ED Surge

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

On a recent walk after spending a day working with middle school teachers on engagement strategies, I was listening to the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast. I’ve spent two decades as a literacy specialist coaching teachers and providing professional development and I’ve seen a lot of transition in the field.

Education 140

Education Middle School Global Connections K-12 140

Digital Promise

AUGUST 24, 2020

We’ve developed “Look for” documents to support teachers and administrators in envisioning how this fusion could work in elementary and middle school classrooms. In addition, a CT “Look for” document might be particularly helpful to administrators since defining CT has been an ongoing challenge for school districts.

K-12 142

K-12 Middle School Professional Development Research 142

ED Surge

MARCH 14, 2024

Elementary school teachers get about four hours of weekly planning time on average, which is 40 minutes less than their middle school counterparts and 49 minutes less than high school teachers. That works out to about four hours and 26 minutes of planning time per week. What’s a ‘Good’ Amount of Planning Time?

Middle School 135

Middle School Elementary School Professional Development Public School 135

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 8, 2021

This middle school project-based instruction was tested on more than 100 students in high-poverty schools in California. In others, teachers went to summer training institutes, attended extra professional development days during the school year and were given monthly coaching sessions. We know it works.

Project-Based Learning 145

Project-Based Learning Middle School Social Studies High School 145

ED Surge

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Soon after, I began my first summer professional development at a school in the neighborhood I grew up in. I don’t remember middle school ever being like this, and the fact that it was mostly students of color gave me pause.

Leadership 124

Leadership Middle School Professional Development Teaching 124

ED Surge

MARCH 16, 2023

In it, the report authors list the myriad tasks, in addition to instruction, that teachers do as part of their jobs — meeting with parents, participating in professional development, grading. Those responsibilities all regularly tip teachers’ work weeks past 40 hours. It’s a reality that troubles teachers across the country.

Professional Development 145

Professional Development Lesson Plan Middle School Research 145

Digital Promise

AUGUST 12, 2021

The continued partnership between Digital Promise and Verizon Innovative Learning equips students and teachers at select schools with devices and internet access, as well as professional learning for educators and opportunities to collaborate with a national network of innovative, technology-driven school leaders and educators.

Professional Development 123

Professional Development Middle School High School Teaching 123

Digital Promise

MAY 23, 2019

Verizon Innovative Learning schools standouts. Congratulations to the Verizon Innovative Learning schools’ 2018-19 Schools of Excellence Award winners: District of the Year: Strong Out of the Gate. Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, Kentucky (Cohort 5). Rising Star/Trailblazer Award. Model for Sustainability.

Middle School 116

Middle School Leadership Public School Professional Development 116

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 13, 2021

Most of the next class of ninth graders spent half of their middle school lives in an altered educational environment. Ongoing professional development is essential, especially in how to use the longer periods effectively. Creating a 4×4 schedule is more than a technical change.

Research 133

Research High School Middle School Professional Development 133

Digital Promise

JUNE 1, 2021

Since 2014, the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools initiative has provided every student and teacher at select middle and high schools with a data plan to support learning in and out of the classroom.

Professional Development 123

Professional Development Middle School High School Teaching 123

Dangerously Irrelevant

MAY 13, 2021

While our book, Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning , introduces the protocol, has some lesson redesign examples, and includes some tips and strategies, some schools and educators are looking for more interactive professional development. Or we could do: 1 introductory session for elementary school(s).

Elementary School 123

Elementary School Professional Development Leadership Middle School 123

Digital Promise

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

It’s not every day that a top executive from a Fortune 500 company visits a middle school located more than 600 miles from the company’s headquarters. I believe that one of the defining characteristics of the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program is the professional development (PD) that comes with it,” Lubas added.

Museum 122

Museum Middle School Professional Development Leadership 122

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 19, 2021

Shanley’s school, Beekmantown Middle School, partnered with the nonprofit College for Every Student (CFES) Brilliant Pathways. It included student mentorship, college or career exploration, professional development resources for educators, and help to families trying to figure out the different pathways to college.

