Place Based Education
Smart Parents
We spend a lot of our time creating and sharing resources for educators and parents (who are often one and the same audience). Time and time again, we observe that families are left out of the equation when it comes to determining the primary audience for education reports, papers and articles—even though they are among the hungriest for informed opinions that can help them. Smart Parents is a blog series for parents, by parents who are navigating educational opportunities + making powerful decisions for and with their students. Learn more in Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning.
Leadership
Family Checklist | Is Your Child’s School Student Centered?
In honor of our Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning one year anniversary, here is a checklist for parents who want to learn more about what student-centered learning looks like and whether or not it is happening in their student's school.
EdTech
The Advantages to Different Mentoring Paths on Robotics Teams
By: Dr. Nathan Dolenc. K-12 robotics programs have become increasingly popular in the past decade, and having mentors for students is an important part of the learning process. Here are the advantages to both high and low mentor involvement on these teams.
Leadership
How to Motivate Your Student For Back-to-School
By: Letise Dennis. From the youngest to the oldest in your household, they all have unique and individual motivational factors. So this year, when preparing for back-to-school, try these ideas for getting K12 students motivated based on their age.
Leadership
5 Ways To Get Parents Involved in Student Learning Beyond Homework
By: Vlada Lotkina. Research shows U.S. schools assign a lot of homework, especially in lower grades. However, getting parents involved in their student's learning can help alleviate this growing issue, and here are five ways teachers suggest doing this.
Personalized Learning
Smart Review | The Un-Prescription for Autism
By: Courtnie Rederick. As a special education teacher and mother of a son with autism, I was interested in what this author shares about natural alternatives for symptoms manifested by autism.
Personalized Learning
To My Autistic Son’s New Teacher, Before the First Day of School
By: Courtnie Rederick. As both the mother of an autistic child and a teacher, here is a letter I wrote to my son's new teacher offering my support and partnership during the upcoming school year.
EdTech
Smart Review | Todo Math is a Great Daily Adventure
After spending a morning testing it out, both my son and I found the Todo math app to be user-friendly and fun, and feel it is without a doubt a great math learning tool.
Leadership
The First Step in Engaging Parents is Getting to Know Them
By: Murray Woodard. Parents and families are essential stakeholders in improving education outcomes for students. Let's make an effort as schools to better engage with them for better outcomes.
Early Learning
9 Children’s Books That Combine Storytelling with Math
Math is all around us, and stories are one way we attempt to understand the world. So here is a list of good books for children compiled by our friends at MIND Research that use story-telling to explore math concepts.
Personalized Learning
Beat the Summer Slide with Project-Based Learning
To avoid the dreaded "Summer Slide" with students, parents can harness the positive energy we all associate with summer break by helping children find educational projects around their own choices and interests.