This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
| | LATEST NEWS FOR PRINCIPALS |
eSchool News
Catapult Learning, Inc. released the results of its Annual Education Leadership Survey. The overall results of the inaugural survey reflect school leaders' focus on meeting individual student needs and building teacher and leadership capacity within schools. Catapult Learning, a provider of K-12 contracted instructional services in the U.S., developed the survey with the goal of better understanding school's and district's instructional and professional development needs. The survey's 266 respondents represented more than 40 states and included over 100 superintendents, as well as assistant superintendents, district department heads and school building leaders.
READ MORE
The Conversation (commentary)
State and local lawmakers have put policies in place to address and prevent bullying. Many schools too have implemented interventions to improve school climate to reduce bullying behaviors. Despite these efforts, in my research and experiences in schools as a counselor educator and school counselor, I have found bullying based on bias continues to be an issue in school settings. "Bias-based" or "identity-based" bullying, defined as students being bullied specifically based on their race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, socioeconomic status or weight, is far more difficult to recognize or address when compared to traditional forms of bullying.
READ MORE
District Administration Magazine
American history could be in trouble. Decades of reliance on contentious textbooks and rote memorization have driven students away from the subject, despite its influence on contemporary issues. "U.S. history should be one of the most important subjects in the curriculum," says historian and sociologist James Loewen, author of the 1995 book Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. "It helps explain how Americans got this way, in all of our glory and with all of our problems. If faced openly, it can lead to conversations among students under the watchful eye of faculty that build community in the school."
READ MORE
 |
|
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!
|
|
Edutopia
Autism spectrum disorder leads to developmental challenges that affect social, behavioral, and communication skills. The latest statistics say that about one in 45 children are affected by some form of ASD. Thankfully, technology has offered us groundbreaking tools for improving the lives of those with autism through augmentative and alternative communication apps — software that helps people with autism and communication difficulties express themselves (one of their main challenges). There are cool tools and creative educational games that can extend the development of communication, behavior skills, and social-emotional wellness, and help deliver learning in a non-threatening manner.
READ MORE
NPR
Imagine you're back in school, bored to death, with limited academic options. Because you're learning English, everybody assumes you're not ready for more challenging work. What they don't realize is that you're gifted. Researchers say this happens to lots of gifted children who arrive at school speaking little or no English. These students go unnoticed, until someone taps into their remarkable talent and potential. Vanessa Minero Leon was lucky. She was one of those students who got noticed.
READ MORE
 |
|
Choose from sponsors offering funding for Custom apparel, donations, and create your own Pear page in minutes.
Click here for more information.
|
|
Slate (commentary)
Every week, it seems, we see another article about the greatness of Finland's schools: sky-high test scores, no formal schooling until age 7 (when our kids are already taking their practice PARCCs), and a "mandatory 15-minute outdoor free-play break every hour of every day." And earlier this year, we read about a Texas school that massively upped the recess time from 20 minutes to an hour and saw impressive results not just on the playground but in the classroom: It seems that the more play time kids get, the better they behave. My household furnishes ample empirical evidence of this: Often, the only way to calm down my excessively "active" 6-year-old is to get him running laps in our backyard, over and over and over until he's covered in sweat and ready to sit down for dinner.
READ MORE
Reuters
Kids who are constantly sick early in childhood may have a much harder time in school than their peers who don't have a history of chronic illness, a recent study suggests. Researchers assessed school readiness in almost 23,000 children in Western Australia by looking at motor skills and physical independence, social skills, emotional maturity and behavior, language and cognitive abilities and communication skills. Compared with generally healthy children, chronically ill kids were 19 percent to 36 percent more likely to be developmentally delayed in these areas by the time they reached school age.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
THE Journal
Education technology hardware spending increased worldwide by 7 percent in 2015, according to a new report issued by Futuresource Consulting. Spending on educational hardware, such as Chromebooks, classroom displays and mobile PCs, rose to $15 billion globally last year, said Colin Messenger, senior analyst at Futuresource Consulting, a U.K.-based ed tech research firm. Growth has been strong over the past several years, rising $4.5 billion since 2012, Messenger said.
READ MORE
Education DIVE
Crumbling infrastructure in American K-12 classrooms isn't just a political football. It also presents physical and psychological dangers for students and teachers alike. Poor school conditions have an impact on student performance and learning. In the United States, the average school building is more than 40 years old. And in some states, like Michigan, decaying school conditions like those in Detroit Public Schools have now resulted in litigation.
