Back to School: What Teachers Need to Know About ESSA for the 2017-18 school year

When first implemented by the Obama administration, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was designed to give each state a greater voice in determining how schools are evaluated. Although ESSA was praised by many education experts, equality advocates and students rights groups, it remained a complicated issue. Now, after the Trump ...

Back to School Checklist: Teacher Prep for the First Day of School

From seating charts and self care to lesson plans and lunches, the first day of school requires a great deal of planning and preparation. And even when you’ve spent countless hours thinking about the first day of school, how do you know you’ve covered all your bases when it finally ...

Back to School: Tips for Teachers Starting at a Brand New School

Starting at a new school is an exciting and transformative time in a teacher’s career. It’s also an opportunity to start fresh and establish strong relationships with the people in your new school community. But what’s the best way to make a good first impression? These helpful back to school ...

Change Their World: How Teachers Foster a Lifelong Love of Reading and Science

Conducting science experiments, reading textbooks and writing essays are ordinary tasks that all students complete during their education. Teaching students how to engage in these activities, however, is an entirely different challenge. Those teachers able to foster a love of learning are also helping their students develop social and emotional ...

Self-Care for Teachers: Wellness Practices for In and Out of the Classroom

Put simply, being a teacher is stressful. From managing students’ emotional and academic success, to creating lesson plans and grading papers, teachers have an immense weekly workload to handle. And with so many duties and so many students to care for, teachers often neglect their own self-care and wellness. Luckily, ...

Outdoor Learning: Get Out of the Classroom and Out Into Nature

Thanks to smart boards, tablets, computers and other forms of classroom technology, students can learn, explore and solve problems like never before. But what happens when we become too reliant on the technology tools that are designed to help us? According to education experts, students who spend too much time ...

Creating a Learning Climate: Experts Discuss Improving Equality in the Classroom

Positive school climates provide students, families and teachers with an equal opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately, political, cultural and socioeconomic factors can undermine school climates and threaten equality for all. This can be frightening and overwhelming, but luckily there are many resources and organizations dedicated to creating equitable school climates. Here, education ...

How Teachers Can Foster Empathy Through Social Emotional Learning

We’re all used to hearing phrases like “sharing is caring” and “treat others the way you want to be treated.” These principles once served as the basis for social emotional learning in pre-K and elementary school classrooms. But today, where children use a variety of technologies to connect and interact, ...

Inspiring Schools, Administrators and Communities That Advanced Education in 2016-17

From fighting for equal student opportunity to establishing new teacher training programs, there are endless ways that school communities can advance education for all. During the 2016-2017 school year in particular, schools, administrators and students came together to advance education activism and student rights across the country. To learn more about ...