Education Leadership

Matthew Lynch published in Digital & Mobile Technology, Education Leadership, Teachers November 30, 2017

5 Ways to Improve Your District’s Digital Leadership

Educators are counting on your digital leadership and your support to help everyone embrace edtech. Here are five ways you can help them embrace digital technology.

1. Recognize Concerns

Change doesn’t come easy for everyone, especially in the digital technology space. Educators stress about their ability to fully implement technology in the classroom and their workspace – even after decades of classroom technology. Nine out of ten teachers will agree that ed tech is here to stay, and yet only 40% of teachers report being prepared to implement it competently and confidently.

Worries about digital footprints, security, and privacy, or something else, can slow the adoption process unless you intervene.

2. Walk the Talk

Get your human resources department to help you set the expectations for digital leadership. Write job descriptions that require the use of current technologies.

Next, provide professional development to make sure that employees have the digital skills you need, and then evaluate every employee on how well they have met the digital expectations of their job descriptions.

3. Celebrate the Early Adopters

Teachers and administrators who are fearless in embracing new trends often lead their peers. Identify these influencers right away, celebrate their successes, and place them in a position of digital leadership.

Early adopters of new technologies can lead their peers in the right direction; these leaders often make excellent technology coaches.

4. Allow Time for Transition

Learning new ways to incorporate digital technology in your district takes time. Just as students learn at varying rates, your district employees will learn at different rates as well. Teachers, for example, need opportunities to thoughtfully engage with the technologies used for instruction, communication, and collaboration.

5. Create a Culture Based on Change

Adding digital technology to an already full plate for district employees doesn’t create change; it foments resentment because it comes across as one more thing to do. Instead, encourage a real metamorphosis of your culture. Changing the culture of your organization allows you to change the way everyone thinks and works collaborates. Technology allows educators to create a synergy that doesn’t exist within the isolated classroom.

By setting edtech expectations early on and providing adequate support, your district’s digital leadership can create a new culture of digital use and citizenship.

Matthew Lynch published in Career Readiness, Education Leadership November 17, 2017

Practice Makes Perfect: Key Questions Commonly Asked of Educators in Interviews

If you’re getting ready to graduate from education-related studies soon, whether you’re specializing in an academic area, physical education, special education, or other field, it’s important to do everything you can to prepare yourself for the challenges involved in applying for and landing your first full-time position.

While of course it’s vital to be proactive and source job opportunities, have a good online presence, network effectively, and create a fantastic resume and cover letter, you also need to feel confident about your skills in an interview environment. After all, you can present well on paper, but if you don’t come across as knowledgeable, polished, accomplished, and likeable in your interview, you will probably find yourself getting knock back after knock back.

When it comes to interviews, practice makes perfect. Preparing for questions interviewers might throw at you can help you to stay cool, calm, and collected when you’re in a room being quizzed by one, two, or even a panel of people. Read on for a sample of the most common interview questions typically asked of teachers and other educators, and some suggested ways to think about your answers.

Can You Tell Us a Bit About Yourself?

This is a general, open-ended kind of question that comes up a lot, particularly at the start of interviews. While it might sound very simple and straight forward, many people get a little flummoxed in an interview and are not sure exactly which areas of their background, skills, or experience to talk about.

Keep in mind that this question gives you the opportunity to really sell yourself to the panel in front of you. You shouldn’t try to be modest or answer too briefly; instead, bring up anything about you that you’d really like the interviewers to know before you leave.

If you’re not sure what to cover, think about starting off by mentioning your new qualifications and what you focused on during your studies. For example, you could talk about particular aspects of the theory you learned during a BA degree in the Foundations of Education, or the kind of practical experience you were able to get during a Master’s program in Education. There could have been some particular specialized training that you completed that’s worth talking about too.

It is also a good idea to talk about how what you learned can apply specifically to the job you want to land; and to also discuss some of the personal skills and strengths you have (like communication, time management, organization, etc.) that will make you a great asset for their team.

Why Do Want This Particular Job?

Most interviewers will also tend to ask job candidates about why they actually want to be chosen for the particular position, and/or why they want to join the organization advertising it. When people ask this, they are usually looking to find out if you will be a good fit not only for the job but also the school or other institution, plus they will be trying to determine if you have done your research and understand what will be involved in the position.

As a result, make sure you understand things such as how the education provider has a point of difference (that is, what does it offer that attracts parents and students); what types of teaching methods are preferred; and if there are any particular religious or other specialized teaching and cultural aspects you need to align with to work there.

It can be helpful to speak to current or past students at the facility, and their parents, to discover the ins and outs. If possible, also chat to teachers and other staff members. Once you’re clear on this information, you can mention how the school’s values, mission, methods, facilities, and other factors have drawn you to the role, and speak on your own views and experience, and how suitable the match is.

