Public relations preparedness: Strategic communications are crucial Jennifer Abrams Positive public relations experiences are critical to our survival as public entities and, unfortunately for many school leaders, we face an uphill climb. According to a June 2016 Gallup poll, only 30 percent of Americans feel “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in public schools, down from an equally disheartening 36 percent when the survey was administered a decade earlier. Read more>> Online language learning implementation toolkit Sponsored by Rosetta Stone Education Created in partnership with GettingSmart, this toolkit helps you navigate through the steps needed to implement an online language program in your school or district. Learn what your options are and how to set up your team for a successful implementation. Read more>> Pre-K isn't just academic U.S. News & World Report When it comes to pre-K, we seem to have forgotten that raising kindergartners' scores on tests of basic academic skills is not the goal of early human development. The goal is helping children develop into contributing, self-sufficient, happy people, from elementary school into adulthood. Unfortunately, pre-K's effects on children's social, emotional and behavior development has barely been studied. Read more>> Focus on The Family Romanov, an award-winning nonfiction book Sponsored by Penguin Random House "Marrying the intimate family portrait of Heiligman's Charles and Emma with the politics and intrigue of Sheinkin's Bomb, Fleming has outdone herself with this riveting work of narrative nonfiction that appeals to the imagination as much as the intellect," states The Horn Book in its starred review of The Family Romanov, winner of the Boston Globe'sHorn Book Award for Nonfiction. Request a free copy. Read more>> Male teacher shortage affects boys who need role models USA Today Only about 24 percent of all teachers were male in 2012, with just one in 10 men teaching elementary school students. One researcher says a number of factors contribute to the shortage, but a big one is that many people still believe the role of an elementary teacher is better suited for women. Read more>> Why grades are not paramount to achievement The Atlantic While parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills. Read more>> Students don't know where to turn for mental health services Education Dive While young adults place a pronounced value on their mental health, many of them do not know how to access resources that can increase their ability to deal with stress, anxiety and other mental health issues, according to a new survey. Properly investing in staff and teacher development could go a long way in offering students in school the means to help themselves. Read more>> | 