Overwhelmed and constantly stressed—that’s a recurring theme for most people in education. For principals, this comes not just from the number of tasks on their plates but also the feeling that they are always dropping everything to put out a fire.
Many districts are currently experiencing high levels of teacher attrition and are locked in a constant cycle of teacher replacement, disrupting student learning. While each district faces its own challenges, district leaders identified three key trends during the edLeader Panel “Building Systems for Results: Leadership Stories from Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Lockhart ISD” (part of Trailblazing Leadership Week, featuring insights from education leaders in the trenches of providing a high-quality learning environment for all).
Across the nation, students struggle with reading. If educators want to help their students, there’s one resource they’ll need to bring in: families.
Fight or flight. It’s how the body reacts to threats and stress, and while the response is helpful in the moment, it’s not healthy to sustain it. According to Dr. Doug Bolton, Director of School Consultation at Formative Psychological Services and former Psychologist and Principal at North Shore Academy, students and educators are constantly in that state due to a non-stop focus on test scores and academic outcomes.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve accessibility, according to the AI & Accessibility in Education: 2024 Blaschke Report. As a tool, it can tailor educational content to meet individual students’ needs, especially those of students with disabilities.
Students have struggled with reading for as long as the written word has existed, so how can educators best help them develop the reading comprehension skills they need to become confident, lifelong readers? This was the question addressed during the edLeader Panel “Teaching Reading Today: Bridging Research, Practice, and the Social Value of Literacy.”
Imagine these year-end scenarios for your school or district: State testing up 22% across ELA and math. 37% reduction of schools labelled a D or F, with a move up to B or C. Moving from one of the lowest-rated schools in the county to the top 10. A first-time graduation rate of over 90%.
STEM skills are in greater demand now more than ever, but some marginalized student groups need expanded access to STEM pathways. During the edLeader Panel “Boost STEM Anywhere with UDL + Drones: CAST Take Flight,” Dr. Amanda Bastoni, Senior Director of Workforce and Higher Education Implementation at CAST, spoke with Chris Hesselbein, Director of Northwest STEM Hub, Laurie Prewandowski, Digital Learning Specialist at Kearsarge Regional School District (NH), Dr. Jessica Hall, Senior Research Scientist at CAST, and Adrienne White, Director of Marketing at Robolink, about how the Take Flight program uses drones and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help all students grow and thrive in STEM.
What does it take to make learning meaningful for every student? How do leaders support instruction that resonates? The same “GLEAM” guiding principles and strategies for great instruction hold a secret power for leaders to fuel lasting change.
Technology cuts like a double-edged sword. On one end, technology slices time in half, enables more personalized instruction, and keeps educators abreast of student progress. On the other, it slashes instructional time, as teaching moments—up to an hour per week according to surveys—are lost to device management.