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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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How to Thank a Teacher

Blogs on Student Engagement

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The Teacher is the Driving Force

Ben JohnsonSeptember 23, 2010

Tags Primary (K-2), Student Engagement, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

If something breaks at home, dad is the one to fix it. This was applied to me the other day when the dryer started making a clack-CLACK noise. I took it apart to see what was going on and I made a few adjustments to the drum and then put it back together. Low and behold, when my wife tried to dry some clothes, the drum would not turn. I knew immediately what the problem was.

The Hard Work and Exhilaration of Learning

Ben JohnsonSeptember 10, 2010

Tags Primary (K-2), Student Engagement, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Just two hundred more yards! Flip, push off, breathe. Right, left, right, breathe. Left, right, left, breathe. Long stroke, all the way forward and all the way back, deep. I can't get enough breath. Flip, push off, and breathe. Breathe again. You can do it, Ben!

News Flash: How Tiny Boosts to Personal Identity Improve Minority Students' Grades

EdutopiaAugust 18, 2010

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Mental Health, Mentoring, , Student Engagement, Teacher Development, All Grades, English Language Arts

A few years ago I wrote a story about a new piece of research that blew my mind. A group of Yale University researchers led by Geoffrey Cohen gave a bunch of Connecticut seventh-graders a 15-minute writing assignment. Half the children in this racially-diverse, working-class school were prompted to write about their personal values - a task designed to validate their identity and self-worth -- and half were assigned a more neutral subject.

Elementary Educator Asks: Does Merit Pay Turn Kids into Zombies?

Gaetan PappalardoAugust 17, 2010

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), Student Engagement, Teacher Compensation, Upper Elementary (3-5), English Language Arts, History, Physical Education, Visual Arts

Tap, tap, tap---tap, tap--tap. I'm sending a signal from down here in the muck, down here where the boogers are hard and the shoelaces are eternally untied. HELLO up there? In the 80's words of Def Leopard, "Is anybody out there? Is anybody there?" Call me crazy, but how come I don't see or hear serious discussion about what's going to happen to elementary school students and teachers when teacher evaluation is tied to test scores?

Help Students Set Up an Effective Writing Routine

Todd FinleyAugust 16, 2010

Tags Curriculum, Dropout Prevention, Student Engagement, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts

For students to write with ease and creativity, it is helpful for them to understand writing processes and writing routines. The paragraphs below take up the latter.

What LeBron Can Tell Us About Learning

Milton ChenAugust 9, 2010

Tags Education Reform, Performance Assessment, Student Engagement

In my last post, I lamented that LeBron James announced he was going to the Miami Heat the same day that Florida's Teachers of the Year were honored in Orlando, but media attention to these two events was totally misplaced. I also said that "basketball has a few lessons to teach us about learning.

Creating a Summer Reading Network

Andrew MarcinekJuly 26, 2010

Tags After-School Learning, Classroom Technology, Curriculum, Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Student Engagement, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, High (9-12), English Language Arts

This summer I created a summer reading network that allowed me to monitor the progress of my AP English Language students. They are reading 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose and I have asked them to read and annotate the text very closely. I also wanted to monitor their progress by questioning them throughout the summer at varying intervals and compose a response journal.

Learning Inside an Out-of-School Newsroom

Betty RayJuly 19, 2010

Tags After-School Learning, Career and Technical Education, Integrated Studies, Mentoring, Student Engagement, Technology Integration, High (9-12), California

Editor's Note: Our guest blogger this week is Elisabeth (Lissa) Soep, PhD, research director and senior producer at Youth Radio, a Peabody Award-winning, youth-driven production company in Oakland, California, with bureaus across the country and partners around the world.

Imagine an Education Nation: Six Leading Edges

Milton ChenJuly 14, 2010

Tags After-School Learning, Curriculum, Digital Divide, Leadership, Online Learning, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Team Teaching, Technology Integration, All Grades

My new book is just out, Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools (Jossey-Bass). You can preview it on Amazon. In it, I pose this challenge: "Imagine an Education Nation, a learning society where the education of children and adults is the highest national priority, on par with a strong economy, high employment, and national security."

Dr. Eric Brunsell, Edutopia's STEM Group Facilitator, Introduces Science Chat on Twitter (#scichat)

Betty RayJune 14, 2010

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Curriculum, Dropout Prevention, Integrated Studies, Leadership, Online Learning, Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, High (9-12), Science

Editor's Note: Our guest blogger this week is Eric Brunsell, who is the facilitator of both the STEM group on Edutopia as well as the bi-weekly #scichat (more below).