Today, corporate users are not the only ones rapidly embracing mobile tablets for daily use--this transition has spilled over into the education sector. Schools have begun incorporating mobile devices such as iPads and other tablets into their curriculum. While this trend brings new and exciting educational opportunities, administrators and…

Policy shapes practice, and the increasingly important realm of professional development is no exception. To identify effective professional development policies and strategies, a Stanford University research team examined the policy frameworks supporting high levels of professional development activity in four states--(1) Colorado; (2) Missouri;…

Throughout American education, black boys and men have struggled for years. They graduate from high school and attend and complete college at disproportionately low rates. The overall college performance of black men is so poor that some college officials and advocates for black students are reluctant to even talk about the problem, for fear that…

"Blended learning" is using online tools to communicate, collaborate, and publish, to extend the school day or year and to develop the 21st-century skills students need. With blended learning, teachers can use online tools and resources as part of their daily classroom instruction. Using many of the online tools and resources students already are…

The use of data-driven practices to improve classroom instruction and student learning is part of public education accountability today. Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavioral Supports (PBIS), and the use of reading assessments (e.g., Dibels, running records) are examples of current initiatives that require teachers to collect and use…

In this article, the author discusses a teaching technique called "flipping" and describes how "flipping" the classroom can improve the traditional lecture. As its name suggests, flipping describes the inversion of expectations in the traditional college lecture. It takes many forms, including interactive engagement, just-in-time teaching (in…

Humor has not always been looked on with favor in academia. For centuries, the "ideal" professor was a paragon of serious academic pursuit with no time for frivolous commentary. There was nothing funny about the rigors of learning. However, a growing body of literature is emerging that documents the potential positive effects of the systematic and…

Since Finland emerged in 2000 as the top-scoring Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nation on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), researchers have been pouring into the country to study the so-called "Finnish miracle." How did a country with an undistinguished education system in the…

Schools are beginning to offer an increasing number of courses in social and emotional intelligence, teaching students how to better understand their own emotions and the emotions of others. It sounds warm and fuzzy, but it's a trend backed up by hard data. This article discusses what new studies reveal--that teaching kids to be emotionally and…

This article describes a program created to improve mathematics instruction in a school district's lowest-performing schools. The program was initiated as a partnership among the University of North Carolina, Action Greensboro (a group of six local foundations), and Guilford County Schools that had a goal of attracting a full complement of…

In his work as a professor, Stephen Downes used to feel that he was helping those who least needed it. His students at places like the University of Alberta already had a leg up in life and could afford the tuition. When a colleague suggested they co-teach an online class in learning theory at the University of Manitoba, in 2008, Downes welcomed…

Most faculty are thoughtful, innovative, open to new ideas--except when it comes to changing their teaching methods. Many merely mimic their teachers for years on end. Some even use old college notes to teach their classes throughout their careers. There are exceptions but they are just that--exceptions. Single one-way oral communication still…

Thomas Guskey, keynote speaker at the 2008 Phi Delta Kappa Summit on High-Performing Educators, urged attendees to become good leaders so they can lead the changes in education. But he warned that forging this path would take courage, similar to the courage displayed by the student in the photo as he stood before the tanks. The summit began with a…

Interactive, community-focused online tools--like Skype, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, wikis, and the educational software Blackboard--are becoming so dominant in the classroom that it's hard to imagine any professor or student making it through a week without them. Consider a recent survey conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group in…

The spread of a seemingly playful alternative to traditional diplomas, inspired by Boy Scout achievement patches and video-game power-ups, suggests that the standard certification system no longer works in today's fast-changing job market. Educational upstarts across the Web are adopting "badges" to certify skills and abilities. If scouting…