Category: Education progress

Teachers Are Not Meant to Be Martyrs Amanda Slaten Frasier is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at East Tennessee State University. She previously taught high school social studies at University School at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. Years ago, I became one of the many educators to leave the classroom. When…

‘Encoding’ Explained: What It Is and Why It’s Essential to Literacy Ask an early-elementary teacher what the recently popularized term “science-based reading instruction” means, and the response is likely to include something about decoding—the process of translating words from print to speech by matching letters and their combinations to the sounds they make. This makes…

You’re a New Teacher. It Can Be Messy But Also Thrilling I should have trusted my students more and given them ownership of their learning (more student-centeredness). Instead, I found choice boards to be fun; the students could develop creative tools to show their understanding of the topic (at least with 2nd grade and up).…

11 Critical Issues Facing Educators in 2023 A former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach, DeWitt provides insights and advice for education leaders. He can be found at www.petermdewitt.com. Read more from this blog. For several years, I wrote a list of 10, 11, or even 15 critical issues facing education…

Stop Wasting Your Time on School Improvement Plans That Don’t Work. Try This Instead Too often, the required actions leaders must accomplish from year to year become acts of compliance rather than opportunities to learn. When this happens, leaders often feel more reactive than proactive and feel as though they can never engage in the…

What Will Teachers Carry Over From the Pandemic Into ‘Normal Times’? Jennifer Orr is in her third decade of teaching elementary school students in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, mom to two teenagers, and an obsessive reader of books of all kinds: Teaching through COVID, virtually, concurrently, and…

Finalists for National Principal of the Year Cite School Culture, Equity A Connecticut high school principal who is guided by the philosophy, “Just Love Them.” A Texas school leader who swears by a culture of high expectations for students and staff. And a California educator, who waded into uncomfortable and controversial racial issues to improve…

 Vaping Is Still a Big Problem, New Data Show. Here’s What Schools Can Do About It A Juul electronic cigarette starter kit at a smoke shop in New York on Dec. 20, 2018. In a deal announced Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs will pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year…

As Students, They Felt Disconnected. As Leaders, They Champion Equity The paths Leslie Torres-Rodriguez and Madeline Negrón took to lead Connecticut’s Hartford public schools share important similarities—and the end results seemed unlikely when they themselves were students in the state’s schools. Both were born in Puerto Rico and came to the U.S. mainland as children.…

Parkland Victims’ Families Reach $25M Settlement With Broward School District By Scott Travis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel — October 19, 2021  3 min read In this Feb. 15, 2018, file photo, law enforcement officers block off the entrance to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., following a deadly shooting at the school. In this…