring for pathway success

September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by Michael Collins, Ruben S. Ayala High School

Career exploration should be combined with visible connections to career pathways that align with a student’s interests and aspirations.

In my eight years as a high school CTE, Engineering and Architecture Pathway instructor, I have witnessed students and their families struggle to navigate their career trajectory. Every…

School Library Innovations

Beyond book displays: How to build lasting support for your school library

September 23, 2026September 22, 2026 by ESchool Media Contributors

When school librarians hear the word marketing, many immediately think of newsletters, social media posts, bulletin boards, or eye-catching displays. Those tools certainly have their place, but they're…

College and Career Readiness

Quit saying “I’m not a math person”

September 16, 2026 by Dr. T.J. Vari, MaiaLearning & Thomas O’Brien, Winward Academy

$"Not a math person"--what seems like a harmless and innocent thing to say could be creating significant damage over time.$

It’s quite rare to hear someone say, “I can’t read” or “I’m illiterate so I don’t read.” On the other hand, lots of people claim that they’re “not…

Building & Campus Security

The everyday access control gaps schools overlook

September 10, 2026 by Mike Garcia, HID Global and Mercury Security

Modern access control connects people, policies, technologies, and emergency procedures into a coordinated safety program.

School leaders have invested heavily in campus security over the past decade. Cameras, visitor management systems, emergency communication platforms, and access control upgrades have become standard parts of…

Curriculum & Assessment

A new approach to middle school math data boosted our state test scores

September 2, 2026 by Kaitlin Fields, Metropolitan School District of Washington Township

$Having more clarity about what middle school math content is being taught—and why—has led to increased rigor in classrooms.$

Picture a group of middle school math teachers meeting to mull over a specific problem. Their eighth graders keep missing the same assessment question about graphing a system…

Curriculum & Assessment

Students won’t remember every lesson, but here’s what’ll stick

August 27, 2026 by Ryan Sprott, PBLWorks

How project-based learning, or PBL, builds the curiosity, empathy, and practical skills that last well beyond a student's time in school.

For a lot of students, school can feel like a transaction: You do the work, you get the check mark, and then you move on. That model can…

District Management

Building inclusive school communities through integrated digital strategy

August 26, 2026 by Alex Tarin, Finalsite

Administrators and technologists must look at digital strategy as a key bridge to equity and inclusive school communities.

Clear, timely communication is the bedrock of the relationship between a school and its families. It is the invisible thread connecting a student’s classroom progress to the support…

AI in Education

Beyond spotting deepfakes: Teaching multilingual learners to interrogate AI

August 25, 2026August 25, 2026 by Nesreen El-Baz, ESL Educator

Helping multilingual students spot deepfakes in the age of AI will help them better assess authenticity of online content.

Long before computers entered our homes and classrooms, photographs helped shape what people believed. Images carried a particular kind of authority: We did not simply look at them;…

District Management

Attendance is the scoreboard–connection is the game

August 24, 2026August 21, 2026 by Luvelle Brown, Ithaca City School District & Concentric Educational Solutions

Don't wait for the school district to solve student disconnection and attendance challenges on its own--it won't, because it can't.

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,…

Education Policy & Funding

Public schools at the starting line: Beginning a new pathway with scholarship granting organizations

August 14, 2026 by Dr. Harold Jeffcoat, Van Buren School District

Scholarship funds from SGOs can be used for qualified expenses, which include academic tutoring and special needs services and supports.

For the first time, a federal tax credit is opening a clear path for public school students to access expanded learning opportunities through Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs).

Student Well-Being

The foundation for student success is a positive classroom culture

August 13, 2026 by Tiffany Wilson-Pugh, Dr. Yuvraj Verma, Dr. Luther Riley, & Rachel Campbell, Empower Community School

A positive classroom culture is built not built on a single activity but through thousands of intentional interactions.

As the school year begins, teachers often devote significant time to planning lessons, reviewing standards, organizing classrooms, and establishing routines. While these are all essential components of effective…

Classroom Management

How to build a positive classroom in the first 5 days of school

August 12, 2026August 11, 2026 by Kim Harding, Van Andel Institute for Education

The most important thing educators can do at the start of a new school year is build trust and create a positive classroom culture.

There’s a wise quote that says, “Kids don’t care about your expectations until they know you care about them. Connection is the foundation everything else stands on.”

School Management

4 things new principals can do to strengthen school culture

August 12, 2026August 10, 2026 by Dr. Cristiana Jurgensen, Ras Tanura Middle School, Saudi Arabia

A new principal's job is not to change the school--it is to spend the first year understanding the 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…

District Management

The grading paradox: Better data is key to understanding real subject mastery

August 12, 2026August 6, 2026 by Chris Rose, Abre

A unified data system offers a shared roadmap where every stakeholder has the clarity to understand subject mastery.

There’s a confusing trend going on in the nation’s classrooms: While national test scores have dropped to levels not seen in decades, average high school GPAs are actually…

Emergency Planning & Response

In a school emergency, 911 is still flying blind

August 12, 2026August 5, 2026 by Dean Drako, Brivo

Cameras are ubiquitous on public school campuses, so why are 911 dispatchers still operating in the dark in a school emergency?

School safety emergencies are inherently chaotic, frightening, and made even more perilous by a lack of real-time visibility once an emergency is underway. In an active shooter incident,…

District Management

Does school design help or hinder adolescent learning?

