By Pam Eddinger, President, Bunker Hill Community College
During my 11 years at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts, I have received many visits from global educators curious about the uniquely American phenomenon of the Community College. In our exchanges, we inevitably observe that we are a place that prepares individuals for the future of work, particularly those from communities traditionally marginalized by the higher education system. In the almost 123 years since our movement’s founding in Joliet, Illinois, community colleges have bridged the demand for educated workers as society advanced, from the agrarian to the industrial age and into the information age of today. We are ever-evolving, ever-adapting, and always made for our times.
Our practical magic is the ability to see the strengths of our marginalized learners through the challenges of their complex lives and to deliver an education that promises career and economic mobility. We are also attuned to industry and labor trends. This responsiveness to social and labor needs has driven our reinvention with each wave of change in student demographics and with each stage of advancement in the world of work.
Our movement grew through the middle of the 20th century as the industrial age opened pathways to college and skilled work to more people than ever. The recognition of the community colleges in the 80s and 90s as workforce and economic development powerhouses as well as transfer preparation colleges prefigured the community college mission today: We are a hub at a crossroad of social sectors, where learners seek hope and advancement, where employers mine talent for a future workforce, where social services and support knit together communities, and where newcomers and long-time residents alike bring their culture and experiences to form new social networks and to find common ground.
Bunker Hill Community College has been that hub for the last decade. Some 16,000 learners come through our doors each year from Boston and neighboring cities. We are diverse in race, ethnicity, and language: About a quarter white, a quarter Black, a quarter Latinx, 15% API, and 10% a mixture of all those wonderful cultures. Two-thirds of the learners are adults, most work full-time, three out of five are parents, and a good portion are single parents. 77% of our learners are living in the lowest two-quintile of income, more than half are food insecure, and 14% are homeless. Yet once they receive their credential and enter the workforce, they jump two income quintiles and generations are transformed.
In Boston today community colleges are again being called to educate a new workforce to meet urgent demands, and to revive the economic vibrancy of communities in the post-COVID period. Greater Boston has witnessed dramatic growth in a range of industries, including life sciences, health care, information technology, and in the emerging sectors of clean and green energy. Demand for health care and life science workers is unrelenting, and new industries require a trained workforce to flourish. Three quarters of the jobs created this decade will require some post-secondary education.
Community colleges play a key role in building an education pipeline that balances the labor needs of advancing industries and the aspirations of our students. Partnering with K12, colleges are shoring up the college-going pipeline with Early College efforts. Bunker Hill’s partnership with neighboring Charlestown High School envisions universal access, in which all high schoolers will have an opportunity to participate. The Early College design is career-sensitive, including health care and high-tech pathways.
Further along the pipeline, for the adult population, MassReconnect is our state’s free community college initiative for those 25 and over without a college degree. Covering tuition, fees, books and supplies, this last-dollar program offsets a portion of the opportunity cost and increases access for adults. This fall, the 15 Massachusetts community colleges served a total of 8,500 learners under MassReconnect. The potential of MassReconnect to draw new learners who previously could not afford to attend opens a source of untapped talent that promises to be transformative for the labor force, as well as the economic recovery and uplift of low-income communities. With the success of MassReconnect, the Commonwealth is undertaking a viability study of free community college for all, a movement that has touched close to 40 states across the nation.
The promise of education, social and economic participation, and community vibrancy has always animated the community college movement. The learners we serve today carry a distinct set of origin stories than those a century, or even a decade ago. Yet their yearning for social and economic betterment for themselves and the family remains strikingly similar. Community colleges have always been a movement that meets the moment. And we shall again, as we renew our promise for our second century.
While there’s been ample research on tracking’s negative effects, studies of positive effects resulting from detracking are scant. A 2009 summary of 15 studies from 1972 to 2006 concluded that detracking improved academic outcomes for lower-ability students, but had no effect on average and high-ability students.
Proposals to curtail tracking often draw fiery opposition, sometimes scuttling the efforts. The San Francisco Unified School District, which in 2014 detracked math through ninthgrade, recently announced that it’s testing the reintroduction of a tracked system, following a lawsuit from a group of parents who alleged that detracking hurt student achievement.
Boulan Park Middle School teacher Jordan Baines gives tips to help her students figure out a math problem. (Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report)
The pushback, often from parents of high-track students, is part of why tracking, especially in math, remains common. In a 2023 survey of middle-school principals by the Rand Corporation, 39% said their schools group students into separate classes based on achievement.
But some places have changed their math classes with minimal backlash, and also ensured course rigor and improved academic outcomes. That’s often because they moved slowly.
Evanston Township High School, in Illinois, started detracking in 2010, collapsing several levels in two freshman-year subjects — humanities and biology — into one.
Then, for six years, the school made no other changes. That allowed leaders to work out the kinks and look at the data to make sure there were no negative effects on achievement, said Pete Bavis, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Teachers liked the mixed-ability classes and asked to expand them to other subjects. In 2017 the school began detracking sophomore and junior English, geometry and Algebra II.
At South Side Middle School and High School on Long Island, detracking went even slower, taking 17 years to fully roll out between 1989 and 2006.During that period, the proportion of students earning New York’s higher-level Regents diploma climbed from 58% in 1989 to 97% by 2005. “I always told parents, when we started moving this through the high school, ‘Look, if this isn’t working, I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to hurt your kid,’” said former South Side High Principal Carol Burris.
Those slow rollouts contrast with what happened in the Shaker Heights City School District in Ohio in 2020. That summer, school leaders needed to simplify schedules to accommodate a mix of online and onsite students because of the pandemic. They saw an opening to do something that had long been in the district’s strategic plan: end tracking in most fifth- through ninth-grade subjects.
But teachers complained last spring that it had gone too quickly, saying that they didn’t get enough training on teaching mixed classrooms, and that course rigor has suffered. Even supporters of detracking suggested it had happened so fast that the district couldn’t lay the groundwork with parents.
Shaker Heights Superintendent David Glasner said he understands those concerns. But he said he also heard from parents, students and instructional leaders who say they’re glad the district “ripped the Band-Aid off.”
In Troy, despite the pushback from parents, the school board voted 6-1 for the change, noting that the district had spent four years studying options and that teachers and outside experts largely supported the plan.
Machesky said if he had it to do over, he’d communicate with parents earlier. The anonymous email took advantage of an information void: The district had communicated the proposal only to parents of current and upcoming middle schoolers. Most who opposed it had younger kids, he said.
Students at Boulan Park Middle School in Troy, Michigan, work on a math problem. (Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report)
Leaders in Evanston and South Side both say they also framed detracking as a way to create more opportunities for all students. As part of getting rid of tracks, Evanston created an “earned honors” system. All students enroll in the same classes, but they can opt into honors credit — which boosts their class grade by a half-point, akin to extra credit — if they take and do well on additional assessments or complete additional projects.
School leaders in South Side also ensured that detracked classes remained as challenging as the higher-level classes had been previously, Burris said. To make sure students succeeded, the school arranged for teachers to tutor struggling students in a support class held two or three times a week and in a half-hour period before school, changing the bus schedules to make that work. Teachers also created optional activities for each lesson that would push higher-achieving students if they mastered the material being covered.
“You have to make sure you’re not taking something away from anyone,” said Burris.
To prepare for pushback, Evanston also formed a “rapid-response team” that answered parent questions about the new system within 24 hours and developed dozens of pages of frequently updated FAQs. That took the pressure off teachers, letting them focus on the classroom, said math department chair Dale Leibforth. By the end of the first year of detracking, the school had gotten just three complaints, all requests for fixes to narrow technical problems rather than wholesale critiques, said Bavis.
“We imagined a catastrophe,” he said. “We asked, ‘what could go wrong?’” and mapped how to handle each scenario.
The Troy School District in Michigan has moved to end “basic” and “honors” math classes for sixth and seventh graders. (Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report)
In response to continued critiques of its detracking effort, last fall Shaker Heights pioneered another idea: an evening immersion experience that lets parents sit through detracked classes, followed by questions and answers.
Parents were respectful but probing: How do teachers work together to make the new system work? Do kids know when they’re grouped with others who are struggling in a skill? Are the books we worked with really at sixth-grade level? While there’s no data on the session’s effects, Glasner says they “absolutely did move the needle” on community opinion.
Research from the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, suggests that districts should focus on how detracking helps all students, rather than emphasizing that the efforts are aimed to advance equity and benefit students in lower tracks, said senior fellow Halley Potter. That approach gives parents of higher-track kids the idea that their own child’s academics are being sacrificed to help others.
That fits with what Machesky thinks happened last spring in Troy. “We kind of got caught up with the equity arguments that were raging in districts nationally at the time,” he said.
After last May’s board vote, opponents launched a recall petition against three board members who’d voted in favor of the change. To get on the ballot, it needed 8,000 signatures but got fewer than half that.
Since then, the opposition there has gone silent.
Last fall the district held “math nights” to talk about the new system and let parents ask questions. The students have settled in. “I have received zero negative communication from parents — no emails, no phone calls — zero,” said Machesky.
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, one prevailing challenge persists: motivating students. The last few years have witnessed a noticeable shift in student behavior, consisting of apathy, absenteeism, and a lack of engagement. This phenomenon is not merely a reflection of “kids these days,” but rather a symptom of complex societal and educational issues.
Students are increasingly disillusioned by a system where effort seemingly yields little reward. When peers who exert minimal effort receive the same accolades as those who diligently apply themselves, the incentive for hard work diminishes.
This disparity not only erodes motivation, but also fosters a sense of injustice among students who strive for excellence. Moreover, the pervasive sense of existential dread among today’s youth further compounds the problem. Economic instability, environmental concerns, and social unrest contribute to a bleak outlook on the future. In such a climate, the traditional promise of education as a pathway to success and social mobility loses its allure. Students question the relevance of academic pursuits in a world fraught with uncertainty and disillusionment.
As educators, administrators, and policymakers grapple with this multifaceted issue, insights from the Self-Determination Theory offers valuable guidance. Developed by psychologists Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan, the theory posits that individuals are intrinsically motivated when their psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are fulfilled.
