Recent studies on student engagement self-perception and performance. The extent to which a student is engaged is a robust predictor of his or her ability to learn, get good grades and test scores, retain information and, ultimately, graduate. The 2016 Gallup Student Poll surveyed 900,000 public school students in grades 5-12 in 48 states. The … Continue reading Developing Hope & Resilience for Disengaged Students
Educators are starting to see that the traditional student information system (SIS) is no longer cutting it. There’s an ongoing shift towards systems that are modernized and focused on comprehensive student growth, with features to truly engage districts and promote student success. Typically, the SIS is defined to address (but is not limited to) seven … Continue reading Addressing the Focus, Data & Usability of a Modern SIS
Classrooms consist of a broad array of diverse learners. Each student comes to school with diverse learning needs, and teachers are being asked to satisfy those needs based on various factors: a student’s home language and culture, student prerequisite skills and knowledge, and learning styles. To support teachers in delivering a high-quality instructional program that … Continue reading Steps for Teachers & Site Leaders to Apply Differentiated Instruction
Imagine being on a sports team that’s competing in the Olympics. You belong to a very select group of individuals who are physically capable of excelling in a sport at the highest level. One day, the coach decides to cancel all scrimmages and qualifying events. Instead, she declares: “The only event that really matters is … Continue reading Building a Blueprint Around Formative Assessment
The state of student information systems (SIS) has changed significantly over the past decade. Traditionally, the focus of a student information system was to ensure users can manage different aspects of student data like attendance and grades, and report that data back to the state. The main goal for most districts was compliance. In recent … Continue reading Why You Need to “Think Different” About Your SIS
The goal of every school district is for students to be successful and educators agree that blended learning is an essential contributor to this success. But as with any new program, technology or approach, there are a number of factors that will increase the chances of successful implementation. In an effort to help schools and districts succeed in their … Continue reading Five Factors in Designing a Successful Blended Learning Model
Schools and districts frequently expend considerable resources putting in place a variety of interventions, operating procedures, curricula, professional development and technology systems. These include not only the cost of tangible products but often involve considerable dollars for staff training plus the hidden costs to students of having classroom teachers removed from the classroom.Most districts take … Continue reading Implementation: The Case for Using a Systematic Approach to Software Implementation