Blog

  • ​​​Preparing your students for college and/or a career

    Student working with robotics

    Success in the workplace begins in elementary and secondary classrooms. However, one study found that 75% of high school graduates don’t feel significantly prepared for college or a career despite graduation rates being at their highest levels since 2010. Another study found more than one-third of young professionals do not feel emotionally or behaviorally ready to enter the workforce. These statistics are underscored by the fact that employers are increasingly reporting difficulty finding enough candidates with the necessary technical and soft skills to fill open positions.

    Schools play a critical role in helping students gain the skills needed to pursue higher education or enter a career. Here’s a look at what it means to be college and/or career ready and some strategies for educators that support student success post-graduation.

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  • 4 tips for keeping students on track with learning through the holidays

    Students engaging with teacher in class

    The weeks leading up to the holiday season can be chaotic for educators. Special events commonly planned for this time of year can disrupt a classroom routine, while the frequent multi-day breaks between November and January can interrupt instruction. These factors, combined with student excitement about the holidays, can make the last two months of the calendar year some of the hardest for educational progress.

    Educators can create a solid foundation for continued learning once the holidays are over with careful strategizing and smart solutions. Here are a few ideas that can help students stay on track in their learning journey while enjoying the events and emotions that accompany this time of year.

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  • Empowering students with dyslexia to succeed with the right tools and strategies

    A teacher assisting a child with school work in class

    Students with dyslexia face unique challenges to learning. For example, they may find it difficult to memorize information or read aloud — both of which are skills that are critical to standard teaching practices. That’s why targeted interventions and accommodations are crucial.

    Up to one in five people in the U.S. has dyslexia, representing 80% to 90% of all individuals with learning disabilities. With early intervention and proper accommodation, students with dyslexia can succeed in P-12 classrooms and graduate from rigorous postsecondary and graduate-level programs.

    Educators can help make a difference by supporting these students and alleviating their challenges.

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  • Empowering English language learners for school success

    Teacher assisting young student with class work

    Approximately 1 in 10 students in U.S. public schools are classified as English learners or English language learners (students whose first language is not English) — and the number is rising. At the start of the pandemic, many experts worried this student demographic would fall behind, and the sentiment was not unfounded.

    While the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report revealed that 8th-grade English learners improved in reading comprehension scores from 2019 to 2022, which could be explained by a number of reasons, both the 4th-grade and 12th-grade cohorts did worse. Roy Loewenstein, a spokesman for the DOE, indicated that the score increase for the 8th grade EL cohort is “notable,” but the rest of the report is a “stark reminder” of the pandemic’s impact on all students nationwide.

    Here’s a look at the latest findings on English Learners’ proficiency gains and challenges — and strategies for better supporting their learning needs.

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  • Prepare your classroom for takeoff!

    Child with super hero cape and mask over eyes jumping off furniture

    The start of a new school year is an exciting time that offers a fresh start for both educators and students. In those first few weeks when you’re getting to know the individuals in your classroom and establishing a routine, a key piece of that process is developing a picture of how well each student is understanding the concepts you’re teaching. Getting a clear picture of student learning at the beginning of and throughout the year can help to inform and personalize instruction to each student's specific needs. 

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  • 4 ways K-12 educators can recharge this summer

    Woman reading a book

    K-12 educators are more likely to feel burnt out than workers in any other industry1 — and the gap is widening. While summer is typically seen as a break from school, the reality is that most educators spend their summers retraining and planning for the year ahead, which leaves little time for recharging.

    With teacher retention predicted to be one of the biggest challenges in K-12 in 2023,2 here’s how you can recognize the warning signs of burnout and find ways to battle burnout to prepare for a successful new school year.

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