Autonomy is the need to feel in control of one’s actions and decisions. It is crucial for fostering intrinsic motivation. When students perceive their educational journey as a series of choices as opposed to mandates, they are more likely to engage actively in learning. Educators can empower students by providing opportunities for self-directed learning, encouraging autonomy in decision-making, and respecting students to have a voice in the learning. Competence is the need to feel capable and effective in one’s endeavors. It is another fundamental aspect of motivation. Students thrive when they perceive their efforts are both meaningful and productive. To promote competence, educators should offer challenging yet attainable tasks, provide constructive feedback that highlights growth and improvement, and celebrate the students’ achievements. By nurturing a growth mindset and cultivating resilience, educators can instill confidence and motivation in their students. Relatedness is the need to feel connected and valued within a community. It plays a pivotal role in motivating students. When students perceive a sense of belonging and support from their peers and educators, they are more likely to invest in their academic pursuits. Creating a positive and inclusive learning environment, fostering collaborative learning experiences, and promoting empathy and understanding among students contributes to fulfilling the need for relatedness.
Incorporating the principles of the Self-Determination Theory into educational practices can help address the pervasive apathy and disengagement plaguing schools today. By prioritizing students’ intrinsic motivation and psychological well-being, educators can reignite their passion for learning and empower them to thrive academically and personally.
However, addressing the root causes of student apathy requires systemic changes beyond the classroom. Safer school environments, education reforms informed by research and teacher expertise, increased access to mental health resources, and a commitment to environmental sustainability are essential components of a holistic approach to fostering student motivation and well-being.
Ultimately, motivating students is not solely the responsibility of educators; it requires collective action and systemic change. By embracing the principles of the Self-Determination Theory and advocating for meaningful reforms, we can create learning environments where every student feels empowered, valued, and motivated to succeed. As we navigate the complexities of modern education, educators must remain steadfast in our commitment to nurturing the potential and aspirations of every child.
MADISON, Wis. — When President Joe Biden came to Madison Area Technical College last week, he was hoping to fire up students here about his new plans to cancel student loan debt for millions more Americans.
“I will never stop [fighting] to deliver student debt relief,” Biden vowed in remarks laying out his latest proposals. “By freeing millions of Americans from this crushing debt of student debt, it means they can finally get on with their lives instead of their lives being put on hold.”
But his speech had barely ended before students were racing out of the building for something more exciting: a solar eclipse. Dozens of teenagers and early-20-somethings gathered outside, swapping crumpled pairs of paper solar eclipse glasses with each other and staring into the sun. Nobody was talking about the president or student loans. In fact, none of these students had even gone to Biden’s event. It was invite-only.
“I think the student Senate got in?” wondered Matt, 19, a student from the nearby town of Verona. “That shit is stupid!” interrupted another student charging through, pointing at the sky and looking for a pair of glasses. That was the end of any student loan talk.
Biden picked this Madison school for his student loan speech because it checks two boxes for his presidential campaign: appealing to young voters and showing his face in Wisconsin, a swing state that will be pivotal to winning the election in November. Biden narrowly defeated former President Donald Trump here in 2020. Trump narrowly won it in 2016.
Six months before the election, both candidates are aggressively courting voters here. Beyond last week’s trip, Biden was in Milwaukee last month, fresh off his State of the Union address, pitching voters on what he’d offer in a second term. Meanwhile, the GOP chose Milwaukee as the site for its party’s nominating convention in July, and Trump stumped in Green Bay earlier this month. It was his first time in the state since 2022.
Biden’s latest visit here was also an attempt to show people who are six decades younger than him that he’s listening to their concerns. At 81, he’s faced months of scrutiny over his age and mental acuity. Trump has faced questions about his mental competency, too. But a March poll by The New York Times and Siena College showed voters more concerned about Biden’s age, even though Trump isn’t far behind at 77.
For college-aged voters in Madison, though, this didn’t seem like a dealbreaker.
“It does concern me, but it also doesn’t,” said Mack, 21, who is from Madison and planning to vote for Biden. “I wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, that’s the reason I’m not voting for him.’”
And even if they weren’t invited to his student loan event, at least some students were paying attention to what Biden is doing on this front.
His student debt relief plans “absolutely” resonate, said Yaakov, a 21-year-old from Minneapolis. “I got a scholarship, but if I didn’t I would be $180,000 in debt.”
Even though he doesn’t have loans, “My brother, my friends, a lot of people I know are drowning in debt right now,” he added. “I got insanely lucky. Thank god someone is taking on this issue.”
Biden talked about his student loan debt relief proposals at Madison Area Technical College on April 8. Hopefully some students were invited to attend the event.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS via Getty Images
HuffPost spent a couple of days in Madison talking to college students about the presidential election. We asked more than two dozen of them the same two questions: Do you plan to vote in November, and if so, who would you vote for and why?
There was a clear theme to their responses. Most said yes, most said they planned to vote for Biden, and most said it was because they just don’t want Trump in the White House.
“I’m going to be voting for Joe Biden because Donald Trump has proven time and again that he’s not interested in continuing democracy,” said Dylan Goldman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who is from Florida. “While I think Joe Biden is too old to be president, I’ve been left with no other choice.”
“I don’t know if I can say it any better,” chimed in his friend Michael Howe, 20, of Brainerd, Minnesota. “I will also be voting for Biden. I’m not a fan of Biden’s age at this point, but Trump is not that much younger and it’s the lesser of two evils at this point.”
“While I think Joe Biden is too old to be president, I’ve been left with no other choice.”
– Dylan Goldman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
College-aged voters tend to be “more of a wild card” in presidential elections, said Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy.
They’re still trying to figure out how the process works, she said, plus trying to sort out their own political ideas from their parents’ ideas, and figure out which party they identify with, if any. They also face an information barrier, meaning if they start learning about a particular issue that is being hotly debated on a college campus — say, the Israel-Hamas war — that issue alone could be the deciding factor on whether they vote and who they vote for.
“Young people statistically are more likely to be Democrats, but they don’t have a track record of voting,” said Romero. “So things like Biden’s policy on Israel, for example, completely upend that.”
Young voters also tend to have low turnout. “But they are still formidable,” said Romero, who has written about how our electoral system has failed young voters. “Their sheer numbers mean they have the ability, when an election is really close, to potentially swing an election.”
The equation for these college students in Madison, in a community inhabited by relatively politically active and informed young adults, seemed to be that Trump is a greater concern than whatever problems they may have with Biden.
Students gave lots of reasons for their disdain of Trump. They also mostly requested only using their first names. One Latina student said she felt “very disrespected” by him. Her friend, who was white, said she considered herself an ally to minority groups and couldn’t vote for Trump because of his treatment of people of color. Neither cited specific things he’s said, but Trump has a long record of insulting variousminoritygroups.
“I don’t like how he took us out of the Paris Agreement,” said Jocelyn, 19, of Evanston, Illinois, referring to the international treaty on climate change adopted in 2015. “Obama put us on it, so I think it’s important to stay with it. I don’t want that to get ruined.”
Molly, 18, of Lake Forest, Illinois, said Trump’s history of denigrating “women and people with disabilities and all that, it’s just not something I align myself with.”
Jewish students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison gather for an event to pray for the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. Some students raised concerns with Biden’s response to the Middle East war.
This all sounds like good news for Biden’s campaign, but students still shared concerns about his age and his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
“I honestly never was interested in anything Biden said until he was, like, showing he was actually helping Israel with the war,” said Demi, 22, who is Jewish and from San Diego. “Now he’s stepped to the side, and I’ve stopped listening.”
Moments later, she said, “I hate to say it, but Trump has done more for the Jews.” She said she feels like Trump hasn’t wavered in his support for Israel, and that the bottom line is “the Jews want to feel safe.”
But when asked if that means she might vote for Trump, Demi replied, “I’m kind of just like, whatever my parents guide me to do. I don’t follow politics. I honestly don’t know the difference between a Democrat and a Republican.”
The fact that many of these students said they plan to vote for Biden not necessarily because of what he’s offering, but because he’s not the other guy, suggests the president has some work to do with selling them on his record. Recent national polls seem to show Biden underperforming with young voters compared to how he fared with them in 2020. They also seem to show Trump gaining support from the youth vote. There are reasons to be skeptical of these polls, but it’s still not a good sign for the Biden camp.
Romero said she sees a connection between what national polling is suggesting about young voters and what our small sampling found.
“The common denominator is that they weren’t enthusiastic about Biden,” she said. “I’m not surprised that many young people are translating their very strong reactions to Biden’s policies into potentially not voting for a Democrat, maybe even potentially voting for Trump. The only thing I’m cautioning is it’s still really early in the election.”
“The war is evolving. Policies are evolving,” added Romero. “Maybe the war stays constant, but Trump does something to change the equation.”
Donald Trump, pictured here visiting a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, is not very popular among University of Wisconsin-Madison students.
Of the 26 students HuffPost interviewed at both college campuses, just one said she planned to vote for Trump. But this University of Wisconsin student didn’t know why.
“I’m sorry, I don’t really have an answer,” said Grace, 18, when asked what she liked about Trump. She requested only listing Wisconsin as where she’s from.
“I just don’t think Biden is fit to be president. I feel like he has mental issues,” she said. “I don’t think anyone should be president if that’s going on.”
Sitting nearby at a picnic table, three male students concurred that Trump was the worst possible option.
“I just think four years of Trump would be worse than four more years of Biden,” said Finn, 19, from Los Angeles. His friends laughed at how cynical he sounded.
“I know, it’s negative!” said Finn.
“It’s a negative election, though!” said Andrew, 20, of Milwaukee. “Who wanted to see this?”
If there was anything surprising about what these students had to say about the presidential election, it was their eagerness to be part of the conversation at all. Nobody declined to give an interview. Everybody had something slightly different to say. Their enthusiasm to share their ideas about what mattered to them was clear, even if it’s less clear if or how their concerns will translate at the ballot box.
Andrew, for one, spent several minutes offering his personal analysis of the Republican Party’s base of voters, what he sees as their disdain for Super PACs and then told an anecdote about how shocked he was to learn about a lobbyist group in a recent election advocating for a political candidate of a different party.
“It’s crazy! It’s just crazy, like, watching it all happen,” marveled the 20-year-old. “It’s a wild time in politics.”
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State and federal officials are beginning to raise concerns over the use of Tutor.com in schools due to its ownership by China-based investment firm Primavera Capital Group. The pushback against the 24/7 on-demand tutoring and homework services provider has been particularly strong among Republican leaders.
The Florida Department of Education, for instance, recently sent a letter to public K-12 and higher education leaders in the state flagging “potential issues” with Tutor.com given its Chinese ownership.
The letter from Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said school districts, charters and state colleges “should not contract with companies that have ties to foreign countries of concern.” Diaz added that education leaders must guarantee their contracts are in line with state laws and regulations on student data protections.
