Golden Ticket
This dynamic case study combines narrative, video, data visuals, and photos to tell the story of a vital component of school reform efforts in the Lawrence, MA Public Schools. The case study provides details on the creation and implementation of Acceleration Academies, week-long opportunities for personalized learning in small class settings held over February and… Read More ›
6 Ways Administrators Can Prove the Efficacy of Digital Tools
This article, written by a principal, includes thoughtful insights for implementing an effective digital transformation in a school. It discusses ways to select, implement, and assess the efficacy of new technology. It focuses on the importance of being able to explain and show positive impact to all stakeholders. To lead a change process, principals must… Read More ›
6 Strategies for Promoting Student Autonomy
This article introduces six concrete strategies teachers can use to foster independence in the classroom. The strategies can be used to support a flexible classroom in which students are working on their own or in small groups on a variety of tasks at one time. Teachers should model the strategies and give students multiple opportunities… Read More ›
ASCD Citizens in the Making Resources
Two resources from the ASCD Express issue Citizens in the Making highlight ideas and resources for teachers who want to incorporate more project-based projects that will allow students to use their voices to inact change in their local communities. Teaching for Active Citizenship: Ideas and Resources describes several active citizen projects in which students take on… Read More ›
Competency-Based Education: Lessons Learned After a Decade of Transformation
It has been nearly a decade since Sanborn Regional School District in New Hampshire made the decision to shift to a competency-based system of learning. Having served as the high school principal during this transformation, I learned a great deal about what worked for us and what we would avoid if we had it to… Read More ›
A Year Of Love And Struggle In A New High School
Too many young, black men struggle in America’s education system. Washington D.C. is trying to do something about it with a new, boys-only high school. NPR’s Cory Turner and Education Week’s Kavitha Cardoza spent hundreds of hours there, reporting on the birth of a school built on one word: Love. Code Switch, an NPR podcast,… Read More ›
Making Media Literacy Central to Digital Citizenship
While there are many new technologies coming into the classroom, video has been used consistently by students in and out of school for many years. The author of this article, a Director at Common Sense Education, asserts that students should learn to harness video to to bring about positive change, becoming savvy digital citizens. This… Read More ›
Use Audio & Video to Engage Students and Promote UDL
This webinar will explore ways to differentiate instruction with the classroom technology available today. It will address ways to promote Universal Design for Learning in classrooms. Attendees will learn about a range of tools – both websites and apps – that are available to provide multiple means of engagement, representation and action/expression. Whether tools are… Read More ›
Exploring Student-Centered Learning in the ESSA State Plans
Many of us who research or implement student-centered learning approaches read with excitement that states now have the flexibility, under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), to include such approaches into their accountability requirements. With states required to submit their plans for implementation last month, we explored how many states chose to include student-centered learning… Read More ›
What Student Choice and Agency Actually Looks Like
This article features the ways in which schools across the country are building student agency and choice. The article, written by a staff member at The Learning Accelerator, describes strategies used by schools documented in their Practices at Work initiative. These examples of real life school strategies highlight many ways student ownership can be increased… Read More ›
Learning Accelerator’s Practices at Work: Blended & Personalized Learning
The Blended and Personalized Learning Practices at Work site, managed by The Learning Accelerator, is a collection of free, practical strategies and resources to help schools implement blended and personalized learning. The Learning Accelerator is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing blended learning. The organization works to bring together communities of learners and document and share strategies to… Read More ›
7 Things Teachers Need to Know About Native American Heritage Month
November is National Native American Heritage Month. The article below was originally posted on Indian Country Today on November 12, 2014. It contains tips & best practices that can be used in the classroom throughout the year. Without guidance, too many teachers will celebrate Native American Heritage Month in the only ways they know how:… Read More ›