It’s no secret that when schools make a concerted effort to foster healthy, strong relationships with families, students benefit in a number of ways. Studies suggest that parental involvement and communication can lead to academic gains for students: higher grades and test scores, improved social skills and time on task, better attendance and participation, and decreased behavioral problems in the classroom. But parent-teacher communication can be challenging, say teachers. In 2006, 50 percent of participants…
From formative and summative assessments to criterion-referenced and benchmark assessments, all types of learning assessments have unique function. But what are the types of learning assessments, and more importantly, when should you use them? If curriculum is the “what” of teaching and learning models are the “how,” then assessment is what challenges our assumptions about the what and the how. Assessment is commonly referred to as formative assessment–that is, assessment designed to inform instruction. Below,…
Counslr is a text-based mental health support application that provides unlimited access to live texting sessions with licensed professionals, 24/7/365. Users can access support on-demand within two minutes of opening the app, or by scheduled appointment. Through real-time texting, users enjoy one-on-one, private communication with a licensed counselor that can be conducted anytime, anywhere. Counslr was designed to help individuals deal with life’s day-to-day issues, empowering individuals to address concerns while they are “small” to…
A 2022 national survey of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth, ages 13-24, paints a clear, distressing picture of the trauma endured by LGBTQ+ students in America. Nearly three-quarters reported symptoms of anxiety, 58 percent reported symptoms of depression, and 45 percent said they had seriously considered committing suicide within the past year. However, the survey also shows that educators can make a very big difference. High school and college-aged LGBTQ+ youth who found their schools and…
On a Tuesday evening in 2019, about 80 parents and students gathered in Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. They were there for a night of post-secondary education planning. They reviewed statistics, heard school counselor recommendations, and spoke with college representatives. It’s a common enough scene–many high schools host college and career nights to help students and parents plan for the future, but this one had a twist: it was designed specifically for special education…
Mathematics is created by humans; math teachers are humans, and math students are humans. And yet many contemporary math classrooms erase humans from the equation. “Often mathematics is talked about as if it were apolitical, objective, and cold. A sterile textbook, a teacher writing on a chalkboard and rarely turning around,” said Sam Shah, a high school math teacher in Brooklyn, New York. For many students, that model of math class is unengaging or anxiety-provoking.…
For a few weeks in the spring of 2016, nearly all the eighth grade students at a small public school affiliated with Columbia University agreed to stay late after school to study math. They were preparing for a critical test, the New York State’s Regents examination in algebra. Half of the kids came from families that lived below the poverty line in Harlem and upper Manhattan. They attended a selective middle school and were advanced…
At its core, active learning relies on a collaborative, student-centered approach. As Vanderbilt University professor Cynthia J. Brame explains, “active learning approaches also often embrace the use of cooperative learning groups, a constructivist-based practice that places particular emphasis on the contribution that social interaction can make.” One would think that students embrace such a model, but an unexpected complication of creating a learning environment around active methods is sometimes a show of student resistance. After…
March is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day on March 8 is also a part of the celebration each year. For educators and students, the month provides a wonderful opportunity to explore and dig deeper into women’s contributions, struggles, and triumphs throughout history. Celebrate the accomplishments women have made during the course of history with the following Women’s History Month activities. 1. Research and personal interview. Invite students to produce a podcast featuring an…
Leap Day, on February 29, has been a day of traditions, folklore and superstitions ever since they were first introduced by Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago. According to an old Irish legend, St Brighid struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every four years. In Scotland, it used to be considered unlucky for someone to be born on leap…