Tutor.com disputes that its services pose any threat to student data privacy. “We are disappointed by the recent outreach from the Florida Department of Education, which mistakenly assumes that private information of those who use our tutoring services could be transferred to China,” a Tutor.com spokesperson said in a statement to K-12 Dive.
The scrutiny of Tutor.com comes as the influx of tech into classrooms and growing complexity of cyberthreats have made student data privacy a top priority for leaders at the federal, state and district levels. Those concerns also come at a time when some members of Congress are seeking to ban TikTok because of the social media app’s Chinese ownership. TikTok’s parent company is ByteDance, a portfolio company of Primavera.
Districts should ‘err on the side of caution’
Tutor.com said in its statement that Primavera “is not involved in the day-to-day operations of Tutor.com.”
The company contracts with major school districts including Los Angeles Unified School District, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia, according to its website. It provides nearly two million sessions per year for tutoring, homework help and test preparation.
“Primavera does not have — and may not obtain — access to Tutor.com’s IT systems, per a U.S. government national security review conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) that was voluntarily initiated by both parties when the private equity firm acquired Tutor.com,” the spokesperson added.
Tutor.com was founded in Delaware over two decades ago, and Primavera has owned the company since 2022.
In most cases, when a company is purchased by an investment firm, it shouldn’t raise flags because these firms are usually not involved in their company’s daily operations, said Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance. However, that changes if an the investment firm is based in China, she said, adding that these fears that data could be shared with the country’s government are not unwarranted.
“The government involvement in all things that look like business is pervasive in China,” Plaggemier said. “At face value, you could say ‘Oh, well they only made an investment. How involved are they really with Tutor.com?’ But in a case where this is a country with a 100-year plan to be dominant, you have to look at it through that lens.”
With that in mind, Plaggemier said, it’s a good idea for school districts and their boards to reconsider or pull out from their contracts with Tutor.com. “I think you have to err on the side of caution and assume that there’s probably some access to that data by the Chinese.”
As part of Tutor.com’s agreement with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the company must have a data security officer to monitor and ensure compliance with data protection measures on an ongoing basis. The person in this role must be vetted and approved by U.S. government officials, according to the company’s spokesperson.
Additionally, Tutor.com’s spokesperson said the company has two independent directors who are required, vetted and approved by U.S. government officials. Those directors’ primary responsibility is to ensure that personal data is “appropriately safeguarded.”
While it appears Tutor.com’s efforts to protect data are “well-intentioned,” Plaggemier still questions “How do you verify these things?” For her, the risks involved with Tutor.com don’t seem worth it for schools — especially if there are alternative platforms.
“If there are other viable solutions where you don’t have the same concerns, then why would you take on the additional risk that’s partially funded by an adversary?” Plaggemier asked.
Other pushback
The pushback on Tutor.com is still unfolding. Santa Rosa County Schools in Florida canceled its contract with Tutor.com two weeks after parents brought forth their concerns over Tutor.com’s ownership, WEAR News recently reported.
A parental rights organization, Parents Defending Education, has been flagging similar concerns over Tutor.com and is tracking the company’s contracts with states and school districts throughout the country. Hawaii, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Carolina and West Virginia all currently use Tutor.com’s services via their education departments or public libraries.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, introduced a bill last month that would ban the Department of Defense from using Tutor.com. The company currently provides services to DoD service members and their families.
“There is no reason the Pentagon should be paying a Chinese-owned service that collects the data of our service members and their families. There are plenty of American companies that offer tutoring services and aren’t subject to the Chinese government,” said Cotton in a statement.
Last April, an email went out to families in the Troy School District outside Detroit. Signed by unnamed “concerned Troy parents,” it said that a district proposal to end “basic” and “honors” math classes for sixth and seventh graders was part of a longer-term district plan to completely abolish honors classes in all of its schools.
Superintendent Richard Machesky and his team were stunned. The district was indeed proposing to merge separate sixth- and seventh-grade math tracks into what it said would be a single, rigorous pathway emphasizing pre-algebra skills. In eighth grade, students could opt for Eighth Grade Math or Algebra I. But the district had no plans for changes to other grades, much less to do away with high school honors classes.
Earlier that month, Machesky and a district team of curriculum specialists and math teachers had unveiled the plan during a series of meetings with parents of current and incoming middle schoolers. Parents had largely expressed support, said Machesky: “We thought we were hitting the mark.”
Boulan Park Middle School math teacher Jordan Baines gives tips to help her students figure out a mathematics problem in Troy, Michigan. Credit: Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report
No matter. The email blast spurred opponents to show up at a board workshop and a town hall, and a petition demanding that the middle-school plan be scrapped got more than 3,000 signatures. At a packed board meeting that May, more than 40 people spoke, nearly all opposed to the plan, and the comments got personal. “Are you all on drugs?” parent Andrew Sosnoski asked the members.
It’s part of the skirmish over “detracking,” or eliminating the sorting of kids by perceived ability into separate math classes. Since the mid-1980s, some education experts have supported such moves, citing researchshowing that tracking primarily serves as a marker of race or class, as Black and Hispanic students, and those from lower-income families, are steered into lower-track classes at disproportionate rates. In the last 15 years, a handful of school districts around the country have eliminated some tracked math classes.
While there’s been ample research on tracking’s negative effects, studies of positive effects resulting from detracking are scant. In perhaps the only attempt to summarize the detracking literature, a 2009 summary of 15 studies from 1972 to 2006 concluded that detracking improved academic outcomes for lower-ability students, but had no effect on average and high-ability students.
Proposals to curtail tracking often draw fiery opposition, sometimes scuttling the efforts. The Portland school district in Oregon planned to compress two levels of middle school math into one starting in 2023, but after criticism, said the issue needed more study. Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, a Republican, won office in 2021 on an education platform that included protecting tracking, after an outcry over a state department of education plan that included language about “improving math equity,” which some interpreted as limiting tracking. The San Francisco Unified School District, which in 2014 detracked math through ninthgrade, recently announced that it’s testing the reintroduction of a tracked system, following a lawsuit from a group of parents who alleged that detracking hurt student achievement.
The pushback, often from parents of high-track students with the time and resources to attend school board meetings, is part of why tracking, especially in math, remains common. In a 2023 survey of middle-school principals by the Rand Corporation, 39 percent said their schools group students into separate classes based on achievement.
But some places have changed their math classes with minimal backlash, and also ensured course rigor and improved academic outcomes. That’s often because they moved slowly.
Math teacher Jordan Baines of Troy, Michigan, with students at Boulan Park Middle School.
Credit: Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report
Evanston Township High School, in Illinois, started detracking in 2010, collapsing several levels in two freshman-year subjects — humanities and biology — into one.
Then, for six years, the school made no other changes. That allowed leaders to work out the kinks and look at the data to make sure there were no negative effects on achievement, said Pete Bavis, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Teachers liked the mixed-ability classes and asked to expand them to other subjects, so in 2017 the school began detracking sophomore and junior English, Geometry and Algebra II.
At South Side Middle School and High School on Long Island, detracking went even slower, taking 17 years to fully roll out. The district started in 1989 with middle-school English and social studies, and progressed to high school math and chemistry by 2006.
The pace let parents see it wasn’t hurting their children’s achievement, said former South Side High Principal Carol Burris. During that period, the proportion of students earning New York’s higher-level Regents diploma climbed from 58 percent in 1989 to 97 percent by 2005. “I always told parents, when we started moving this through the high school, ‘Look, if this isn’t working, I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to hurt your kid,’” she said.
Those slow rollouts contrast with what happened in the Shaker Heights City School District in Ohio in 2020. That summer, school leaders needed to simplify schedules to accommodate a mix of online and onsite students because of the pandemic. They saw an opening to do something that had long been in the district’s strategic plan: end tracking in most fifth- through ninth-grade subjects.
But teachers complained last spring that it had gone too quickly, saying that they didn’t get enough training on teaching mixed classrooms, and that course rigor has suffered. Even supporters of detracking suggested it had happened so fast that the district couldn’t lay the groundwork with parents.
Shaker Heights Superintendent David Glasner said he understands those concerns. But he said he also heard from parents, students and instructional leaders in the district who say they’re glad the district “ripped the Band-Aid off.”
A math class at Boulan Park Middle School in Troy, Michigan, which has detracked some of its math classes. Credit: Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report
In Troy, despite the pushback from parents, the school board ultimately voted 6-1 for the change, noting that the district had spent four years studying options and that teachers and outside experts largely supported the plan.
Machesky said if he had it to do over, he’d communicate with parents earlier. The anonymous email took advantage of an information void: The district had communicated the proposal only to parents of current and upcoming middle schoolers. Most who turned out to oppose it had younger kids and hadn’t been told, he said.
Leaders in Evanston and South Side both say they also framed detracking as a way to create more opportunities for all students. As part of getting rid of tracks, Evanston created an “earned honors” system. All students enroll in the same classes, but they can opt into honors credit — which boosts their class grade by a half-point, akin to extra credit — if they take and do well on additional assessments or complete additional projects.
School leaders in South Side also ensured that detracked classes remained as challenging as the higher-level classes had been previously, Burris said. To make sure students succeeded, the school arranged for teachers to tutor struggling students in a support class held two or three times a week and in a half-hour period before school, changing the bus schedules to make that work. Teachers also created optional activities for each lesson that would push higher-achieving students if they mastered the material being covered.
“You have to make sure you’re not taking something away from anyone,” said Burris.
To prepare for pushback, Evanston also formed a “rapid-response team” that answered parent questions about the new system within 24 hours and developed dozens of pages of frequently updated FAQs. That took the pressure off teachers, letting them focus on the classroom, said math department chair Dale Leibforth. By the end of the first year of detracking, the school had gotten just three complaints, all requests for fixes to narrow technical problems rather than wholesale critiques, said Bavis.
“We imagined a catastrophe,” he said. “We asked, ‘what could go wrong?’” and mapped how to handle each scenario.
In response to continued critiques of its detracking effort, last fall Shaker Heights pioneered another idea: an evening immersion experience that lets parents sit through detracked classes. The four mock sessions — two in literature and two in math — were followed by questions and answers.
Parents were respectful but probing: How do teachers work together to make the new system work? Do kids know when they’re grouped with others who are struggling in a skill? Are the books we worked with really at sixth-grade level? While there’s no data on the session’s effects, Glasner says they “absolutely did move the needle” on community opinion.
