Schools boost AP success with national program | Mich. school adopts student-centered philosophy | 13 "implementation indicators" for Next Generation Science Standards
Some schools have joined the National Math + Science Initiative's College Readiness Program to help increase passing rates on Advanced Placement exams. The program provides teacher training, additional test-prep resources and Saturday study sessions.
Educators at a Michigan school use a student-centered model to help students take ownership of their learning. Principal Mark Morawski says the approach has helped students become more resourceful and collaborative.
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Principals in some Florida schools will have more decision-making power, starting next year. The Principal Autonomy Program exempts participating schools from some laws and policies in areas such as staffing, textbooks and curriculum.
One school’s Visible Learning journey High-quality professional learning goes beyond one-day workshops to create meaningful experiences that improve instruction. Read how one school achieved outstanding growth in teacher practice through a sustained commitment to the Visible Learningplus program. Download white paper.
Four educators recently evaluated the quality and usefulness of nine free or low-cost digital tools as part of a report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Educators considered factors such as ease of use and alignment with college- and career-readiness standards.
Every seventh- through 12th-grade student in Idaho received $4,125 in an online account this year. The funds are intended to help remove the financial barrier to college-preparation programs, such as Advanced Placement, and other academic or career extras.
Indiana lawmakers are considering allocating $2 million for an online program to prepare students for kindergarten. The program, developed by the Utah Department of Education and nonprofit Waterford, already is available in Utah, South Carolina and one county in Indiana.
The future of the Every Student Succeeds Act's Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants -- also known as Title IV -- may be uncertain. Some lawmakers and advocates say a proposal is underway to shift the grant program from a formula-funded model to a state-level competitive-grant program.
Thirty-three of the 57 state-funded prekindergarten programs require a bachelor's degree for lead teachers, according to research by a Rutgers institute. Advocates say requiring a college degree helps put qualified teachers in classrooms, but critics say the requirement makes programs less affordable.
Kyle Redford, veteran 5th-grade teacher and education editor for the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, argues that Universal Design for Learning, a framework of supports often used with students with learning disabilities, can be helpful in giving students with dyslexia better access to curricula and alternative ways to demonstrate their learning. Read how in her new article in Educational Leadership.
With math, seeing is understanding
Helping students make sense of math requires moving back and forth among visual, relational models and the abstract lexicon of math symbols. Whether using everyday objects (like the classroom rug), or graphic organizers (like a tape diagram), visual cues make math concepts stick, and help students learn in lasting ways. When students can envision a problem, they internalize the structures of mathematics, and aren't dependent on memorization to find solutions. Read now.