May 17, 2020
Ohio’s prolonged school closure has left many area schools scrambling to stay connected with students. Danielle Dachtler, a Brecksville resident teaching grades two through four at Cleveland’s Menlo Park Academy, is employing a creative approach to build and nurture the relationship between teacher and student. “Lunch bunches” -- virtual sessions with her pupils -- allow Dachtler to maintain a personal and intellectual connection to her gifted students during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read ArticleMay 20, 2020
For mother Carmen Rotert, this would have been her last high school send off. Her four boys, are now all adults. So, like always, a mom did her best to make things better. Krystal Cunningham, a Rio Rancho Public Schools teacher and mom with three graduates—two of them high school seniors—built a stage in her front yard so her community could have mini ceremonies.
Read ArticleApril 22, 2020
A teacher in Bloomington is getting noticed for going above and beyond to help a student who was struggling to learn virtually.Diane Siddons is a fifth grade teacher at St. Charles Catholic School.When one of her students was having issues grasping her math assignment through e-Learning, Siddons decided to pay her a visit.The student’s mother says Siddons asked if she could stop by and came equipped with a chair and her white board. Siddons then sat and taught from the yard while the student remained on the porch.
Read ArticleApril 22, 2020
Rain or shine, snow or 70 degrees, Joe Schallmoser suits up in uniform and hits the pavement. Schallmoser is the gym teacher and athletic director at Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove. For the past 15 consecutive days — weekends included — he’s visited his students and fellow staff members, stuck at home because of the coronavirus, and conducted a traveling gym class.
Read ArticleMay 7, 2020
Shenandoah Elementary fourth-grade teacher, Nicole Montgomery, is teaching her students from a distance and not in a way you might expect. Distance learning has gone the digital route for many local teachers, but Mrs. Montgomery decided that some in person time would be beneficial for her students. The fourth-grade teacher decided to make local porches and driveways her classroom.
Read ArticleApril 21, 2020
3 times a week, Jane Martineau prepares shadow puppet shows— to the cars that arrive at her home and the people 6 feet apart in her front lawn. Martineau is the director of theater at The Williams School in New London and in one of her classes she was teaching how to do shadow puppet shows from home and she figured why not do her own?
Read ArticleApril 27, 2020
Even as schools are closed, local teachers are still showing support for students outside of the classroom. When teachers and staff from P.M. Wells Charter Academy in Osceola County found out one of their students was not able to throw a party for his birthday, they decided to bring the party to him. Volunteers formed a caravan and drove by the middle school student’s house to surprise him for his birthday.
Read ArticleApril 26, 2020
Canceling prom was not an option at Madonna Learning Center. Students in junior high, senior high, the adult program and some teachers look forward to an evening of dancing each year, and Madonna instructors wanted to make sure the celebration was held. Planning a socially distanced prom came together quickly. “We knew a virtual prom was the only way we could pull this off,” she added.
Read ArticleMarch 31, 2020
Coronavirus wasn't going to stop Ms. P from seeing her students. Marina Porporino, better known as Ms. P at Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, was yearning for her 24 third-grade students. On March 24, she found a way to say hello and drop off some schoolwork.
Read ArticleMay 21, 2020
One senior performing arts student from the Lawrence Woodmere Academy will be able to take one final bow in an upcoming virtual awards show. LWA senior Harrison Schwartz will be one of 50 theater students that will take part in the 10th annual Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance. The show will be held online on June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Read ArticleMarch 19, 2020
Suddenly everything is uncertain. Everyone in the education system is facing a deluge of questions as parents and teachers struggle to figure out how to continue students' learning when the school building is closed.
Read ArticleMarch 19, 2020
Charter Communications is offering free broadband access to new customers whose households include schoolchildren or college students to help them stay connected during the coronavirus outbreak.
Read ArticleMarch 19, 2020
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asking people to cancel gatherings of 10 or more people for the next two weeks, or hold events virtually, many students have been left with school musicals, performances, and plays that will never make it to center stage. So Broadway star Laura Benanti took to social media to be their audience.
