Moving beyond compliance Fatme Faraj and Glenn M. Maleyko Evidence-based best practice is a hot topic in education, especially in regard to the proposed ESSA accountability system. It means that schools tailor their action plans to meet their individual student and school needs based on objective- and research-based models. This process provides for an internal accountability system and enhanced professional learning communities. Read more>> New book from storytelling phenomenon The Moth, All These Wonder Sponsored by Penguin Random House “Honesty matters. Vulnerability matters. Being open about who you were at a moment in time when you were in a difficult or an impossible place matters more than anything,” says Neil Gaiman, from the foreword of The Moth Presents All These Wonders. Request an exam copy. Read more>> The power of shifting to an active learning environment Getting Smart The field of education has experienced amazing advancements in the tools and methods teachers employ. But one element has remained essentially unchanged: the physical classroom environment with rows of desks and chairs facing a single direction. We need to evolve from this stagnant design to one that is innovative, flexible, colorful and engaging. Read more>> What the digital payment revolution means for schools Sponsored by Bursari It’s time to rethink “how we’ve always done it.” At 6:30 a.m., families want to make fast, easy and convenient online payments—not to write a check or find cash for school field trips, fees and other expenses. The digital payment revolution is here. Is your school ready? Read more>> A plague of empty desks U.S. News & World Report Granted, absenteeism is as old as school itself, but chronic absenteeism in not merely skipping class to hang out with friends, or the product of a particularly vicious flu season. Rather, it is an impediment to learning and, in too many cases, helps perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Educators must view chronic absenteeism as public schooling's top enemy. Read more>> What is Curriculum-as-a-Service? (Part 2) Sponsored by LearnZillion In Part 1, we discussed a new way of looking at curriculum. Instead of thinking of curriculum as a static product, like a textbook, Curriculum-as-a-Service (CaaS) takes a systems-thinking approach. But why is now the right time to move to CaaS? Read more>> Cramming for kindergarten The Hechinger Report Throughout the U.S., children from low-income families are less likely than their advantaged peers to go to preschool and more prone to spend their days at home or with relatives until kindergarten begins. Faced with this preschool shortage, districts across the country have turned to a cheaper, briefer alternative: preschool crash courses. Read more>> To heal our divided nation, require national service after high school San Francisco Chronicle Studies show that those students taking a “gap” year between high school and college work more seriously when they return to school; do better academically; and add to their employability in future years. National service would help in a similar way. Perhaps more significantly, national service would force those who don’t think alike to live, work and coexist. Read more>> | 