August 12, 2026August 4, 2026 by Heidi Neumueller AIA, NCARB, LEED AP®, Amy Keller Frye

How one school reimagined learning spaces–and what others can learn

Adolescence is one of the most consequential periods of human development, yet the environments designed to support it often fail to reflect its complexity. Spanning ages 10 to…

District Management

The grade gap: Helping parents understand students’ academic progress

August 12, 2026August 3, 2026 by Scott Peters, PhD, NWEA, & Kara Stern, PhD, SchoolStatus

What closes the grade gap between reporting and understanding is real-time context around what impacts student academic progress.

For as long as school has existed, so has the parental question: How are my kids doing? For nearly two centuries, educators have used some type of report…

Teaching Trends

Don’t forget nature’s classroom

July 29, 2026July 29, 2026 by Vanessa Garza, Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles

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…

Literacy

Digital detox: Reducing screen time creates space to build literacy skills

July 28, 2026 by Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift, Learning Without Tears

In a digital world, handwriting remains an essential way young students build the physical and cognitive foundations for literacy.

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…

Teacher Professional Development

Teacher training needs more community and less compliance

July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 by Quinn Simpson, Gedi Village

Professional development and learning, like teaching itself, flourishes through relationships built on trust.

Professional development is one of a school district's most powerful strategies for improving student outcomes. Yet, educators often leave workshops feeling inspired in the moment, but take little…

District Management

Chronic absenteeism isn’t the problem–it’s the signal

July 22, 2026 by Dr. Natasha Scott, Cumberland County Schools

Chronic absenteeism will not be solved by a stricter attendance policy--it will be solved by people who focus on belonging and support.

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…

Teacher Professional Development

PD for innovation: Reimagining solutions for engagement, burnout, and achievement gaps

July 21, 2026 by Adam Piccoli, Special Education Teacher

Innovation in PD gives teachers autonomy to pursue PD that benefits their students and aligns with district priorities.

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…

College and Career Readiness

WorkKeys is lowering the bar on student proficiency

July 16, 2026 by Christy Hovanetz, Ph.D, ExcelinEd

Allowing WorkKeys to substitute for ACT proficiency does not redefine success; it lowers the bar for what counts as proficient.

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…

Teacher Well-Being

5 ways to rest, reflect, and recharge this summer

July 8, 2026 by Jamie MacPherson, Van Andel Institute for Education

Summer offers educators a chance to focus on self-care, reflect on their teaching successes, and gear up for another academic year.

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,…

District Management

We need accessible data and greater student agency

June 29, 2026 by Elisabeth Read & Dr. DeNay Speaks, Jefferson County Public Schools

Increased student agency strengthens and enables a growth mindset and supports the transfer of classroom knowledge into real-world skills.

Students are more than letter grades and test scores. They are unique individuals with their own goals, skills, and needs--deserving an educational journey that supports all three.

Durable Skills

Career-connected learning and life skills development in the middle grades

June 23, 2026 by Thomas O'Brien, Winward Academy & Dr. T.J. Vari, MaiaLearning

We must move beyond isolated skill instruction and integrate durable skills into curriculum, school programming, and extracurriculars.

The future of high-quality middle level engagement will include career exposure and exploration with a focus on transferable skills and the development of career goals.

District Management

Don’t wait for September: Reach students now, when it matters most

June 19, 2026 by Dr. Josha Talison, Ecorse Public Schools

Changing how educators reach out to students, and focusing on community support, can prove invaluable in fighting absenteeism.

Here is a lesson for you: If you wait until the first day of school to address attendance, you've already lost the battle.

District Management

Leading in the in-between: A multi-track approach to leadership growth

June 12, 2026 by Andy Szeto, Ed.D, Professor and District Administrator

The time between earning a license and a school leadership role is not empty space in a career--it can become a defining stage of growth.

There is a period in the school leadership journey that we do not talk about enough: the time between earning an administrative license and actually becoming a school…

District Management

Engaging K-12 families over the summer

June 10, 2026 by Dr. Kara Stern, SchoolStatus

The school communications calendar between May and September is a single arc, and districts that use this window well have a genuine head start.

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…

Curriculum & Assessment

Building math skills by designing backpacks: How PBL shifted the way students see math

June 9, 2026 by Melanie Grosso, Riverside Presbyterian Day School

$pbl helps students understand key math concepts$

Building a strong foundation in math during elementary and middle school is essential for success in the later grades. Because each concept builds on the last, students must…

District Management

Data alone doesn’t determine school success–leaders who know how to use it do

June 3, 2026 by Chris Rose, Abre

School leaders must weigh quantitative data against qualitative insight and focus on long-term outcomes rather than short-term fluctuations.

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…

Beyond Audit Season – A Checklist for Finance

May 28, 2026 by Vcarlson

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

District Management

When it comes to absenteeism, the real work begins in summer

May 26, 2026 by Piper Bognar, Van Dyke Public Schools

The effort required to maintain student connection to school and combat chronic absenteeism is extensive, continuous, and human-centered.

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…

IT Innovations

Apple’s MacBook Neo has entered the K-12 debate–are IT teams ready for it?

May 25, 2026 by Apu Pavithran, Hexnode

MacBook Neo conversations are only the beginning--what matters more is if surrounding IT teams are ready to support the change.

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…

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