Today’s education leaders increasingly take it upon themselves to tackle the external challenges their students and teachers confront beyond school hours. These varied solutions also stretch back into classrooms to enhance instruction and increase achievement. The 45 schools and systems recognized by this year’s District of Distinction program have created homegrown initiatives to support students’ […]

The K12 transportation landscape is getting increasingly complex, as districts wrestle with issues ranging from school choice and questions of equity to how to subsidize mass transit for urban students. In some districts, services that employ parents as drivers have rolled in to fill the gap. In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan has proposed making year-round, […]

Dozens of high schools across the nation are adding competitive video-gaming as it becomes one of the fastest-growing activities in both K12 and higher ed.

A frustrated student cries out “I can’t do it.” A teacher redirects: “You can’t do it, yet.” This may be the simplest way to define “growth mindset” the increasingly popular learning approach in which K12 leaders affirm their students’—and their staff members’—lifelong capacity to boost intelligence. “An individual with a fixed mindset has a fear […]

Administrators have closed or increased monitoring of school bathrooms. They have sent students for drug tests. They have even banned USB thumb drives. These actions reflect the wide range of responses district leaders have taken to curb the alarming increase in students’ use of vaping devices and e-cigarettes. “We’re very concerned that the emergence of […]

Dallas ISD’s morning drop-in centers for homeless high school students provide necessities such as take-home food, hygiene products and a place to wash clothes. The program’s managers say they also strive to offer an equally important, if less tangible, resource: trust. Homeless teens rarely tell anyone about their predicament because they’re afraid of “a multitude […]

Many elementary school students in Marion County Public Schools spend more than 20 minutes per night reading with family members. Parents in the central Florida district also report their children feel less stressed this school year.

Below you can find a list of professional development providers: Link to main story: PD beyond school classrooms Kronos, www.kronos.com PublicSchoolWORKS, corp.publicschoolworks.com SafeSchools, www.safeschools.com Scenario Learning, scenariolearning.com/safeschools Matt Zalaznick is senior associate editor.