Inadequate Natural Light Hampers Learning and Mental Health
Natural light is essential for the performance and wellness of teachers and students, yet a significant number of educators report inadequate sunlight in their classrooms, according to Education Slice. According to a new survey by the EdWeek Research Center, 20% of teachers lack natural light entirely, while another 20% receive it for only half the…
Honor Good Teaching to Spark Learning Loss Recovery
By identifying, empowering and incentivizing the best classroom teachers, schools can revive stagnant student achievement, according to an article in Education Next by Eric Hanushek, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and a prior member of the National Assessment Governing Board. The learning loss impact of the closure of schools in…
Participation in Voucher-Like Education Choice Programs Soars in Indiana
Months after Indiana lawmakers relaxed certain rules, two programs providing students with state funding for education outside of their schools saw enrollment spike for the 2024-25 school year, according to Chalkbeat Indiana. The Education Scholarship Account (ESA) and Career Scholarship Account (CSA) programs have each reached maximum enrollment for the first time ahead of their…
Teaching Without Collaborating Is Unrealistic & Damaging
“My grandmother used to say, ‘Many hands make light work.’ As I’ve navigated the waters of our education system, her words echo louder than ever,” writes Keisha Rembert, an author and doctoral student who spent 15 years teaching middle school English and U.S. history, in The 74. “I’ve become more acutely aware that society expects…
NYC Teachers Want More Time and Pay to Prepare for School Re-Openings
In most school districts across the nation, teachers report to work a week before students arrive for the first day of school, according to Chalkbeat New York. In New York City, teachers return just two days earlier. It’s not enough time, many educators say. Much of those two days are spent in professional development and…
No Strategies Curb Chronic Absenteeism, According to Many School District Leaders
One in four district leaders recently surveyed say chronic absenteeism is so bad that none of their strategies are working, according to The 74. Some attribute the problem to increased parental apathy about the importance of school say since the pandemic. Most districts use early warning systems to identify students who miss too much school…
STEM Teacher Shortage is a Mushrooming Crisis
The shortage of qualified STEM teachers is a pressing issue, as schools struggle to recruit and retain educators in high-demand fields like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, according to a news brief in Education Slice. Says one expert: “It’s a trifecta: It’s hard to find those people, when you find them, they’re more likely to leave.”…
Cell-Phone Ban Has One School’s Students Discovering Decades-Old Technology
“When my Los Angeles high school banned cell phones, I brought in a boombox and my CD collection,” writes Joel Snyder, a government and economics teacher in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood of Los Angeles, in a blog from WordPress.com. “It’s changed the classroom dynamic. “Since returning to the classroom after the COVID school shutdowns, cell phones…
Poetry Should Be Read Aloud in English Classes
“Educators know the value of students learning great works of poetry, but teaching poetry often lacks a key ingredient: orality,” writes Clay Greene, assistant professor of literature at the University of Austin, in an Education Next column. “History shows that poems are best understood and taught as oral performances, using all the techniques of interpretation…
More Kids Play High School Sports than Ever
More than 8 million high schoolers are active in school-sponsored sports, an all-time high, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), as reported in K-12 Dive. Sports participation grew by 210,469 between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Engagement declined in the 2018-19 school year, and the early years of the…