Read ArticleMarch 19, 2020
Comcast announced Thursday it will be increasing speeds for the Internet Essentials program, and making the program free to new low-income customers for two months, amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Read ArticleSeptember 23, 2019
In February 2017, I was a digital coach at Pinecrest Academy St. Rose, a middle school in Las Vegas, where I supported teachers and students with tech-based initiatives. A colleague of mine was teaching about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and his U.S. history students wanted to learn more. I contacted Clint Hill, who worked as a Secret Service agent and witnessed the shooting in Dallas in 1963, and asked if he could speak to the class. Hill, who had served in Jacqueline Kennedy’s Secret Service detail, agreed to do a live session from San Francisco.
Read ArticleSeptember 23, 2019
The Maryland School for the Blind will host the first official competitive blind youth soccer match in the United States on Tuesday, September 24, at 1:00 pm when the MSB Bees take on the Virginia School for the Blind Chiefs on the athletic fields at MSB.
Read ArticleSeptember 20, 2019
With a new school year underway at the Henry Viscardi School at The Viscardi Center in Albertson, one new staff member is already having a major impact on the students. Sunny, a yellow Labrador retriever trained by the Guide Dog Foundation in Smithtown, joined the K-12 school for children with disabilities as a facility dog. In this role, Sunny’s daily tasks include greeting and saying goodbye to students, motivating students during physical and speech therapy sessions, providing a non-judgmental partner during reading activities, pushing power door buttons, walking with students as a reward, and acting as a social and emotional learning tool.
Read ArticleSeptember 11, 2019
Nearly 20 years later, a group of local students is making sure no one ever forgets the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks. On Wednesday, Horizon Science Academy Toledo students climbed more than 100 stories in the Glass Bowl at The University of Toledo (UT) to honor the trek first responders made that day.
Read ArticleSeptember 10, 2019
An education tailored to your child's needs is exactly what you can expect to get from Iowa Virtual Academy at K12. Check out how accommodating online education can be for students with disabilities. Than you for Iowa Virtual Academy for celebrating National School Choice Week this year.
Read ArticleSeptember 5, 2019
Unity Charter School has been recognized as a Positive Discipline Association Lab School, announced school officials. Since its inception in 1998, the school has believed that learning spans beyond textbooks, and that education is most valuable when it prepares students to face the real-world challenges of today and tomorrow. The school’s implementation of the Positive Discipline Program has taught students respect of self and of others, which in turn, fosters a healthy learning environment.
Read ArticleSeptember 2, 2019
GOAL Academy High School, a statewide charter school headquartered in Pueblo, has been selected by Microsoft as a Microsoft Showcase School for excellence in demonstrated student outcomes resulting from a commitment to educational transformation. The award is validation for GOAL Academy’s commitment to educational leadership through innovation and technology and amplifying the use of technology to drive school-wide achievement and efficiency.
Read ArticleSeptember 5, 2019
A barbershop in an Indianapolis high school is mentoring male students to be the best they can be through grooming and guiding. Fred Yeakey is not only the vice principal of Culture and Mission at Providence Cristo Rey High School, but he's also the school barber. "A haircut is not about your initial cut. It's much like life," Yeakey said. "It's not always about getting a fresh cut it's about maintaining what you have."
Read ArticleSeptember 4, 2019
A compact between the Roaring Fork School District and several area charter schools has not only improved inter-school relations, but could make it easier for parents when it comes to school choice. One outcome of the three-year effort to improve collaboration among the schools — whether they operate under the school district, or not — is the ongoing development of a common timeline for enrollment each year.
Read ArticleSeptember 3, 2019
Growing up in Riverside, Anna Tess had a pretty normal and happy childhood. She performed well in school, excelled in athletics and maintained close friendships with her neighbors and peers. However, there was one thing that set her apart from the rest. Tess, who was born profoundly deaf, relied on the assistance of hearing aids and a cochlear implant to navigate all aspects of everyday life.
