A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 30, 2023

Being a leader is not a solo endeavor but a collective effort that involves everyone in the organization, school, or district. While a leader may occasionally have to make critical decisions that require going against consensus, such instances are rare and insignificant in the larger scheme of things. To succeed, it is crucial to foster a culture of open-mindedness where people are motivated to change on their own accord rather than being coerced into it.

Leadership 429

Leadership Cultures Education 429

History Tech

MAY 5, 2023

I admit it. I’m a fan. And watch it every year. Especially this year. Held in downtown Kansas City, home of the world champion Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL Draft is my spring booster shot that holds me through until August’s preseason.

Primary Sources 130

Primary Sources Lesson Plan History 130

ED Surge

MAY 5, 2023

“Her teacher quit last Friday. Just like that, she’s gone,” my friend said to me just a few weeks ago, devastated that her daughter’s second grade teacher — her favorite teacher — left before the school year ended. Visibly shaken, her voice trembled as she went on, "She’s been crying for days. All the kids are upset. The parents are in an uproar, and the new teacher is a substitute who keeps sending home kindergarten math.

Social Justice 145

Social Justice Cultures Leadership Professional Development 145

NCHE

MAY 1, 2023

Since 2017, NCHE has offered professional learning colloquia that focus on “Technology’s Impact in American History (TIAH).” Funded by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant, our 3-day long programming has guided hundreds of teachers in exploring how technology has shaped history while simultaneously developing teachers’ ability to design, implement, evaluate, and share primary source based historical inquiry.

Primary Sources 100

Primary Sources Archiving Library Museum 100

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 30, 2023

First came the good news. After taking classes at a community college, Ricki Korba was admitted to California State University, Bakersfield, as a transfer student. But when she logged on to her student account, she got a gut punch: Most of her previous classes wouldn’t count. This story also appeared in The Associated Press The university rejected most of her science classes, she was told, because they were deemed less rigorous than those at Bakersfield — even though some used the same textbooks

Psychology 122

Psychology Research Education 122

Education Elements

MAY 1, 2023

Teachers have a tremendous impact on the learning and lives of their students and communities, and planning a unique and powerful teacher appreciation week is one way to celebrate their incredible contributions. School and district leaders can use the strategies below as a starting point to plan meaningful ways to recognize all that they do, every day.

Leadership 91

Leadership Education 91

ED Surge

MAY 3, 2023

About a month ago, a colleague forwarded me a newsletter from the school she works with. It was a normal-looking school newsletter: a three-page PDF with information about upcoming events, decorated with colorful clip art of flowers. However, the subject line said: “How do I get them to stop doing this?” I knew exactly what she meant. The newsletter, while pretty, had the gritty look of a document that’s been printed out and scanned back into the computer.

EdTech 139

EdTech Education K-12 Educational Technology 139

The Hechinger Report

MAY 2, 2023

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural nets, blockchain, ChatGPT. What do all these new tools and technologies have in common? They run on the same fuel: data , and lots of it. Netflix machine-learning algorithms, for example, leverage rich user data not just to recommend movies, but to decide which new films to make. Facial recognition software deploys neural nets to leverage pixel data from millions of images.

K-12 120

K-12 Civics Lesson Plan High School 120

Civics for All of US

MAY 4, 2023

Interrogating Presidential Photos Katie Munn Thu, 05/04/2023 - 13:32 Body Since John F. Kennedy, most Presidents have had an official photographer, resulting in a wealth of primary source material. But what can students of all ages learn by taking a deeper look, past the subject matter and into the backgrounds and material culture represented in these photos, to learn more about how the lives of our leaders are presented?

Primary Sources 52

Primary Sources Museum Library Cultures 52

ED Surge

MAY 4, 2023

When it comes to teaching science courses online, colleges are getting creative. Institutions are using virtual reality programs to immerse students in laboratory simulations. They’re also mailing lab kits to students’ homes, enabling them to dissect cadavers on their kitchen tables, complete with whole specimens of sharks, birds and snakes, plus that old classic, frogs.

Tutoring 118

Tutoring Psychology High School Research 118

Anthropology 365

MAY 1, 2023

Yesterday marked the fourth year since a shooter entered my classroom in Kennedy 236, took two lives, and changed dozens more forever. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte brought me back to campus for the first time since 2019 for the dedication of a new memorial structure and garden. When I first met with university administration after the shooting in 2019, they asked how I thought they should memorialize the victims and survivors.

