There are four key ways in which structured prekindergarten programs prepare children for kindergarten, including the development of social and fine motor skills, according to Nicole Spinks, a kindergarten teacher in Mississippi. In this commentary, she offers ways that educators and parents can give students the best possible start.
School leaders should make it easier for a range of stakeholders, including parents and teachers, to access and understand student data, according to the Data Quality Campaign. The group recently released a report on student data trends.
Amazon’s free library of open-education resources now is available. A feature that would allow educators to share the resources and lesson plans is not yet available on Amazon Inspire, but is expected in the next few weeks, according to a statement from Amazon.
The average high-school GPA rose from 3.27 to 3.38 between 1998 and 2016, according to a study by Michael Hurwitz, senior director at the College Board, and Jason Lee, a doctoral student at the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Researchers assert the spike points to a rise in grade inflation in high school — particularly in primarily white, wealthy schools — which affects the college admissions process.
Some educators are taking a more open approach to students’ use of mobile devices. Morgen Larsen, with the Northwest Council for Computer Education, says it’s time to shift from “staying ahead of the digital native” to allying “ourselves with our youth so they can help us protect them.”
Melissa Greenwood is the director of education content at SmartBrief.
____________________________________
This “most read” feature reflects the most read items in ASCD SmartBrief from the previous week. Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief’s education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.