Teachers can use proven strategies to help students develop empathy

Taking a note from psychology, teachers can model positive behavior and employ a number of other strategies.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 5, 2017

Fiction has significant role in social emotional learning

Joseph Coulson, president of the Great Books Foundation and a former teacher, contributed to a Harvard University study that found reading fiction can help improve “theory of mind” ability.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 4, 2017

New Mexico lawmaker calls for moratorium on new charter schools

State Rep. Christine Trujillo has introduced a bill into the New Mexico legislature that would prohibit any new charter schools from being approved between June 1, 2017 and Jan. 1, 2020.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 4, 2017

Ed Dept civil rights guidance covers IDEA, Rehabilitation Act

The U.S. Department of Education has released three new guidance documents outlining civil rights protections for students with disabilities at public and charter schools under two key laws.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 4, 2017

Racial Equity Leadership Network aims to address disparities within districts

The Southern Education Foundation plans to offer fellowships to between seven and 10 cabinet-level leaders in districts across 13 states, supporting them in addressing racial and economic equity.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 4, 2017

Using pop culture in class can engage students, make lessons more meaningful

A recent School Library Journal webinar offered strategies for linking learning material to music, celebrity and the media.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 4, 2017

Maintenance costs contribute to school planetariums' demise

The space race prompted a wave of school planetarium construction as the Eisenhower administration distributed $1 billion in federal money to boost science and other subjects.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 4, 2017

Philadelphia Principal Sharif El-Mekki embraces servant leadership to make a difference

The Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker head takes a hands-on approach to buoy school climate.

By Autumn A. Arnett • Jan. 3, 2017

6 K-12 administrators to watch in 2017

These school and district leaders represent a solid sample of the issues schools and districts face and the efforts to guide them into the 21st century.

By Roger Riddell • Jan. 3, 2017

Building a framework to guide makerspace purchasing decisions

New Jersey library media specialist Laura Fleming writes for EdSurge that administrators should develop a vision, mission statement and themes for makerspaces to guide product purchasing.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 3, 2017

Indiana school voucher program may provide clues for Trump administration plans

Vice President-elect Mike Pence contributed to a rapid expansion of Indiana’s school voucher program, which now serves 32,000 children, more than half of whom have never attended a public school.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 3, 2017

'Principal Pipeline' program helps 6 urban districts cultivate future leaders

The Wallace Foundation is more than five years into a $75 million initiative to cultivate a pipeline of effective school principals by tracking leaders and forecasting vacancies.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 3, 2017

Maryland's largest school system considers start time reversal

Montgomery County shifted its school start times later two years ago to accommodate the needs of high schoolers, but ripple effects may lead board members to change their minds.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 3, 2017

National survey forecasts $16.2B in 2017 hardware, infrastructure spending

The Learning Counsel’s third annual survey of school and district digital curriculum strategy and transformation found a key focus in schools is on teacher effectiveness with digital tools.

By Tara García Mathewson • Jan. 3, 2017

Study finds teacher stress levels on par with those of physicians and nurses

NPR reports on a recent study in which nearly half of teachers say the stress and disappointment of their jobs 'aren't really worth it.'

By Autumn A. Arnett • Dec. 31, 2016

Top K-12 education stories of 2016

Concerns over how to be a better principal, how to better serve English language learners, and how to best relate to and serve students from different backgrounds were tops last year on Education Dive. 

By Autumn A. Arnett • Dec. 30, 2016

NC Board of Education sues over new power shift legislation

The law's provisions, which accompany measures to strip incoming Gov. Roy Cooper of his gubernatorial authority, come off as more political grandstanding than a legitimate push to improve school administration in the state.

By Autumn A. Arnett • Dec. 29, 2016

Year-end bonuses draw scrutiny in one Illinois school district

Performance bonuses in Lake County (IL) Community High School District 128 included raises for security officers, custodians, technicians and other support staff, in addition to teachers and administrators.

By Autumn A. Arnett • Dec. 28, 2016

What's on the horizon for K-12 ed tech in 2017?

Four school and district tech chiefs weigh in with their predictions and concerns for the coming year.

By Roger Riddell • Dec. 26, 2016

Teacher survey finds Common Core improvement, stubborn challenges

The third survey by the Education Week Research Center since 2012 found more teachers are familiar with the Common Core State Standards and a growing portion feel prepared to teach them.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 23, 2016

Master teacher fellowship improves retention among NYC's best teachers

Math for America offers stipends for teachers and a wide variety of professional learning opportunities over the course of a four-year fellowship that asks nothing of master teachers' home schools.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 23, 2016

Virginia school pilots 'checkology virtual classroom' from The News Literacy Project

Wakefield High School in Arlington teaches students how to assess the validity of viral stories and determine whether they are propaganda, ads or fact using a new digital curriculum.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 23, 2016

Ed Dept awards $3M to test Preschool Pay for Success programs

The U.S. Department of Education split the money across eight government organizations to support feasibility pilots that will assess innovative funding strategies for expanding preschool.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 23, 2016

A growth mindset isn't just for students — teachers should have one, too

Christina Gil, a former classroom teacher, writes for Edutopia that the self-reflection required to develop a growth mindset can be difficult, but it can significantly improve a person’s teaching.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 23, 2016

Feds say no to California science pilot, state appeals

State officials want to administer a pilot of a new science test this spring and conduct a longer field test next year, but the U.S. Department of Education says they must use the old test.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 23, 2016