Anthropology 52

Anthropology Teaching Education 52

The Hechinger Report

MAY 1, 2023

As college admission decisions pour in and students weigh their options, some institutions are putting the poorest students at a surprising disadvantage: There are 17 colleges and universities where the lowest-income students may end up paying more out of pocket than the highest-income ones. At these 17 colleges and universities in 2020-21, students from families earning under $30,000 actually paid more in net price – which is the amount students pay after discounts and financial aid – than thos

Government 93

Government Education 93

ACRE

MAY 1, 2023

Deciding on a career path is one of the most important financial decisions young adults make. Using this curriculum, students develop plans for achieving their personal career goals. Activities include career investigation, salary negotiations & interview strategies, and a flow chart project for short and long term career planning. In partnership with the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics, Dr.

Lesson Plan 52

Lesson Plan Economics Teaching Research 52

ED Surge

MAY 2, 2023

In 2018, Jeff Bezos, one of the richest people in the world, announced that he would create a network of free Montessori-inspired preschools. The move was met with surprise from some Montessori educators and a fair bit of skepticism from many in the early childhood education space. Bezos has said he was inspired by his experience as a child at a Montessori preschool in New Mexico to invest in high-quality early education.

Elementary School 110

Elementary School Private School Education Educational Technology 110

Maitri Learning

APRIL 29, 2023

Since I first did my AMI Montessori training, back in the 90s, people have been asking, "But aren't children different today than they were when Maria Montessori first developed her method?" The answer is a resounding YES! In some ways, children are most certainly different today than they were even five years ago because we humans are biologically programmed to adapt to our culture: our time, place, and group.

Humanities 52

Humanities Psychology Cultures 52

The Hechinger Report

MAY 1, 2023

Education policy should be top of mind as state policymakers continue their legislative work this spring. After unprecedented learning loss, growing disparities in educational outcomes and overall public dissatisfaction, the time is right for an education overhaul. Now is the time to capitalize on a growing momentum for personalized, competency-based learning, as 72 percent of Americans say K-12 education should be a top priority for state lawmakers in 2023.

K-12 84

K-12 Education Education Policy Public School 84

ACRE

MAY 1, 2023

Taxes are required by law at the federal and state levels and tax rates vary greatly from state to state. Many individuals grumble about taxes, either that they are required to pay too much, what tax dollars are spent on are inefficient, or that the tax system is overly complex and complicated. Tax revenues are used to fund government programs we need or want.

Lesson Plan 52

Lesson Plan Economics Government Teaching 52

ED Surge

MAY 5, 2023

Creativity is more than an artistic skill; it involves thinking differently, collaborating, developing solutions and communicating in a way that connects with others. Leveraging creativity in the classroom helps students develop a deeper understanding and make cross-curricular connections. Creativity is also a valuable skill for the workforce across many fields.

Advocacy 109

Advocacy K-12 Critical Thinking Project-Based Learning 109

Maitri Learning

APRIL 29, 2023

Since I first did my AMI Montessori training, back in the 90s, people have been asking, "But aren't children different today than they were when Maria Montessori first developed her method?" The answer is a resounding YES! In some ways, children are most certainly different today than they were even five years ago because we humans are biologically programmed to adapt to our culture: our time, place, and group.

Humanities 52

Humanities Psychology Cultures 52

Perspectives in Anthropology

MAY 1, 2023

Written by Jerhron Muhammad Recent Sudanese history paints the current conflict waging between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) as a “byproduct” of the political and military conditions brought about by the overthrow of former president Omar El Bashir in a military coup in the wake of a popular protest…

History 40

History Anthropology 40

4QM Teaching

APRIL 30, 2023

We just had a consultant come to my school to do a review of our social studies program. We got some useful feedback, which will help us to set our agenda for professional development and materials acquisition. I noticed something strange, however. For classroom observations, they used a rubric, naturally. That rubric defined “rigor” as student engagement with primary source texts and artifacts.

Primary Sources 40

Primary Sources Artifacts Archiving Social Studies 40

ED Surge

MAY 1, 2023

Brigitta Witt Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainability at T-Mobile One of the most rewarding educator experiences is witnessing students become agents of change and positively impacting their communities with their own creativity, grit and innovation. The Changemaker Challenge , a nationwide contest made possible by T-Mobile, the T-Mobile Foundation and Ashoka , does just that by empowering students to put their visions into action as they work toward an inclusive, equitable and sustai

Critical Thinking 105

Critical Thinking Education Educational Technology 105

All Things Pedagogical

APRIL 30, 2023

This is probably going to be a long post because there are many interconnected threads to what I want to talk about this week. The nuggets of this post started with the work that I have been doing over the last few weeks to accurately record all the things I do during my work time. I am recording literally all the things. I am also trying to be aware of all the work I am paid for as part of my day job things that I have actually been doing outside of work time.

