Make early retirement enticing to teachers Jessica Terrell For many districts, early retirement incentives are considered a good business practice—a way to cut top-heavy payrolls and replace teachers whose heart may no longer be in the classroom. But without good planning, these incentives can have unintended financial and academic costs. Read more>> Transform your classroom observations with eleot Sponsored by AdvancED We all believe in learner-centric classrooms but measure the quality of teaching through test scores and teacher observations. eProve eleot, the Effective Learning Environments Observation Tool, measures and quantifies active student engagement by looking at classroom expectations, feedback and learning support. Read more>> Stop innovating in schools. Please. Huffington Post The real innovation that we need in schools has little to do with technologies or tools or products designed to improve our teaching. The real innovation, instead, is in relearning why we want kids in schools in the first place. Any innovation we introduce must focus on creating fundamentally different experiences for kids in our classrooms. Read more>> Next generation adaptive learning: assess while learning math Sponsored by MATHia X by Carnegie Learning Real-time analysis of student work offers insight into student progress and areas of strength and weakness. The next generation of adaptive learning tools should provide simultaneous instruction and assessment to better inform educators to enhance student learning. Introducing MATHia X: the next generation is here. Read more>> Do schools' BMI screenings of students even work? CNN Twenty-one states require these BMI screenings or other weight-related assessment at schools, according to the State of Obesity annual report. But now a new study is raising questions on whether such screenings of students even work. Read more>> As easy as Amazon. Customized for K12 and higher education. Sponsored by Amazon Business for Education Amazon Business for Education has everything you love about Amazon, tailored to serve all types of schools from K12 schools to colleges and universities. Find everything you need for your school, including supplies for STEM, special education, physical education and classroom furniture. Read more>> Harvard has a brilliant plan for fixing America's schools Tech Insider Many schools need a lot of community help to fulfill their mission of teaching kids effectively and grooming them for life as capable adults. Faculty members at Harvard's Graduate School of Education are launching a national program that will help schools in six U.S. cities deal with specific local challenges that hinder students' success. Read more>> Restore the trigger allowing parents to force change Los Angeles Times As flawed as California's trigger law is, it provides a mechanism for the most disenfranchised families to force school officials to listen to them. Yes, it's a new era in accountability and that will take some time to iron out. But in the meantime, parents in the lowest-performing schools are tired of waiting for the latest grand policy from on high. Read more>> | 