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Kudzu Bricks, Tiny Homes, and Glow-in-the-Dark Horseshoes: Innovation in Rural Kentucky Schools

In rural Kentucky, teachers and students are awarded innovation grants to solve a challenge facing their community or classroom.




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When Teaching Media Literacy, Which News Sources Are Credible? Even Teachers Don't Agree

Like other Americans, liberal and conservative teachers perceive news sources' credibility differently. How does that affect their teaching of media literacy?




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Putting the 'Professional' Back in Teacher Professional Development

Teachers are the experts of the classroom, so they should be empowered to lead professional development, educators said at a forum that included the two national teachers' union presidents.




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Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Professional Development?

Quiz yourself: How have educational professional development needs and interests shifted since the start of the pandemic, and how are schools and districts addressing these changes?




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It's Notoriously Hard to Evaluate PD. A New System Aims to Change That

A new process for judging the quality of professional development has made its debut, with the aim of answering a difficult question: Which PD is high-quality and which isn't?




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How Should Schools Respond to ICE Raids? Some Advice

Nationally, at least five million children have at least one parent who is undocumented. Supporting those children should be a priority if the threat of a raid is not imminent, advocates said.




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Supreme Court to Tackle DACA. What Does It Mean for Students, Teachers, and Schools?

The justices hear arguments Nov. 12 on the Trump administration's effort to end deportation relief under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, in a case pitting the administration and GOP-leaning states against a host of education and advocacy groups.




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Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed

A collection of stories from the week that you may have missed.




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Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Move to Scrap DACA Program

The court rules that the decision to unwind deportation relief for nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children was done in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner.




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Justices Weigh Trump Effort to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants From Census

Education groups filed a brief expressing concern that excluding undocumented immigrants would affect census numbers used in several federal education funding programs.




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The Transition to High School Is Hard. Here's How to Make It Better

Having a growth mindset about personality—thinking that people can change for the better—helps kids handle tough times.




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Principal Running for Congress to Challenge Incumbent in Democratic Primary

While the number of principals running for office has been dwarfed by teachers, school leaders are hoping to change policies in statehouses and in Washington that they say impact their students and families.




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Biden's Segregation Comments Resurrect His Anti-Busing History

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s recent remarks on his willingness to work with segregationists resurrected his long-ago efforts to oppose school busing. Will it hurt his campaign?




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How Warren's Year as a Young Teacher Could Factor in the 2020 Campaign

The swirl of attention around Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s story of being forced out of a teaching job when she was pregnant intensifies the spotlight on her background and K-12 credentials.




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Endorsements Still Touchy for Teachers' Unions in Presidential Election Season

Both the AFT and the NEA vowed to engage their members more deeply this year in deciding who to back for the White House. How well have they done?




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COVID-19's Turmoil Could Make Schools a Potent Election Issue

With the stakes high in November, school shutdowns, reopenings, and money for recovery could put education front and center for voters, and complicate things for politicians and activists alike.




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Elementary Teacher Defeats West Virginia's State Senate President in Primary

After a couple years of clashes with teachers in the state, West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael was ousted in Tuesday's Republican primary election by a teacher.




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Kamala Harris Has a Chance to Make School Desegregation a Key Issue

The vice presidential candidate was bused to school as child. Her experience could inform national education policy, writes Jonathan E. Collins.




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Idaho Seeks to Block Electronic-Signature Gathering for Education Ballot Measure

Idaho officials asked a U.S. Supreme Court justice to block an injunction that allows a group backing an education ballot initiative to collect electronic signatures because of COVID-19.




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Teacher Loses Case as Supreme Court Backs State Sanctions for Rogue Electors

Micheal Baca, now a government teacher, was one of the rogue electors who faced sanctions for casting an Electoral College ballot for someone other than the winner of their states' popular vote.




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Educators Prefer Governors With a More Cautious Approach to COVID-19

EdWeek Research Center survey tracks educator opinions of Trump, Devos, governors, and school boards on pandemic management.




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What's at Stake for the Senate Education Committee as Run-Off Elections Loom

Two run-off elections could decide how the Senate addresses the coronavirus pandemic and a new education secretary, among other issues.




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School Board Elections Don't Get Much Attention. They Should

School boards play a critical role in steering the progress of the nation’s schools, but the relationship between school boards and school district leaders could be better.




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How Teachers Can Buffer Student Stress From COVID-19: Ordinary Magic

Are you worried your kids are doomed to be permanently damaged by chronic stress from the pandemic? Take heart from this counselor's advice.





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Oops! Teachers' Mistakes Can Help Students Learn

A veteran teacher shares how he puts the latest research on growth mindset into action for his students in this guest blog by Jamie M. Carroll and David Yeager.




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Building Growth Mindset in the Classroom: Assignments From Carol Dweck

New research describes how a teacher's classroom approach can shape whether their students believe their academic skills are fixed at birth or they can grow them through practice and experience.




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Why Teacher Mindsets Matter When It Comes to Racial Inequality

New research shows that teacher mindsets matter when it comes to racial inequities. Here's how to build a classroom culture that makes a difference.




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The Transition to High School Is Hard. Here's How to Make It Better

Having a growth mindset about personality—thinking that people can change for the better—helps kids handle tough times.




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Growth Mindset in a Pandemic: Teachers Talk About Building Resilience in Students

Teachers in the Texas Mindset Initiative talk about how they are trying to help students learn and grow from a period of dramatic and disruptive change.




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How to Teach Students to Work Smarter, Sooner

Working smarter is just as important as working harder. Here's how to help students develop a strategic mindset earlier in life.




