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.PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
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Promoted By
Boosterthon
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Promoted By
Lexia Learning
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Principals of color are scarce. Here's what districts are doing about it
Education Week
Research continues to show the benefits of educators of color on all students and the positive effects of same-race principals on students and teachers of color — more Black students in advanced courses, higher math scores, and the hiring of more Black teachers, for example.
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GAO: Hostile behaviors on the rise in schools
K-12 Dive
K-12 on-campus hate crimes and the number of schools with at least one hate crime nearly doubled between school years 2016-17 and 2017-18, with students' race or ethnicity being the most common motivation for the offenses, according to research from the Government Accountability Office released Nov. 24.
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'Try everything to find them': Districts launch new efforts to get chronically absent 9th graders back in class
The 74
The Hartford Public Schools, like other districts across the country, is now providing extra support for students like Benito after chronic absenteeism — defined as missing at least 10 percent of the school year — spiked among ninth graders during 2020-21. While it’s clear the pandemic has set back learning for young children in the early grades, the transition to ninth grade has often fallen under the radar, even though experts call it a make-or-break year in terms of high school success.
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Breaking the language barrier for immigrant parents
Learning English
Parents and families that do not speak English also need support, say school officials. Parents need to feel like they can be actively involved in their child’s schooling, regardless of any language barriers.
And it is “on us as a district to create that space” for families to be involved, said Leonor Vargas. She is an administrator with the Austin Independent School District in Texas, where almost 30 percent of the student population are English learners.
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5 ways to realign learning in K-12
Tech and Learning
With all of the disruption, public attention has shifted to helping students recover from "learning loss." As with many of my fellow educators, I find this phrase to be extremely negative. There are students who were displaced academically by this pandemic (especially those in underserved communities). But to say it was all a loss is deficit thinking. It focuses too much attention on where we have been, not where we need to go.
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In order to provide all students with an equitable opportunity to become strong readers, teachers must provide systematic, explicit instruction that incorporate all 5 pillars of how students learn to read. Download this playbook for expert advice on implementing the science of reading and using assessments to support equity.
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Schools across the country are struggling to find staff. Here's why
PBS Newshour
Paying students to serve lunches during school hours. Bringing retired teachers back to the classroom. Hiring bus drivers for janitorial duties. Shortening in-person instruction to four days a week. Across the country, these are some of the short-term solutions to a nationwide shortage of school staff at all levels — teachers, administrators, food workers, custodial staff, bus drivers and more — school districts have put into place as they struggle with a combination of sick outages brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, a wave of teacher retirements, employee burnout and back-and-forths with unions.
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Are banned books challenges, or opportunities for innovation?
eSchool News
This fall, the conversation around controversial titles is heating up in Texas and across the country. In the Lone Star State, there was an inquiry into the books available to students in Texas school districts. School districts are being asked to report if they own any of the 850 books in question and if they do, how many copies of each and how much they paid for those books.
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Acceptance significantly reduces suicide risk for intersex youths, report finds
NBC
LGBTQ youths who are also intersex — an umbrella term that describes those whose reproductive or sexual anatomy does not fit the typical definitions of "male" or "female" — have a higher risk of suicide when compared to LGBTQ youths who are not intersex, according to a new report.
But researchers say there is hope, because the data also show that one thing can help significantly reduce the risk: acceptance.
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How administrators can raise morale as pandemic drags on
K-12 Dive
Administrators found themselves in a position of having to reimagine how learning would take place entirely, transitioning their schools to remote models their teachers most likely were never prepared to teach in and many students were unprepared to learn in. On top of needing to quickly arrange professional development to address this for educators, school leaders also had to consider the toll of pandemic stressors on both teachers and students.
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How to understand the changes in standardized testing
U.S. News and World Report
For a variety of reasons, many colleges have chosen to go test-optional, meaning they no longer require test scores with student applications, or test-blind, meaning will not take test scores into consideration even when they are submitted. Now, in the wake of the pandemic, private elementary, middle and high schools are following suit with admissions tests like the SSAT, ISEE and the HSPT.