Research from the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, suggests that districts should focus on how detracking helps all students, rather than emphasizing that the efforts are aimed to advance equity and benefit students in lower tracks, said senior fellow Halley Potter. That approach gives parents of higher-track kids the idea that their own child’s academics are being sacrificed to help others.
The Troy district, in Michigan, has moved to end “basic” and “honors” math classes for sixth and seventh graders. Credit: Amanda J. Cain for The Hechinger Report
That fits with what Machesky thinks happened last spring in Troy. “We kind of got caught up with the equity arguments that were raging in districts nationally at the time,” he said.
After last May’s board vote, opponents launched a recall petition against three board members who’d voted in favor of the change. To get on the ballot, it needed 8,000 signatures but got fewer than half that.
Since then, the opposition there has gone silent.
Last fall the district held “math nights” to talk about the new system and let parents ask questions. The students have settled in. “I have received zero negative communication from parents — no emails, no phone calls — zero,” said Machesky.
Whether detracking spreads may depend on the experience of parents and students. Back on Long Island, parent Mindy Roman’s three children graduated from South Side High in 2009, 2012 and 2018, and she said she’s glad they were in classes with diverse groups of students. Her children didn’t have classes with a Black student until middle school because of the way elementary school lines were drawn, she said. And all three did well in the district’s detracked courses.
But Roman said she’s heard from current parents with the opposite experience. “It’s not ‘oh my God, my child is getting access to these unbelievable opportunities,’ but more like, ‘my kid is gonna get a 70 in a class when they could get a 90. I don’t want them to be put under that much pressure.’”
John Murphy, who was principal at South Side High from 2015 to 2023, said he started hearing around 2018 from people worried about the effects of the workload on their children’s mental health, and the school responded by giving less homework. Even so, “students are working way harder than they did 20 years ago,” said Murphy, now an assistant for human resources to Superintendent Matthew Gaven.
Still, academic outcomes at South Side have improved since the district eliminated tracking. In 2021-22, 89 percent of South Side graduates earned the highest-level diploma the state offers — the advanced Regents diploma — compared with 42 percent in New York state as a whole. Another 9 percent earned the Regents diploma.
That said, the district recently made an accommodation. Post-Covid, a small group of parents of middle schoolers told the district they didn’t think their children were ready for Algebra I because of the pandemic-era learning interruptions. So South Side Middle School retracked eighth-grade math starting in the 2023-24 school year, offering parents the choice of Algebra I or a grade-level math course. Gaven said that only around 7 percent of parents of eighth graders asked for that option, and that demand for it might taper as schools return to normal.
It’s an opt-in model far different from those that direct students into lower-level courses because of test scores or teacher recommendations, said Gaven. “We know our kids can handle algebra, but we respect our parents as partners and wanted to give them a voice and an option.”
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The edtech market is saturated with various tools designed to improve children’s literacy from e-readers to apps to digital libraries. Over the past few years, more literacy tools have been using generative AI, either to accelerate children’s reading proficiency or to stimulate more reading interest.
Recently, a new kind of tool has emerged. Referred to as AI-powered reading coaches, assistants or tutors, these tools use generative AI to provide learners with personalized reading practice, stories, feedback and support.
Some of these tools focus on a specific learning objective, such as phonics instruction, or on a thematic area within a story. Others incorporate personal data like the child’s name and offer options for choosing settings and avatars, providing unique narratives for each child.
As a professor of reading and children’s development, specializing in children’s digital tools, I’ve researched what works and what doesn’t when it comes to coaching children to read. And by collaborating on research with colleagues through WiKIT, an international research organization focused on edtech evidence, I’ve reviewed multiple tools using generative AI to teach children to read. I have seen that many have the potential to bring learning breakthroughs, for example, by offering personalized fluency practice or feedback tailored to each user. But there are very real concerns about the impact of these tools on children’s literary and literacy experiences.
Potential Opportunities and Drawbacks
Depending on the tool, these AI-powered reading coaches, assistants and tutors include a variety of elements to support children with literacy. Some common features include using speech recognition technology to listen to a child read and then using AI to select from a bank of interventions or feedback, using AI to generate narrative texts for children to read or to create distinct prompts based on the child’s ability. And like many edtech tools, it’s common for these to use reward systems, such as giving learners the ability to collect badges or prizes as they progress. Each of these elements comes with its own set of opportunities and drawbacks.
Using speech recognition technology to listen to a child read and using AI to offer feedback can be helpful as long as the technology is based on science-backed design. It is problematic that many tools claim to be science-based but in reality, have not been developed by learning scientists and have not been tested in rigorous evaluation studies. Such tools are typically designed to engage and motivate the child in interacting with stories, but don’t always lead children to improve their reading skills.
The same is true for AI-generated narratives, which typically engage children by allowing them to make choices, such as what kind of character and setting to pick for a story, and by personalizing the experience, say by making the protagonist a character with the child’s name and age. But AI-generated narratives often misalign with what science recommends for children’s literary experiences. For example, AI-generated narratives often exhibit inconsistencies in story elements. On one page, the main protagonist may appear as a 5-year-old blond girl, but on the next page, she transforms into a teenager with no prior time indication in the text. Inconsistencies in story events are also very common: In a story I recently created on one of these tools, the main character, Natalia, who I named after myself of course, suddenly was interacting with a new character, “Remi’s dog,” with no prior reference to how Remi or the dog got into the story. Research indicates that such narrative disruptions confuse young readers and hinder readers’ empathy for the characters.
Drawing on research is valuable for effective content as well as the format of narrative texts. Currently, most stories generated by AI resemble illustrated e-books rather than digital picture books. Typically, in an illustrated e-book, characters are merely drawn to reflect the information in the text. If the text says, “Natalia is wearing a yellow shirt as she stands in her garden smiling,” the character would be drawn to match exactly that description. In contrast, in high-quality children’s picture books, both pictures and texts contribute to the narrative’s depth, expanding children’s horizons, making them reflect and engage in abstract thinking. The kind of literary experience that authors like Jacqueline Woodson achieved in her book, “Brown Girl Dreaming,” where poetry paints a picture in readers’ minds, elevating the reading experience to art.
Also, in high-quality digital children’s books, voiceovers do not merely recite the written text, but they augment the story with additional emotion and drama. With the complementary, mutually enriching roles of images, texts and voice-overs in stories, children can become not only better readers, but can also develop stronger writing skills and media competence.
While the aesthetic quality of AI-generated stories may improve over time, I am concerned about how exposure to such stories might shape children’s standards for story quality. Children’s multimodal ability to make meaning of a story is diminished when these quality markers are taken away. Despite claims by producers of digital story-making tools to democratize access to story production, poorly designed digital books may inadvertently widen the gap between digitally produced narratives and those crafted by professional authors. Such disparities introduce a sharper divide in terms of what literary critics deem high-quality literature worthy of exposing children to, as opposed to quick reads generated on demand by AI tools. While the latter may entertain, the former serve to educate.
Concerns about AI-powered reading coaches, assistants and tutors relate to both learning to read and reading to learn, especially when it comes to AI-generated prompts. Many digital book producers already integrate real-time conversation prompts that can enhance children’s comprehension and these have been found to support literacy development. The new AI-generated prompts may also help children, but not as much as reading with a skilled human adult, such as a teacher, parent or tutor — and they should not be used to replace that experience. Overall, while these tools hold potential, they also may exacerbate the existing digital divide, particularly for children who either lack access to the technology or a qualified adult to work with them on using it effectively.
How the Research On These Tools Is Unfolding
As the tools are still in development, researchers can only predict, rather than determine, their effects. Based on academic research about reading motivation, we can anticipate some challenges. For example, research shows that extrinsic motivators, like badges, are either negatively correlated or insignificantly associated with reading competence. On the other hand, intrinsic reading motivation, which stems from readers’ curiosity and active involvement in the reading process, is moderately and positively correlated with measures of reading competence.
Contrary to these findings, AI-powered reading coaches seem designed to prioritize encouraging external motivation. Children’s progress and time spent on the platforms is rewarded with stickers, applause and unlockable rewards. Comprehension checks via quizzes can be easily bypassed through trial and error, resulting in children pretending to read and receiving rewards for incorrect answers. Moreover, there’s no external assessment to gauge if skills transfer to other texts, weakening the accountability of these technologies.
A recent meta-analysis of interventions that foster reading motivation revealed a small but noteworthy impact from strategies that customize texts to various reading levels or incorporate real-world connections. Importantly, this short-term effect is more noticeable among advanced readers than struggling ones. Yet, as of now, the AI-powered reading coaches on the market lack the specificity of effective targeted approaches.
Observing these trends is disappointing. These tools have the potential to enhance reading experiences for children, if they’re designed with insights from educators and researchers, particularly in the field of learning science. For example, these tools could disrupt traditional ideologies in literary texts if they involved teachers in the design process. Through this collaborative approach, they could also foster teachers’ AI literacy. And product developers could draw from learning science research to build tools that foster children’s self-expression and creativity.
Unfortunately, there is a staggering lack of collaboration between the community of edtech companies building children’s technology products, educators and researchers possessing domain-specific knowledge. Even when companies engage with researchers, it tends to be sporadic communication advice rather than continuous dialogue. And while some companies test their tools with teachers, it’s more common to develop features that are popular or aligned with pressing curriculum requirements rather than latest and best science.
Who suffers most from low quality technologies? The children. So, how can we ensure that learners’ agency, volition and ability to make free choices, is preserved and encouraged in their interaction with AI-powered reading coaches?
Currently, this key question boils down to concerns about data privacy and improving consent-gathering procedures for data. However, answering the question also involves determining who ultimately benefits from these tools. If children are the intended beneficiaries, then the companies building these tools must reconsider their strategies for design and scaling. Instead of rapid scaling and integration into various reading products driven by tech trends and investor demands for growth, edtech development requires a more patient approach. This involves participatory design with diverse groups of children and engaging educators and researchers in iterative co-creation cycles. Let’s not diminish the potential of these technologies by hastily releasing tools that are not yet mature enough to fully support children’s development.
That buzz has all but vanished, especially when it comes to the idea of setting up shared virtual spaces like the ones imagined by the science fiction author who coined the term metaverse.
So what happened to the early education experiments in the metaverse, and what do those watching the space think is next?
To find out, we checked in with two experts for this week’s EdSurge Podcast — the same folks we had on as guests two years ago at the height of the metaverse craze. Those guests are Greg Heiberger, associate dean for academics and student success at South Dakota State University and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
“I’m actually OK that a lot of the buzz is going somewhere else because I think it helps us to focus not on the shiny object … but on what really matters to us,” says Heiberger, whose university was one of those funded by Meta to make a campus in VR.
