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| | LATEST NEWS FOR PRINCIPALS |
District Administration Magazine
Online learning activity in public districts has overtaken state-level virtual schools and charters, according to the 12th annual "Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning" report, released in December. With more affordable online options, growing teacher and CIO expertise, and improved digital curriculum products, schools can more easily adopt blended learning models, the report states. Most districts nationwide use some form of digital learning, ranging from full-time online programs to software used in core classes.
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Brookings
A less-noticed new provision in the Every Student Succeeds Act may be critical to unlocking business model innovation in teacher preparation. For decades, voices from both outside and within education schools have called for reforms such as greater admissions selectivity, curriculum that is grounded in learning science research, and stronger clinical training in K–12 school settings. But unfortunately, despite the fair amount of consensus regarding needed reforms, schools of education seem to have done little over the last 30 years to fundamentally change their business models to align with suggested reforms.
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By: Douglas Magrath
 Studying is a necessity in school, but it requires planning and commitment. Students who don't operate some system of studying will likely fall behind and not achieve the results they want. Tutors, teachers and lecturers want their students to excel and will usually provide all the tools required in terms of pointing the way toward the most suitable areas to cover for examination and projects. This infographic aims to highlight ways a student can get the most from studying.
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Meet the Complete Testing System. Advantage is everything you need for scanning, analysis & reporting in one convenient bundle. Experience the benefits of our most popular scanner, answer sheets, and easy-to-use reporting software, packaged together. Learn more!
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Edutopia (commentary)
In December of last year, Old Navy was caught up in a controversy over a tee shirt design in which the word "Artist" was crossed out and replaced with either "Astronaut" or "President." The internet was full of artists and scientists sharing their stories about how art was actually an important part of their lives. There was even a photo of former President George Bush, now an aspiring artist, making its rounds. In fact, NASA even has a page dedicated to astronauts turned artists.
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By Brian Stack and Erica Stack
 Parents of today want their children to be the best, the fastest and the smartest. In pursuit of meeting these goals, many schools have added more time for instruction and testing for core content areas. The added time often comes at the expense of recess, physical education, and many other forms of movement breaks and activities. As parents of five children under the age of 10, we see the impact of this shift in our own community school each and every day.
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The ST Math game-based math program makes learning tantalizingly tricky, teaching core math content while developing the grit and perseverance needed for complex problem solving.
Learn more about the kinds of games that can transform students into tenacious problem solvers.
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RAND Corporation via Science Daily
Prior to the first round of K-12 standardized testing under Common Core education standards last year, most teachers had moderate to major concerns about test difficulty and low student performance, according to new studies.
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By: Aris Grigoriou
Studying is a necessity in school, but it requires planning and commitment. Students who don't operate some system of studying will likely fall behind and not achieve the results they want. Tutors, teachers and lecturers want their students to excel and will usually provide all the tools required in terms of pointing the way toward the most suitable areas to cover for examination and projects. This infographic aims to highlight ways a student can get the most from studying.
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EdTech Magazine (commentary)
A lot has been made lately of bridging the gap between curriculum and IT. It's an increasingly regular topic of conversation in my role as a K-12 education strategist, to the point where the words are almost scripted. Why is the IT department treated as a separate entity in our schools? How often is something positioned as either a tech initiative or a curriculum initiative in your school or district? Why can't it just be a school or learning initiative?
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University of California via Science Daily
Many K-12 school efforts to reduce bullying have proven not very effective, leading educators to wonder what bullying prevention approach works best. A new study finds one anti-bullying program works extremely well. The study of more than 7,000 students in 77 elementary schools in Finland found that one program greatly benefited the mental health of sixth graders who were bullied the most, significantly improving their self-esteem and reducing their depression.
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"The Fundamental 5 improves instruction. The power of these practices will transform classrooms and schools," E. Don Brown, NASSP past president. Order now at Amazon.com
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By: Rebecca Ryan
 At the first sign of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — a messy backpack, fidgety in nature, slipping grades — boys are medicated with Ritalin, Adderall or a similar variation. But what about girls? When the roles are reversed, it's often not quite so simple. Until recently, little research had been done on how gender affects ADHD. New statistics reveal the vast discrepancy between the number of males with diagnosed ADHD and the number of diagnosed females.
