In many schools, chronically underserved students, such as those from low-income families or ethnic minority backgrounds, continue to underperform while historically privileged students succeed. The underrepresented students typically haven’t had the academic support they need and doubt their own academic capacity. Since teachers have close relationships with students, parents and ...

Volunteering at school is one of the most important ways that parents can influence their child’s learning climate and make a difference in his or her classroom. Whether helping with homework or chaperoning field trips, parental involvement is critical to their child’s overall success and engagement at school. Still, recruiting and ...

In-service meetings are designed to enhance skills, learn about curriculum changes and set personal milestones. Without taking the time necessary to properly plan an agenda, however, these well-intentioned meetings can become a waste of time. Fortunately, identifying the common pitfalls of in-service meetings — and taking a hard look at what ...

Short stories are one of the best ways to introduce students to new themes, units and ideas in an entertaining way. And while we’ve already created a list of our favorite short stories for high school students, it’s time to create a list that’s appropriate for a slightly younger audience. Here’s ...

Podcasts are a compelling tool you can use to advance your skills and obtain inspiration as an educator. From motivational pointers and classroom management tips, to social emotional learning and teacher self-care, there’s an education podcast suited for your every need and desire. To start the spring term on the right ...

In the age of cell phones and social media, capturing attention is more difficult than ever before. And, maintaining student attention once harnessed is an entirely different challenge in itself. But since attention is key to successful learning, this is an obstacle that must be overcome. What can educators do to ...

Being a straight-A student is an accomplishment that everyone can understand. But when student progress is no longer measured on a letter scale, success takes on a whole new meaning. Standards-based grading is being used in place of traditional letter grading across many elementary and secondary schools in the US. This ...

Courage can help students excel academically, in their personal lives at home and in their future careers. But having courage and being brave means overcoming one’s fears — and that’s a difficult challenge for people of all ages. The right mindset and teaching strategies can help teachers cultivate courage in ...

Creating, managing and improving lesson plans are essential aspects of being a teacher. However, there’s no denying that this process can be time-consuming and even frustrating. After all, how can teachers consistently create lesson plans that adhere to common core standards and are also engaging? How can teachers collaborate on ...