But he admits there are downsides, too.
“What’s heartbreaking is there was money, there was money flowing from Meta into education directly … and that tap has been pretty well closed, and that I think is tough,” he says.
Hirsh-Pasek notes that there have been important developments in VR even though they aren’t getting as much attention. For instance, she praised Apple’s recent product release of the Apple Vision Pro, which she says solves an important challenge of the technology by allowing users to opt to see a view of the outside world even while wearing the headset. In her testing of the device, she said she felt truly immersed in a demo that allowed users to appear to walk among dinosaurs. “But basically you’d be watching an Imax movie,” she said of the device’s strengths. “And for education, we need more. We need interactivity. And it must be social.” Her takeaway for now is the device “is built for entertainment,” but that her “dream” is that more social aspects can be added later.
Both experts still see important applications for VR in education, and for a concept like a metaverse eventually emerging and bringing more experiential learning to students. And they are calling on tech companies to seek input from educators and education researchers as they continue to develop the hardware that will make such virtual worlds possible.
Hear their experiences and predictions on this week’s episode. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts, or use the player on this page.
Earlier this month, the University of Southern California announced that Asna Tabassum would be the Class of 2024′s valedictorian, with a 3.98 GPA and in recognition of her community service and leadership skills. She is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide.
But on Monday, USC canceled the speech.
In an announcement dated Monday, Provost Andrew Guzman said the “intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East” has “created substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.”
“After careful consideration, we have decided that our student valedictorian will not deliver a speech at commencement. While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety,” he wrote. “This decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement. The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”
The school did not elaborate further. Reached for comment, the provost’s office directed HuffPost to Guzman’s statement.
Tabassum, in an interview with HuffPost, questioned the university’s reasoning and told HuffPost she felt disappointed and let down by USC.
“I am surprised that my own university – my home for four years – has abandoned me,” she said.
In a statement published on Monday, Tabassum said that she was not aware of any specific threats against her or the university, and that during a meeting last Sunday, administrators told her that “the University had the resources to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory speech, but that they would not be doing so since increased security protections is not what the University wants to ’present as an image.’”
“Security and safety is also my concern. That’s consistent with my commitment to human equality and human rights. I don’t think that they’re mutually exclusive at all,” Tabassum told HuffPost. She noted that notable figures including former President Barack Obama, rap star Travis Scott and right-wing speaker Milo Yiannopoulos have all been able to visit campus grounds.
“The university has created many safety measures, and created room for many more speakers, who are more controversial and more significant than I am,” said Tabassum. “I’m the valedictorian. I’m someone who the university has chosen to represent its students. When it comes to actually believing if the university is making this decision about safety, I have to consider it in the lens of the university making the decisions to protect others who have come onto campus but not protecting me.”
This week, Columbia University’s president is set to testify at a congressional hearing about campus safety, four months after a similar hearing resulted in the resignation of two Ivy League presidents. And the Department of Education launched a series of investigations last November into several universities where students have reported antisemitic or Islamophobic incidents.
Tabassum said she was denied a chance to let others see someone like her give a high-profile speech ― a South Asian hijab-wearing Muslim, someone “representative of communities and of the masses of people who never saw the institution made for them,” she told HuffPost. “I wanted to offer the hope that … we can succeed [at] institutions like USC.”
But after having her invitation canceled, Tabassum said those hopes fell flat.
“How can we protect the expression of human rights and protect that expression for the sake of all communities, and not just those that I might most represent?” she asked.
According to USC’s Annenberg Media, some students and alumni said Tabassum’s social media activity ― which includes a link to a pro-Palestinian page ― was antisemitic. Guzman, however, wrote that this decision was made “based on various criteria ― which did not include social media presence.”
Since the university’s decision, Tabassum said she’s been overwhelmed by messages of both support and hate. People from her elementary school who she hasn’t spoken to in a decade reached out. Others have taken to Instagram to speculate about her ethnic background and her political views, and to applauded the university’s decision to revoke her invitation.
Rep. Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress, called the move “shameful” in an X post on Tuesday.
Tabassum “earned her spot after years of hard work and academic excellence. Bigotry towards minority students can’t be normalized,” she wrote.
The university said it will not be selecting a replacement for Tabassum at the main graduation ceremony, which was scheduled for May 10. Approximately 65,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony for the school’s roughly 19,000 graduates, according to Annenberg Media.
“I was hoping to use my commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope,” Tabassum wrote in her statement. “By canceling my speech, USC is only caving to fear and rewarding hatred.”
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MINNEAPOLIS, April 16, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Every academic year, ASSE International Exchange Students from around the world contribute to the vibrant tapestry of communities across the United States, offering a unique opportunity for cultural exchange without the need to travel abroad. Word of mouth and local events prove to be effective means of disseminating information and sparking interest in hosting these students. ASSE International, a nonprofit public benefit organization, is thrilled to unveil its annual “ASSE Super Saturday Event,” designed to heighten awareness nationwide about the rewarding experience of hosting a foreign exchange student.
ASSE’s Super Saturday 2024 will take place on April 20, 2024.
On this day, ASSE Area Representatives, State Coordinators, Host Families, and Exchange Students will come together within their local communities to promote the joys of global friendship through high school student exchange programs. Thousands of ASSE participants, including students, host families, and volunteers, will set up booths at various venues such as festivals, farmer’s markets, sporting events, libraries, and shopping malls to engage with people and discuss the value of cultural exchange and hosting an exchange student.
ASSE Exchange Students, aged 15 to 18, are carefully selected based on their academic achievements and personalities. Host families have the opportunity to choose a student from diverse backgrounds, countries, and interests. These students arrive with their own spending money and comprehensive insurance coverage.
Whether you’re a young family, retired, a single parent or empty nesters, hosting one of our students from countries like France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Denmark, Thailand, and more, offers a remarkable opportunity to extend your family’s reach across the globe without leaving home.
To learn more about becoming a host family for one of these extraordinary young students or to find out about ASSE Super Saturday Events in your community, please call Saphia Lesch at (800) 736‐1760 or go to www.host.asse.com.
By generously opening your home to a young person from overseas, you contribute to our global mission of fostering peace, kindness, and mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other nations worldwide.
ASSE invites you to embark on the journey of welcoming your new son or daughter into your family today.
Source: ASSE International Student Exchange Programs
1. After looking closely at the image above (or at the full-size image), think about these three questions:
2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
3. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
Each Monday, our collaborator, Visual Thinking Strategies, will facilitate a discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time by paraphrasing comments and linking to responses to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.
4. On Thursday afternoons, we will reveal at the bottom of this post more information about the photo. How does reading the caption and learning its back story help you see the image differently?
The Reveal
We’ll post more information here on Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned!
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
For way too long in my first years of teaching, the second an administrator walked in to observe me, I started malfunctioning like a weird, anxious robot.
BEEP BOOP BOP. WHAT IS THE LEARNING TARGET …?
I don’t blame former teacher me for behaving oddly. Observations can be tricky for a variety of reasons, among them:
The teacher’s nerves knowing they’re being evaluated
Many evaluation systems not being set up for very standard classroom practices (e.g., when students are taking tests, working independently, etc.)
Buried in those responses were little pieces of advice that shined like little flecks of gold. Here’s one from Isabel C:
“Anytime it’s my observation, I tell the kids admin is there to observe how they are behaving in my class!”
A similar one from Mark L.:
“I was lucky in that nothing unusual happened during the observations I had with my middle school students. I’d prep the students beforehand by telling them the evaluator—usually the principal—was there to observe you. It worked every time.”
And another from Anjali P:
“It’s so simple. Prep the students ahead of time to believe an administrator is coming to observe student behavior.”
These teachers have it figured out, y’all.
Why this is genius:
It’s not untrue. The administrator is there to observe students. A huge part of evaluating a teacher means noting how students are behaving, interacting, and connecting with the teacher.
It allows the teacher to be evaluated on actual teaching instead of factors out of their control (e.g., student behavior).
It can help lower stress on the teacher’s part knowing there’s a support in place to help minimize outbursts and other less predictable behaviors.
However, like anything in the classroom, you need to be careful about how you implement this strategy.
But proceed with caution:
Share this as preparatory information, not a threat. You don’t want to exchange your own lowered anxiety for higher anxiety in your students. “Just wanted to let you know Principal Weatherall will be in tomorrow to take some notes on student behavior and participation. I told her you all are excellent students, so you have nothing to worry about. Can someone remind me of our norms for when we have a visitor?”
Don’t attach a bribe. Several teachers shared that their observation horror story involved their students sharing the agreement directly with the principal or appraiser. “Ms. Castillo said if you said we’re good, she’ll give us candy! Have we been good?” Cringe.
Use this technique to minimize the rare outbursts, not cover up poor classroom management or other things your administrator should know. If you truly struggle with behavior management (which is not uncommon for new teachers), you want support from your administration, not for them to think you run a perfect classroom.
P.S. I got to chat with Isabel (one of the teachers who shared this hack), and she said this: “You might also add that teachers, parents, and admin people love to see successful students—‘successful’ being students with the skills to know how to do school!” We think this trick lets student success be the focus of an observation.
23 SOAR Scholars receive $5,000 scholarships, mentorship, and ongoing support as they pursue their higher education.
AUSTIN, Texas, April 16, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– LOAR PLLC is excited to announce the recipients of the 2024- 2025 SOAR Scholarships. These 23 remarkable women will each receive a $5,000 scholarship and will be provided professional development and mentoring throughout their college or graduate school experience. They will be attending universities throughout the State of Texas and are to be congratulated on winning in such a highly competitive environment. The recipients will be honored at LOAR’s Summer Celebration on June 8, 2024.
With this announcement, LOAR PLLC is proud of the over $250,000 in scholarships awarded in the three years of the SOAR Scholarship Foundation and is grateful for the opportunity to support and mentor these future leaders.