Can You Describe a Day or Lesson in Your Classroom?

Lastly, most interviewers in the educational sector will also want to get an idea of how you might go about teaching and interacting with students if you get the job. As such, you’ll probably get some kind of question that revolves around describing a day or lesson plan for your classroom.

As a new graduate without a whole lot of experience, you will need to rely on your practical placements during your studies. As well, though, you can talk about strategies you picked up from other educators along the way that you hope to emulate.

Think about mentioning how you will handle visual displays, behavior, discussions, activities, set up and the like in the classroom, plus ways you will go about planning lessons, engaging students, catering to varying learning types, and levels of students, and how you will communicate with parents and other carers.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, First Year Teachers, Higher Education, Policy & Reform, Teachers November 13, 2017

What is the Future of School Fundraising?

As the news headlines regarding the current U.S. economy continue to improve, there is one area that is still feeling the squeeze from the recession years: public and private K-12 school funding. Less state spending on education negatively impacts the learning experience that students receive in our nation’s classrooms. As a result, teachers around the country are turning to fundraising to address their funding gaps.

Teachers looking to lead their districts into 2018 and beyond need to recognize that change is a surety and that to survive this inevitability, they must adapt the way they engage potential donors and their community as a whole. They have to understand the need to find new donors, the factors that motivate donors to give, and the opportunities that are possible with the use of new technologies.

So what does the future of school fundraising look like? Not an easy question to answer, is it? Here’s what I think.

How is edtech shaping the future of school fundraising?

Over the last decade, edtech companies have been experimenting with innovative ways to use technology to help educators fundraise more efficiently and with greater success. Thankfully, several of these companies are getting it right and are doing a great job. One company, in particular, Edco, has done an excellent job of creating a comprehensive application designed to help teachers exceed their fundraising goals. “Edco was founded because we wanted to help schools raise money effectively and efficiently in an ongoing manner and use the best practices of the best fundraisers. We know that a lot of people want to donate directly to the school, but don’t want the products, goods, and services,” says Rafi Musher of Edco.

The first time I heard about this company was during a conversation with a gifted education teacher that I used to work with. I called her to see how things were going, and during the talk, she told me about a recent trip to the U.K. that she made with five of her students. She teaches in a school district that serves a large number of low-income students, whose parents are hardworking but often find themselves just trying to make ends meet. Since I knew that the school district hadn’t been fully funded education in decades, I wondered how she managed to finance this trip.

That’s when she told me about Edco, a new school fundraising web platform, and how it helped her raise the monies necessary for their field trip across the pond. Recently, I had a chance to visit their site to see what all the fuss was about. Here is what I found out. In two minutes or less, you can create your webpage that’s ready to take donations immediately – on any device. Your dedicated webpage allows you to create a goal, upload a team photo, and also tell your team’s story. It includes sponsorship templates, the ability to have Edco assist with your outreach and access to Nathan, who heads up partnerships, as your fundraising coach. Pretty cool, huh?

If you are like me and have zero fundraising experience, not to fret, Edco’s tips and templates show you what you need to do to raise more money. If you plan to involve your students in the fundraising process, Edco’s system can track which students are raising funds, and where your donations are coming from. The application allows your fundraising team to accept donations through credit and debit cards. All contributions are tax-deductible. Edco processes the payments, provides the donation receipts, and places your monies into your school bank account or prepaid debit card if you need access to your funds immediately. “We provide a turnkey service to free students, teachers, and associations up so they can focus on other things,” informs Amy Zucchi-Justice, Director of Marketing for Edco. “Using online platforms for fundraising can help you raise more than four times what you would with traditional fundraisers,” adds Zucchi-Justice.

Edco makes it extremely easy to manage and communicate with all your donors – which will pay dividends for your next fundraiser. Since the system keeps a list of your ongoing supporters and opportunities, you don’t have to start from scratch every year. Wait, but that’s not it. You can promote your cause with social media posts and customizable emails. Also, you can invite parents, students, and other supporters to help spread the word.

Did I mention that Edco is free to use? They don’t charge you a fee for registering or organizing a fundraising team. Edco collects a reasonable 4.9% fee once you have collected money using their platform. When compared to the other fundraising sites, this is a drop in the bucket. They invest the fees that they collect back into their company to improve their school fundraising solution continuously.

Edco is a service driven organization, devoted to helping students, parents, teachers and other education leaders fundraise. That’s it. They believe that a lack of funding should not hinder the learning process. We agree. Without companies like Edco, teachers would have to continue to get by on the meager resources that they are given. In a space full of edtech startups looking to get rich, Edco is certainly a breath of fresh air. I am pleased to see entrepreneurs stepping up to plate, and developing edtech solutions aimed at solving the often overlooked problem of school funding. After an hour of being on the site, I left thinking “I wish Edco was around back when I was a teacher.”

