Mastery-based model catches on at N.C. school
A North Carolina math teacher who integrated a mastery-based learning approach in her fourth-grade classes has shown so much success with the model that other educators at the school are adopting it. Molly Nealeigh says her students can work at their own pace to master the material, which allows her to work more closely with struggling students.
Full Story: The Hechinger Report
Elementary school balances play, learning
Elementary-school students need ample time for recess and scheduled “brain breaks,” asserts Lori Koerner, a principal at Tremont Elementary School in New York state. In this commentary, she shares that students in her own school balance academics with 50 minutes of recess daily, formal yoga instruction and more breaks to help students refocus — all while increasing instructional time.
Full Story: District Administration magazine online
Principal gets free laundromat installed on campus
A New Jersey high school now has a free laundromat on campus to help students who were being bullied because of their dirty clothes. Principal Akbar Cook was able to have the laundromat installed thanks to a $20,000 grant from a foundation linked to New Jersey utility company PSE&G.
Full Story: CNN
How does flexible seating support learning?
After researching and observing how students learn, seventh-grade English-language arts teacher Brooke Markle writes that she decided to remove students’ desks from her classroom. In this blog post, Markle describes the benefits of her classroom’s flexible seating arrangement, such as increased collaboration.
Full Story: Edutopia online
3 proactive strategies for SEL
Schools should not wait until there is a crisis to teach students about social and emotional learning, but should integrate the practices in daily classroom lessons, asserts Christina Pirzada, program manager for SEL at Newsela. In this commentary, she shares three approaches a school could use to adopt an SEL mindset and build positive relationships with its students.
Full Story: The Hechinger Report
Audrey Altmann is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief.
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