The 2024 SOAR Scholars’ class includes returning SOAR Scholars Anjali Iyer (University of Texas – Austin), Maria Isabel Ramos Martinez (University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley), Alondra Salinas (Texas A&M – College Station), and Mia Simmons (Baylor University). New SOAR Scholars include Brianna Andrews (Texas A&M – International University), Samantha Delgado (SMU Dedman School of Law), Taryn Dia (Baylor University), Madelyn Garcia (Texas A&M – College Station), Addison McKenna Goncalo (University of Texas – Austin), Danielle Gonzales (Texas A&M – College Station), Jocelynn Gonzales (Texas A&M – Corpus Christi), Isabella Herrera (University of Texas – Austin), Ivana Kiage (University of Houston), Julia Norton (Texas A&M – College Station), Vivianna Noyola (Baylor University), Andrea Nwaokolo (University of Texas – Austin), Sekinah Okunnu (University of Houston), Olivia Reyna (University of Texas – Austin), Olivia Rhoades (Texas A&M – College Station), Ashley Shtaih (Texas Christian University), Alexa Tovar (University of Texas – Austin), Tiffany Tran (University of Texas School of Dentistry – Houston), and Daphne Uribe (McGovern Medical School – University of Texas Health Science Center).
Congratulations also to the 2024 SOAR Scholar graduates. Arielle Allen is graduating from the University of Texas School of Law with her J.D. degree with Pro Bono Honors and will be joining LOAR PLLC as an attorney. Madi Ang is graduating from the University of Texas with a B.S. Honors in Nutritional Sciences. She will be matriculating at the University of Texas Dental School in Houston in August. Alejandra De La O is graduating with honors from the University of Texas with a B.S. in Public Relations and Advertising and will be continuing at the University of Texas to pursue her graduate studies. Tran Le Abraham will be graduating from The University of Texas School of Law with a Juris Doctorate, and after graduation will be working at the Texas Association of School Boards.
LOAR PLLC is a fast-growing, woman-owned, law firm with offices located in Austin, DFW,Waco, and Edinburg, serving all Texans. The firm launched SOAR, a nonprofit scholarship foundation, to provide annual college scholarships to outstanding female students who are the future leaders of their schools, communities, and businesses. Visit SOAR to serve as a mentor or donate. For more information on LOAR PLLC, follow us on Facebook,Instagram and LinkedIn or Email us or call us at 888-288-6503.
Growth hacking is a systematic and relentless effort to expand rapidly while testing out different techniques and measuring their respective success rates. HR tech companies must entrust their marketing teams with the arduous task of analyzing different strategies to determine which ones hit the target and which should go by the wayside. Bear in mind that the growth funnel has five stages: acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and revenue. If you have an HR startup, you can kickstart this process by driving traffic to your website or service using methods like SEO, PPC, and social media advertising. Once you’ve achieved that, potential clients must be able to quickly realize how useful your product is and why you stand out from the crowd. Likewise, after a client is hooked, you want them to refer others to fuel organic growth. In short, a marketing pro’s job is never done when it comes to attracting clients and keeping them loyal. Fortunately, this ultimate guide has all the growth hacking strategies you need to devise an action plan for your HR SaaS technology that brings in targeted leads and builds brand credibility.
The 4 Phases Of The Growth Hacking Process
1. Idea Initiation
When you venture into SaaS growth hacking, start by aligning your product or service with the market’s needs. It doesn’t mean that your offering needs to necessarily be groundbreaking but catered toward the needs of a large customer base. You should allow your HR marketer to conduct extensive research and identify the best promotion strategies. One great way to understand how valuable your product is would be to ask your audience how they would feel if your offering ceased to exist.
2. Experimenting
This is where trying out different growth hacking tips starts. HR marketing agencies may create different landing page examples, run various ads, and use A/B testing. Ask yourself, “What element can we add to make an ad more powerful?” or “How would things change if we removed an element?” Don’t stay stagnant, and always look for additional tools and methods to improve your visibility. Knowing your vulnerabilities helps you grow quickly.
3. Scaling
After HR marketers have tested different options, it’s time to scale the most successful growth hacking strategies. You may need to increase your allocated resources for additional paid ads and hire extra personnel to reach out to potential customers. However, you still need to analyze your techniques and measure your success. Just because a tip was effective during testing doesn’t mean that it will drive growth the way you thought.
4. Retention
At this point, your experiments have been tried, tested, and refined to fit your growth goals. They are bringing in new customers and solidifying your growth every day. Consistent expansion is achieved, but this doesn’t mean that you should stop trying out new growth hacking strategies. Your HR marketing team must keep testing and optimizing their successful methods to validate their effectiveness and achieve sustainability.
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Why Marketing Is Crucial For HR Tech Companies: Marketing And Earned Media Strategies
The HR technology market is projected to reach $76.5 billion by 2031. With a limited number of companies dominating the market, HR startups and large, already established companies alike must implement effective growth hacking techniques to be competitive. Through content marketing, you can craft informative and comprehensive blog posts, infographics, and articles. This allows you to build awareness regarding the HR tech market and propose solutions to pressing issues. Carefully crafted HR content makes complex information simple and keeps clients engaged even after making a purchase. One of the top growth hacking strategies for any business is earned media strategies, which refer to paid ads and content you own and publish yourself. In both cases, potential customers are encouraged to hold positive discussions about your brand.
The Differences Between Traditional PR Vs. Digital Marketing Campaigns
Both traditional and digital PR campaigns have the same goal: increasing brand awareness. The first utilizes staple media like the radio, newspapers, magazines, TV, and event organizing. On the other hand, digital marketing focuses on websites, blogs, social media, and video platforms. HR tech companies can benefit from both, but digital PR is often more subtle and less intrusive. Instead of throwing its campaign in people’s faces for immediate visibility, it aims to rank highly on Google’s result pages (SERPs). Building backlinks has a massive influence on placing a campaign and corresponding brand in high-authority media publications. One of the core differences between these marketing strategies is reaching target audiences. Traditional campaigns reach everyone regardless of their interest, while digital marketing targets potential clients.
Increasing Leads Through Customizing Messages To Segmented Audiences
The first step of this HR tech growth hack is to analyze the data you’ve collected to identify segments of your leads. You may use various criteria, including demographics, industry, location, job role, and company size. You should also implement quizzes and surveys to gather additional information. Then, you can craft user personas of your ideal customers to better understand their profiles. Based on their age, gender, education, income, and goals, you need to divide them into different categories. Next, create a proposition and highlight why clients should pick you over your competition. Start writing your messages and ensure they align with the personas you’ve created. The tone of voice and vocabulary should resonate with their needs and expectations. Don’t forget to add a powerful CTA, inviting everyone toward the next steps of your sales funnel.
The Best Demand Generation Strategies For HR Tech Companies
HR tech companies must invest in demand generation for their services or products by carefully developing a content strategy. If you want to stand out in an overcrowded HR technology market, you could use content syndication to increase brand visibility, maintain high engagement levels, and create demand for your offerings. Capitalize on your social media presence by creating targeted ads, publishing thrilling content, and engaging in conversation with your community. And what better way to increase reach than by collaborating with influencers and taking advantage of their authority? It is quite similar to partner marketing, where you leverage an influential person’s or business’s networks to extend to new markets. In addition, you can host webinars to showcase your expertise and get to know your target audience. You should also use marketing automation tools to understand which strategies lead to conversions and higher sales.
Ways To Close The Gap Between Marketing And Sales
Growth hacking strategies for HR tech companies include flawless communication between marketing and sales departments. The two should be able to define their course of action, build a strong brand image, and set KPIs. Using a structured discussion format allows all voices to be heard equally, mentioning their needs without leaving anyone outside of the circle. Despite marketing and sales being different areas, they should share a leader who unites, organizes, and aligns everyone. Also, it’s beneficial to ask your sales representatives about customer questions, common issues, and weaknesses. You may need to offer them extra information so their pitches are more convincing. Additionally, your teams must meet weekly and engage in brainstorming sessions. Salespeople offer their input regarding the target audience so HR tech marketers can deliver the campaigns to the right people. You must build a blame-free team where everyone accepts responsibility for mishaps and no one is thrown under the bus. Another tip to bridge the gap is to provide marketing and sales with the same technology. Everyone uses the same tools and can better collaborate and understand each other.
How To Construct Your Brand Story, Credibility, And Trust In The HR Tech Market
The first step for HR startups to make themselves visible and stand out is to craft an intriguing brand story. Successful HR tech marketers know how to evoke emotion, communicate a company’s mission, and win customers’ trust. To engage your target audience, you can craft an authentic and consistent brand image that has a traditional story structure and centers around your customers. It’s important that your marketing efforts recognize the human side of your client base by offering them a lifeboat for their most common issues. However, even if you create a compelling story, how do you win people’s trust when you are new to the game? It’s simple: you provide real case studies and customer testimonials. You mention the various challenges they faced and how your tools helped them overcome the hurdles. Hosting webinars can also help you demonstrate your authority and expertise in the HR tech market, making your company more competitive. Maintaining consistency and transparency allows your brand to grow its reliability as you actively show that you stick to your promises.
Successful Growth Strategies For HR Tech Companies
1. Leverage Referrals
Among the best growth hacking strategies you should consider for your HR tech company are referrals. A customer buys your product or service, is satisfied with it, and invites friends and peers to purchase it, too. Doesn’t that sound simple? It sure does. And it’s the exact same way PayPal grew its user base by 7–10% daily. They would offer $10 cashback for each referral, investing $60 million. Yes, this amount sounds extreme, but it did help the company attract 100 million new members. Then, Dropbox followed PayPal’s example. However, the brand did not have the same resources. So, instead, they offered 250MB of free storage for referrals, increasing their signups by 60%. This proves that you don’t need to invest exorbitant amounts of money but rather find a unique offering that clients won’t be able to resist.
2. Partner With Influencers And Brands
Marketing for new HR tech companies may differ from what big conglomerates are doing. It’s much easier and more affordable to identify social media influencers, podcasters, and bloggers in your niche and collaborate with them. You may offer free products or access to your services in exchange for promotion and honest reviews. A single post or mention from someone with 10–100K active and engaged followers offers you targeted exposure and guaranteed leads. But how do you prove to them that they need to promote your brand without getting paid? Well, your marketers will draw an immediate connection between your HR tech company and their brand. You can also make them affiliates and provide a much more powerful incentive for their collaboration.
3. Create Guest Posts On Industry Websites
Even when you’ve created the most informative and transformational article, your reach is limited if it’s located only on your company’s website. Therefore, you should submit it to other blogs and make sure to add a link to your own website. Make sure to modify your content based on each publication’s format. This way, you generate high-quality leads that are most certainly interested in your services. If you want to start guest blogging, here’s how you can publish an article on eLearning Industry. Many HR tech companies and other SaaS software can leverage built-in audiences to get the right leads and boost website traffic.