READ MORE
Advertisement
Playworks.org
Creating a culture of safe, healthy play transforms children's social, emotional, and physical health. And that has a big impact on the classroom. Kids who get healthy play at recess come back to class ready to learn. In one study, teachers reclaimed 21 hours of class time each through a healthy play culture at recess. Healthy play means fewer conflicts spilling over into the classroom and smoother transitions back to class. But the impact for schools goes beyond productive class time.
READ MORE
|
MindShift
It's helpful to know that the brain is plastic and can adapt to challenges. And when it comes to learning new things, we can build up mental resources through intentional effort. People can get better at realizing self-regulation, executive functions, a sense of perspective or meaning, positive emotions like gratitude, a sense of strength and the feeling of being cared about.
READ MORE
 |
|
Read the Book! Book the Training!
Improve instruction, improve student performance.
Book your staff development now - (832) 477-5323.
|
|
Education World
It was hard enough to get parents to volunteer in your classroom at the beginning of the school year. Even then, the same small group of parents (usually, stay-at-home Moms) did all the heavy lifting at the school. Now it's late Spring, and "volunteer fatigue" has fully set in. The heavy lifters have more than done their share of volunteering, and the curious onlookers are no longer so curious. You ask parents to lead a classroom activity or a holiday party, to chaperone a field trip, or to bring much-needed classroom supplies — and you hear... crickets. Nothing. Nada.
READ MORE
eSchool News (commentary)
Alan November, a contributor for eSchool News, writes: "Whenever I'm invited to a school or district to talk with teachers about using technology, I'll ask the principal or superintendent if I can meet with a group of students to prepare first. Often, my request is met with a puzzled reply: 'You realize that we want you to come talk to our teachers, right? Why do you want to talk to the kids?' My experience is that involving students in both staff development planning and during workshops can lead to a much more successful implementation."
READ MORE
 |
|
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
|
|
| | FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY |
U.S. News & World Report
After years of schools narrowing their curricula to target math and reading during the test-happy No Child Left Behind era, Education Secretary John King is urging states to use their flexibility under the new federal education law to expand and focus more on science, social studies, arts and world languages. In a series of speeches planned for this week, King will say that the new law gives schools, districts and states a chance to reset after years of focusing heavily on math and reading.
READ MORE
U.S. News & World Report
The Department of Education wants more states to tap federal dollars for science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM education, especially for poor students, students of color and other historically underserved students. "Too often many of our students, especially those who are most vulnerable, do not have equitable access to high-quality STEM and computer science opportunities, which are part of a well-rounded education and can change the course of a child's life," Secretary of Education John King said. "We are committed to ensuring that all students have the same opportunities to access a rigorous and challenging education."
READ MORE
The Associated Press
Immigrant children living in the U.S. without legal status have been blocked from registering for school and accessing the educational services they need, according to a report on school districts in four states by Georgetown University Law Center researchers. Such students have faced long enrollment delays and have been turned away from classrooms as the result of some districts' arbitrary interpretations of residency rules and state laws, the researchers said. All children — including those living in the U.S. illegally- must attend school through at least the 8th grade or until they turn 16 under compulsory education laws in all 50 states. Many states allow students to enroll beyond that age, according to the Education Commission of the States.
READ MORE
|
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
|
|
Don't be left behind. Click here to see what else you missed.
|
The Washington Post
As most states have moved to new standardized tests based on the Common Core during the past two years, many also have switched from administering those tests the old-fashioned way — with paper and No. 2 pencils — to delivering them online using computers, laptops and tablets. The transition aims to harness the power of technology to move beyond simplistic multiple-choice questions, using interactive questions and adaptive techniques to measure students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
READ MORE
NAESP
This webinar presentation will identify specific areas of the "Every Student Succeeds Act" that directly support early childhood education, and explore how states and districts can provide programmatic opportunities, including professional learning, to help facilitate collaborative efforts between principals, teachers, early childhood educators and related practitioners.
READ MORE
NAESP
As NAESP looks forward to the next school year, we are seeking your input on cutting-edge themes and topics for resource development. The resources include articles in Principal magazine and Communicator e-newsletter, webinars, etc. Please take a brief moment to answer the following questions. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes. Please complete this survey no later than Wed., April 20.
READ MORE
|
|
|
 |
|
ZipKrooz™ brings zip line-like adventure to the playground in an exciting, inclusive and safe way!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Students will enjoy reading all 5 books in the Cornbread Series (appropriate for 3rd - 5th).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
