The COVID-19 pandemic forced American students, teachers, and families to move learning online. Unfortunately, the transition has been messy and revealed glaring disparities among populations. While remote education has been life-changing for some, it has been markedly challenging for lower-income communities. Inequities have long been present in the American education system. However, the pandemic has… Read More

A well-rounded education is an important aspect of childhood development, as kids reap specific skill sets and knowledge from each portion of their learning. However, a growing perception of arts education as less important that academic curriculum is setting up an unfortunate precedent — one that stands to negatively impact this and future generations of… Read More

We know that teachers’ spirits remained unbroken as they persevered through the end of this unprecedented school year. In conjunction with the Zamperini Foundation — you may remember Louis Zamperini, hero of the popular book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand — we are celebrating ALL that you have accomplished and are aiming to do this fall… Read More

To say 2020 has been a year of ups and downs is an understatement! I recently read an Instagram post that said that since this year didn’t count, I wouldn’t need to count it as a birthday year towards my age — I’m definitely looking for any silver lining at this point!  Since I was… Read More

One of my favorite TV ads — one where I actually would laugh out loud — was from Best Buy a couple of years ago. In a snappy montage, they showed adults’ dismay at being behind the technology curve with outdated devices: one woman laments, “I just bought this one” as a new phone is… Read More

In these trying times, you, the administrators, are being tapped to be leaders in new ways – there are new logistical demands as well as pedagogical challenges and constraints around distance learning that your school community is grappling with. Meanwhile, we all as individuals are struggling with the unknowns personally as well as professionally.  Introducing… Read More

There are a ton of education conference options each year and most of them aren’t cheap. Ticket prices, travel costs, and taking time away from work all make choosing the absolute best conference a must — because, despite the logistics, conferences can be so useful (even life-changing) for educators. Here’s a list of upcoming education-focused… Read More

The United States is facing a literacy crisis. Yes, crisis. It isn’t new, but its impacts upon our kids, our economy, and our society are far-reaching and expanding. How bad is it? Take a look at some numbers. More than 30 million adults in the United States cannot read, write, or do basic math above a… Read More

I tell my students that if they end the school year taking only one nugget that they’ve learned from me, I’d like it to be the gift of being kind. In every person’s life, there are always ways to show kindness to others. I demonstrate this in my classroom in a variety of ways: shout-outs… Read More

With dedicated teachers, administrators, and other school staff, public schools are there every day for every student, preparing tomorrow’s leaders. That’s why, during November, we celebrate public schools during American Education Week. Take part in this national event with a few celebration ideas below, and share online using the hashtag #PublicSchoolsForAll and #AEW2017. Monday, Nov…. Read More

AHA! helps teens learn “peace-building” techniques to help end violence in schools. Founded in 1999 shortly after the Columbine school tragedy, AHA! (short for Attitude, Harmony and Achievement) is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that provides compassion training to teenagers in Santa Barbara, California. “Research is conclusive that compassion training and social-emotional learning programs assist children in… Read More

What kids eat at school is getting a lot more scrutiny these days. Schools often (though not always) serve the cheapest, most heavily processed meals. Since the controversy about “pink slime” in the meat served in school lunches a few years ago, many parents have grown increasingly worried about school food quality. That’s the backdrop… Read More

Many urban school districts have adopted a portfolio approach that allows open enrollment to foster free-market competition between neighborhood schools and specialized charter schools. A leader in urban school reform, Denver Public Schools has worked hard to expand charter school offerings in hopes that their investment will yield positive results in student performance. 18 percent of… Read More

After listening to an NPR report on a Boston homeless shelter run by Harvard and Cambridge students, Villanova University Professor Stephanie Sena was inspired to found the Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia (SREHUP). The non-profit organization provides emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness. The shelter is staffed by college students whose service learning experience… Read More