4. Run Contests
Did you know that one of the most effective growth hacking strategies for HR tech companies is to run a contest or giveaway? They are great incentives for increasing participation and building brand awareness. You may start by offering a free service or a massive discount by simply asking people to like your post and follow your social media accounts. Or you may opt to run a simple sweepstakes on Twitter. You should promote your contest across all platforms to increase visibility and participation. Remember that everyone gets excited at the possibility of winning something exclusive, whether it’s a free product or VIP access to a service.
5. Create A Sense Of Urgency And FOMO
Psychology and marketing are much closer than you’d think. In fact, many people are convinced to make a purchase faster when there is a sense of urgency attached. For instance, early or VIP access and unique discounts create severe fear of missing out (FOMO) and push customers to buy your services. This is why beta access is so popular with clients. Adding a countdown timer is a wonderful growth hacking tip that drives excitement and anticipation. Don’t forget to promote your offers across all social media platforms and create hype.
6. Know Your Competition
The HR tech market is quite competitive, and there are many top players out there who have the lead. So, what better way to reach their level than by observing what they are doing? Analyze their methods, gather insights, and see how they can benefit your brand. Do not follow their example blindly, as you want to stay true to your unique identity and not copy others. Stay active across all social media platforms where they are present and target their audience. Based on what they offer, present your counteroffers and explain why your HR tech company is better.
7. Get Included In Marketplaces
While creating a great-looking website and maintaining engaging social media are necessary, you also need to be present in relevant marketplaces. Customers visit those when they need to find a product or service they need, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t be among other brands. So, assemble a list of the most popular marketplaces, create a profile, and include and promote your services. Be an active part of the community by leaving comments and engaging in conversations. Don’t forget to connect with other brands and possible clients on social media and expand your network. For example, the largest HR tech companies have joined niche directories. You can do the same!
8. Invest In Email Marketing
A great growth hacking example is creating a meticulous email marketing strategy. Don’t just send generic emails without a clear purpose. When you’re close to launching a new product or service, email your client base, tease your launch, and announce the official release date. Therefore, you slowly build people’s curiosity and excitement. And this is the perfect time to promote your contests, win-back offers, or referral opportunities. Provide links to your social media accounts and encourage everyone to join you there to stay up-to-date regarding special offers and discounts.
9. Add Gamification To Your Onboarding
An essential growth hacking tip is to make your new customers’ onboarding as engaging as possible. Gather insights and check the points where most of your clients exit your platform. To fix these problematic areas, you want everyone to feel special by personalizing the process. Walk them through your product’s or service’s functions and share tips on how to enjoy the benefits. How can gamification be added to the equation, though? Well, if we take a look at Dropbox’s example, for every action a new user takes, a new milestone is unlocked. For example, Dropbox unlocks a new reward if you link your Facebook profile to their website.
10. Become An Expert In SEO
Search Engine Optimization experts have certain SEO skills. HR tech marketers know how crucial Search Engine Optimization is in growing brand awareness and improving your position on Google’s ladder. First, you must do extensive research and identify the most commonly used keywords your competitors utilize in their content. You should take things a step further by optimizing your voice search and utilizing featured snippets. Then, you can create content based on trending topics and use relevant and popular keywords throughout your posts.
How Inbound Marketing And Social Media Affect HR Tech Marketing
Apply Inbound Marketing Growth Strategies That Work
Inbound marketing begins by attracting strangers to your website via SEO, social media, content, and video marketing. These people soon become clients, and if they are satisfied with your services, they turn into promoters. HR tech companies must know that this form of marketing focuses on creating high-quality content that builds powerful brand awareness and fosters long-lasting relationships with customers. Focus on identifying client personas by utilizing Facebook insights. You may also conduct surveys and interviews with existing clients and leads to understand how your efforts resonate with your audience. And remember to make your content visual by adding images and videos and employing storytelling in your posts.
Increase Reach And Engagement Through Social Media Marketing
Ask yourself: how many times have you purchased a product after seeing it advertised on social media? Capitalizing on the immense power and possibilities of the latter is an invaluable growth hacking strategy for HR tech companies. Thanks to the nature of social media, you get the chance to present your brand and services to people from all around the globe, increasing your reach monumentally. When you upload captivating content, you hook potential clients and push them to take an interest in you. Imagine how easily internet users share videos about pets and babies with friends. They can do the same with your content when it’s engaging and resonates with them. Eye-catching images, real-life or animated videos, and success stories are your tickets to successful social media marketing.
Invest In Partnership Marketing And Online Advertising Campaigns
All this information can be overwhelming to most HR startups as newcomers to the competitive world of the HR tech market. Instead of panicking and making questionable moves, partner up with an experienced marketer and let them guide you through the haze. Is this a serious investment? Sure it is. Think of it as a box of cereal. Their creators don’t just throw it on grocery stores’ shelves and expect consumers to buy it. They create captivating and dynamic video campaigns and promote them on various platforms. This is how you should approach promotion for your brand. Your marketing agency can organize webinars and other events so you can showcase your expertise in the HR tech market and build credibility. Furthermore, your partners can create and manage pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns on dominant platforms. Leveraging marketing experts’ help gives you a competitive edge while helping you navigate the cluttered market.
What Marketing For HR Tech Companies Looks Like In 2024
The best growth hacking tip for 2024 is to make the most of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). When talking about AI, we refer to generative, autonomous, and causal Artificial Intelligence. They are projected to play a critical role in the HR technology market, which is experiencing unprecedented growth. These tools can automate and streamline time-consuming processes and allow professionals to focus on activities that demand their full attention. AI can assess candidates, create shortlists, and arrange interviews. Additionally, it gathers and analyzes employee data and makes valid predictions regarding engagement, attrition, and performance. As a result, managers and leading figures locate issues and treat them at the early stages, preventing major struggles. The implementation of AI virtual assistants can guide employees through different stages of onboarding and answer common queries. However, utilizing such technological advancements is a long process that requires a lot of training and human judgment. Machines are not infallible and may sometimes draw inaccurate conclusions. This is where the human element steps in to analyze the results and decide whether they should be considered or not.
Key Takeaway
The HR tech company market is growing exponentially, and it’s only natural for competition to increase and challenge everyone to engineer strategies that will catapult them ahead of their rivals. As Gen Z is venturing into the global workforce, companies (AKA your potential clients) are forced to reconsider their stance toward remote and flexible work. That’s why they’re looking to invest in technologies that promote collaboration and virtual communication to address the need for improved work-life balance. Thus, HR tech companies must leverage the latest and greatest marketing solutions and growth hacking strategies to showcase their USPs.
Kist’s “little safe place” boxes are modeled from the self-regulation and emotional identification tools in the “safe place” corner of her classroom, an area that also contains a rug and pillows to comfort students. In a moment of dysregulation, whether the student is using the box or the safe place corner, a classroom adult can guide them to use these tools to recognize and move through their emotions. Each student also has a family photo in their box. “Connections to home are just so helpful if they’re upset about anything,” said Kist.
Learning to identify emotions
Identifying emotions is a complex process. For young children the first steps in this process are learning to recognize facial expressions, tone of voice and body language, according to Goodwin, the child psychologist. They also need to learn to label those context clues with language.
According to Goodwin, children should be able to identify emotions by around three or four years old. Although most children will learn how to identify emotions naturally through social interaction, parents and educators can facilitate that learning. “The biggest thing you can do is just talk about emotions,” she said. Taking opportunities to talk about and label your own emotions or the emotions expressed in a children’s TV show or book can be helpful. It is also helpful for parents and educators to label emotions that a child is expressing for them so that “in the future they can then learn to label it themselves,” Goodwin said.
To help students build empathy, Goodwin recommends parents and educators ask young children what a character in a book or tv show might be feeling, and why they might be feeling that way. One activity that Goodwin has found useful in her personal and professional life is “feeling charades.” In this game, both children and adults act out a feeling, while the other participants guess what feeling they are expressing. Feeling charades can also be played with puppets or toys.
Learning to regulate emotions
In Kist’s classroom, students practice emotional regulation strategies throughout the day, not just when there’s a peer conflict or an individual child is distressed. “You can’t teach it when they’re in the middle of it,” Kist said. When a child is upset, she takes time to acknowledge the student’s feelings, reflect back to them what their face is expressing and suggest an emotion that they might be feeling.
Kist’s students also practice different breathing techniques throughout the day. Breathing exercises can be helpful for self-regulation, but young children need concrete explanations, so the techniques Kist uses have a symbol, such as a star or a balloon. The visual reminders are printed on a small laminated page in their “little safe place” box. When a student needs to access deep breathing, they can pull out their breathing card and choose an exercise. Kist and her students also make up their own breathing exercises, always involving a physical aspect like deep breathing while swinging their leg to kick an imaginary ball.
The “safe place” corner of Jenny Kist’s classroom contains a rug and pillows to comfort students, as well as tools to help them identify and process their feelings. (Courtesy of Jenny Kist)
Goodwin suggested encouraging children to breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth by pretending to smell a flower and blow out a candle. This can be given as a verbal explanation, but can also be helped by using fake flowers and candles, or even drawings for children to reference.
Goodwin also uses belly breathing, where young children put their hands on their bellies as they breathe to feel how their abdomen expands and contracts with each breath, as well as five-finger breathing, where children trace their fingers on one hand with the index finger on their other hand as they take slow breaths, one per finger. Teaching these techniques can be frustrating because kids at this age are easily distracted and learning these skills for the first time. It “just takes like a lot of modeling,” and “a lot of reminding,” said Goodwin.
COVID-19 origins and ongoing impact
Kist originally created the “my little safe place” boxes when the early learning center went virtual in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the unfamiliar experience of virtual learning, she wanted to find a way to provide a portable and accessible version of the safe space corner for each student.
Initially, not every student was given a “little safe place” box. But as she saw how helpful they were to the students that she had given them to during at home learning, Kist decided that every student in her classroom should have one. Since incorporating the boxes in her in-person classroom, she has seen students bring other students their boxes in moments of dysregulation. She has also seen some of her young learners singing their “I love you” nursery rhymes with each other unprompted.
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Parents of three and four-year-olds will find out on Tuesday the primary school offered to their children for academic year beginning September.
On national primary school offer day, local councils make contact with families and carers to inform them what schools their three to four-year-olds have been accepted into.
The majority of pupils are expected to be offered a place at one of their preferred primary schools, while most will be offered their top choice.
The time of the announcements varies by council area, and parents will be informed via email or letter.
Will I get my first choice primary school?
The pupils are likely to get one of their top choice primary schools, according to a blog published by the Department of Education.
