A Go-To National Program for Mental Health Support
When thousands of Syrian families fleeing violence resettled in Canada several years ago, Ontario’s school mental health agency wanted to give schools tools to help refugee children process their traumatic journeys and adjust to their new lives, according to Chalkbeat Colorado. Kids were bursting into tears and struggling to explain how they felt. Parents, too,…
Here Comes the Digital SAT
As SAT season kicks off, students across the United States for the first time will take it with computers and tablets, according to Education Slice. The digital SAT’s launch comes as its administrator, the College Board, and backers of standardized tests, hope to win over schools and critics who are skeptical of its place in…
Pushing Generative AI Literacy in the Classroom May Be Premature
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence is driving a movement to rapidly embed genAI literacy — the understanding and skills required to responsibly and effectively utilize these technologies — into the fabric of K-12 education, according to The 74. The challenge lies in discerning the appropriate timing, speed and manner of integrating genAI literacy, and…
Embed Civics Knowledge with Reading Tests for Better Student Learning Outcomes
States should embed civic content into statewide reading assessments, writes Ross Weiner of the Aspen Institute’s Education & Society Program in an article in The 74. “This simple change would incentivize more attention to civic learning while making reading tests more engaging, equitable and accurate” he writes. “Including civic content on every grade’s reading test…
Student Surveys Should Be Implemented Carefully to Evaluate Teachers
School districts across the country are increasingly turning to surveys that ask students to rate their teachers and their schools on various metrics of quality and effectiveness, according to an article in Education Next written by Vladimir Kogan, a professor in The Ohio State University’s Department of Political Science. “It’s not too late to consider…
Equitable Grading Practices Limit Teacher Discretion
The push for more equitable grading policies has contributed to grade inflation and yielded little evidence of increased rates of learning, according to a report released by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education reform research and analysis organization, as reported in K-12 Dive. While some grading reforms have merit and may benefit students, practices…
One District Moves to a “Knowledge-Building” Curriculum
At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, educators in the Portage schools outside of Kalamazoo, Mich., decided to overhaul how they taught reading comprehension, according to Education Week. Instead of focusing on teaching skills and strategies they would structure units around topics in science, social studies and world cultures. The idea would be to…
Colorado District May Increase Teacher Pay for Mentoring Rather than Graduate Degrees
The Adams County School District 12, commonly known as the Adams 12 Five Star Schools, is a public school district located in western Adams County Colorado. Adams 12 is considering a pilot to change how teachers get raises, according to Chalkbeat Colorado. Teachers in at least two Adams 12 schools could earn higher pay in…
A Revised Indiana Absenteeism Bill Could Impact Students and Parents
Indiana House lawmakers have amended a Senate bill focused on chronic absenteeism to require school districts to prohibit habitually truant students from participating in extracurricular activities., according to Calkbeat Indiana. They also altered Senate Bill 282 to add instructions that school officials must report habitually truant students to the prosecutors’ office, and that prosecutors must…
Students’ Socioeconomic Status Part of New Report Card
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will introduce a new composite measure of student income that takes into account broader family and school resources, according to Education Slice. The index incorporates factors such as eligibility for school meals and other federal safety-net programs, the total share of students eligible for income-related programs at…