Middle School 135

Middle School Professional Development Education 135

Digital Promise

JANUARY 13, 2021

Verizon Innovative Learning Schools coaches were often tapped to help lead the transition in their districts , drawing on the program’s tech-focused professional development to prepare teachers to engage with students virtually. Now, with video conferencing tools, coaches are able to “visit” more classrooms on a given day.

Artifacts 117

Artifacts Middle School Advocacy Lesson Plan 117

The Hechinger Report

MAY 11, 2023

schools Given this public trust, science museums across the nation are taking on a bigger role in supporting teachers in the classroom and helping learners think critically about science. Emily Duguid leads Orlando Science Center’s teacher professional development programming as Vice President of Education.

Museum 129

Museum Teaching Professional Development Government 129

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 7, 2022

Papay cited his own 2015 study with Matt Kraft , along with a 2017 study of middle school teachers in North Carolina and a 2011 study of elementary and middle school teacher s. Just because inexperienced teachers are improving the fastest also doesn’t mean that professional development should be targeted at them.

Middle School 143

Middle School Professional Development Research Teaching 143

Edthena

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

Measure changes in classroom teaching after professional development trainings. Perhaps you want to measure how teachers improve with their questioning strategies after a professional development initiative. This is an efficient way to assess if your district’s professional development is working widely.

Professional Development 98

Professional Development Middle School Teaching EdTech 98

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 13, 2024

To help them succeed, the school — which last year served just over 500 high schoolers , roughly 80 percent of whom qualified for free or reduced priced lunch — provides its teachers with daily professional development and coaching on literacy instruction and other topics.

High School 145

High School Teaching Primary Sources K-12 145

Digital Promise

AUGUST 21, 2019

DuBois Academy opened its doors last fall as an all-boys middle school with an Afrocentric curriculum, the first of its kind in Louisville, Kentucky. Moreover, the new school also joined the fifth cohort of the Verizon Innovative Learning schools initiative.

Middle School 89

Middle School Professional Development Public School Teaching 89

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

Three recent reports from our organization, Education Reform Now , highlight transformative strategies that high-poverty schools across three states — Texas, Massachusetts and Colorado — are using to drive stronger student outcomes. Here are our top four takeaways from these three states: Demography Does Not Equal Destiny.

K-12 103

K-12 Professional Development Tutoring Government 103

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Some counties and school districts are also adding professional development opportunities for counselors, amid a push to boost graduation and college enrollment rates. High school counselors also study alongside middle school and elementary counselors for whom college and career planning is less of a priority.

Professional Development 145

Professional Development High School Middle School Leadership 145

Digital Promise

AUGUST 14, 2019

At Newburg Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky, coaching is a key to success. Watch the video below to see how Newburg Middle School is coaching for success thanks to the Verizon Innovative Learning schools initiative, then learn more about Verizon Innovative Learning schools.

Middle School 86

Middle School Professional Development Leadership Teaching 86

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Melissa Hedges, the math curriculum director for Milwaukee schools, shows teachers at a professional development seminar how folded paper can be used to demonstrate the solution to a fractions problem. Hedges oversees all things math for the Milwaukee district’s elementary and middle schools. I hate math.”

Professional Development 125

Professional Development Leadership Public School High School 125

The Hechinger Report

JULY 12, 2021

Rural students posted lower scores on math assessments in early ninth grade than their suburban counterparts and they had taken half as many high-school level courses in middle school. By the end of 11th grade, rural students’ desire to pursue a career in math or science dropped below 9 percent.

High School 144

High School Economics Professional Development Middle School 144

ED Surge

MAY 8, 2024

When my principal asked if I would be interested in teaching one elective period per day for the middle school population, I suggested a STEM elective since I had just taught a summer full of STEM during NYC’s annual STEM in the City programming. I was tasked with providing reading intervention services for at-risk K-8 students.

