Most Parents Can’t Define “Chronic Absenteeism” and Its Consequences
In 2023, roughly 1 student out of 4 was chronically absent across the school year, according to NPR. The problem is aligned with historic drops in reading and math scores nationwide. School districts have launched campaigns with text messages and home visits in efforts to get students back in class. Educators have long been aware…
New Assessments Could Shift Focus Away from Traditional “Seat Time”
Two major players in K–12 education are jointly developing new assessments that could replace “seat time” requirements and toward more accurate measures of mastery over academic content, according to The 74. The new tests, created by the Educational Testing Service and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, aim to usher in competency-based forms…
Research Reveals the Reality of Teachers’ Summers
“Many teachers continue to work over the summer: Some teach summer school or tutor students, while others participate in professional learning and development courses to further their knowledge and skills. Many teachers use the time to revise their lessons and prepare for the upcoming year. Some take on paid summer jobs in other fields to…
Traditional Summer Breaks Are a Barrier to Year-Round Schooling
Experts say year-round school could have educational benefits, but the summer break, standard since the late 1800s, makes it a tough sell, according to The Hill. Only 3 percent of public schools in the U.S. currently operate 12 months a year. The prevalence of year-round schooling has dropped from 6 percent of all public schools…
Facing the Challenges of Teaching Sustainability in Schools
Only 32% of U.S. educators said climate action, as well as clean water and sanitation, are dedicated parts of their curriculum, according to the Smithsonian-Gallup poll, reported in K-12 Dive. 31% cited clean energy and responsible consumption, and 26% said information about sustainable communities was included in lessons. “We were shocked to see that the…
K12 Branding and Marketing are More Important than Ever
School choice is expanding and education is getting ever-more politicized but do K-12 leaders have the branding and marketing skills to cope? If you’re trying to tackle public relations, listen to guests on District Administration’s “Talking Out of School” podcast: Lynette White is the district and community relations coordinator at the Banning Unified School District and Renae…
How to Avoid Summer School’s “Bad Rap”
“Are you a new teacher? If you can, teach summer school,” writes Kati Begen, a high school biology teacher, doctoral candidate and author of “Thriving During Your First Year of Teaching,” in EdSource. “Summer school gets a bad rap. In my experience, these are students who just need to fix the mistakes they made in…
How to Combat Abuses of AI in Student Writing
When and how students can use AI appropriately is one of the major questions of the day, according to eSchool News. It takes only seconds to plug a writing prompt into a generative AI tool and receive a completed assignment. Instead of forbidding generative AI tools, it’s critical teachers show students how and when it’s…
How to Rein in Grade Inflation
The ongoing debate among educators about the efficacy of “tough love” in grading has resurfaced, highlighting varied opinions on its role in enhancing student performance on standardized tests, according to Education Slice. This discussion was rekindled by a 2020 report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which suggested that stringent grading correlates with better standardized…
How a Brief Teaching Routine Triggers an Engaging Day
Here is an engaging daily classroom ritual with students that takes less than five minutes, requires little to no training and can improve students’ mood and behavior immediately. It involves greeting each student individually as they walk through the classroom door, according to an article in Education Week. Second grade teacher Kaylee Hutcheson has embraced…
