Key points: Our charter school, Westbrook Academy, has been serving middle and high school students in the South Los Angeles area for the past six years and stands as a beacon of opportunity for our community. With a student body …
Key points: Five years ago, the COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic, and we quickly retreated into our homes, shuttered schools, and socially isolated. The lasting effects of this isolation continue to shape our society, nowhere more visibly than in …
Key points: As educators, we know that small moves make a big difference, but I personally hadn’t thought about the impact of just one word. Having conducted well over a thousand observations of K-12 teachers over the last 15 years, …
This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. During a quiz about plate tectonics, two students whisper in the back of my room. I notice but stay quiet. I have one chance to redirect …
Key points: There are a lot of preconceived notions centering around the middle school experience, but here’s a truth for you: Positively engaged students perform better, while uplifting those around them. We know what you’re probably thinking right now: “That’s …
Key points: In the world of education, labels can become self-fulfilling prophecies. A child is labeled “troubled,” “difficult,” or “a bad kid,” and suddenly, that label becomes their identity. But what if we flipped the script? What if instead of …
The 2021-2022 school year began full of promise. Students, families, and educators were ready to get back to pre-pandemic learning routines. Almost no one was prepared for how the landscape had changed – many educators had left the profession, staffing …
A rise in harassment and violence against teachers is taking a toll on already-exhausted educators. A recent survey from the American Psychological Association found that 6 in 10 teachers reported student violence or verbal aggression during the pandemic, with nearly …
The past two years have been immensely difficult for our nation’s students and teachers. In the wake of the isolation and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health and behavioral challenges are on the rise as students continue to process …
When I started as a school counselor more than 15 years ago, technology in the classroom looked much different than it does today. Only a handful of students had their own personal device and the concept of one-to-one models, meaning …
