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I'm a Superintendent. My Students' Activism Is Key to Their Academic Success

Instead of cultivating a generation of critical thinkers, we have grown a generation of disaffected test-takers and passive learners, writes Superintendent Michael Matsuda.




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Schools Are the Main Source of Student Mental Health Care. Are They Ready?

Rates of anxiety, depression, and even suicide are going up among adolescents and research shows that students are far more likely to seek treatment for mental health issues at school than at a community-based clinic, if at all.




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Active Shooter Drills in Schools: Harmful or Helpful? The Debate Rages On

The National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and Everytown for Gun Safety are recommending in a new report that schools stop using active shooter drills that are either unannounced or simulate gun violence.




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English-Language Learners Need More Support During Remote Learning

These four evidence-based suggestions can help educators offset learning loss for young English learners, write Leslie M. Babinski, Steven J. Amendum, Steven E. Knotek, and Marta Sánchez.




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Tough Childhood for Early Ed. Teachers Linked to Classroom Culture Difficulties

When teachers have experienced stressful events in their own childhoods, it could shape the way that they build classroom climate for their students, a study suggests.




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Ways to 'Break Down Walls Between Classroom & Community'

Three educators share ways to connect their students to community engagement, including through project-based learning and community-service projects.




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Making Mental Health a Priority for School Staff as Well as Students

Encouraging candid conversations about mental health among students and staff and creating supportive environments are top priorities for Leaders to Learn From honoree Jeff Wellington.




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First-Year Principals, Some Advice for Doing This Job in a Pandemic

Six key pieces of advice that are essential for any first-year principal, but are critical for those who are starting the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Schools or Police: In Some Cities, a Reckoning on Spending Priorities

Spending more on public education—and less on law enforcement—is gaining traction as the Black Lives Matter movement fuels broader calls for racial justice and police reform.




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Teaching Social-Emotional Skills Amid COVID-19

There are ways to attend to students’ social-emotional growth even when they are learning remotely or sitting in a classroom six feet apart. Ignoring those skills is a recipe for disaster.




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Movies That Can Teach the Teachers

Four educators share movies or shows that have helped them become betters, including the importance of nurturing students' passions and lifting up student voice.




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Deportation Fear Grips Latino Students

The mere threat of immigration enforcement could have severe consequences for students' mental health, school engagement, grades, and post-high school lives, a new study finds.




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We Should Be Concerned About the Mental Health of Principals

All principals are dealing with COVID-19, and some are dealing with wildfires or hurricanes at the same time. Those issues, on top of increasing job demands, are pushing principals to the breaking point. We need to do something about that.




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Defunding School Police Doesn't Go Far Enough

As schools prepare to reopen, they must address another public health crisis: exclusionary school discipline, argue Thalia González, Alexis Etow, and Cesar De La Vega.




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Violence, School Climate, and "Normal" (Part II)

A new book argues that building a nonviolent school climate is the responsibility of every school leader. The authors suggest how this might be achieved.




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Deportation Fear Grips Latino Students

The mere threat of immigration enforcement could have severe consequences for students' mental health, school engagement, grades, and post-high school lives, a new study finds.





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The Essential Traits of a Positive School Climate

A breakdown of four key features of a healthy school culture and how principals can build and sustain them.






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Reopening Schools During COVID-19: Lessons Learned From Around the World

The consequences of reopening schools in Denmark, Israel, and South Korea offer valuable insights for U.S. schools.




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The Teaching Profession in 2018 (in Charts)

Some called 2018 the "year of the teacher." Here's a review of the research that encapsulates a milestone year for the teaching profession.




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Participation in Teachers' Unions is Down, And Likely to Tumble Further

The percentage of U.S. public school teachers participating in unions has been declining steadily over the last two decades—and the numbers are soon likely to take an even steeper dive.




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A $29 Million Donation Funds Classroom Projects for 30,000 Teachers

The donation from cryptocurrency startup Ripple funded every open campaign on education crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose.org.




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The Teaching Profession in 2017 (in Charts)

Here are some charts that sum up the state of the teaching profession in 2017, from working hours to student behavior.




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From Fidget Spinners to Teacher Stress, Here Are the Top Teaching Posts of 2017

Studies on teacher effectiveness, lessons from Finland, and 'The Magic School Bus' all made this year's list of most-read Teaching Now posts.




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Former Teacher Inspires Students to Follow in Her Footsteps

A decade after teaching middle school, this college dean has seen 11 of her former students pursuing degrees in education at her graduate school.




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Few High School Students Are Interested in Teaching. But Better Pay Could Help

A new survey examines which students want to be teachers and what's drawing them to—or driving them from—the profession.




