By Paul Hafen As K-12 teachers work to keep hybrid classroom experiences on track and district IT teams harden defenses against increasingly common ransomware threats, another problem is quietly undermining both efforts: students finding ways to bypass school filters and security controls during class hours. These circumvention techniques, used for entertainment or distraction, are becoming … Read more

Megan Lotts Is Redefining the Role of Libraries—One Lego Brick at a Time Shared with permission, By Patti Verbanas/Rutgers Today Megan Lotts is changing how people think about libraries. Far from the stereotype of a quiet, “shushing” librarian, Lotts has embraced hands-on learning and social interaction by installing a Lego Playing Station in the heart … Read more

By Christy Martin, Ed.D. Editor’s note: This is part one of a three-part series Vocational and technical education quietly supports much of our daily life. If you are eating, living in relative comfort, healthy, and able to communicate through multiple devices, many of the people trained by career and technical education programs have played a … Read more

Guest Article Written By: Adam Stacy, CollegiateZone It’s the fall of 2012. Picture yourself as a typical college freshman, relishing a newfound sense of freedom. You unpacked the boxes you filled last spring and arranged your belongings in a dorm room that suddenly feels much smaller once you and a roommate fill it. Some items … Read more

By Pat Craven As administrators, teachers and parents, we all want to keep children safe. As the school year approaches, many of us worry about monitoring kids’ online activity and protecting them from cyberbullying. The good news is that with a few practical steps, you can help your child navigate the digital world with greater … Read more

How District Leaders Can Implement Micro-Credentials to Recognize Teacher Skills By Adam Geller District leaders play a crucial role in sustaining educator motivation and recognition—especially after a difficult school year. One practical, scalable approach is to introduce micro-credentials: concise, skill-focused credentials that validate classroom practice and can be shared digitally as badges. What are micro-credentials? … Read more

From Teaching to Entrepreneurship: Lessons for Educators Considering the Private Sector Guest Article Written By: James Tapankov When I first left the classroom for the corporate world, friends joked that I’d gone “over to the dark side.” I laughed at the perception, but the truth is that the people I’ve worked with in business have … Read more

By Sarah Holman Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting an estimated 20% of the population. Distinguishing reading and spelling difficulties caused by dyslexia from challenges that stem from learning a second language can be difficult. Accurate diagnosis depends on understanding the orthographic complexity of the languages involved and how those features affect reading, … Read more

By Christy Stephens Martin, Ed.D Our nation is facing a persistent labor shortage, especially in skilled trades, manufacturing, and entry-level labor. For decades, our cultural and educational messaging has pushed young people toward four-year colleges and professions like medicine, law, engineering, and business, while often discouraging careers that involve hands-on work, dirt, and technical skill. … Read more

Guest Article: By Stephen D. Senturia One of the gates to Harvard Yard reads, “Enter to Grow in Wisdom.” In academic life, a comparable gate might read, “Publish or Perish.” Unless your PhD thesis turns into a popular book, the primary route to scholarly recognition is publishing in peer-reviewed journals. After spending seventeen years as … Read more