This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
| | LATEST NEWS FOR PRINCIPALS |
THE Journal
In 2013, President Barack Obama launched the ConnectED initiative with the goal of connecting 99 percent of K-12 students in America with access to broadband Internet in the classroom by the year 2018. Since ConnectED was launched, 20 million more students have gained access to broadband at school, according to Joseph South, director of the Office of Educational Technology of the United States Department of Education. At the same time, more and more schools have implemented laptops, tablets and online educational resources. While initiatives such as ConnectED are helping to close the digital divide in the classroom, that divide reopens once the school day is over.
READ MORE
U.S. News & World Report
When high school students from a small, wealthy Massachusetts school district known for its excellent schools were found to have messaged each other on Facebook earlier this month using racial and homophobic slurs, school officials and law enforcement immediately stepped in. The incident, unfolding in Wellesley, Massachusetts, has prompted investigations by school officials and local police as well as a series of community meetings. But how and when school officials decide to intervene in instances in which students — or even teachers — are using social media in a negative, inappropriate or confrontational manner, especially incidents that occur off school property and during the summer, is complicated and nuanced.
READ MORE
By: Howard Margolis (commentary)
 Here's a phone call that closely resembles countless calls I've received, "My son struggles at least two hours a night to finish his homework. And often he gets it wrong. If his homework is incomplete, his grade goes down. He hates homework. What can I do?" You can prevent the problem with a policy statement allowed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004.
READ MORE
MiddleWeb (commentary)
When one of Jodi's new students asked her "When do we get to build and play?" she realized that this group was not going to be the type of learners who would be successful sitting and getting. Providing choice and physical activity during the school day became Jodi's focus for the school year. This provided lots of opportunities for student autonomy and movement, something all learners need in order to become engaged in their work. Yet, this also called for a unique approach to classroom management.
READ MORE
Scholastic Administration Magazine
It has long puzzled me that educators frequently fail to connect play with social and emotional learning. Consider something as simple as a game of foursquare. For kids to keep the game going, they have to practice social and emotional skills. They must learn to follow and create rules, settle conflicts, notice and manage emotions when their turns are over, support and include other students, and set goals and learn from failure. The same is true of make-believe, soccer or tag. As researchers from the University of Southern California's Brain and Creativity Institute write, emotions, logical reasoning and body sensations are not opposed to each other. Instead, they are the joint infrastructure that supports students' thoughts, and all contribute to learning.
READ MORE
THE Journal
The familiar garbage in/garbage out axiom has long been a mantra of computer programmers, and nowhere is the cause-and-effect principle more apparent than when working with robots. Faced with the three-dimensional movements (and sometimes audio vocalizations) of robots, students across the grade spectrum can see the direct results of their input.
READ MORE
eSchool News
What would learning look like if students could demonstrate knowledge and skills through embedded, performance-based assessments throughout the year rather than a statewide, end-of-year multiple choice exam? Thanks to the Every Student Succeeds Act, some states are about to find out. Through ESSA's Innovative Assessment and Accountability Demonstration Authority, seven states initially will be able to pilot high-quality, student-centered systems of assessments with a group of districts in an attempt to eventually scale the system state-wide.
READ MORE
Education Week
Eight states will work collaboratively to create and implement plans to encourage social-emotional learning in their schools, the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. The organization, which is also known as CASEL, will assist the states through consultation with its own staff and a panel of experts. The participating states are California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington. And an 11 additional states that originally applied to join the collaborative will have access to the materials it develops.
READ MORE
MiddleWeb (commentary)
Hiring the right personnel is one of the most important parts of a principal's job. When you have quality staff, your job as a leader is easier. When you have staff members who are uncooperative or ineffective, working with them can drain your time and energy. Let's look at the latest generation of teachers in the hiring pool, then the processes for finding the right people.
READ MORE
USA Today
The ear-assailing sound of chalk on a chalkboard. The woody aroma of pencil-sharpener dust. The dog-eared pages of old textbooks. The blinding light of an overhead projector. These are just a few of the classroom quirks that 21st-century students may never experience. Instead, they'll suffer through slow download speeds, frozen screens and drained batteries — minor inconveniences that pale in comparison to the promise of digital learning: an experience that's infinitely more interactive, engaging and immersive than analog education.
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.
|
By: Bambi Majumdar (commentary)
 A new survey conducted by Samsung and GfK shows that 83 percent of K-12 teachers in the U.S. are eager to explore the possibilities of virtual reality lessons in the classroom. While 72 percent are interested in simulating experiences that are directly relevant to the course material, 69 percent want to use this emerging technology to take virtual field trips to faraway lands. More teachers are of the opinion that this will help improve students' comprehension of different concepts and motivate them to self-learn and collaborate with peers better.
READ MORE
District Administration Magazine
Transitioning to eco-friendly propane school buses may help districts save money and safeguard student health. Nearly every top school bus market now operates propane-fueled vehicles in its fleets, including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. "The strong proponents say that it is a cost-effective change that along with saving money provides environmental benefits," says Mark A. Walsh, president of Transportation Advisory Services, a student transportation consulting advisory firm.
READ MORE
| | FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY |
Education Week
The top two Democratic lawmakers in Congress on education policy think the proposed accountability rules for federal K-12 law should let schools put more emphasis on student growth, give states more time to identify low-performing schools and tighten requirements for identifying struggling students.
READ MORE
The Atlantic
With some of the nation's most devastated schools, Detroit is in desperate need of new ideas, new energy, and lots of money. But when local advocates approach organizations that have invested millions of dollars — and countless hours of problem-solving—into jumpstarting schools in cities like Washington, Memphis, Indianapolis and New Orleans, the answer often comes back the same: No. Not Detroit. Not now.
READ MORE
The Christian Science Monitor
Marielys Diaz strolls laconically through the closely mowed brown Thompson Island grass on a still and sticky, 90-plus degree day. It may not look like it, but the Boston teen is in school. She's just finished a class where she learned to identify biodiversity in a meadow. When she first came to the program as a rising-fourth grader from Orchard Gardens school in Roxbury, a majority African-American neighborhood of Boston, she never wanted to spend much time outside walking or exploring nature. Now, she says, it's her favorite thing to do.
READ MORE
NAESP
Arts-integration, genius hours, instructional rounds, and Ed Camps — for parents. These are just some of the new strategies and approaches that schools around the nation are piloting this year. And while the back-to-school season is extremely busy for the entire education community, it's critical that principals take the time to nurture relationships and shore up communications so that they can count on teachers, parents, district staff and other educators to contribute to strategic advances like those listed above.
READ MORE
NAESP
Starting the school year off right requires motivating teachers and getting them excited about the year ahead, as well as letting them know just how important they are to the success of the school and its students. Lunches and goody bags are great, but here are some creative ideas on how to welcome your teachers back to school.
READ MORE
|
|
|
 |
|
The inclusive Global Motion™ rotating climber brings a whole realm of activity to the playground!
|
 |
|
| Math Problem solving contests for teams of up to 35 students in grades 4 through 8.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
