A revealing reality: Spring 2022 survey of teachers and administrators

As schools reopened last fall, many education leaders and stakeholders predicted that most online learning would fall away, and teachers and students would begin to recover from an unprecedented event. But new data from the Christensen Institute’s ongoing, nationally-representative surveys of hundreds of teachers and administrators have uncovered fascinating insights into what’s actually happening in Read more about A revealing reality: Spring 2022 survey of teachers and administrators[…]

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Teaching virtue in the digital age

Writing for the Fordham Foundation, Jennifer Frey recently argued the case for teaching cyber-wisdom and reviewed a new curriculum that seeks to do just that. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Practical wisdom generally is the habit of mind that allows one to make good practical judgments in the circumstances of her everyday life. Cyber-wisdom Read more about Teaching virtue in the digital age[…]

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Future Scenarios for Schooling

Just what the future of education looks like is opaque. But thanks to insights from Tracey Burns, an international education researcher, and others, some possible options for how school could change exist. Burns co-authored the recent Back to the Future of Education: Four OECD Scenarios for Schooling report, which looks at themes inside the education Read more about Future Scenarios for Schooling[…]

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PROOF POINTS: Combining remote and in-person learning led to chaos, study finds

Writing for the Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay reviews new research that finds what teachers were saying throughout the pandemic – it is madness to teach students in the classroom and those joining by computer simultaneously. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Although educators are trying to keep schools open during the pandemic, they still have Read more about PROOF POINTS: Combining remote and in-person learning led to chaos, study finds[…]

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Combining remote and in-person learning led to chaos, study finds

Writing for the Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay reviews new research that finds what teachers were saying throughout the pandemic – it is madness to teach students in the classroom and those joining by computer simultaneously. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Although educators are trying to keep schools open during the pandemic, they still have Read more about Combining remote and in-person learning led to chaos, study finds[…]

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232 innovative schools challenging old assumptions about education

Recently, Chelsea Waite of CRPE reviewed some of the most promising work emerging from  the Canopy project, a nationwide effort lifting up knowledge from hundreds of organizations to build open data about schools that are innovating. Excerpts of the piece appear below: A diverse array of communities are working to reinvent schooling in pursuit of Read more about 232 innovative schools challenging old assumptions about education[…]

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3 Lessons from Schools Where COVID Innovations Offer New Solutions

Recently in The 74, representatives from three philanthropic organizations supporting public education shared their perspective on COVID innovations worth supporting. Excerpts from their piece appear below: The Canopy Project tracked how hundreds of schools across the country adapted and innovated last year in student-centered ways. The following adaptations these schools developed hold enormous potential to Read more about 3 Lessons from Schools Where COVID Innovations Offer New Solutions[…]

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Present Danger: Solving the Deepening Student Absenteeism Crisis

With coronavirus vaccinations rising, Covid cases falling, and schools reopening, education leaders are turning their attention to expanding learning opportunities post-pandemic.  But strikingly high rates of student absenteeism threaten that work. A new FutureEd report on attendance trends in five school districts serving nearly 450,000 students suggests that student absenteeism has been far greater during Read more about Present Danger: Solving the Deepening Student Absenteeism Crisis[…]

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Accelerate, Don’t Remediate: New Evidence from Elementary Math Classrooms

Research suggests students have experienced more unfinished learning over the last year than ever before. With the COVID-19 pandemic waning, school systems are facing a critical choice about how to respond. Should they use the traditional approach of reviewing all the content students missed, known as remediation? Or should they start with the current grade’s Read more about Accelerate, Don’t Remediate: New Evidence from Elementary Math Classrooms[…]

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Digital Learning Playbook

Digital learning leverages digital tools and resources to establish powerful, flexible learning environments. Digital learning means each student has access to a device and reliable internet access, both at school and at home. While digital learning is critical during emergency situations when remote teaching is necessary (e.g., e-learning days due to weather cancellations, hybrid learning, Read more about Digital Learning Playbook[…]

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Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms. The program is expected to begin in May. The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 Read more about Emergency Broadband Benefit Program[…]

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Learner Agency: Students Driving their Own Learning

In the past year, more students have engaged in self-directed, independent learning than ever. One organization, Griptape, has been perfecting their approach to cultivating Learner Agency through their work with over 12,000 students during Learning Challenges since 2015.  After completing an application describing their passion project, selected students (teens ages 14-19, most of whom are Read more about Learner Agency: Students Driving their Own Learning[…]

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I-Flex: A New Teaching Modality for Post-Pandemic Recovery

If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that in-person learning is not the only way to “do” school. During the past year, most districts have experimented with fully Virtual Learning modalities, as well as Hybrid Learning, and some college campuses have also perfected the Hyflex model. Moving into post-COVID recovery, Read more about I-Flex: A New Teaching Modality for Post-Pandemic Recovery[…]

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Overcoming Challenges of Concurrent Learning

Many schools are using a simultaneous learning approach, where teachers work with all students, both in person and online, at the same time. However, writes The 74 contributor Beth Rabbitt, despite hard work and good intentions, full-time, simultaneous learning is not a best practice.  Online models are least effective when teachers try to engage learners Read more about Overcoming Challenges of Concurrent Learning[…]

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Mere Engagement: Reflections about the Connections Between Online Learning, Student Agency, and Student Engagement

School leaders mustn’t lose sight of the need for student agency and student engagement as they contend with the myriad challenges posed by COVID-19. In fact, they must reimagine what agency and engagement can look like in cases when students are learning virtually and also when they are unable to connect. Mere Engagement: Reflections about Read more about Mere Engagement: Reflections about the Connections Between Online Learning, Student Agency, and Student Engagement[…]

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A Teacher’s View: Remote Teaching Doesn’t Feel Like Teaching. Six Steps Toward Putting the Nuance Back Into Classroom Interactions

Recently in The 74, Nat Damon, a 25-year educator and author of Time to Teach: Time to Reach reflected on how to put the nuance into virtual teaching. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Remote teaching does not feel like teaching. This is not the same as saying remote teaching is not teaching. It absolutely Read more about A Teacher’s View: Remote Teaching Doesn’t Feel Like Teaching. Six Steps Toward Putting the Nuance Back Into Classroom Interactions[…]

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