Final Thoughts

Public and private K-12 school systems must understand that the education funding landscape is changing for the worse. The most effective teachers will recognize this and adapt their strategic planning and fundraising techniques to stay afloat and provide their students with a world-class education. Also, they will use technologies such as Edco to stay ahead of the competition, and efficiently raise funds.

What do you think the future of school fundraising will look like? Have you used Edco for a fundraising campaign? We would love to hear your success stories!

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood, Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech, Education Leadership, Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech November 11, 2017

10 Essential Skills for the Education Leader of Tomorrow

What will the schools of tomorrow be like?

No one can say for certain. But one thing we do know: schools are under pressure to keep up with the ceaselessly rapidfire changes occurring in our culture. It is difficult to prepare students for the future when we have no way of knowing exactly what that future will be like.

In this context, educational leaders need a unique skill set to make sure that students get what they need. The prevalence of technology inside and outside the classroom, as well as the increased accountability for student achievement, have drastically changed the educational landscape.

Here are the skills that tomorrow’s educational leaders will need to keep up.

An understanding of student outcomes. Curriculum must evolve to reflect the skills that students will need in the future. The educational leader of the future will understand the practices and environment necessary for student achievement.
The ability to implement large-scale turnarounds. The bar is set increasingly high for student achievement in numeracy and literacy. Educational leaders must institute programs that lead to deep and lasting learning.
An understanding of the variety of tools available to educators. Educational leaders must have knowledge of the array of available tools and the precise ways in which they can support teaching and learning.
The ability and the desire to reform school culture. The leaders of the future must have a compelling vision and a commitment to high standards, so that they can implement deep and lasting reform.
A commitment to quality professional development. The leaders and educators of tomorrow know that they must learn something new every day to keep their methods fresh in changing times.
Knowledge of the best ways to support staff. Tomorrow’s leaders will understand what staff needs to carry out school and district goals effectively.
An unwavering moral compass. The school leaders of the future have a strong social conscience and always keep the best interests of students in the forefront of decision-making.
The ability to measure progress and success. As new tools are introduced, it’s important to evaluate their effectiveness and their impact on student learning.
Personal use and exploration of new tools. The school leaders of tomorrow will model learning for others by adding new tools to their own repertoire.
Emotional intelligence. When guiding their schools through disruptive changes, school leaders will need to maintain strong relationships with students, teachers, parents and the community.

The future is a moving target, but one thing is clear: effective school leaders demonstrate courage, care and determination. These qualities will serve our schools well in any culture or time period.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, First Year Teachers, Teachers October 24, 2017

Does Class Size Really Matter?

Education reformers and researchers debate a lot of things, but shouldn’t it be easy for them to agree on the importance of small class sizes in PreK-12 classrooms? Maybe. Keep reading to find out. When we speak of small class sizes, that usually means 20 students or under for elementary school classrooms and 20 to 25 students for high schools classrooms. The concept of using small class sizes to boost academic achievement and to solve classroom management woes is a popular one with parents, educators, and politicians. At least 80% of the states in the union have passed some type of class size reduction law or policy in the last two decades.

However, in spite of more than four decades of research, the efficacy of this ubiquitous practice is deceptively hard to measure, which has led to many debates. Most education researchers agree that small class sizes in the primary grades coincide with higher academic achievement and higher graduation rates for students from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Their disagreement is linked to whether or not the benefits of small class sizes outweigh the ginormous price tag, especially in states that already find it difficult to fund education adequately. Recently, those same researchers have been trying to figure out the mechanisms that allow smaller class size to work, and who benefits most.

Here are the most interesting insights from their research:

Small class sizes work is because it gives teachers an opportunity to offer students more personalized instruction, which is probably the reason that academic achievement goes up. Teachers don’t necessarily change what they are doing, they are just able to increase their efficacy.
The efficacy of classroom management efforts is increased in smaller groups. Kids also seem to pay more attention.
Smaller class sizes must be coupled with competent administrative and parental support for it to work.
Students in smaller class sizes seem to outperform those who are taught in larger groups. We already knew that, but it is nice to have it verified by empirical research.
Smaller class sizes don’t have the same positive effects if you decrease the physical space in which they are convened. The more space the better.
Students with special needs benefit from smaller class sizes. To clarify, we are referring to students with disabilities who are mainstreamed into regular education classrooms.
Students were found to be more engaged in classrooms with fewer students and reported better relationships with their teachers and peers.
Students in smaller classes spent more time on task than students in larger classrooms.
Teachers in small classrooms reported having more time to differentiate instruction.
Students who experienced small class sizes in elementary school were able to continue that success throughout their K-12 career and were more likely to attend college.
Small class sizes have a positive effect on teacher retention. As class sizes go down, retention rates go up.
Teacher quality can have a positive or negative effect on the efficacy of reduced size classrooms. If you place a low-quality teacher in a classroom with 20 kids or less, the results will more than likely be poor.
Supports, such as professional development, quality curriculum resources, can enhance the effect of reduced class size.

