Category: Informal learning

May 19, 2023

When we started using a new literacy program 10 years ago, our reading scores were mediocre. Within a few years we had moved up to being a Level 1+ school, which is one of the highest rankings for Chicago Public […]

May 11, 2023

Schools today are facing a harsh reality: there is a chronic shortage of qualified speech-language pathologists (SLPs). As an SLP and clinical director who has worked with school districts across the country, I’ve watched this problem grow over the years. […]

April 5, 2023

States with formal policies around gifted and talented programs tend to identify more English learners and students with disabilities for those programs, according to a new study from NWEA, a not-for-profit research and educational services organization serving K-12 students. The […]

March 28, 2023

Homework can be challenging for all children, but for students with autism, it can be challenging. It is common for children with autism to have difficulties with executive functioning abilities, including planning, organization, and prioritization. In addition, they may have […]

March 27, 2023

The lab starts filling up after school lets out. Students trickle in. They help themselves to a snack — today it’s tacos — and chat excitedly with friends. They laugh and joke, listening to Beyoncé and Rihanna on built-in speakers. […]

March 21, 2023

A new Open Education Resources (OER) initiative from the nonprofit Teach Access aims to expand awareness of digital accessibility in higher education. Teach Access works with education, industry, and disability advocacy organizations to enhance students’ understanding of digital accessibility as […]

February 27, 2023

Burnout is one of the leading causes of workforce shortages in U.S. schools and its impact is being felt by students who need consistent, high-quality educators the most. Some of the hardest hit are students with unique needs that require […]

February 13, 2023

A dozen policy advocates and higher education groups are calling on the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, an organization that controls an important interstate distance learning pact, to bake more consumer protections into its policies. NC-SARA was founded […]

February 10, 2023

While it was already relatively common practice before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote proctoring has become even more popular at institutions across the nation, leading to concerns and the need for important considerations as these systems are designed. In response to […]

February 6, 2023

There were 1.3 million fewer students enrolled in U.S. public schools in fall 2021 than there were before the pandemic began–a drop of nearly 3 percent. Given that educational funding is tied to enrollment, this development has serious implications for […]

February 2, 2023

When COVID-19 forced college courses online, Stuart Middleton, a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland in Australia, was having trouble connecting with his remote students. So he decided to try to meet them where he heard they were happy […]

January 24, 2023

During the first week of the new year, parts of Minnesota were deluged by a winter storm, blanketing the Twin Cities and surrounding areas with almost a foot-and-a-half of snow. Those conditions were enough to prompt school closures, and on […]

January 24, 2023

Students need a variety of information about digital courses, including required devices and how instructors structure their virtual courses and expectations, before they enroll–but much of this information is not available prior to registration, according to results from a student […]

January 12, 2023

Here are five steps we took to ensure the best possible results with our virtual learning platform: 1. Use it to provide individualized instruction. It’s great to be able to offer students individualized learning opportunities that are tailored to the […]

January 3, 2023

It took a global pandemic to push more people in accepting that online learning is a mainstay in today’s higher education landscape. In addition to convenience, it expands learning opportunities to students whose schedules do not align with traditional in-person […]

December 28, 2022

It seems digital transformation is among the top priorities on any higher-ed leader’s list–particularly as students and faculty voice more preference for online learning options after COVID. Many institutions realized that as they offer more degree programs and classes online, […]

December 27, 2022

If you are a school or district leader looking to build an online elementary program, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are five steps that helped our teams successfully build and maintain […]

December 27, 2022

You may have read that Georgetown University is launching an online part-time bachelor’s degree completion program in liberal studies in partnership with Coursera. Georgetown already offers an on-campus version of this program through its School of Continuing Education to a […]

December 23, 2022

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that higher education institutions are recognizing and adapting to the lasting impacts that the transition to online learning has had on both learners and faculty alike. While some students are […]

December 20, 2022

If you go back to the first days of the COVID crisis, when campuses across the country were shutting down, college students weren’t very happy with emergency online learning. Surveys conducted then showed deep dissatisfaction, with as many as 70 […]