Admin 
Like Luther, many teachers might have new students in their classrooms in the spring semester. Luther kick-starts these classes with value setting activities and check-ins, much like he would do at the beginning of the year, “to make sure that we are building community intentionally in the second semester in the same way we did … Read more
Setting up a structure for fundraising to support your students who want to travel is crucial regardless of their family income. Educational travel can be made attainable for all students if you create a plan and stick with it. Carrie A. Olson, PhD, researcher and teacher at West Leadership Academy, Denver Public Schools, presented with … Read more
James makes sure to show historical figures alongside others to “expand the narrative.” Adding that, “Sometimes with children, especially kindergartners, they kind of have this disconnect, thinking that people live in their own moment in time.” For example, she shares images of Rosa Parks with Mamie Till-Mobley, activist and mother of Emmett Till. This approach … Read more
In Charlotte County Public Schools (CCPS), all 10 of our elementary schools have a STEM lab. As early as kindergarten, students begin engaging in hands-on learning and exploring STEM careers. Yet, even with regular visits to the STEM lab throughout elementary school, our fifth graders struggled on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment. Another challenge was … Read more
She’s done a slightly different version of this activity with elementary students’ parents, in which the parents each wrote a wish for their child on a strip of paper, then all the papers were linked together to make a chain of wishes. This activity provides parents with an opportunity to reflect on their own child’s … Read more
The Education Technology Industry Network (ETIN) and Empirical Education Inc. recently released the Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting EdTech Impact research in U.S. K-12 Schools. These guidelines help clarify how research is conducted and how information is presented to users of edtech products based on the changes brought by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). … Read more
Two of the most important federal funding streams to public schools are: Title I, which provides money to help districts that serve lower-income communities. In 2023, the Education Department received more than $18 billion for Title I. IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which provides money to help districts serve students with disabilities. In FY … Read more
In more than 60 percent of all two-parent households, both parents work, and in nearly all of these households, at least one parent is employed. This means that the vast majority of parents in our country experience regular and prolonged periods of time away from their children. Since parental involvement is one of the most … Read more
The idea of forcing children to learn a specific set of facts and topics is controversial. It runs counter to newer trends of “culturally relevant pedagogy,” or “culturally responsive teaching,” in which critics contend that students’ identities should be reflected in what they learn. Others say learning facts is unimportant in the age of Google … Read more
My hometown of Gastonia is a quiet place. Scant traffic. Nice neighbors. Folks still offer you a sweet tea when you visit. By most accounts it’s a sleepy southern town, with roots in textiles and major manufacturers producing Wix air filters and Freightliner trucks. Just what you’d expect from a small town in the South. … Read more