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

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More School Time, Well Spent, Boosts Academic Achievement and Engagement at Edwards Middle School

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Five Keys to Successful Social and Emotional Learning

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Blogs on All Grades

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The Fabulous GPS: Always Calm, Willing, and Right

Jim MoultonOctober 11, 2007

Tags Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

I recently bought a Garmin nüvi 360, one of those global-positioning-system (GPS) devices for your car that plots the best route to your destination and then vocally guides you along. It's really an amazing device, and one of many that has the ability to get you where you want to go no matter where you start. Add Bluetooth capabilities to this device so that your phone is fully hands free, and you're really doing great.

Challenging Our Assumptions: Finding the Roots of Educational Change

Stephen HurleyOctober 3, 2007

Tags Teacher Development, All Grades

My dad is an avid gardener, and, though the passion for planting and nurturing peonies and petunias has not rubbed off on me, I have learned from him a few things about living a richer life. One of the most important of these lessons relates to ways of approaching change.

Balancing the Classroom: Strategies for Sharing Responsibility

Ken MessersmithSeptember 26, 2007

Tags Classroom Management, Project-Based Learning, Service Learning, Student Engagement, Teacher Development, All Grades

A teacher in our local school district recently posted a question on one of our discussion boards: "I'm having a difficult time coming up with ideas on how to give my students more responsibility and freedom in my classroom. I am very structured and organized -- how can I give my eighth graders a little freedom in the classroom and retain structure and organization?"

A Place for PBL: Envision Schools's Project Exchange

Bob LenzSeptember 18, 2007

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development, All Grades, California

This is a guest posting from my colleague, Kyle Hartung, who has worked in small schools for ten years as a classroom teacher and instructional leader in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. As part of the Leadership and Instructional Team at Envision Schools, he coaches and facilitates professional development among school leaders and teachers.

How Are California's Charter Schools Measuring Up?

Diane Demee-BenoitSeptember 12, 2007

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Teacher Development, All Grades, California

Many people think of public charter schools as a way to increase student achievement and improve our public school system. However, many others believe charters divert resources from traditional public schools and don't meet up to accountability measures.

Too Sweet and Juicy: Can There Really Be Too Much of a Good Thing with Tech?

Jim MoultonSeptember 12, 2007

Tags Technology Integration, All Grades

Twenty-five years ago, I built my family home. I started the project in the summer of 1982, and my good friend Tim spent much of that summer working with me. The deal, loosely defined, was that I would supply all the food and other forms of sustenance in exchange for his help.

The Journey Continues: An Inspirational Message

Bob LenzSeptember 8, 2007

Tags Teacher Development, All Grades, California

Today, Envision Schools kicked off its fifth school year by opening a new school in Hayward, California, called Impact Academy. Our three other California schools -- City Arts and Tech and Metropolitan Arts and Tech, in San Francisco, and Oakland's Envision Academy -- started the school year, too.

Online Calendars: Virtual Schedules Help Busy Educators

Chris O'NealSeptember 4, 2007

Tags Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

This fall, let's kick it up a digital notch and start experimenting more with the technologies available to us. Depending on where you stand on the technology-pioneer continuum, you may be two steps ahead of me or looking at me cautiously from the side.

Can Educators Learn from Martyrs?: An Example of Four and the Lessons They Taught Us

Ken MessersmithAugust 23, 2007

Tags , Teacher Development, All Grades

My summer-reading list included the autobiographies of Mohandas Gandhi and Malcolm X, as well as a book about John F. and Robert Kennedy called Brothers, by David Talbot. Part of my motivation for reading these books came from a desire to understand the process of social change and how, perhaps, that process can help us change schools.

Start the Year Off Right: Ideas for Creating a Happy Classroom

Ken MessersmithAugust 17, 2007

Tags Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Teacher Development, All Grades

My two favorite times of the academic year are the beginning and the ending, and one of the best things about working in education is that we get all summer to recharge. As I gear up to start a new school year, I've been thinking quite a bit about beginnings.