So there you have. Under the right conditions, smaller class sizes do have a positive impact on the academic achievement, engagement, and behavior of PreK-12 students. What do you think? Are we missing something?

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Policy & Reform, Teachers October 24, 2017

When States Take Over School Districts, Disaster Usually Ensues

There is a disturbing trend taking place in school districts all over the United States. The pattern that I am referring to involves state departments of education wrestling control of low-performing school districts from local school entities. For a state to seize control of a school district, an emergency, either academic, environmental, or financial, etc., must exist and place students in harm’s way. Each state has its own definition of conditions that justify or trigger a takeover, as well as policies and procedures that must be followed during this process.

We will begin this piece with an overview of state takeovers in the United States and then look at a case study of the state of Mississippi’s botched takeover of its Jackson Public Schools district.

An overview of state takeovers

Before school districts are taken over, they usually know that they are in jeopardy of being taking over, and may have had several years to get their act together and show improvement. What makes this even more complicated and troublesome, is that struggling districts have no way of improving, as they usually do not have the expertise or capacity to facilitate change.

Many states have technical assistance teams that assist struggling districts in getting back on track. However, in many cases, these teams don’t have the capacity or expertise to foster school reform or change initiatives. The end result, many districts get taken over by the very entity that failed to offer them structural and strategic support, when they desperately needed it. As a colleague of mine put it, “it’s the blind leading the blind.”

States often announce state takeovers to great fanfare and make bold claims about the transformation that will occur under their watch. The results are usually less the underwhelming. School districts that are taken over find themselves in a comparable place academically in the next 3-5 years, and achievement either slightly improves, stays flat, slightly decreases or in the worst case scenario gets markedly worse. The problem is almost always that states make structural changes to these districts, but forget to, or don’t have the capacity to make strategic moves. The results are the results. And who ends up getting hurt? The students.

What makes this even more sickening is the fact that when states takeover school districts, they seem to strategically target districts with large populations of black and brown students. In some states, these school districts are either in sum or in part are turned into charter schools and exploited for financial gain. What makes this even more troublesome is that these charter schools end up failing miserably, and states usually do not have a mechanism for monitoring their progress or offering them support and technical assistance. They are left to their own devices, continuing to make millions of dollars and failing to educate black and brown students properly.

If you are keeping score, these poor and disenfranchised black and brown students have now been failed twice, once by their original school district and the state, and then by their new charter school and the state. While the scenario above may not be how things play out in your state, I am sure you will notice similarities.

An example of a state takeover disaster waiting to happen

Let me give you an example of a state takeover that is a disaster waiting to happen. The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is currently in the process of taking over Jackson Public Schools (JPS), located in the city of Jackson, MS, after an 18-month investigation. Mississippi is my home state, and I once worked in Jackson Public Schools, so this one is near and dear to my heart. Jackson Public Schools is a large urban school district, comprised of 58 schools.

This story starts in April 2016 after a cursory audit by MDE that found that the Jackson Public Schools district was violating 22 of the state’s 32 accreditation standards. The standards that were violated ranged from safety concerns to ineffective leadership. In August 2016, this information was presented to the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation, which accredits public schools in Mississippi, and they voted to downgrade JPS’s accreditation status to probation.

This essentially means that JPS did not uphold the state’s accreditation standards and was forced to create a corrective action plan (CAP) within a specified amount of time. The Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation also voted to approve a full audit of all JPS schools, to be conducted by MDE. What makes this problematic, is the fact that JPS was simultaneously asked to create and implement a corrective action plan to get back on track, while being provided with technical assistance from MDE.

In September of 2016, JPS’s then-superintendent Cedrick Gray told its constituents at a town hall meeting, that JPS had created a corrective action plan and submitted it to the State Board of Education, and was well on its way to correcting all of its deficiencies. Then a month later in October 2016, Gray resigned as superintendent in the wake of an “F” accountability rating by the state and the looming possibility of another downgrade in accreditation status. Essentially, the person whose ineffective leadership created this mess was suddenly out the door.

In November 2016, the JPS Board of Trustees picked Fredrick Murray as interim superintendent and unveiled its plans to find a permanent replacement. Later on that month, the State Board of Education rejected the district’s CAP because it was not specific enough in certain areas. You would think that the state would be sympathetic to the district’s situation, and the issues that can arise during a transition of leadership. Not the state of Mississippi. Finally, in December 2016, the State Board of Education decided to accept JPS’s revised CAP, but board members warned the district of the urgency of this matter and reminded them that they were still at risk of takeover and losing their accreditation.

