The internet delivers assessments, videos and instructional content to schools, so why not phone service, too? Adding voice to the bandwidth communications stream makes sense to an increasing number of district leaders who are swapping traditional landlines for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP runs on broadband and Wi-Fi connections so people can make calls […]

Having less time and fewer resources is a continual challenge that administrators face today. So when there is a chance for apps to integrate, eliminating the need to enter the same student information twice in two different places, savvy leaders must maximize the opportunity. And one such opportunity was recently announced by Orbit Software. Its […]

As more states legalize medical marijuana, administrators grapple with whether to permit the substance on campus for students with certain health ailments. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia legalized medical marijuana in the past two decades. In June, Maine became the first state to require all school districts to create a policy on use […]

A recent federal court decision on the statute of limitations for families to take legal action against schools sheds new light on compensatory services provided to special education students when IEP goals are missed. Parents still must take legal action within two years, but they may seek several years’ worth of special education services, according […]

Several districts have found new ways to connect with and retain quality substitutes. Use social media. Tacoma Public Schools finds emergency substitutes via Facebook or Instagram who agree to be available when teachers call in sick. Allow subs to take bathroom and lunch breaks so they’re not working the entire day, says Andrea Giunta, senior […]

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Teachers and administrators face tough challenges in education. Politicians are constantly trying to micromanage our practices, while accountability measures are abundant and budgets are tight. Coming to work isn’t always pleasant when it feels like the odds are stacked against us. Improved collaboration and communication across district teams, and across school districts, can allow us […]

High-speed internet access increased substantially in classrooms over the past two years, a recent report says. But 21 million students, many in rural areas, remain without reliable broadband connections in the classroom, according to the “2015 State of the States” report from the nonprofit EducationSuperHighway. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of students […]