By Christy S. Martin, Ed.D. School began early this week in East Tennessee, and the first days have made one thing painfully clear in our community: the era of universally free school lunches is over. For the past two years, many public schools served free meals to all students under federal programs put in place … Read more

By Jill Brown Now that the initial shock of a widespread health crisis has settled, it’s time to rethink how we support mental and emotional wellness across our school communities. Many districts have embraced social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom, recognizing the value of teaching students how to manage emotions and build positive … Read more

By Franklin Schargel As schools consider reopening, a large portion of the teaching workforce—and many students—could be placed at increased risk from COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that roughly 29 percent of teachers fall into the most vulnerable age group, over age 55, and that a substantial share of COVID-19 … Read more

By Betsy Hill and Roger Stark Recent international studies examining teachers’ understanding of the brain and neuroscience have attracted significant attention. Surveys conducted across the U.K., Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands and China reveal persistent misconceptions among educators—findings that mirror earlier research in the United States. At the same time, reviews of teacher preparation programs show … Read more

Written By: Robyn Shulman How Academic Advisors Can Boost Graduate Enrollment, Retention, and Student Experience If your goal is to better meet the needs of graduate students, increase enrollment, and deliver an outstanding academic and social experience, make time to consult the academic advisors at your institution. These professionals work closely with students every day … Read more

I am excited to share several free books that address a topic we rarely discuss: elder bullying. This form of abuse is often overlooked, yet it affects many older adults in private and public settings. I hope Peter A. Sacco’s books and projects inspire awareness and action. Meet Peter A. Sacco Peter A. Sacco is … Read more

By Charles Sosnik Ray Kurzweil, a bestselling author, futurist, and Director of Engineering at Google, has described the typical lifecycle of technology: early hype followed by a genuine revolution. Artificial intelligence (AI) perfectly illustrates that pattern. Today, almost every product is labeled “AI” — voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google … Read more

Highlights from the Phoenix Digital Transition Briefing: Key Findings from the National Survey At 8:30 a.m., as attendees settled in with coffee, the Phoenix Digital Transition Discussion began with a Digital Transition Briefing presented by LeiLani Cauthen, CEO and Publisher of the Learning Counsel. The briefing summarized findings from the Learning Counsel’s National Digital Transition … Read more

By Ian Fagan and Julian Fagan For many years, teachers rewarded quiet, well-behaved students and discouraged chatter during lessons. In a busy classroom this made practical sense: interruptions disrupt learning and teachers need to manage time effectively. But in trying to suppress disruptive noise, schools can unintentionally teach students to stay silent about what matters. … Read more

Encouraging Productive Struggle in Math: Building Number Sense and Independent Thinkers By Brittany Goerig Basic math fact recall remains important, but instruction should go further. Teachers must help students understand the relationships between numbers so they can develop flexible strategies and solve problems independently. When students learn that productive struggle is a normal—and valuable—part of … Read more