From January 2017 to July 2017, minimal movement occurred. Four JPS school board members resigned during this period, which increased JPS’s leadership vacuum. In February 2017, the board voted to hold off on the superintendent search until the end of the 2017-2018 school year and to allow Dr. Frederick Murry to continue as interim superintendent. In May 2017, JPS hired the Bailey Education Group to help it navigate the audit process. They were forced to do this when the state failed to provide the technical assistance that it is legally required to provide. I would be remiss if I did not point out that during the state takeover process, the relationship between JPS and MDE soured tremendously. In my opinion, it reached the status of unprofessional. This further complicated JPS’s school improvement efforts and sealed its fate.

Fast forward to August 31, 2017. The full audit that was ordered by the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation was released, but it was not a complete audit, and MDE cited safety concerns at several of the state’s high schools as the reason. In September 2017, MDE reported its findings to the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation, and the committee voted to recommend that the State Board of Education declare a state of emergency in the school district.

Why? Because JPS was found to still be in violation of 24 of 32 of the standards, 2 more than the initial audit of 2016. In September 2017, MDE presented its findings to the State Board of Education and recommended that the body declare a state of emergency in JPS, which would, in essence, trigger a state takeover. The board approved the measure on September 14, 2017, and announced Dr. Margie Pulley as interim superintendent. Yes, you read that correctly. Within 24 hours of hearing MDE’s case, they made a decision and also announced an interim superintendent.

The next step in the process is for the edict to be sent the governor for his signature. For a state takeover to become a reality, he has to agree that an extreme emergency exists. Initially, he said that he would not make a rash decision, and to his credit, he did not. Part of his justification for stalling the decision was the unavailability of one critical piece of data, the 2016-2017 MDE Accountability Ratings, which is an annual assessment of the academic achievement and growth of all Mississippi school districts. During the fall of each year, the rating system issues each district a letter grade from A-F.

The ratings were announced on September 19, 2017, and as expected, JPS was rated an F. We knew this because, during JPS’s September hearing with the Mississippi State Board of Education, MDE’s attorney mentioned that the preliminary data indicated that JPS would be receiving a grade of F. She disclosed this information, even though it was supposed to be embargoed until September 19, 2017. To be honest, I always thought her unethical disclosure was a political ploy. After receiving this information, the governor decided that he needed more time to make his decision.

In Mississippi, after the governor declares a state of emergency in a district, MDE takes control of and leads the struggling district (through an interim superintendent or conservator), until that district demonstrates sustained improvement, and when that happens, local control is reestablished. The average duration in of a state takeover in Mississippi is three years. The state of Mississippi has a charter school law, so all school districts rated below a C are eligible for charter schools to apply for a charter and operate schools in that district. MDE has created the perfect environment for this to happen in JPS. Time will tell if this was their objective all along.

Let me be frank, I worked in JPS for three years, and I can personally attest to its serious issues. However, MDE’s behavior during the state takeover process was anything but professional and does not lead one to believe that a takeover is not the correct move. During their audit of JPS, MDE failed to follow their own policies and procedures, and when they were called out on it, they covered their tracks. Next, state law required that they provide technical assistance to JPS as the district worked to implement their corrective action plan. However, JPS never received the full technical support that they requested, as MDE could not do so.

How on earth can you be in charge of auditing a school district, while also providing support to it? On top of that, how can you take over a district that you were in charge of helping it to improve, and failed miserably? Also, Dr. Margie Pulley, whom MDE has charged with leading JPS if it is indeed taking over, was the interim superintendent of Tunica County Schools during the 2016-2017 school year. Why is this important? Because Tunica County Schools received an F rating for the 2016-2017 school term. It seems highly unlikely that a leader of a district that was just rated an F can help transform a struggling district like JPS, who also received an F rating. This debacle in Mississippi is a cautionary tale of how greed and power grabs can lead a state and its education system down a path of destruction.

A Hollywood ending?

But wait, there is actually a happy ending to this story. Instead of signing off on a state takeover of Jackson Public Schools, Governor Phil Bryant has formed an alliance to develop a cooperative, comprehensive plan to improve the state’s second-largest school district. What happens to the MDE request for a state takeover of JPS schools? It remains active. Each member of the JPS Board of Trustees has resigned, per the Governor’s wishes. The plan forms a collaborative that includes the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Education Commission of the States and the Mississippi Economic Council.

Also included is the creation of a Project Commission, which is made up of JPS stakeholders. The commissioners and local, state and national partners will host a series of focus group sessions for the community. With consultation from ECS, which will disseminate best practices developed from successes in other states, an RFP to perform an external evaluation of the JPS system will be distributed. The Kellogg Foundation will support the ECS’s efforts, including the external assessment and focus group sessions

The external review will be led by data collection and the focus groups. Its results will inform the creation of a plan that addresses all of JPS’s issues. The Project Commission will discuss the findings and work with stakeholders to identify current resources within JPS to apply toward the plan’s implementation. Episodic evaluations will then be conducted. Hopefully this collaborative will work, and become a model for the rest of the United States.

