Key points:

As the school year draws to a close, K-12 educators can pause, reflect, and intentionally carry lessons forward. The end of the year is not just a time for wrapping up grades and packing up classrooms–it’s also a powerful opportunity for growth and renewal.

Educators may evaluate what worked well and what didn’t, including instructional strategies, classroom management techniques, student engagement efforts, and time management. Teachers might ask themselves: Which lessons sparked curiosity? When did students seem most connected? What routines supported a positive learning environment, and which caused friction? These observations are valuable when planning for the next year.

Reflection also includes considering the emotional and social aspects of teaching. What helped build community in the classroom? How did the teacher respond to challenges–whether student behavior, shifting expectations, or personal stress? Acknowledging both successes and struggles helps foster resilience and professional growth.

Thinking back on what worked, what didn’t, and what motivated students can help educators equip themselves not only to repeat successes, but to evolve.

Below, educators and stakeholders wrote about their experiences as they reflect on the 2024-2025 school year:

Designing forward, not cutting back

As this financially and politically turbulent school year ends, many educators are wrestling with uncertainty. In times like these, it’s easy to retreat–into silos, scarcity thinking, or self-preservation. But now more than ever, we must resist that pull. The challenges we face are too complex for isolation and too urgent for incrementalism.

Across the country, bold educators and communities are reimagining what’s possible. Instead of cutting back, they’re designing forward: expanding career-connected learning, investing in inclusive models, and building ecosystems where education, industry, and community intersect. These are not just programmatic shifts; they are value-driven transformations rooted in equity, relevance, and shared purpose.

Our collective priority next year must be to stay in that creative, collaborative space–to ask what we can build together that none of us can do alone. That means breaking down institutional barriers, elevating students’ and educators’ voices, and designing systems that serve all learners, especially those who have historically been marginalized.

What gives me hope is the growing recognition that education is not just a public service, it’s a shared investment in the future. That’s how we respond–not by asking what we can cut, but by imagining what we can build together.

Jonah M. Schenker, Ed.D., is the district superintendent of Ulster BOCES. Schenker serves a dual role as the state education commissioner’s representative for the eight local component school districts in the Ulster BOCES region and as chief executive officer of Ulster BOCES. He can be reached at jschenker@ulsterboces.org.

Keeping students engaged as the school year winds down

As we near the end of the school year, it’s important to recognize the incredible demands our teachers are managing, between end-of-year activities, assessments, and the natural exhaustion that comes with wrapping up a school year. Our support as a school community is critical during this time. One of the most effective strategies we can use to alleviate this burden and maintain a positive school climate is to keep students actively engaged in meaningful instruction.

Research and experience both show that discipline issues tend to increase in schools as summer approaches. Engagement is one of the most powerful tools we have to counteract this trend. When students are focused on purposeful tasks and feel a sense of accomplishment, they are far less likely to engage in disruptive behavior.

Tools like NoRedInk can help reduce the planning load for teachers while providing students with structured opportunities to continue developing their writing skills. It’s a win-win that supports academic growth and helps maintain classroom focus during these final, often challenging weeks. Let’s continue to lift up and support our educators while keeping students learning and on track through the last day of school.

Tiffany Goldschmidt is the principal of Summerdale School in Baldwin County Public Schools. She can be reached at tgoldschmidt@bcbe.org.

Overcoming worries with sharpened priorities–and joy

As another school year closes, we and many other educators are carrying both the weight of what was and the hope of what could be. Amid financial uncertainty and growing political pressures, worries for the next school year feel heavy. We are concerned about sustaining support for our most vulnerable students: those who need meals, mental health services, and stable learning environments. Budget cuts threaten these supports, and policy shifts often feel disconnected from the lived realities present in our classrooms.

Priorities have sharpened. This year reminded us that building strong relationships and focusing on student well-being are not extras; they are essentials. Academic gains matter, but they come only when students feel safe and valued. We’ve learned to adjust by narrowing our focus to the skills that matter most, finding creative ways to engage families, and advocating more boldly for what students need.

Still, we’re looking ahead with intention. Next year, many educators aim to reclaim joy, both in our teaching and in our students’ learning. We want to rebuild what burnout has eroded: collaboration, curiosity, and creativity. We hope to strengthen school climate, support each other more deeply, and use our collective voice to influence the systems that shape our schools.

Despite the challenges, educators are not giving up. We’re adapting. We’re reflecting. And we’re getting ready to begin again–with purpose.

Douglas Fisher is a professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. A former early intervention and elementary teacher, he is a credentialed English teacher and administrator in California. He has authored numerous books on literacy, instruction, and student agency, including The Teacher Clarity Playbook and RIGOR Unveiled. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame. He can be reached at dfisher@sdsu.edu.

Nancy Frey is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California. Her books include How Teams Work, The Social-Emotional Learning Playbook, and How Feedback Works. She serves on the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Research Panel. She can be reached at nfrey@sdsu.edu.

Connecting with students about science and their lives

With it being the end of the school year, the summer is making the view of the next year a bit hazy! With that being said, students are finally being students again. Since the beginning of COVID, students lost a lot of who they were, and struggled to have any type of conversation in the classroom, let alone one based on the content teachers were trying to engage them in. Something that I always remind myself of is that I am a teacher, and that I do so much more than just teach my content. When a student comes to me not knowing how to use evidence to support their argument, I teach them by taking them through the steps of how to do so. When a student comes to me saying that air is made of nothing, I push them to look beyond the macroscopic level, to think about where they may have seen similar phenomena. When a student comes to me not knowing what school or profession to choose for their future, I advise them on how to dive into their wants and needs for the future, to think about their strengths, and how they can pull the most out of them. Our teaching does not stop at our content; it goes so much deeper than that.

The public’s view of teachers has changed a lot since 2020. Back then, teachers were seen as heroes for continuing to teach in extremely difficult environments, both virtually and in-person. Since then, there has been a widespread pushback against teachers, accusing them of having ulterior motives when teaching students in their classrooms, when in actuality, we are doing our best with the limited resources available, just trying to help students on their learning journey to identify what excites them. One of my priorities for next year is to have more difficult conversations with parents and community members when they start to doubt the teaching professionals at schools. Teaching is a hard profession, and teachers continue to have students’ best interests at heart while passing on their excitement.

To share my love of science, another professional goal of mine for next year is to use the performance expectations (standards) of NGSS when it comes to assessing students. Standards-based grading is a great way for students to view growth over time, and also highlight that it doesn’t matter when they learned the content, but that they did. This project is one that I have dreamed of for a long time, and although I have made small steps in the right direction, it still will take a bit more work to see it thrive!

Grace Boersma is the Professional Learning Specialist at Kognity. She can be reached at grace.boersma@kognity.com.

Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

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