Written By: Robyn Shulman Microsoft provides a wide range of free and low-cost digital tools that are highly useful for teachers and students. These tools support classroom instruction, creative activities, assessment, and collaboration. Educators can use them to build interactive lessons, generate printable worksheets, create multimedia projects, and introduce students to coding and scientific exploration. … Read more

Helping Students Build Resilience: Motivating Young People to Prioritize Wellbeing By Julian Fagan and Ian Fagan The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting closures of schools and community services have intensified concerns about student safety and mental wellbeing. As educators and school leaders, our instinct is often to step in and protect students from harm. While … Read more

By Edgar Blunt   Earlier today I read an email asking CEOs what they are doing to give employees a lifeline. As a CEO myself, the question resonates deeply. For most of the past seven years I’ve been proud to take care of my team, but right now I’m in a rare position where I … Read more

By Robert Iskander   Personally identifiable information (PII) represents an urgent and ongoing risk for every school and district, especially when it concerns students and minors. PII includes any data that could reasonably identify an individual, and that broad definition demands that districts critically examine how they collect, store, and share data. Strong data governance … Read more

The newest occupant of the White House has already broken many traditions. One of the boldest and most discussed proposals is to combine the Department of Education and the Department of Labor into a single agency called the Department of Education and the Workforce. Though the plan remains only a proposal and would need congressional … Read more

Credably.ai Launches AI + HI Literacy Certification for Authentic Skills Assessment Credably.ai (www.credably.ai), an AI-powered certification engine, has launched its AI + HI Literacy Certification to provide authentic, evidence-based assessment of artificial and human intelligence (AI + HI) skills. The certification is designed for K–12 and higher education students as well as corporate talent, helping … Read more

By James Stoffer and Zach Vander Veen Editor’s Note: This is the fifth and final installment of this series. For the previous installments, see one, two, three and four. Community schools are not a new fad; they are a proven approach whose time has arrived. The model has been developing for more than three decades, … Read more

By Cynthia Wise, Ed.D. Culture Conscious Campuses: The ETAA Model and Wise Instructional Framework After completing a Fellowship with Bellwether Education Partners and the Texas Education Agency, I codified the CCC Model. I then accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer of East Texas Advanced Academies (ETAA), working in partnership with a school district in … Read more

By Betsy Hill and Roger Stark As neuroscience advances, the public increasingly benefits from clearer insights about how the brain works. One concept gaining wide acceptance in education and beyond is neuroplasticity. Simply put, neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change: it continuously forms and strengthens connections among neurons and eliminates connections that aren’t used. … Read more

As noted in last month’s installment, conflict is an unavoidable element of school life. While strong leadership can prevent many disputes from escalating, some sources of conflict lie entirely outside a principal’s control. What principals can always control is how they respond to disagreement and discord. Students are directly or indirectly involved in the vast … Read more