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3 Smart Shifts for More Purposeful Peer Dialogue

6 Low-Cost, Low-Stress, Family Events Your Community Will Love

Suspensions are a big problem.This challenging reality underscores why it's crucial for educators and administrators to delve into the complexities of student suspensions and collaborate on effective solutions, especially when the current situation feels overwhelming.

Across the country, schools are making a powerful shift from punitive discipline to restorative practices and the results are transformative. Research shows that schools using restorative approaches see fewer behavioral issues, stronger relationships, and improved school climate. But the true power of this shift lies in what students are learning: how to communicate, resolve conflicts, build empathy, and take ownership of their actions.

Restorative practices only work when adults lead by example first. If we want schools to be spaces where students feel safe, connected, and accountable, we must first build that same culture among the adults. 

Creating effective classroom behavior expectations can feel overwhelming. While most educators understand the importance of solid classroom management, establishing rules that actually work requires a strategic approach. Here are six proven steps to transform your classroom management experience.

With the right tools and strategies, you can harness data to personalize instruction without adding hours to your workload. Here’s how to make student data work for you—not the other way around.

Student behavior is one of the most pressing challenges faced by schools and youth-serving organizations today. From preschoolers to high school seniors, behavior concerns can disrupt learning, overwhelm staff, and prevent students from reaching their full potential.

To prepare students for this modern world, we must shift away from passive, "sit-and-get" instruction and focus on cultivating active learne

Why educators must embrace AI, how it can be used ethically & effectively, & what steps we should take to prepare students for a AI.

Just when we thought education was one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, BOOM, it got more stressful. Educators are reporting record high levels of job dissatisfaction and we are experiencing the effects of a large number of teachers leaving the classroom. Teachers seem to be scrutinized more than ever before (And that’s saying something!). Of course, there are factors that we cannot control that take place outside of the classroom. However, there are 5 things you ca

Conflict resolution is an important skill to teach students. It’s important to teach children how to communicate effectively, how to problem solve, and how to manage their emotions when they have a disagreement. There are many strategies that can help with this. One strategy is to have students brainstorm a list of conflict resolution steps. This can help them become aware of the options they have when they are dealing with a disagreement.

Employability skills are a set of skills outside of technical or academic competencies that are desired by potential employers and considered imperative to being a successful employee and team member. This set of skills might include things like: communication, teamwork, initiative, problem solving, planning and organizing, self-management, and more. You may have heard them referred to as “soft-skills.”

My family moved from Michigan to Indiana in April of 1988, the end of my 2nd grade year. Upon joining my new class, my teacher did an informal assessment to determine how my instruction would begin. Because it was the 80s, it took a few weeks for my files to arrive from my previous school. My new second grade teacher later shared with my mom that she was glad she had gotten to know me prior to receiving my files as my standardized test scores did not reflect what she saw from

By William Reed Right now, teaching, and basically any job in education, can seem overwhelming. There are so many things we could be doing. It is very easy to lose sight of the big picture and not see the forest for the trees. One of the best ways to keep everything in perspective is to self-evaluate and set goals.    You need to write some Professional Goals and some Personal Goals . Yes, it is important to have both professional and personal goals. Professional goals impro

Last December I wrote about prioritizing our adult mental wellness during times of stress and uncertainty. I was hopeful at the time that this year would feel better! Somehow, however, the stress lingers at the same, if not heightened levels.   Another year of collective and personal loss, another year of quick changes, and increasingly stressed brain states of many of the adults and children we serve have left us all exhausted. While I still believe deeply and strongly that

Stress is a part of life and it can even be helpful! We perform better under some level of stress, it can motivate us to reach our goals and even plays a part in our development into happy, healthy adults. In fact, some of the most joyful events in our lives come with some level of stress – new jobs, new relationships, planning weddings, having babies, buying a new home, and even vacations!   We also rely on our threat appraisal system to protect us from actual threats. Stres

My guess is if I ask teachers who have taught for more than one year, they can name a student they know who will come to class without any materials like a pen, pencil, paper, or book. Teachers can name a student they know who will ask to go to their locker or use the restroom during class. I’m also willing to bet teachers can name a student who will stay silent when they are asked to answer any questions in class. Knowing teachers can name students who do these actions, I as

In an ideal setting, a classroom should have a teacher facilitating lessons, while the students are carefully listening, learning, and collaborating about a particular subject. But in reality, that scenario may be different from what’s happening in many classrooms. Usually, teachers have students with difficult behavior problems in their classrooms. These students engage in behaviors that can be disruptive to the whole class. It can set off a chain reaction, affecting not onl

What is Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports? Also known as PBIS, it is a program that schools use to improve student behavior. It integrates classroom management, school-wide discipline strategies, and effective academic instruction to create a positive school environment for students. PBIS is one of the areas covered by professional development in education. PBIS OVERVIEW PBIS uses evidence and data-based programs to achieve behavioral improvement. The purpose of