Archive: 2018
Making Data Work Together Is the Key to Better Achievement
By: John LaPlante. In the Youngstown City Schools, a high-poverty school district serving about 5,000 students in northeastern Ohio, our students face significant challenges. Making the most of data is helping us face those challenges.
Student Public Radio: Community, Communication, and Other “Cs”
Beyond the obvious 21st century skills students develop in taking ownership of their own radio broadcast, they also forge connections to curriculum and content. Here, we explore the reasons (and some ways) to enable students to create and operate a radio station.
Equity and Innovation at NewSchools Summit
With a call to leverage diversity for innovations in learning, Stacey Childress opened the 2018 NewSchools Summit (#NSVFsummit) in San Francisco. The national nonprofit catalyzes new schools, encourages better EdTech tools and develops diverse EdLeaders. Tom shares highlights from the summit and more.
Get Kids in the Community and Change the World
It has become apparent that basic literacies are no longer enough. Students must find ways to apply, own, and direct how literacy and problem-solving skills are used. A look at place-based education and how it's doing just that while also building capacity for citizenship.
10 Classroom-Ready Computational Thinking Resources for K-12
By: Dacia Jones. Computational thinking can help prepare the next generation for the future of work. It teaches students to process information like a computer would. It'll guide students through a series of steps, similar to an algorithm, to solve open-ended problems.
Kids Can Thank Mom by Making a Meal Themselves
Let me preface this section by saying I am not an expert at having kids make the meal. I always marveled at those parents who had an amazing menu plan and activated a rotation where everyone takes responsibility to cook one meal, rotate chores, and so on. We just haven’t been that family and our schedules have never felt that predictable. So, we’ve done more “opportunistic” cooking.
7 Creative Ways Schools and Teachers Can Fundraise
By Vlada Lotkina and Marcia McInnes. Teachers who pay out of pocket for school supplies are, sadly, the norm. But where public funding fails, digital innovators are stepping in with fresh ideas. These seven tools can help alleviate this burden.
Curating a Portfolio of Student Pathways: Workspace Education
By: Robin Lake. I’ve been thinking about Workspace since I left and wondering what to make of it. It’s definitely different and meeting a need. Some families drive an hour to be there, and I can understand why.
10 Ways To Make “Teacher Appreciation” an Everyday Reality
By: Dr. Mike Daria. National Teacher Appreciation Week gives us the perfect opportunity to celebrate this noblest of professions. Here are 10 ways school and district leaders can drive meaningful change that helps teachers thrive and shine, not just this week, but every day.
How the Primary Grades Can Save Us: Growing American Reading Comprehension
By: Cindy Jiban. When NAEP convened a panel of reading experts in early April, the primary grades got called out as one potential culprit of lagging results. What needs re-evaluating in K-3 literacy? Here, we look at a couple starting points.