story Archives

Years after pandemic closures, we’re seeing their effects inside our schools

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Since school buildings reopened after COVID closures, I’ve heard teachers say, again and again, that the older elementary children in their classrooms are just not the same.

I lead a small network of schools, and many of our current fourth graders remain dependent on adults’ opinions and find it hard to move from one problem to the next without reassurance. Our fifth graders can solve a basic math problem but often struggle to explain how to answer a word problem. Across fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, we’re seeing students have trouble with sharing, taking turns, and working with others — symptoms of the developmental milestones many children missed in recent years.…Read More

2024: The year of generative AI

Editor’s note: This story on generative AI originally appeared on CoSN’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Key points:

Gen AI is a game changer for all industries due to its ability to produce original outputs
Don’t miss out–stay up to date on AI in Education
Can artificial intelligence help teachers improve?
For more news on generative AI, visit eSN’s Digital Learning page

As we step into 2024, the educational landscape is just beginning to feel the transformative shift brought on by generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI). This year marks a significant milestone in integrating advanced AI technologies into educational practices, heralding a new era of teaching and learning. Gen AI is set to revolutionize the way we approach education.…Read More

Can artificial intelligence help teachers improve?

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

A network of small public high schools in New York City is exploring whether artificial intelligence can change the way teachers receive feedback about their classroom instruction.

Urban Assembly, a network of 21 schools, is working with the American Institutes of Research to develop an AI-powered tool that can help instructional coaches analyze videos of teachers delivering lessons and offer feedback, according to network leaders.…Read More

How this middle school teacher gets students to challenge themselves in math

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

When Salvador Quijada, a seventh and eighth grade math teacher at Philip’s Academy Charter School, thinks back on his own journey as a mathematician, he gives credit to one high school math teacher who pushed him to take on AP calculus. Quijada said his teacher’s belief that he could succeed allowed him to challenge himself in ways he might not have otherwise considered.

Now, Quijada channels that positivity into his lessons. Last year, he approached Philip’s principal, Yasmeen Sampson, and asked to pilot a new, accelerated program to help prepare more students for Algebra 1.…Read More

5 major education trends in 2023

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on equity, edtech innovation, immersive learning, and the science of reading. This year’s no. 1 most-read story focuses on some of the biggest education trends from 2023.

With the start of a new year and education conference season just beginning, educators and industry leaders are discovering the biggest education trends for 2023. The past few years have seen a significant transformation for education and edtech, and 2023 will continue to bring new ideas and emerging technologies.

This year, schools are placing a focus on supporting students’ individual needs and recovering pandemic learning loss. Because of this, we will see an increase in edtech to support learning, better accommodations for students, a focus on wellbeing, and new approaches to teaching that engage with students’ interests and future careers.…Read More

How we can improve literacy through student engagement

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on equity, edtech innovation, immersive learning, and the science of reading. This year’s 2nd most-read story focuses on literacy and student engagement.

In this episode of Innovations in Education, Madeleine Mortimore, Global Education Innovation and Research Lead for Logitech details how classroom technologies, if used properly, can increase student engagement and ultimately test scores.

Voters skeptical of college, more supportive of CTE

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

It’s more important for Colorado schools to prepare students for the workforce than to prepare them to attend college.

That’s the opinion of more than 60% of respondents in a recent poll of education attitudes among Colorado voters. Magellan Strategies surveyed a representative group of 1,550 Colorado registered voters in September. The survey has a margin of error of 2.5%.…Read More

How did edtech impact learning in 2023?

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on equity, edtech innovation, immersive learning, and the science of reading. This year’s 5th most-read story focuses on expert predictions for edtech.

As we closed the door on 2022, we approached 2023 with clear-cut priorities for edtech and education as a whole. Education and student well-being are stretched thin, and lingering learning gaps, exacerbated by the pandemic, present hurdles for all students–especially underrepresented students groups who were already at a disadvantage.

Digital learning cemented itself as a “must have” in schools this year, and equity remained front and center, too, continuing conversations around inequitable technology access, along with racial and socioeconomic disparities and discrimination.…Read More

I’m a first-year teacher. How can I find success in the classroom?

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on equity, edtech innovation, immersive learning, and the science of reading. This year’s 9th most-read story focuses on first-year teaching supports.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

This is my first year as a teacher and I’m teaching sixth grade, so both my students and I are new to the school. I’m wondering if you have any advice for how to make students feel welcome in a new building? — I’m New Here…Read More

9 ways collaborative learning benefits teachers and students

Key points:

Stay up to date on the latest trends about learning in the digital age

Editor’s note: This story on collaborative learning originally appeared on CoSN’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for many years, but the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 has generated many discussions of how this technology can impact education – both how students learn and how educators teach. …Read More

Schools have struggled to add learning time after COVID–here’s how one district did it

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

It was just after 2:30 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, and the school stage hadn’t yet transformed into a reading room.

Christopher VanderKuyl, an assistant principal in Chicago’s west suburbs, hurriedly dragged brown folding chairs across the wood floor. He made a mental note to figure out who’d rearranged the furniture.…Read More

As teens rethink college and career options, counselors are trying to adapt

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

When students come into Danielle Insel’s college and career advising office with their sights set on higher education, she has a checklist of next steps ready. For years, around nine out of 10 kids fell into that camp, she estimates.

But recently, a growing number of seniors–upwards of 30 percent, she guesses–have told her they have no intention of going to college. And more kids than ever are considering ways to make money without a college degree, Insel said–driven in part by people and jobs they’ve encountered on social media. For those students, there’s no equivalent checklist.…Read More