K-12 137

K-12 EdTech Public School Elementary School 137

Digital Promise

JANUARY 7, 2021

I served my Title 1 school as a sixth grade math teacher for four years and as a learning strategist for nine years before making a move in 2018 to the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program, which provides professional learning to the five southern counties of Nevada, as a regional math trainer.

K-12 131

K-12 Professional Development Middle School Research 131

Digital Promise

APRIL 20, 2021

In February, the district decided, based on data from other school districts in the area, that we would go back to school five days a week. As the Verizon Innovative Learning coach at Norris Middle School, my job is to support teachers in their implementation of technology in the classroom.

Professional Development 103

Professional Development Lesson Plan Classroom Management Middle School 103

ED Surge

MAY 8, 2023

That’s the question the middle school class was struggling to answer. Fractions hadn’t really connected with the students, says John Barclay, a teacher in Richmond Public Schools in Virginia. I definitely think we need to invest a lot more money in high-quality professional development,” Brown says.

K-12 134

K-12 Critical Thinking Middle School Pedagogy 134

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

But once every week or two since in December, Fernandez has trailed her son into his middle school when she drops him off for classes. Stefanie Fernandez works for a company that has encouraged its employees to substitute teach in local schools. Credit: Lebanon School District. Credit: Cheshire Public Schools.

Middle School 135

Middle School Public School Economics Sociology 135

ED Surge

FEBRUARY 17, 2023

The middle school my older son goes to did not respond as well. Unfortunately, it is not a universally required part of educator training or professional development. Unfortunately, it is not a universally required part of educator training or professional development. This is more urgent than ever.

Professional Development 101

Professional Development K-12 Elementary School Middle School 101

The Hechinger Report

JANUARY 24, 2019

Nia Keith, director of professional development for the Museum of Science. High schools and colleges have been aware of the imbalance, and tried to remedy it, for years: There are many programs aimed at pulling women and students of color into science and math fields as teens and young adults.

Museum 112

Museum Elementary School Professional Development K-12 112

Digital Promise

MAY 18, 2021

Collective Support offers school and after-school site leaders of color the opportunity to investigate their own practice and design new ways of thinking and being. The MindCatcher team supports the cohort virtually through participatory, hands-on professional development.

Leadership 127

Leadership Professional Development Middle School Humanities 127

The Hechinger Report

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Her son, who also has ADHD, was several years behind in reading by the time he got to middle school. Black students in Wicomico County schools are sent to psychiatric emergency rooms at a higher rate than their peers. Wicomico school officials said they do not discriminate against any of their students.

Middle School 134

Middle School Professional Development Geography Cultures 134

ED Surge

AUGUST 28, 2024

Then, in 2019, when I became the lead Arabic teacher at my current school, I attended my first professional development conference. Even in my current teaching position, working at a school where 90 percent of students identify as Muslim, I still see the division.

Professional Development 21

Professional Development Advocacy Cultures Humanities 21

The Hechinger Report

JULY 21, 2022

Nicholls State’s department of teacher education, in partnership with Louisiana State University’s school of education and the Louisiana Sea Grant program based at the university, was awarded a two-year National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant for the project.

Controversial Topics 102

Controversial Topics Education Lesson Plan Artifacts 102

The Hechinger Report

JULY 5, 2022

Related: After the pandemic disrupted their high school educations, students are arriving at college unprepared. Faculty who participated in professional development opportunities like the Student Experience Project revised their syllabi to clearly signal their belief in student potential. There are some potential solutions.

Psychology 127

Psychology Professional Development High School Middle School 127

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 6, 2017

Notably: In reviews of 17 middle school math programs , just one was deemed standards-aligned across grades six to eight. Of the 14 elementary school math programs, only two products were found to be standards-aligned across grades K-5, again both published by nonprofits.

Lesson Plan 92

Lesson Plan Professional Development Tradition Middle School 92