New York Officials Consider Expanding Ways to Get Certified Due to Teacher Shortage

As New York grapples with a teacher shortage, state education officials are debating additional paths to becoming certified — including options beyond obtaining a master’s degree, according to Chalkbeat New York. Under current regulations, educators must obtain their master’s degree within five years of entering the classroom. That’s the only way teachers can stay in…
Newly Arrived Students Require Greater Attention

A coalition of educators, researchers and advocates has launched the National Newcomer Network Policy Platform to improve supports for newly arrived students to the United States, according to Education Slice. The recommendations call for federal legislation and dedicated state funding to support wraparound services for students, including a proposal to strengthen newcomer case manager roles…
Visible Leadership is Essential in K-12 Education

Leadership guides the course toward success for students, educators, and communities in the complicated education roadmap. Visible leadership is not just an administrative function but a transformative force within school, says Matthew X. Joseph is the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning at New Bedford Public Schools in Massachusetts, writing in District Administration. As assistant…
This 5-Minute Teaching Routine Has a Lasting Impact

What if someone told teachers that engaging in a daily classroom ritual with students that takes less than five minutes and requires little to no training could improve your students’ mood and behavior immediately, make them more likely to engage in learning, according to Education Week. It’s a simple practice that involves greeting each student…
Avoid Chaos in the Age of AI: 8 Tips for Schools

AI is here, and slowing down isn’t an option.” That’s what Washington state’s schools chief Chris Reykdal wrote in his introduction to the state’s artificial intelligence guidance for K-12 schools, according to Education Week. While more teachers are trying out the technology, a majority say they haven’t used AI tools at all, according to the…
Put the Public Back into Education

In K-12 schools, parents and grandparents frequently volunteer as chaperones, class parents, or mystery readers. These interactions allow children to see adults support their education and allow adults to stay connected to their learners’ school experience, according to Forbes. More substantive school-community relationships can boost student outcomes, invigorate instruction, and benefit the entire community. CommunityShare…
My Math Teacher Saved my Life by Refusing to Let Me Fall through the Cracks

First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others thinking and writing about public education. I was 12 when I thought everyone had given up on me, according to a personal essay written by Xandra Harbet a journalist appearing in Chalkbeat Tennessee. Feeling like a burden to my family, my…
Driving Change and Innovation in K-12: 5 Trends

“The societal changes unfolding before us, fueled by technological innovation and our evolving needs, compel us to reimagine educational paradigm designed for a bygone industrial age,” Garrett Smiley, CEO of Sora Schools, said in the company’s new report which outlines some of the latest trends and driving forces shaping K12 innovation today, according to District…
Another Meeting? Unfocused and Disjointed Staff Meetings Can Use these 5 Strategies

Michael Nelson is the assistant executive director for the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA). Peter DeWitt is a former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach. They co-wrote an opinion piece in Education Week. There are two questions we hear frequently from principals and teachers when we visit schools. Those questions…
6 Strategies to Fix the K-12 Teacher Experience

Fostering an engaging K-12 teacher experience should be a foundational expectation in every education leader’s role, but leaders often lack the right training and resources, according tp Gallup surveys. Driven by the complex reasons educators leave the profession, Gallup researchers revisited data from nationally representative surveys and identified six key elements of the K-12 workplace that leaders…