Conclusion

This disturbing trend has to stop. States must realize that local control is essential, and the idea of a state takeover should only be broached if a real emergency exists, not a manufactured one. A state takeover should always be the last resort and only attempted if the state has the capacity and expertise to help the seized district succeed. Otherwise, it’s a recipe for disaster.

You would think that this would be common sense in education circles, but as we all know, common sense is not all that common.

Matthew Lynch published in Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Child Development Tech, Digital & Mobile Technology, Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech, October 19, 2017

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Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Teachers October 19, 2017

The Edvocate’s List of 19 Ways to Say, ‘Thank You’ to Teachers

A shiny, red apple might be a standby, but these days, there are much better ways to show teachers the appreciation they deserve. Most teachers work seven days a week, preparing lectures, grading papers, and devising activities that engage and educate their students. Yet, for their endless efforts, teachers enjoy just one week every year when they receive thanks. School districts, administrations, parents, and students should strive to do more to show their gratitude. For inspiration, here is an outstandingly long list of the best ways to show teachers appreciation.

Personal Thank-Yous. A simple, hand-written note goes a long way to prove you pay attention to a teacher’s efforts and appreciate them.
Thank-You Breakfast. Teachers get an early start, and few make the time to enjoy a full breakfast. Perhaps toward the end of the year, you can organize a big breakfast for the entire teaching staff.
Coupons From Students. Handmade coupons are an old trick, but they demonstrate appreciation nonetheless. Students can give coupons for “30 minutes of silence” or “Won’t complain about homework.”
Parent Volunteers. Especially in lower grades, teachers can use another pair of eyes and hands around the classroom.
Best Teacher Awards. Many schools take annual polls to determine students’ favorite teachers, but it is less stressful and more fun when all teachers win custom awards. You might consider organizing a yearbook-style “Most Likely To…” vote, such as “Teacher most likely to show a movie” or “Teacher most likely to write a novel.”
Casual Dress Day. Students might not notice, but teachers tend to dress exceptionally professionally. You can give them a break by instituting a weekly or monthly casual day.
Staff Parties. Plenty of workplaces organize employee get-togethers on a monthly or quarterly basis. Teachers should be encouraged to mingle in a social setting every once in a while.
Media Recognition. Local news stations, both TV and radio, will publicly recognize teachers for their hard work, especially if they have done something particularly noteworthy like mobilize their classrooms to collect charitable donations or earn record-breaking scores on tests or college admissions.
Teacher Spotlights. Every month, schools can shine a spotlight on individual teachers by decorating a bulletin board in their honor with personal information like favorite book and favorite treat. Then, students can be encouraged to gift teachers’ favorites throughout the year.
Student Car Wash. Students (and their parents) can spend an afternoon washing staff vehicles in the school parking lot.
Gifts of Supplies. Teachers are always in need of supplies like paper, pencils, and markers. The school can organize a donation drive, or parents and students can offer gifts to individual teachers.
Video Thank You. Schools can record video interviews with students, who express gratitude to their teachers. The interviews can be divvied up to individual teachers or cut together to make a more comprehensive thank-you video.
Free for Teachers Day. Local coffee shops, book stores, and restaurants can offer free items or great deals to teachers on specific days throughout the year.
Teacher Massage. The school can hire a massage therapist for the day to provide free massages in the teachers’ lounge during teachers’ free periods.
Erect a Monument. You can commission a statue in honor of an entire teaching staff, or retiring teachers can receive smaller tokens of remembrance, such as a newly planted tree, a bench, or a book in the library.
Destress Periods. During trying times of year, like standardized test time or end-of-year exams, schools can give teachers extra break periods during the day to destress and recuperate.
New Furniture and Appliances. Parents and schools can work together to purchase new items for the teachers’ lounge. It’s surprising what updated furniture and functional microwaves will do for morale. Even a fresh coat of paint can do much to help teachers feel noticed.
Conference Attendance. Schools and teachers alike earn prestige when teachers present at conferences. Schools can support attendance and presentation with a fund to help teachers travel to and from conferences.
Better Than Apples. Teachers these days buy their own apples. Instead, students, parents, and school administrations should give more unique and interesting gifts, such as gift cards to teachers’ favorite establishments, fresh flowers and potted plants, and sweet treats like candy and baked goods.

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech, Education Leadership, Teachers October 18, 2017

What is the Future of Classroom Management?

