Your student is acting out again, and you become dysregulated. Out goes the student for a discipline referral. You are worried that you will have to tackle more difficult behavior, and it shows—your demeanor lets students know you have had it. Navigating challenging behavior is not easy. It often leads to disciplinary actions that benefit no one. It is also emotionally disruptive.
Every two years, America Succeeds analyzes 82 million job descriptions. Researchers found that eight of the top ten most in-demand skills are not taught explicitly in schools, according to Tim Taylor, Co-founder and President of America Succeeds, and one of the edLeader Panelists on “From College and Career Readiness Silos to Connected Student Experiences: Sparking Enrollment and Excitement.”
In today’s rapidly changing world, students’ and educators’ needs constantly shift, necessitating timely, relevant professional learning to ensure that everyone has the skills to succeed.
K–5 teachers are under constant pressure to cover every standard, often leaving social studies behind in favor of more time for literacy. But what if you don’t have to choose? In the edLeader Panel “Social Studies and Literacy: The Dynamic Duo for K–5 Success,” district leaders shared how making time for social studies can boost engagement, expand content coverage, and reinforce core reading and writing skills—all within your existing schedule.
Kids these days just don’t have a long attention span anymore, especially with reading. That’s a common refrain. But what if, in a world where everything is a snippet, students were challenged to slow down and build reading stamina by learning with whole texts? How would that impact their ability to not only read but also enjoy long-form writing?
A science unit on traits invites students to write explanations and participate in academic discussions. To explore math, learners design a fraction game. A teacher uses picture books to introduce social studies topics.
Only a third of eighth graders read at grade level, a problem that requires immediate action. Schools must make literacy a schoolwide focus if they want to effectively combat the literacy gap.
What if you had a student who exhibited classroom-disrupting behavior, and your only recourse was to send them outside of the district? What if, when they come back, you didn’t get much information other than they are ready to return, and it’s unclear if they have learned anything from their time away, other than that their behavior was “bad”?
As NAEP scores continue to show that the majority of U.S. students are not reading at grade level, literacy remains, perhaps, the most urgent challenge facing districts today. “That’s not a literacy problem. That’s a graduation problem, an economic problem, a national security problem…those are the costs,” stated Karl Rectanus, CEO of Really Great Reading and one of the presenters on the edLeader Panel, “The Cost of Getting Literacy Wrong: Long-Term Decisions, Lasting Consequences.”
Students spend a lot of time with screens, raising concerns among parents and teachers; however, technology also has its benefits. How can districts recognize and choose digital tools that actually help learning?