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As school communities have struggled to address the mental health needs of their students, the focus has been on treatment. Understandable.
However, we can start proactively helping our students in elementary school. Brain-based mental health literacy & resilience training provide strong Tier 1 support.
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.EDUCATION POLICY
Congress set aside $800 million to help homeless students. Months later, many schools are still waiting for aid.
Chalkbeat
Congress set aside $800 million in COVID relief money back in March for exactly this kind of help. The first $200 million reached states within six weeks, and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urged state officials to deploy that aid quickly to meet the needs of homeless students. Many states, including Ohio, passed money along to schools over the summer.
But in several states, most schools are still waiting to see the first dollar of these funds due to red tape and a lack of urgency from state lawmakers or officials, according to a Chalkbeat investigation.
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.SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
Apple teams up with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to bring new coding opportunities to young learners across the country
Apple
In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, Apple and Boys & Girls Clubs of America today launched a new program that will bring coding to Boys & Girls Clubs in more than a dozen US cities. This new collaboration will bring coding with Swift to tens of thousands of students across the country, building on Apple’s existing partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America through the company’s Community Education Initiative in support of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
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How this tool ended teachers' tech fears and addressed students' social-emotional needs
EdSurge
Josh Davis spent 14 years teaching high school special education and middle school history, so he's well aware of a few classroom constants. He understands how students with learning difficulties can feel separated from the rest of their classmates, how issues at home sometimes manifest as classroom misbehavior, and that being singled out — for both positive and negative reasons — is panic-inducing for just about all students.
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Preventing the next cyber incident at your local school
District Administration Magazine
IT leaders must continue working with administrators, students, teachers and parents to stop security breaches and prevent future attacks. As these institutions increasingly become targets for ransomware attacks, events, where school infrastructure can be compromised, may happen at any time. A strong cybersecurity foundation is essential for schools of all sizes to plan for and prevent the possibility of these incidents.
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| Promoted by
Brainfuse, Inc. |
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- State-Aligned: 24/7, state-aligned online tutoring support
- Accessible Platform: Our easy to use whiteboard is available from any desktop or mobile device
- Experience: Brainfuse has completed over 15 million one-to-one online tutoring sessions since 1999
- High-Quality Tutors: Our tutors undergo a rigorous selection and training process
- Field-Tested: Brainfuse has consistently outperformed other online tutoring companies in head-to-head trials
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3 ways you can use digital tools to boost student motivation
eSchool News
But before you give up on e-learning altogether and grab that printed worksheet, let me tell you that there is a world of wonderful apps and platforms out there that when used properly can actually INCREASE student engagement and motivation, and help you maintain it throughout the school year.
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Translanguaging using technology
National Science Teaching Association
Translanguaging pedagogy is grounded in the natural translanguaging practices of multilingual learners, who use their full linguistic repertoires to make meaning of new experiences or information. Translanguaging pedagogy centers the cultural and linguistic assets that multilingual students bring to formal and informal learning experiences and provides recommendations for how teachers can support students’ use of their full linguistic repertoires to develop conceptual and linguistic understanding.
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Learn tips and strategies to deliver inspired feedback, master MTSS, and create a culture and curriculum that’s inclusive and effective for every learner. Bestselling author Katie Novak (Innovate Inside the Box and UDL Now!) and Mike Woodlock show you how. Order A UDL Playbook for School and District Leaders today!
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.PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Prepping new teachers to fully serve English language learners
MiddleWeb
It is crucial that teachers don’t lump all of their language learners into one group and provide the same generic supports to all, for every task. Instead, the goal should be to examine each student’s individual strengths and anticipated struggles based on the demands of individual tasks.
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A framework for boosting high school students' math confidence
Edutopia
As a math teacher, I like starting class with questions. So here are some questions for you: How many of you feel frustrated teaching math in your high school classes? How many of you find deep gaps in the conceptual understanding of your students? How many of you are able to do something about it? I would like to introduce you to my SAFE framework, which is designed to build self-esteem and confidence in students to facilitate their success in math.