While conceptualizing this article, I reminisced about my first teaching job. It was as a fifth-grade social studies teacher in my hometown. To be honest, my first year wasn’t necessarily a stellar one. In some ways, I felt overwhelmed, even inadequate in the classroom, especially when it came to classroom management. But with the help of veteran teachers and an understanding principal, I completed that year and became a master teacher by my third year.

My experiences are not at all uncommon. Ask any teacher what their biggest challenge is on a daily basis, and most will say classroom management. Consider, the following classroom scenario. You are a fifth grade English teacher who has just started a lesson on action verbs, but your students have other plans. Matthias interrupts you with a question or an opinion about an unrelated topic, Rebecca is talking to her friend while you are attempting to redirect Matthias, and Susie, who is worried about her mother in the hospital, starts to cry incessantly. On top of that, while you are distracted, Alfred is posting hurtful comments about Rebecca on Facebook. This episode is just the tip of the iceberg, as sometimes these scenes get even more convoluted.

As modern students change their learning styles and expectations for their educations, the way that educators approach classroom management must be modified to meet the needs of today’s K-12 classrooms. So what does the future of classroom management look like? Not an easy question to answer, is it? My thoughts: we must find new and innovative ways to help teachers better manage their classrooms, and we must do it fast.

How is edtech shaping the future of classroom management?

Over the last decade, edtech companies have been experimenting with innovative ways to use technology to help teachers efficiently manage their classrooms. Thankfully, several of these companies are getting it right and are really doing a great job. One company, in particular, NetSupport, has done an excellent job of creating a comprehensive suite of applications designed to help teachers manage their classrooms, and schools maintain the school-wide learning environment.

In this article, I will discuss how two of their solutions, NetSupport School & NetSupport DNA-IT Asset Management & Internet Safety for Schools, can help educators and administrators prevent cyber bullying and academic failure. These tools can be used either as a standalone solution or as one complete suite. NetSupport School is an award-winning classroom management solution, designed in consultation with teachers, to provide dedicated assessment, monitoring, collaboration, and control features to help orchestrate and deliver lesson content – plus maintain students’ focus in technology-led teaching and learning. NetSupport DNA is a complete IT Asset Management & Internet Safety solution that helps technicians to track, monitor, and manage IT assets across the school and district. Although these apps perform different functions, they were created to work in tandem.

Preventing threats of cyber bullying.

Bullying is a common problem in schools. Most children have either been bullied or have known someone who has been bullied. Bullying is no longer confined to the school playground, cafeteria, hallways, or the walk home from school. The newest form of bullying is cyber bullying, which is bullying through the use of electronic media and devices, such as e-mail, text messages, or social media. The online environment is a place where students may have threatening messages sent to them, or embarrassing things said about them, over which students may feel they have no control.

Over 4500 students commit suicide every year because of the psychological effects of cyber bullying. Teachers and other school employees serve as the eyes and ears of cyber bullying awareness and prevention. NetSupport School & NetSupport DNA, have several features that place the odds in educator’s favor, helping them recognize and respond proactively to instances of bullying and cyber bullying.

Irrespective of the devices students are using in a classroom, with NetSupport School educators are able to view their student’s screens at all times. These features can be useful for ensuring that students are on task, but also can help teachers monitor instances of traditional bullying and cyberbullying in real time.

Educators can monitor internet usage and allow lists of approved and restricted websites to be applied at certain times of the day; which can protect students from their own curiosity. This also ensures that they are aware of what sites are safe and helpful and which ones are dangerous. As a result, students increase their digital literacy. The app comes with a “Help Request” feature that was initially designed to allow students to seek academic support, but it can also be used to report instances of cyber bullying in real time. With NetSupport School, nothing goes on in your classroom without your knowledge.

NetSupport DNA offers a “Report a Concern” feature that allows students to swiftly and anonymously report any problem (e.g. cyberbullying) that they may have encountered to a staff member that they trust. NetSupport DNA even includes the contact information for national support resources so students can reach out to these support organizations if they are in need. Now, students can feel empowered to confront bullying without fear of retribution from their tormentors.

School IT administrators can use NetSupport DNA to setup real-time monitoring and look for exact keywords or phrases in several languages to keep an eye on student activity. These keywords are displayed in a word cloud format, along with other insights so school officials can spot trending topics across clusters of students. If phrases that you think suggest bullying/harassing behavior or may place the student at risk show up, they will be displayed in the word cloud. Not only does it display the word cloud, but it also puts the word into the context it was being used.

For example, a triggered phrase being used in a Word document during lesson time would be perceived as a lower risk than if the same phrase was being used in a messenger app during lunchtime. Within NetSupport DNA, the system can determine the severity of the phrase used and assign different sensitivity levels based on those conditions. Another useful feature that educators find helpful is the ability to capture screenshots and video clips to assist in more serious instances of bullying. Educators can also use the word cloud feature as a starting point for discussing the importance of leaving a positive online footprint. This can help teachers curtail cyber bullying and assist students in learning valuable digital literacy skills.

