Exclusive: Study Finds COVID Harmed Cognitive Skills of Students — and Teachers
New working paper is believed to be the first to link weaker memory and diminished ‘flexible thinking’ skills to the pandemic’s academic downturn.
Chronic Underachievement and Disengagement: An International Crisis
Mental and neurological health has become one of the most pressing human issues worldwide, and its impact on children and adolescents has been especially profound. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, significantly disrupted school cultures, and the overall instability in all segments of society has exacerbated stress and anxiety among students, teachers, and principals.
Yes, Students Still Need to Memorize
Students have grown up relying on their calculators and Googling everything. During the pandemic more than ever before, tests were open books and open notes. It’s easy to believe that spending time memorizing vocabulary, formulas, and key facts is wasted. Not true.
Reducing Challenging Behavior: Simple Yet Effective Strategies to Restore Classroom Calm
Classroom management has become particularly challenging in a post-pandemic world. Fortunately, these three evidence-based strategies can reduce problems and form habits that will help you, and your students, thrive.
From the Back of the Classroom to the Director’s Chair: A Story of Hope and Learning
Dr. Greg King, Director of Research As the days become a lot shorter and a little cooler, we begin to reach the point where we settle into the routines of our day-to-day classrooms. We have made it to that in-between time where the first weeks of school excitement begins to fade and is often replaced…
Back-To-School 2023: How to Make This Year a Success
We love the promise of everything new this time of year. New classes. New people. Fresh notebooks. Sharpened pencils. Clean desks. It all has so much potential. And yet, it seems like that glow always quickly fades as realism sets in. How do I organize my notebooks? How do I take notes? How do I do…
Confirmed. School is Not Well. Now What?
The newly released 2022 NAEP data confirms everyone’s worst suspicions about student achievement: Students in ALL geographic and demographic categories lost ground during the pandemic Students fell behind in both math and ELA, though moreso in math The achievement gap worsened, as lower performing and lower incomes students had bigger declines SpED departments are near…
A Needed Refresh to the Traditional Parent-Teacher Conference
Our advice: Start with Listening, End with Shared Strategies! For most schools across the country, in-person parent-teacher conferences will resume this month for the first time in 3 years. Teachers and caregivers are likely feeling more anxiety than usual. The widely reported achievement declines, teacher burnout, curriculum debates, and student mental health challenges are undoubtedly…
Motivating Students Like Athletes
It’s a year where many teachers say their biggest challenge is student behavior, even more than learning gaps. Use these coaching strategies to improve academic behaviors by leveraging students’ mindset for sports, music, or other passion. Fortunately, a successful mindset absolutely can be a transferable skill. However, students might need help to see the connection…
Summer Plans for Unfinished Learning
The summer slide (i.e. lost learning during the summer months) is a challenge in any year but untenable in a year of already unfinished learning. Some advance planning will enable teachers to avoid distributing the often ineffective but somewhat obligatory “one size fits all” summer packet. Instead, identify the cause of the unfinished learning and provide students with the differentiated…