EdTech 40

EdTech Humanities Research Education 40

Smithsonian Voices | Smithsonian Education

MAY 4, 2023

With more than 4.

Education 40

Education 40

The Hechinger Report

MAY 1, 2023

One of the few replicated findings in education research is that daily, individualized tutoring during the school day really helps kids catch up academically. The problem is that this kind of frequent tutoring is very expensive and it’s impossible to hire enough tutors for the millions of American public school students who need help. This story also appeared in Mind/Shift In theory, educational software could be a cheaper alternative.

Tutoring 102

Tutoring Research Humanities High School 102

ED Surge

MAY 3, 2023

School districts around the country have rolled out tutoring programs at a feverish pace with the help of federal relief funds, intent on helping struggling students get back on track academically after the disruption caused when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools. It’s one thing to know what makes a successful tutoring program, and quite another to actually manage one.

Tutoring 78

Tutoring Public School Leadership Education 78

Becoming a History Teacher

MAY 5, 2023

Photo by Leeloo Thefirst on Pexels.com Recently I was privileged to see a beginning teacher nearing the end of their ITE year teaching a great GCSE history lesson. The pupils demonstrated excellent retrieval of subject knowledge from previous lessons. They were given opportunities to acquire new subject knowledge and make sense of this when combined with their own individual prior understanding.

Cultures 52

Cultures History Lesson Plan Teaching 52

Cult of Pedagogy

MAY 2, 2023

Carpet woven by Ghyas el Din Jami, North-West Persia Listen to my interview with Sawsan Jaber, Reem Fakhry, Fatma Elsamra, and Abeer Ramadan-Shinnawi ( transcript ): Sponsored by JumpStart This page contains Amazon Affiliate and Bookshop.org links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

Social Studies 130

Social Studies Cultures History Pedagogy 130

The Hechinger Report

MAY 4, 2023

Editor’s note: This story led off this week’s Early Childhood newsletter, which is delivered free to subscribers’ inboxes every other Wednesday with trends and top stories about early learning. Email Address Choose from our newsletters Weekly Update Future of Learning Higher Education Early Childhood Proof Points Leave this field empty if you’re human: Bobbi Linskens’ daughter was 6 months old when she was diagnosed with a brain injury associated with learning disabilities and developmenta

Advocacy 112

Advocacy Humanities Public School Education 112

ED Surge

MAY 2, 2023

At a time when more than 11,000 edtech tools are on the market and schools are embracing learning technology like never before , there is a stunning lack of research and evidence to support the efficacy of those products. A report released this spring from LearnPlatform, a company that helps districts better understand and manage the technology they’re using, found that of the 100 most accessed edtech products in K-12 classrooms in the first half of the 2022-23 school year, just 26 have publishe

EdTech 125

EdTech K-12 Educational Technology Public School 125

Diane Ravitch

MAY 3, 2023

Civics education in Texas has been turned into textbook study by a 2021 law that bans student interaction with elected officials. Apparently, the Republicans who control state government want to keep students in the dark about getting involved in civic action. Participation is a feature of civic education, but it’s illegal in the Lone Star State. The Guardian reports : The defining experience of Jordan Zamora-Garcia’s high school career – a hands-on group project in civics class that spurred a n

Civics 40

Civics Advocacy Education Government 40

The Hechinger Report

MAY 3, 2023

Many educators probably weren’t surprised by today’s announcement of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test results for civics and history. The scores tell an all-too-familiar story. In past years, the scores for civics have been flat, which is hardly encouraging. Add learning loss stemming from the pandemic, and scores this year actually went down: Only 22 percent of eighth graders demonstrated proficiency in the topic, compared with 24 percent the last time the subject was

Civics 103

Civics Primary Sources Civic Engagement K-12 103

Diane Ravitch

MAY 5, 2023

Tim Slekar, Director of the Educator Preparation Program at Muskingum University in Ohio comments here on the recent report that NAEP scores in history and civics dropped during the pandemic. The decline should surprise no one since neither subject has mattered for the past two decades. Far more worrisome, he says, is the erosion of democracy. How do you prepare students to participate in a society where voter suppression and gerrymandering are widespread and are approved by the courts?

Civics 40

Civics History Social Studies American History 40