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Pass or Fail: We Need Better Teacher Hiring Standards

pass or fail

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively. While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country? We need to hire better teachers. Period. That starts with better teacher training. The idea of identifying qualified, appropriately trained teachers, and then ensuring that they engage in …

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Pass or Fail: Mentoring Paired with Strong Teacher Qualifications

pass or fail

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively. While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country? Answering the call to teach is a start – but there is so much more that goes into becoming an effective educator. Without better teaching education, certification, and …

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What is the Importance of a Personal Learning Network?

As discussed in a previous post, a personal learning network (PLN) is a customized social media platform for educators. But instead of sharing pictures, status updates, and liking each other’s filtered profile pictures, educators can learn from people and resources around the globe to improve their teaching methods, stay up-to-date on the latest edtech trends, and receive endless outside support. Today we’re listing a few key reasons why you should invest in a personal learning network, for the good of yourself and the students you’re responsible for. So, why PLNs? Control Everything No one knows which areas you struggle with …

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Four Keys to Successfully Adopting New Instructional Materials

Leading change can be quite a challenge, especially when you’re asking teachers to let go of materials and techniques they have used for most of their careers. Here’s how we approached this successfully in our district. By Cristina Charney and Janeal Maxfield As math instructional specialists for the North Thurston Public Schools in Washington State, we were tasked with helping elementary teachers adopt a new math program for teaching to the Common Core standards several years ago. Initially, we thought this would be easy. Our district had chosen Stepping Stones from ORIGO Education to be our new program for core …

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High-Tech Teacher in a Low-Tech Town

By Leah Shull “How are you using technology in your classroom on a daily basis?” I was recently asked that very question when speaking to a group of Ed Tech doctoral students at New Jersey City University. I paused for a moment before answering truthfully. “On a daily basis? I don’t.” I know what you’re thinking. Does this woman not know how technology can help students engage more deeply with the content? Does she not care about preparing her students for the realities of working in the twenty-first century? The fact is, I do care. I care a lot. But …

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Edtech’s Ideal User Interface Requires More Than Simplicity

Most discussions regarding the development of educational technology boil down to one key factor: How easy is it to use? Simplicity is often the name of the game when it comes to creating new technologies — any application or tool that doesn’t offer an optimal experience in terms of usability is usually rejected in favor of one that has a better user experience. While simplicity and usability are undoubtedly important considerations when developing educational technology, educators have other priorities as well. The most well-designed, elegant solution is meaningless in the face of other deficiencies, which means that edtech developers need …

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Understanding Academic Language and its Connection to School Success

Carlyn Friedberg, MS, CCC-SLP, Assessment Specialist, Lexia Learning Alison Mitchell, Ph.D., NCSP, Director of Assessment, Lexia Learning Elizabeth Brooke, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Chief Education Officer, Lexia Learning As students progress through school, they are expected to demonstrate increasing levels of sophistication in their language and reading skills across all content areas. In order to gain knowledge through independent reading and participate in meaningful discussions in the classroom, students must master the complex words and phrases that characterize the language of school. Proficiency in these skills, otherwise known as academic language, is critical for reading comprehension and overall academic success. Across the …

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Maintaining a Connection with Students: 7 Tips for Administrators

Most principals were once classroom teachers. They loved education and making a direct impact on students and learning. But something drew them out of the classroom and into administration. People who become principals understand that their impact will be further reaching than it was in the classroom. They give up the day-to-day, close relationship building with students in order to create and implement systems that will ensure success for all students and teachers. But principals and administrators are still teachers at heart. The best ones make time to stay involved with student learning. They know their personal relationships with students …

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A Digital Future: What Will EdTech Look Like By 2117

Rapidly changing technology continues to make its mark on K-12 learning. Let’s take a look at the future and see how technology will improve education in the next 100 years. What will be the new innovations in EdTech? What will future classrooms look like?  Will the need to study medicine, law, and science disappear when robots start working in these professions?  What about art? Sure, no robot can be better than David Bowie, Leonardo Da Vinci, or Shakespeare (not yet), but with the number of innovations we see every day, we can’t be sure it won’t happen. While these innovations …

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A Guide to Ending the Crisis Among Young Black Males

When we talk about reaching students in our classrooms that come from disadvantaged backgrounds, we tend to put several groups under one umbrella. Minority students. Immigrant students. Kids from low socioeconomic households. While it’s true that all of these groups of students need a different approach than their white, English-speaking, middle-class peers, our education system is not yet doing enough to address specific needs within these at-risk groups. The initiatives that help one group tremendously may not have as large a positive impact on another, and vice versa. Black boys are a student demographic that has been, and continues to …

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