By Zach Vander Veen One day students are in your classroom. The next day many of them are learning from home. This school year has been defined by constant updates—emails, texts, and phone calls about absences, positive COVID tests, quarantines, and temporary building closures. For educators, 2022 (and beyond) demands extraordinary flexibility in both planning … Read more

By John Hattie and Kyle Hattie When we became parents, we quickly learned to stop judging other parents — and ourselves. Children say and do things that surprise us. Art Linkletter, an early American TV personality known for interviewing children, captured this truth: young children and the very old often tell the unvarnished truth, full … Read more

Guest article by: Hilary Scharton, Vice President of K-12 Product Strategy for Canvas by Instructure What standardized end-of-year tests really measure Every spring, schools nationwide administer millions of standardized exams. Students spend hours filling in bubbles with No. 2 pencils over one or more days. Teachers and administrators emphasize that the tests are “important,” that … Read more

By Charles Sosnik Next week brings another Turkey Thursday, another Gobble Fest, and another reason to be thankful. The season reminds me to pause and count my blessings. For those who don’t know me, I’m on the older side of whoever happens to be in the room. I remember a time when I was the … Read more

By Betsy Hill and Roger Stark The pressure to overhaul how we teach reading has intensified. According to Education Week, 33 states now have legislation that designates the “science of reading” as the standard for instruction and intervention. Some of these laws include consequences for individual students, such as retention for those who are not … Read more

Written By: Robyn Shulman Teachers frequently encounter situations for which they feel unprepared. In a profession defined by constant interaction—with students, colleagues, parents, and administrators—unexpected challenges are inevitable. Among these, witnessing another teacher bully or harass students is particularly troubling. When that happens, it tests your commitment to student safety, your professional ethics, and your … Read more

Guest article written by Sara Stringer The House of Representatives has voted to repeal key provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, a move that has ignited intense debate over the role of the federal government in public education. The Republican-backed measure, presented as the Student Success Act, seeks to reduce federal mandates … Read more

By Devishobha Chandramouli Parenting is challenging under any circumstances, and raising a child with special needs requires rethinking many everyday approaches. Alarmingly, misdiagnosis of developmental and special needs is on the rise. Causes include preconceived ideas held by parents, incomplete or inaccurate information, reliance on unverified online sources, and well-meaning but uninformed advice from acquaintances. … Read more

By Katherine Prince Editor’s note: This is part three in a series. If you missed the earlier installments, read part one and part two. In the past decade, K–12 classrooms moved from one-to-one device initiatives to blended and flipped learning models that integrated technology into everyday instruction. Today, a new wave of smart technologies — … Read more

Update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and NCSL’s “No Time to Lose” Report This is an update related to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and recent work by state policymakers to identify strategies that can strengthen public education across the United States. “This is a very important step from the National Conference of … Read more