Read ArticleAugust 16, 2019
Two more Clark County School District Magnet Schools have been named National Certified Magnet Schools: Rancho High School and Roy W. Martin Middle School. Magnet Schools of America recognized both schools this week for their efforts surrounding high-quality, innovative curriculum and instructional programs that promote choice, equity, diversity and academic excellence for all students.
Read ArticleAugust 15, 2019
The Iredell County Public Library is working to provide students with programs they can use year-round to enhance their education, from tutoring to interactive events. The library had approximately 3,000 in attendance for its summer reading program. Now that school has started, it has no plans to slow down, said Carole Dennis, youth services manager for the library. To keep this momentum, the library is providing unique services during the school year.
Read ArticleAugust 30, 2019
Wanda Baker is starting her 30th year as a Guilford County Schools Bus Driver. “I just can't let go,” said Baker, who says she does it for the school kids. “Every time my kids get off the bus, ‘it's have a good day’ because I want them to have a good day.” Generations of kids have stepped on her bus for a ride to school and many lessons on life.
Read ArticleAugust 17, 2019
The Madonna Learning Center in Germantown celebrated a monumental anniversary Friday. It's now been 50 years since the school opened, and for decades it's been a place for children and young adults with special needs to learn and grow. The Madonna Learning Center began in 1969 and it all stemmed from one man who was advocating for his son.
Read ArticleAugust 20, 2019
A College of DuPage student and his brother developed an innovative learning device for elementary kids and students with disabilities who struggle with classroom transitions. The Lumino Visual Timer was created by Parker and Keaton Duwelius of Naperville, and is designed to display the passage of time through visual and vibration feedback.
Read ArticleOctober 25, 2019
Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week and author of the new book, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child, is the Newsmaker Interview guest this week on The Learning Curve. Bob talks with Andrew about the many school choice options available to parents, and the steps they can take to find the right educational environment for their children.
Read ArticleOctober 21, 2019
Andrew Campanella (@andrewrcamp)is the president of National School Choice Week, which has grown under his leadership from 150 events in 2011 to more than 40,000 in 2019. He is the author of the forthcoming book, 'The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child, a guidebook that helps parents identify education environments that meet their children’s needs. (Beaufort Books, January 2020). Andrew joins Jeanne on this Episode 76 of Reality Check to talk about his journey to the choice movement, how his interactions with hundreds of parents have shaped and sharpened his understanding of how choice plays out in parental decision-making surrounding their children's education, and why he is optimistic about the future of education in America.
Read ArticleAugust 20, 2019
Roderick McConico is just as much a counselor as he is a school resource officer. McConico serves as the SRO for Sumiton Elementary, Sumiton Middle and Sumiton Christian schools. For McConico, his number one priority is keeping the school campuses safe, but he's also on a mission to encourage the students who see him on a daily basis.
Read ArticleAugust 30, 2019
LOGAN – The Kiwanis Club of Logan annually recognizes 5th grade students throughout Cache Valley who are good academically, are problem solvers and have a positive value set. The service club recognizes students in 35 different schools throughout the area every year with what is referred to as the Hope of America Award. Preston Parker, current president of the Kiwanis Club of Logan, recently realized that numerous siblings from the same family have been recognized with the award over the last several years.
Read ArticleOctober 15, 2019
Did you catch Andrew Campanella's interview with the School Dazed podcast? He shared all about school choice around the country and his top tips for parents looking for a new school for their children. You can find it at fbrn.us.
Read ArticleSeptember 5, 2019
Check out how these Florida Prep students put the concerns of their community before their own needs when Hurricane Dorian struck. The students were invited to join The Red Cross in preparing sandwiches for those in the local community evacuated to shelters. Way to be impactful! Thank you Florida Prep for celebrating National School Choice Week for three years.
Read Article"Shining a spotlight on effective educational options for every child"