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How Teachers Can Build a Growth-Mindset Classroom, Even at a Distance

Distance learning makes it hard to tell if students are using a growth mindset. Here's how to tell, in this guest blog by Jamie M. Carroll and David Yeager.




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Three Teacher-Tested Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset

How to show homework isn't punishment and other effective ways to build a growth-mindset class culture during distance learning, according to research.




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Carol Dweck on Nurturing Students' Growth Mindsets Through Protest and Pandemic

Growth mindsets are an important tool for battling racial bias in the classroom and helping students through difficulties posed by the pandemic.




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Why Leaders Need to Develop Their Own Growth Mindset

Harvard's Richard Elmore has pointed out the "catastrophe" that is educational leadership preparation. We can all look to practice communities like Peloton to develop our skills, practice, and mindsets to help remedy that.




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Co-Op Stories: Kacey Harper's journey is one of growth and community impact

Kacey Harper, a third-year corporate communication major at Penn State Schuylkill, discovered her passion for the field after initially considering marketing. She honed her skills through various leadership roles on campus and a hands-on internship with Schuylkill United Way. Harper is eager to pursue a career that allows her to make meaningful contributions, and she encourages others to gain as much professional experience as possible through Schuylkill’s Co-Op program.




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Co-Op Stories: Student shaping her future through experiences, strong community

Emily Weider, a third-year student at Penn State Schuylkill, has always been drawn to business, growing up involved in her family's trucking company. Her Co-Op experience at Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association provided valuable hands-on learning, from managing databases to enhancing marketing efforts with Canva. The welcoming environment and the skills she gained have solidified her confidence in pursuing a future in business.




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2024-25 Teaching and Learning Technologies Faculty Advisory Committee members named

Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT), part of Penn State University Libraries, has announced the Teaching and Learning Technologies Faculty Advisory Committee for the 2024-25 academic year. The committee is pivotal in guiding TLT on integrating technology within teaching and learning at Penn State.




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Co-Op Stories: Alysa Carestia gains hands-on experience through Co-Op program

Alysa Carestia, a second-year psychology major at Penn State Schuylkill, gained hands-on experience in therapy services through the campus’ Co-Op program. During her internship at Gym-Jam Therapeutics, she assisted therapists and was introduced to applied behavior analysis, which influenced her career goals.




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Penn State Schuylkill hosts annual Pennsylvania communication conference

On Sept. 27-28, Penn State Schuylkill hosted the 84th annual Pennsylvania Communication Association (PCA) conference for the first time, welcoming over 80 participants from more than 40 colleges. Valerie Schrader, professor of communication arts and PCA president, organized the event, with Penn State Schuylkill faculty and students presenting 17 projects. Several students and faculty received top paper and presentation awards.




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D.J. Higgins: A multifaceted filmmaker and educator at Penn State Schuylkill

D.J. Higgins, a filmmaker and assistant teaching professor of film/video and music at Penn State Schuylkill, has directed and produced award-winning films, including his feature film "The Documentary," which won The Mike Vezza Experimental Award. Additionally, he is leading a community course on mental health in cinema, fostering dialogue on social issues. Higgins’ work in teaching, filmmaking, and local arts underscores his influence in both education and the arts.




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Penn State Schuylkill’s Lambda Pi Eta chapter inducts eight new members

Penn State Schuylkill’s Alpha Epsilon Lambda chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, inducted eight new members in a ceremony held at the Michael C. Fryer Conference Center on Oct. 16. Lambda Pi Eta, founded in 1985, recognizes academic excellence in communication students and promotes professional development.




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Q&A Collections: Facing Gender Challenges in Education

All Classroom Q&A posts sharing advice on Facing Gender Challenges in Education (from the past nine years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post.




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Upcoming events supporting graduate student success, Sept. 18-25

This coming week, graduate students can learn new teaching strategies, find tips for setting healthy academic boundaries, build research communication skills and learn about library resources. 




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Great Valley unveils Nittany Lion mural made of upcycled bottle caps

Penn State Great Valley has unveiled a mural depicting the Penn State Nittany Lion, created from upcycled plastic bottle caps by mosaic studio artist Judith Hokky.  




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Great Valley grad students to analyze opioid epidemic data on faculty project

Two Penn State Great Valley graduate students are collaborating with faculty — who received a University Presidential Public Impact Research Award — to conduct a research project that will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze demographic data to help predict and prevent opioid deaths. 




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Highlights from the Global Careers Institute for grad students at Great Valley

Graduate students attended the Global Careers Institute on Sept. 27 and 28, co-hosted by Penn State Global and Penn State Great Valley. At this professional development event, prominent Penn State alumni shared about their work experience in various countries and networked with students to help them prepare for success in the global marketplace.




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A 'beautiful experience' in software engineering program and internship

As a graduate student in software engineering, Chandan Shivalingaiah said he values the wealth of opportunities he has at Penn State, including research, an internship and teaching underserved high school students. 




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Penn State Great Valley to host 'Bollywood Bonanza' community event on Oct. 24

Join Penn State Great Valley at the campus' Conference Center in Malvern on Oct. 24 for an electrifying evening in the vibrant world of Bollywood, where the magic of Indian cinema will be celebrated.




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Software engineering student overcomes odds to code for Amazon in internship

Daniel Kumankumah, a Penn State Great Valley software engineering student, was thrilled to land a competitive summer internship with Amazon. When he faced obstacles, he sought help from his team and succeeded in solving coding problems while gaining valuable experience, he said.