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Teaching in the U.S. Should Be More 'Intellectually Attractive,' Global Expert Says

A panel of experts—including a national teacher's union president and an official from the Department of Education—discussed how to make teaching a more attractive profession.




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Here's What Teachers Think About Training, Pay, Strikes, and Choice

Educators for Excellence took the temperature of teachers across the nation on issues ranging from compensation to preparation to union membership.




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Nearly All Teachers (and Other Public Servants) Who Applied for Loan Forgiveness Were Denied

The Department of Education has denied 99 percent of applications for public service loan forgiveness under a temporary expanded program funded by Congress, a report finds.




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Teachers Often Experience 'Moral Injury' on the Job, Study Finds

In a survey of educators in an urban Midwest district, 4 in 5 said the witnessed other staff doing things that were morally wrong, while almost half said they themselves had acted in a way that betrayed their values.




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Transgender Teachers Speak Out on What They Need From School Leaders

In a recent video message, transgender teachers urge school leaders to make schools more welcoming by examining their own biases and implementing inclusive policies.




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The Teaching Profession in 2019 (in Charts)

Here's a review of the research that sums up a big year for the teaching profession.




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What Should Teachers Need to Do to Transfer Their License to a New State?

Just 16 states require incoming teachers to provide evidence of successful prior job performance, a National Council on Teacher Quality analysis found.




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The Nation's Top Teachers on Self-Care, Student Voice, and What They Would Say to Trump

The four finalists for National Teacher of the Year say their fellow teachers are sharing their stories and their students' stories more than ever, and it's time for policymakers to listen.




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10 Ways the Teaching Profession Has Changed Over the Past 10 Years

From an increase in teacher activism to a decline in the number of people who want to be teachers, here are 10 of the biggest shifts in the profession over the past decade.




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A Road Trip for Teachers and a Chance to Get Inspired

Education Week has teamed up with Roadtrip Nation to send a group of teachers across the country in a green RV. Here's what you need to know.




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Here's How Many Teaching Jobs Could Be Lost in Each State in a COVID-19 Recession

There could be an 8.4 percent reduction in the U.S. teaching corps, and some states could see reductions as large as 20 percent, according to a new analysis by the Learning Policy Institute.




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Still Mostly White and Female: New Federal Data on the Teaching Profession

Here are five takeaways on the teaching profession from the newly released 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey.




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'One of Your Own in the White House': A History of Teacher First Ladies and Presidents

Jill Biden won't be the first educator to live in the White House. Here are the other 19 teachers who became presidents and first ladies.




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Plan for new academic building at Penn State Harrisburg advances 

The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance and Investment advanced a proposal for the construction of an Academic Learning Center at Penn State Harrisburg.




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Plan advances for additions, renovation to Sackett Building 

The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance and Investment advanced a proposal on Nov. 7 for renovations and additions to Sackett Building, which borders the southwest edge of Pattee Mall on the University Park campus. 




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Board committee recommends selecting developer to build new student housing 

The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance and Investment voted on Nov. 7 to move forward with a recommendation to the full board to select a developer to build a 1,500-bed affordable housing development to meet the needs of students attending the University Park campus. 




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Proposal for new classroom building at University Park advances

The Penn State Board of Trustees’ Finance and Investment Committee advanced a plan on Nov. 7 to construct a new classroom building at the University Park campus.  




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Sustainability to host Indigenous food sovereignty leader and chef Tawnya Brant

Penn State Sustainability is wrapping up its semester of programming with both a Sustainability Showcase Series and an Intersections Film Series centered on Indigenous food and foodways. Chef Tawnya Brant — a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, Indigenous food sovereignty leader, restaurant owner, and recent "Top Chef Canada contestant" —will join SustainPSU for a series of events.




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Three Penn State choirs to present fall concerts on Nov. 17

The Penn State School of Music will present three choir concerts on Sunday, Nov. 17, in the Recital Hall on the University Park campus. Featuring world premieres, folk traditions and themes of community and aspiration, these concerts will make for a lovely Sunday afternoon of music for audiences of all ages. 




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IST Distinguished Lecture Series to host network security expert on Nov. 18

The Penn State College of IST Distinguished Lecture Series will host Wenke Lee from Georgia Tech at noon on Nov. 18 in E202 Westgate Building at University Park.




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Penn State DuBois to welcome Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers on Nov. 12

The Penn State DuBois Office of Student Engagement will welcome students and members of the public to Hiller Auditorium on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when the Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers visit campus.




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IDEA Ambassadors program expands to build community, advocacy in residence halls

After a successful pilot program, Penn State Residence Life is expanding the IDEA Ambassador program to include cohorts in each residence area on campus with nearly double the student staff. IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility) Ambassadors are student leaders embedded in residence halls on campus with a goal of strengthening support and providing resources for resident students, especially those in their first year.