Which states top national school ranking?
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut top Education Week’s annual Quality Counts report. The report’s rankings consider factors such as academics, finance and socioeconomic factors.
Report: 10 ways to improve teacher preparation
Teacher-preparation programs should put pedagogical training at the center of course work, according to a report by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Clinical Practice Commission. The report offers strategies to help boost clinical practice in teacher training.
“All-hands-on-deck” approach helps cut absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism in an Iowa school district has declined to 13.1% from 18%. Superintendent Mike McGrory credits the reduction to an “all-hands-on-deck” approach across schools, with some instituting Student Success Committees and attendance certificates.
Study links student volunteerism, self-esteem
Helping, sharing and comforting others may boost students’ self-esteem, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescence. Researchers also found that helping strangers versus family and friends yielded more long-term benefits for teens.
Can quests help engage students?
Using quests in project-based lessons gives students more choice, which helps boost engagement, writes professor of technology, innovation and pedagogy Matthew Farber. In this blog post, he shares approaches — and tools — to support quests in learning.