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Want to promote learner independence? Start by offering more support
EdSurge
At the heart of all good teaching is the intent to help students grow and, ultimately, become independent learners. Scaffolding instruction—to support students through successive levels of understanding and skill acquisition—is widely seen as the best way to achieve this objective.
More than ever before, teachers are turning to technology to support their learners’ scaffolding needs.
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The all-new AstroPure™ portable air purifier from AAF Flanders features an advanced interface that allows fine-tuning of settings and visualization of particulate levels. This interface can be locked to prevent unauthorized changes, and because the unit makes so little noise, distractions are kept to minimum.
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Imagination Playground
is a breakthrough playspace designed to encourage child-directed unstructured free play. Unlike traditional hardscape playgrounds, Imagination Playground is low cost, requires no installation, and can be used both indoors and out. Our Blue Blocks are proudly made in the USA from a closed cell waterproof foam, making them durable and easy to clean.
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What does it take to become a trusted instructional leader?
EdSurge
I am a true believer in the power of coaching. I have previously written about the need for teachers to embrace this practice with a growth mindset and shed any negative stigmas attached to instructional coaching in order to realize its potential to improve our craft.
Now, I'd like to consider the impact of a leader's role in the coaching process.
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Supporting executive function skills by asking questions
Edutopia
Executive function (EF) skills are brain-based management abilities that encompass a wide range of future skills like planning, organizing, self-regulation (including managing attention and emotions), learning, and memory.
These skills are also learned at home when children do things like household chores. Reinforcing executive function at school helps students’ brains understand the cueing system that activates the use of a particular skill.
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What K-12 educators can learn from homeschoolers about post-pandemic resilience
District Administration Magazine
For many learners, the last year and a half, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been one of shifting from a traditional, in-person education model, to one that is based at home. But the millions of children who were already homeschooled before 2020 have felt the impact of the global pandemic as well.
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Promoted by Stepping Stones Museum For Children
Empower your teachers with exciting new virtual STEAM-powered classes, clubs and workshops at award-winning Stepping Stones Museum for Children. The Stepping Stones Studio makes it easy to inspire and delight young learners with a celebrated lineup of play-filled, brain-building educational offerings now accessible to everyone, everywhere. “This is the most wonderful hands-on experience for children! The Traveling Seeds workshop was extraordinary. The students were engaged and learned a lot. I enjoyed watching the children play and learn at the same time,” a 1st grade teacher, Norwalk Public Schools, Norwalk CT. Click the link here for detailed information: https://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/app/uploads/2021/12/21-School-and-Groups-Flyer-VIRTUAL-120821.pdf
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.EDUCATION RESEARCH
Research asks if machine learning can make better enrollment predictions
THE Journal
ould artificial intelligence help school districts better predict their fall enrollments? That was the question a team of researchers asked on behalf of the School District of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia's school system, like many others, offers residents school choice. Families may choose to send their students to the neighborhood school or to another one elsewhere in the city, including public charters or private schools.
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Perceiving sound-letter associations in English can help learn to read it better, Pusan National University scientist says
EuerkaAlert!
Learning to read in English is not just about using context (e.g., pictures) to guess the meaning of the words on the page but also about being aware of the sounds in words and their use. This ability, called "phonological awareness", is the foundation of learning how to read in an alphabetic language like English. Traditionally, L2 (second and foreign language) reading has not focused on using PA or phonics (teaching based on correlation of sounds with symbols) but instead on memorizing whole words or guessing the word from context.
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.IN THE STATES
Ohio aims to become leader in computer science education
Dayton Daily News
A state committee aims to make Ohio a national leader in computer science education, attempting to close the growing gap between the demand for computer science jobs and number of people with the skills needed to occupy those jobs.
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.ASSOCIATION NEWS
But first, relationships
NAESP
New principals could be forgiven for believing that every task belongs at the top of their must-do list. Not so, say veteran principals. Instead, prioritize. Simplify. In the first two years, concentrate on key leadership skills that plant deep roots for future growth, while cultivating personal wellness habits that keep the body healthy and the mind sharp.
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7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
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