Preventing academic failure.

Every day, teachers all over the world have to figure out how to serve students who are operating on various levels of understanding. The most challenging and exhausting part of this Rubik’s Cube is identifying and helping students who at risk of falling behind academically. In spite of these challenges, teachers all over the world manage to help at risk students succeed successfully. They don’t ask for awards or praise for their superhuman efforts, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could make their jobs a little easier?

Thankfully, NetSupport School has found a way. With NetSupport School, educators can write personalized lesson plans, create learning journals (that teachers can share with students), and gamify formative assessment with an assortment of collaborative activities. Teachers can even use the app to facilitate group work. Tablet based apps are also available for teaching assistants so that they can support the teacher and at risk students within the classroom. These features can be helpful in letting teachers use technology to get beyond teacher-centered activities and put more emphasis on student engagement and learning. This helps teachers engage at risk students in the learning process, which allows them to take ownership of their own education and construct their own knowledge. As a believer in the constructivist approach to education, I was deeply impressed by this.

The student app provides a toolbar so students can receive rewards from the teacher, view lesson progress, see their learning objectives for the day, and view their learning outcomes. Also, teachers can assess their student’s comprehension and understanding using a range of audio, visual and text-based questions. Assessments are auto scored, and the results can be displayed to students. Students who are at risk are usually afraid to ask questions, but with this app, students can request help from the teacher anonymously without alerting the rest of the class. Also, if teachers see students struggling, they can intervene by initiating a virtual chat with them.

Teachers can also use the chat feature to model appropriate online communication with students while monitoring the information they share with others. As a result, students pick up valuable digital literacy skills. In addition to the chat feature encouraging positive online etiquette, students also have a chance to instruct while using the “Group Leader” feature. This unique feature allows students to take the lead in sharing their digital literacy skills, while encouraging responsibility and independence in a constructive way.

Teachers can transform their device into an interactive whiteboard, and then broadcast that whiteboard out to students to see or interact with. If they find a cool website and want to share it with their class, they can. These are excellent ways of ensuring that all students can see the example you’re giving. Also, educators can add in multimedia resources, or whatever they need to, and then swiftly share that out to their class. If you don’t want students to use their device while you are instructing, you can lock their keyboard/and or mouse. With NetSupport School, academic failure doesn’t stand a chance.

Final Thoughts

By using the technologies that I talked about in this article, teachers can face this upcoming year of teaching with a quiet confidence and a voice in their head saying, “You got this!” Instead of spending countless hours preparing for class or dealing with problem behavior and other distractions, they can focus on helping students learn.

What apps or tools do you use to manage your classroom or school?

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Policy & Reform, Teachers August 21, 2017

Why Neuroscience Should Be Taught in Teacher Preparation Programs

Most teacher preparation programs focus exclusively on education. Future elementary school teachers learn about the latest methods for teaching students reading, writing, and math. Middle and high school teacher preparation programs focus on the content area their students will be teaching.

This sounds like a great idea. Teachers should know about education research, methods, and the content they’ll be teaching. But if teacher preparation programs want their students to become truly great educators, they need to teach more than just these things.

In fact, teacher preparation programs should be getting into the sciences—neuroscience, that is. Neuroscience is the study of how the brain and nervous system are developed and how they work. Neuroscientists examine how the brain is connected to behavior and cognition.

How could neuroscience help teachers? Neuroscience can help teachers understand how the brain learns new information. Even having a basic knowledge of neuroscience can inform the way teachers teach.

For example, neuroscience tells us that when children learn new information, that information goes through pathways in the brain. These pathways connect neurons together. The more connections that exist between neurons, the easier it is for the brain to access information.

What does this mean for teachers? When students learn something new, they need to be able to connect it to something they already know. This forms strong neural pathways and makes recall easier.

Teachers who have studied neuroscience know this and more. They know how to get all of a student’s brain active and ensure that what students learn sticks.

In addition to helping future teachers understand how students learn best, neuroscience can help them manage student behavior. Often, the reasons students behave poorly is due to stress. Neuroscientists have studied how stress affects the brain, and their findings can help teachers better understand students’ behavior.

By preparing future teachers with knowledge about how the brain works, universities can help create better teachers. Teachers who are experts on neuroscience and the brain know how to teach students in a way that will make information stick. They’re also better prepared to handle problem behaviors and understand what makes students act out.

Though including neuroscience in teacher preparation programs isn’t traditional, the benefits it offers are numerous. More and more teacher preparation programs are including classes on neuroscience in their curriculum.

What do you think teachers should know about neuroscience? How can studying the brain help future teachers? Let us know what you think!