Trump addresses education during speech
President Donald Trump called education the “civil rights issue of our time” during his first speech to a joint session of Congress. He also called for legislation supporting school choice.
Full Story: U.S. News & World Report, Chalkbeat, Education Week (tiered subscription model)
Reading, play replace homework at one school
Research shows homework in elementary school may not boost academic achievement. Educators at a Vermont elementary school are testing a “no homework” policy that instead encourages reading, play and a good night’s sleep. Full Story: The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)
“7 Habits” improve middle-schoolers’ behavior
Behavior referrals are down at a Texas middle school that teaches “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens,” by Sean Covey, across all grades. Student leaders are taking the lead in teaching the seven habits.
Full Story: Odessa American (Texas)
Is texting the key to parent engagement?
Text-message alerts to parents regarding students’ academic performance and absences increase parental engagement, studies show. Peter Bergman and Eric Chan, of Teachers College, Columbia University, recently found that among middle- and high-school students whose parents received such texts, course failures were down 39% and class attendance was up 17%.
Full Story: National Public Radio
6 steps to make assessments meaningful
School leaders are working to make assessments more meaningful, writes Fred Ende with the Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in New York. In this blog post, he shares one district’s six steps to more meaningful assessments.
Full Story: SmartBrief/Education
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