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Disability Scoop
A growing number of students with disabilities are spending most of the day in regular education classrooms alongside their typically-developing peers, according to new federal statistics. As of 2013, more than 6 in 10 school-age students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act spent at least 80 percent of their day in regular classrooms. By contrast, roughly half of students with disabilities met that threshold in 2004. The figures come from a report to Congress issued late last year by the U.S. Department of Education outlining the progress of the nation's special education students.
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Choose from 87 digital, conceptual K-8 science units, with STEM, in grade-level bands, to meet evolving standards. Email for free sample and details: rseela@seelascience.com MORE
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Education World
A global study from the Canvas team at Instructure has revealed that the majority of educators are both nervous about the distraction that technology brings and optimistic in its ability to improve learning outcomes. "The study, which polled more than 650 U.S. educators and more than 2,000 total around the globe in December 2015, found that the majority of teachers in the United States are more anxious about technology's potential to distract their students than about privacy and security. However, they are optimistic about its capability to improve learning outcomes, increase access to education and make its delivery more efficient for teachers and students," according to a statement from Instructure.
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The Atlantic (commentary)
Educators are feeling drained by the insistent emphasis on collaboration and "social learning" — and that could be undermining kids' achievement.
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Playworks schools gain 21 hours of learning time each year by transforming recess. Smooth transitions, active games, and conflict resolution get kids ready to learn. MORE
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MindShift
Ownership of mobile devices has grown swiftly since the introduction of the smartphone and has created more opportunities to connect to the Internet. Mobile devices have meant more Internet connectivity, but a closer look at how lower-income families use that access reveals the digital divide is still a problem. A report by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and Rutgers University found that until all families have reliable Internet access at home, learning environments will not be equitable.
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| | FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY |
The New York Times
President Barack Obama will call for spending $4 billion to help states pay for computer science education in the schools when he presents his 2017 budget to Congress, administration officials say. If approved by the Republican-led Congress, the money will pay for teacher training and instructional materials to increase the amount of instruction in computer science, especially for girls and minorities, the officials said.
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The Washington Post
How do the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia support their public schools? Badly, according to a new report card (see in full below) which evaluates their performance on six key criteria and finds all of them wanting. The best overall grade is a C, with most states earning D's or F's. The report card is being issued by the Network for Public Education, a nonprofit group co-founded several years ago by education historian and activist Diane Ravitch to advocate for America's public school system. The authors evaluated states on criteria they see as promoting a professional teaching force, equitable and sufficient funding and equal opportunities for all students to succeed — all critical to the health of public schools.
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The Associated Press via The Olympian
The Senate Education Committee passed an alternative plan for fixing the way Washington state pays for public schools that few lawmakers on the committee seemed happy about. The bill contrasts with a similar measure passed in the House on Monday, by setting a different deadline for finishing the work ordered by the state Supreme Court in 2012 in its so-called McCleary decision, in which the justices said school funding was not adequate or uniform. The competing measures both came out of a bi-partisan task force set up by the governor to tackle the last part of the McCleary decision, moving away from using local school levies to pay for basic education.
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Reuters
The Chicago Public schools will turn to layoffs and reduced pension contributions after its contract offer to teachers was rejected, school Chief Executive Officer Forrest Claypool said on Tuesday. He said that officials at the nation's third-largest public school system are prepared to negotiate around the clock with the teachers' union, but that the district must take steps to plug a $500 million hole in the $5.7 billion budget and a $1.1 billion structural deficit.
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NAESP
NAESP was deeply saddened to learn about the loss of Susan Jordan, principal of Amy Beverland Elementary School in Indianapolis, who was struck by a bus in a heroic effort to protect the lives of her students. Our sincerest condolences are with Jordan's family, school and community that value her so deeply. You can visit the following sites to make a donation in honor of Susan Jordan's life and service as a principal.
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NAESP
Social networking sites such as Twitter have created innovative ways for educators to connect and share ideas. In fact, when surveyed, 61 percent of principals found social networking very valuable for sharing information and resources.
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| Students will enjoy reading all 5 books in the Cornbread Series (appropriate for 3rd - 5th).
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| Students will enjoy reading all 5 books in the Cornbread Series (appropriate for 3rd - 5th).
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7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
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