Is Handwriting Better Than EdTech in the Classroom?

As 1-to-1 and BYOD* initiatives proliferate in K12 education across the country, keyboarding skills increasingly are taking precedence over handwriting instruction in elementary school classrooms. In June, Scientific American cited a 2014 study by psychologists at the University of California Los Angeles and Princeton found that college students who took notes using longhand had better retention and understanding of lecture information than students who took notes on laptops. In light of these findings, educators may want to seek a balance between instruction in keyboarding and handwriting skills, particularly in the elementary grades.

Teacher Collaboration: A Key to Success!

Kentucky educator and “teacherpreneur” Paul Barnwell eloquently blogged this week about the fact that teachers need more time to plan and collaborate to improve education. “With so much on our plates, and few opportunities to scale solutions outside of the classroom, we teachers are longing for expanded opportunities to share what we know and can learn from one another. But we …

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Teachers Credit Positive Classroom Culture to Bridges in Mathematics

  The Math Learning Center recently released the second edition of Bridges in Mathematics for grades K-5, and Learning List has just reviewed the new set of products.  Bridges is a comprehensive, inquiry-based program that creates a cooperative community of learners in the elementary mathematics classroom by blending teacher-led instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration of math concepts. The Bridges …

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May Texas School Districts Use Instructional Materials Aligned to the Common Core Standards?

Today, the Texas Attorney General issued the much-anticipated opinion GA 1067, addressing “Use of the Common Core State Standards Initiative by Texas school districts to teach state standards.” We were among the sources asked whether the AG’s opinion prohibits Texas school districts from purchasing instructional materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Austin American-Statesman has a brief article …

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How to Align Resources Without Bias

For the first time, the Texas ASCD* Ignite ’14 Conference is providing a marketplace area for conference attendees to review Exhibitors’ best practices for learning, teaching and leadership in education. Nearly 20 providers will be showcasing their solutions and services at Ignite ’14 from June 16 to June 18 at the Embassy Suites DFW in Frisco, Texas. Walter McKenzie, a …

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JOIN US for a RECEPTION at ISTE

As school leaders prepare for the 2014-2015 school year, one challenge remains in the forefront of Superintendents’ and Curriculum Directors’ minds: With thousands of instructional materials to choose from, how can we choose the right standards-aligned resources for our students’ needs? Recently featured on NPR , Learning List is a low-cost, subscription-based instructional materials review service for schools and districts. Think of Learning List as a combination of Consumer …

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The Road to Singapore Math – Customized for U.S. Students

Since the mid-1990s, Singapore’s students have ranked at the top of international comparisons of mathematics scores on exams such as the TIMSS and PISA. Given this success, many U.S. schools have sought to implement Singapore’s model of math instruction, which focuses on developing a deep understanding of numbers and concepts. To support these efforts, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt worked with Marshall …

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Increased Math Scores Attributed to Reasoning Mind Curriculum

Reasoning Mind is an interactive, online, mathematics curriculum that provides individualized instruction for students in grades 2-6. Reasoning Mind’s case studies showed that students who used their curriculum in 5th and 6th grades were more than twice as likely to accelerate into Algebra I in 8th grade as non-Reasoning Mind students.

3 Options for Teaching to the Common Core Standards

As millions of students across the country embark on their summer vacation, thousands of schools will be working hard to re-architect the textbooks, lesson plans and homework that will be needed to launch Common Core curriculum during the next school year. A recent article about Common Core implementation (Teachers Hit the Common Core Wall), cited three options school administrators, curriculum directors …

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Where Does Funding for Instructional Materials Come From?

Few states make a specific appropriation to districts for the purposes of purchasing instructional materials and/or technology. South Carolina, Florida, and Texas are among the states that do. In Texas, the funds for the Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) begin at the Permanent School Fund (PSF), which was created by the legislature in 1854 with a $2 million appropriation for the …

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