Guns in school? Laura Carno and Deborah Gordon Klehr There are few topics as divisive among administrators, parents and communities as the prospect of firearms in the classroom. More states are open to consider allowing staff to be armed. Laura Carno, the founder and executive director of FasterColorado.com, and Deborah Gordon Klehr, the executive director of the Education Law Center in Pennsylvania, offer two perspectives on this highly charged issue. Read more>> Share e-books and audiobooks across districts Sponsored by OverDrive Education Learn how one education cooperative used a shared collection to overcome non-existent budgets and provide e-books and audiobooks for 50,000 students in more than 100 K12 schools. Read more>> Congress must preserve, improve professional growth for teachers The Hill Despite all the expectations we place on teachers, we do not provide them with the same level of sustained professional development that we require for other demanding professions. It is not surprising, then, that rates of professional dissatisfaction, teacher burnout and attrition continue to increase, particularly in high-need school districts. Read more>> Discover the inside story of the civil rights movement Sponsored by Penguin Random House In the National Book Award-winning March Trilogy graphic memoir, Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis and co-author Andrew Aydin bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today's world. Request an exam copy. Read more>> Education by the numbers The New York Times There are as many American public school educations as there are students. One shared factor that affects a vast number of them, however, is race. The statistics suggest how much has changed — and not changed — in the more than 60 years since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education was supposed to make education equally accessible to all Americans. Read more>> From RTI to MTSS Sponsored by Istation From progress monitoring to implementation, learn how blended learning supports differentiation for all students. This intervention e-book from Istation shows how formative assessments, data-driven instruction and computer-adaptive lessons transform schools. Read more>> Houston students are heading back—what they find could change schools nationwide NPR Leaders are positioning public schools as the place to address students' needs from the physical to the social and emotional. This is in tune with a growing emphasis, in districts across the country, on going beyond the strictly academic when thinking about the jobs schools must do. Read more>> Case study: implementing positive behavior intervention on the bus Sponsored by First Student, Inc. In 2013, Wausau School District's positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) coach, Kathy Guthman, noticed a trend in student conduct and sparked discussion about next steps in the district’s PBIS program. “I found the school bus to be the 3rd highest problem area." Find out how Wausau partnered with First Student to reduce behavior incidents on the bus. Read more>> Focusing on student motivation and character instead of behavior rewards KQED Handing out rewards when students behave well seems like an effective strategy for encouraging civility. But social science research has concluded that giving rewards for certain behaviors can be futile and harmful. In one school in Florissant, Missouri, educators focus on incorporating character development instead. Read more>> | 