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We share evidence-based K-12 learning strategies that empower you to improve education.

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Global Competence: Teaching Young Learners to Take Action for Worldwide Impact at John Stanford International School
Teacher talking to her elementary school class sitting in circle
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Quiet Transformation at an Embattled School
Quiet Transformation at an Embattled School
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A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning

Blogs on Education Trends

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Get insight from educators on the latest ideas and innovations changing the way students learn.

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Personalized Learning Resources for Mobile Educators
Dr. Joe MazzaFebruary 6, 2013
Tags Media Literacy, Mobile Learning, Teacher Development, Technology Integration

I have a 45-minute commute to Knapp Elementary School each morning. Aside from sipping on my coffee, I'll tune into Philly sports radio, some Mumford & Sons or maybe even some local news. However, in December, my commute took a more reflective turn when I discovered an edu-podcast called #EdChat Radio that is now helping me think deeper in a quiet space away from the presence of students, teachers, parents and community members. As an educator and learner, making time to reflect on where your learning community is hitting or missing the mark is invaluable.

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How Will Common Core Change What We Do?
Erin PowersFebruary 5, 2013
Tags Accountability, Common Core Standards, Curriculum, Education Reform, Integrated Studies, All Grades

As full implementation of Common Core State Standards nears, educators are searching for answers to three questions: 1) What are the CC State Standards? 2) How will they change what I do? and 3) Why are they here? Some of the details are frustratingly elusive as various groups -- publishers, school districts, states, and universities -- jockey for positions in the first post-NCLB initiative.

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Girls and Science: A Dream Deferred
Ainissa RamirezJanuary 31, 2013
Tags Achievement Gap, Education Reform, All Grades, Math, Science

This blog post is an excerpt from Save Our Science: How To Inspire a New Generation of Scientists by Ainissa Ramirez (TED Books).


The 21st century requires a new kind of learner -- not someone who can simply churn out answers by rote, but a student who can think expansively and solve problems resourcefully. As a scientist and inventor, a longtime professor at Yale University, and a woman who has always been passionate about getting kids excited about science, I believe that the key to this goal is to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. These disciplines are rooted in the kind of thinking that is now critical. One of the most important aspects of this shift is to fix the false presumption that girls are not as good as boys in science and math.

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Rivers and Streams: Reflections on São Paulo's Innovate 2013 Conference
William TolleyJanuary 30, 2013
Tags Education Reform, Leadership, Professional Development, Teacher Development, All Grades

"Every day is a workshop." -- Will Richardson

Innovate 2013, hosted by Graded School in São Paulo, ended last Sunday, and now hundreds of freshly-charged innovators are heading back to their schools from as close as Sampa itself to as far away as Mumbai. Reactions to the conference were overwhelmingly positive and the sessions I attended were first class.

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Five More Principles to Radically Transform How We Teach Computer Programming
Ajit JaokarJanuary 28, 2013
Tags Best Practices, Career and Technical Education, Technology Integration

Following the previous post about teaching programming languages to kids, here are five more strategies which we are using in our trials at feynlabs. Our goal is to maintain young people's interest in learning programming so that the participants will acquire enough depth to take independent steps beyond what they learn. As usual, I welcome comments and feedback

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Five Principles to Radically Transform How We Teach Computer Programming
Ajit JaokarJanuary 25, 2013
Tags Best Practices, Career and Technical Education, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Today, there is a grassroots movement for teaching programming languages to kids.

Some of the factors driving this movement include new devices like the Raspberry Pi1, initiatives like Khan Academy2, and a greater global emphasis on math and science education. For policy makers, the stakes are high because computing skills are now seen as an indicator for a nation's economic competitiveness.

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New Reasons to Dislike Multiple-Choice Testing
Terry HeickJanuary 23, 2013
Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Education Reform, Standardized Testing, All Grades

The multiple-choice problem is becoming a bit of an issue.

While it has been derided by educators for decades as incapable of truly measuring understanding, and while performance on such exams can be noticeably improved simply by learning a few tricks, the multiple choice question may have a larger, less obvious flaw that disrupts the tone of learning itself. This is a tone that is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century as access to information increases, as the updating of information happens more naturally, and as blended and mobile learning environments become more common.

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Change the Subject: Making the Case for Project-Based Learning
Rob RiordanJanuary 17, 2013
Tags Curriculum, Education Reform, Project-Based Learning, Service Learning, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

What should students learn in the 21st century? At first glance, this question divides into two: what should students know, and what should they be able to do? But there's more at issue than knowledge and skills. For the innovation economy, dispositions come into play: readiness to collaborate, attention to multiple perspectives, initiative, persistence, and curiosity. While the content of any learning experience is important, the particular content is irrelevant. What really matters is how students react to it, shape it, or apply it. The purpose of learning in this century is not simply to recite inert knowledge, but, rather, to transform it.1 It is time to change the subject.

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Why Mathematical Practices Matter as Much as the Content
José VilsonJanuary 16, 2013
Tags Curriculum, All Grades, Math

I have a confession to make: at some point this year, I realized that there’s a difference between the teacher I would love to be and the teacher I currently am.

Most teachers want to do interdisciplinary projects, project-based learning and every other education phrase with the words "exploration" and "project" in it. Despite evidence to the contrary, their reality of having to teach directly to a standardized test (ultimately affecting their municipality's perception of them) casts a longer shadow on them than even the bravest of us want to admit.

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Parent Involvement in Early Literacy
Erika BurtonJanuary 8, 2013
Tags Best Practices, Literacy, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), English Language Arts

Parent involvement is the number one predictor of early literacy success and future academic achievement. However, according to a 2007 report by National Endowment for the Arts, there are more literate people in the United States who don't read than those who are actually illiterate. How do we change that pattern for the future of our children?

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Progress, Not Perfection: Three Tips for Your Journey
by Lisa Michelle Dabbs
Posted May. 30, 2013. 4:00 pm GMT
Using E-Portfolios in the Classroom
by Mary Beth Hertz
Posted May. 30, 2013. 9:08 am GMT
Seven Ways to Prevent Summer Learning Loss
by Barbara Dianis
Posted Jun. 11, 2013. 2:56 pm GMT
Teacher Burnout: Four Warning Signs
by Nicholas Provenzano
Posted May. 22, 2013. 7:17 am GMT
Transformation Begins With Reflection: How Was Your Year?
by Elena Aguilar
Posted Jun. 4, 2013. 7:23 am GMT
Classroom Behavior? There's an App for That
by Lisa Mims
Posted Jun. 13, 2013. 9:55 am GMT
A Curriculum of Concerns
by Mark Phillips
Posted May. 23, 2013. 3:30 pm GMT
Summer Reading for Educators: My Favorites
by Mark Phillips
Posted May. 30, 2013. 12:01 pm GMT
The Common Core: Haven't We Been Here Before?
by Dr. Allen Mendler
Posted Jun. 7, 2013. 1:47 pm GMT
Teach with Your iPhone: Apps to Use in the Classroom
by Monica Burns
Posted Jun. 10, 2013. 11:08 am GMT
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