The authors explain that the commonly held concept of project-based learning (PBL) as a student investigating a topic or creating something individually (a passion project) is only part of the PBL story. Projects in which students collaborate and do something to make a difference in their community are also a way to structure PBL and build agency.…

Throughout the pandemic, the Getting Smart team (which Tom Vander Ark leads as CEO) worked with public school districts in Kansas, Missouri, and Texas, as well as charter schools in six additional states to support hybrid, virtual, and return-to-school strategies and plans. During the year and a half that education systems spent in crisis…

Some bad ideas never seem to die, despite research showing they do not actually work. It can be hard to spot them at first. Those dispelled education theories that research shot down long ago. They creep up in studies, shuffling around mumbling in the reference lists, or moan loudly in blog posts. The author often stumbles across these…

Students need "critical data literacy" skills to help make sense of the multitude of information available to them, especially as it relates to high-stakes issues of social justice. The authors describe two curriculum modules they developed--one on income equality, one on immigration--that help students learn to analyze data in order to…

The extended switch to remote learning altered the lives and education of many students--and school leaders must adjust their approach to mitigate the harm. Levenson describes three shifts school leaders should make: providing rigorous, grade-level instruction to all kids, with extra learning time given to strugglers; focusing how we provide SEL…

In theory, rubrics are useful because they inform students of their level of achievement, providing detailed descriptions of a range of evaluation criteria. Teachers know it's best practice to continually update and tweak their rubrics in response to student performance and feedback. But the question remains: do students actually use these…

As the pandemic lessens slightly and schools begin to reopen, many voices urge schools to go down three faulty paths to recovery and improvement: using testing to address "learning loss," an unintegrated focus on social-emotional learning, or a push for continued ed tech and online learning. The authors suggest alternative paths that…

Over the last few years, the workplace, like school itself, has experienced change in unanticipated and disruptive ways. Many trends, such as a growth in the leisure and hospitality industry, came to a screeching halt while others, such as the demand for remote work, gained momentum. One thing that has remained consistent is this: the world of…

In "The Fifth Season," the Afro-futurist and speculative fiction writer N.K. Jemisin (2015) describes a world upended by massive climactic events that end typical seasonal cycles--introducing a fifth season of climatic emergency--and require a reorganization of society. As our planet Earth rapidly accelerates climatic change, educators…

The before and after of a professional learning event is as important as the event itself, says Fred Ende, author of "Professional Development That Sticks" (ASCD Arias, 2016). Here, he introduces the TAR Method (Think, Act, Review) to help give these phases their due.

It is time to mobilize whole child advocates behind the neuroscience of learning and development, write education professors Sara Rimm-Kaufman and Jacqueline Jodl. Here, they describe four key research findings on the brain and learning--and how to translate them into practice in order to support the whole child.

Deeper learning is great for exploring a topic in great depth, but it will fail if student motivation isn't taken into account. Researchers Eric Anderman and Adriana Calvit discuss how to align your deeper learning curriculum with motivational strategies for successful lessons.

When the pandemic took hold, the superintendent of Selma City Schools realized the strategic plan her district had in place wasn't enough. She shares the collective steps her team took to embrace change and rethink what school could look like from the ground up.

Douglas Reeves, school leadership expert and founder of the Equity and Excellence Institute, describes how we can use lessons from the pandemic to reshape teacher learning.

Group work has "a lot" going for it. It incorporates the social-cognitive and social-emotional aspects of learning and can lead to memorable, engaging lessons and increased learning for students. But group work can also fall flat--and cause student disengagement--if not carefully designed and assessed. This article presents four elements…