Written during the pandemic and vaccines, the challenge in writing this book is the desire to offer best wisdom and practices now and also make sure that this publication has a shelf life beyond this pandemic. We are living in a time when Catholic schools need to make deep changes, and for that to happen when leaders don't know what the next day…

Teaching literacy leadership in either a traditional or online era requires that candidates make strategic decisions, build bridges among colleagues, and select from a palate of available literacy coaching models that fits their school context and identified goals. This article explores a theoretical framework guiding literacy leadership,…

Technology unequivocally has the potential to influence every aspect of our lives as it is intimately involved in every part of daily routines. The role of technology, specifically media, influences learning, according to Suzie Ehmann, is a provocative topic. Incongruous views of media's impact on learning range from those that view educational…

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that schools provide instruction to learners and these changes may last for an extended period of time. One current trend is the use of hyflex instruction, which involves teachers providing instruction to students simultaneously in the classroom and online. This form of instruction provides unique challenges…

Among many consequences of the pandemic was an abrupt switch to virtual instruction coupled with feelings of isolation around mandated lockdowns. This situation pushed us to humanize our mathematics classes in ways we had not done previously. Our takeaway from this experience is that community building must be done intentionally and actively. The…

For better and worse, the COVID-19 crisis will necessarily advance a number of instrumental responses for online education under the global shutdown of face-to-face classrooms. COVID-19 has accelerated but did not begin the move to online education. This essay asks its readers to consider the online environment and the shutdown of face-to-face…

One of the goals of a teacher, regardless of subject area, is to help students become digitally and technologically literate. Technological literacy is much more than just knowledge about computers and their applications. It involves every person having a degree of knowledge about the nature, behavior, power, and consequences of utilizing…

This paper provides a novel instructional methodology that is designed to conceptually address the four main challenges faced by 21st century students, who must learn in a multitude of educational settings (face to face, hybrid and online). The online learning neuroscience supported instructional methodology detailed in this article also provides…

Today, nearly all states either offer or allow digital learning in some form, with instruction provided by a variety of providers. This instruction typically takes one of three forms: (1) Full-time virtual schools: Students take their entire course load online via an independent, charter, or district-sponsored program; (2) Blended learning models:…

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…

Individual teachers, administrators, and parents made tremendous efforts to continue educating the Commonwealth's children between March and June of this year. But no amount of dedicated individual effort could have overcome fundamental challenges: weak guidance to districts from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) against…

Practically overnight, the spread of COVID-19 caused a sudden shutdown of classroom-based instruction--the centuries-old emblem of formal education. Fortunately, the capabilities of the technological era--in which broadband connectivity, mobile communication, and video conferencing are increasingly common--meant that for the first time in world…

Universities globally have continued to strategically increase work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students to enhance graduate employability. However, meeting the needs of the increasing number of placements in industry settings places challenges on employers and academic programme coordinators. This paper examines an innovative…

With increasing interest in competency and outcome-based education, and the blending of formal and informal learning, there is increasing need for credentials to match these learning paradigms. In this article, the authors discuss the benefits, challenges, and potential future directions for open digital badges--one potential alternative…

The growing presence of online courses is rapidly changing the landscape of higher education. As a result of the explosive spread of the Internet, and its evolution from mere a search engine to a social medium where multiple interactions are common, online learning is becoming a commonplace alternative to traditional face-to-face instruction in…