In 2023, 92.5 per cent families received an offer from their first choice of primary school and 98.3 per cent received an offer from one of their top three choices.
At the same time, over one million additional school places have been created between May 2010 and May 2023, with many more in the pipeline.
File: Children enjoy outside play at St Mary’s CE Primary School on 8 March 2021 in Stoke on Trent, England (Getty Images)
What do I do after I receive an offer?
When you have been allocated a school, you must formally accept the offer by a certain deadline that the local authority will set.
Your local authority should have a step-by-step guide on what to do next.
How are primary school places decided?
All schools have admission criteria to decide which children get places. This criteria is set by the school or local council.
While all state-funded schools must give top priority to admitting children who are in care or have been in care, admission criteria is different for each school. They may choose to give priority to children:
Those who live close to the school
Those who have a brother or sister at the school already
Those from a particular religion (for faith schools)
Those who are eligible for the pupil premium
Those whose parent has worked at the school for two years or more
Your local council can give you information about a school’s criteria.
What do I do if I do not get the school I wanted?
If you’re not offered your first-choice school, you can appeal the decision. However, it is advised that you accept the school you are offered even if you decide to appeal, in case your application is rejected.
You can add your child’s name to the waiting list for any school that you’ve applied for. Schools must keep a waiting list for at least one term. The waiting list will be ordered by the school’s oversubscription criteria.
How do I appeal?
Parents or carers who want to appeal a decision should first contact the school’s admission authority, which is responsible for organising the appeal panel. They can ford their school’s admission authority by visiting their local council website.
The panel is independent and will look at the case presented by both the admission authority and the parent before coming to a decision.
The decision of the appeal panel is binding – if the appeal is upheld, the admission authority must offer your child a place at the school.
In a labor market marked by high executive turnover and shortened leadership tenures, many organizations are recognizing the value of promoting from within. Internal CEO appointments hit a record high in 2023, and internal recruitment at all levels is increasingly central to strengthening organizational culture and succession planning.
If you are a newly promoted member of a senior leadership team in higher education, we offer our congratulations and a piece of advice: even as you hit the ground running, don’t rush past the benefits of newness that would ordinarily accrue to an appointee coming from the outside.
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What does this mean for you, the newly promoted leader? Rising from within your institution, you bring many advantages. You’re familiar with its history, goals and challenges. You know the administrative systems and processes. But overreliance on familiarity carries risks and can foreclose valuable opportunities. If your college or university doesn’t provide mentoring or coaching for newly promoted leaders, consider creating your own onboarding, with the following practices as a guide.
Reinvest in relationships. Given your prior interactions with members of the senior team or their deputies, it might be tempting to assume you’ve already established a sufficient working connection with them. But newness in your role is a rare and valuable opportunity to get to know them and their work differently and more deeply—and vice versa.
Seek out regular informal meetings with your colleagues to ask questions. Be open with them about what aspects of senior team work might be new to you, such as board relations or institution-wide budgeting. Resist the idea that requesting get-to-know you time from busy administrators is an imposition; in most cases, it is a welcomed opportunity for them to reflect on the larger purpose of their day-to-day work and the insights they have gained in their own leadership journey. Moreover, the better you know one another, the more readily you can collaborate and offer mutual support.
Look with fresh eyes. You might not be new to the institution but the occasion of your promotion is a call to view it anew, clearly and expansively. The Zen tradition might characterize this practice as “beginner’s mind.” Such a mindset pays dividends to you and your college or university, especially as you join a senior team setting institutional direction and strategy. “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities,” observed a noted Zen teacher, “but in the expert’s, there are few.” One of the gifts of being new is the freedom to ask “Why?” and “Why not?” with little risk of penalty or embarrassment. Embark on your new role from a place of possibility and commit to returning to it often.
Reframe wins and losses. Serving at the senior leadership level is less about leading the work than charting the course. The mindset required is less “Are we getting the work done?” and more “Are we doing the right work?” As a leader at this level, you are called to look broadly, institution-wide, at the full landscape of opportunities and threats, needs and constraints. In this context, your mindset around wins and losses will probably need to shift. You yourself might not have “won” the budget increase you requested for your division but, as part of the leadership team, you helped allocate institutional resources strategically to advance the institution’s work and secure its future.
Contribute to the collective intelligence. In an effective organization, only the thorniest issues come to the leadership table. (If they weren’t thorny, they’d be solved at more junior levels). Very few issues at the senior team level are straightforward or unidimensional. Those concerning, say, ways to expand diversity, equity and inclusion; communicating through crisis; or developing institutional strategy for AI require a team’s collective intelligence. Your strengths—and those of your colleagues—enhance the cognitive and strategic capacity of the whole team.
It might be tempting to think that you don’t need to give much mindshare to Thorny Topic X because it doesn’t have direct connection to your domain or area of expertise. Not true. You are on the senior team for more than your subject-matter knowledge; you’re no longer free to say “not it.” Make time to understand the issue and its context—then bring your best thinking to the table.
Nearly every notable action an institution takes, whether a policy change, an investment or divestment, a program launch or closure, has ripple effects in other areas. When you join a senior leadership team, you are called to care—and care deeply—about the whole of the institution. The buck stops at the senior table. You and your colleagues—collectively, “the administration”—rise and fall together. Onboarding yourself carefully to new relationships and new ways of thinking is vital. Doing so will ensure that you add value not merely because you know the place and its past, but also because you’re prepared to ask new questions to shape its future.
Laurie Fenlason, founder and principal ofL. Fenlason Consulting, advises leaders, teams and boards on strategy, visibility and strategic communications. Jenn Desjarlais is a principal with Cambridge Hill Partners, a consulting group supporting leadership and organizational development.
There has been much talk and concern in recent months about making higher-level math more accessible to high schoolers, particularly low-income students from Black and Hispanic communities. Much of this discussion dwells on what is the best curriculum to use to teach Algebra I and other higher-level math courses.
The right curriculum is important, of course. A high-quality curriculum creates the foundation for success in math. A curriculum that values culturally responsive education enables teachers both to value the many kinds of experiences that students bring to classrooms and to push them academically while engaging them personally.
But properly implementing an Algebra I curriculum is at least as important as the curriculum itself. The core of implementation, meanwhile, is coaching each teacher for the specific challenges they will face in their classrooms. The key to success is ensuring that teachers understand the vision for how to implement the curriculum and are therefore motivated and prepared to use it to help children learn in ways that are relevant to them.
In a way, it’s like photography. The key to creating art with light and time is not the equipment. Although Hasselblad and Leica cameras and a metal case of Nikkor lenses are great in the hands of those who know how to use them, a great tool to create expressive photographic art can also be found in your purse or pocket. As with teaching algebra, the key is not the specific tool, but knowing the right approach and being trained well enough to be confident in using that approach.
I’ve seen a focus on implementation pay off in my own work as director of Algebra Success for the Urban Assembly. One of our coaches at the nonprofit, Latina Khalil-Hairston, encouraged teachers at Harry S Truman High School in the Bronx to tinker with their curriculum to encourage more student involvement.
They created a new lesson structure that focused more on getting students to help each other solve problems than on getting direction from teachers. While doing so, they were mindful of adopting this new structure within the challenging constraint of having only 45 minutes for each lesson. Teachers saw more participation and better results, which has been its own motivation.
Professionals in all fields need coaching and support — why would high school math be any different? We wouldn’t give a basketball playbook to a player and expect them to be LeBron James. Even LeBron James still practices and gets coaching feedback. Even the most accomplished among us need to see a vision of excellence.
Yet I have seen many schools fall into the trap of investing in a curriculum without giving teachers the most useful ways to implement it. Unsurprisingly, these schools fail to achieve the results they hoped for and then abandon one curriculum for another.
But the curriculum is just the camera. Training and coaching, personalized to each teacher, produce the art.
And that coaching should not only help teachers understand their tools, but also help them better understand the backgrounds of their students to ensure that their perspectives are part of the learning process. Knowing the nature of the student body can dramatically enhance understanding, retention and interest in math (or any subject).
I’ve seen the results. Just last year, we saw pass rates on the Algebra I Regents for schools participating in our Algebra Success program rise 13 percent over the previous year. College-readiness math results rose 14 percent.
It is time for schools and districts to abandon the search for the one perfect curriculum — it does not exist. Instead, they should focus on how to better implement the systems they have in an engaging, effective way. They should invest in the training and support of teachers to master the instruction of that curriculum. With these changes, we know students will find success in Algebra I, putting them on the path to higher-level math courses and postsecondary success.
Shantay Mobley is the director of Algebra Success for the Urban Assembly, a nonprofit that promotes social and economic mobility by innovating in public education. She previously was a math teacher, school leader and instructional consultant.
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JJC leads the way for community colleges, embracing Advising App™ to empower staff with advanced AI capabilities. This technology promises enhanced productivity, reduced managerial intervention, and improved employee satisfaction.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 15, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Canyon GBS™ marks a significant milestone as Joliet Junior College (JJC) signs up for Advising App™ (https://advising.app) to launch a higher education-specific, enterprise AI assistant at scale for staff. This groundbreaking collaboration signifies a pivotal moment in the advancement of AI-driven support systems within the education sector. As one of the first community colleges in North America to deploy a compliant, secure, scaled enterprise AI assistant for staff, JJC sets a new benchmark for strategy and operational excellence.
This landmark collaboration underscores JJC’s forward-thinking leadership in applying AI to their daily operations, while Canyon GBS™ reaffirms its standing as a leading provider of purpose-built solutions for colleges and universities.
“At Canyon GBS, we’re dedicated to empowering educational institutions with cutting-edge AI technology that drives positive outcomes for students and staff alike,” says Joe Licata, Founder and CEO of Canyon GBS™. “Our collaboration with Joliet Junior College highlights our commitment to democratizing access to AI solutions in higher education, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional enterprise offerings while delivering the highest standards of quality, security, or functionality.”
Following in the footsteps of Arizona State University (ASU), which announced in January a pioneering collaboration with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT Enterprise into their university, Canyon GBS™ continues to lead the charge in shaping the future of enterprise AI in academia. With a commitment to fostering innovation and student success, Advising App™ offers a powerful, yet affordable solution designed to revolutionize administrative processes and enhance staff productivity across college campuses.
“JJC is proud to be the first community college in the nation to partner with Canyon GBS, a company built by higher education professionals for higher education professionals, working to ensure the responsible use of AI tools across institutions,” said Dr. Clyne Namuo, President of Joliet Junior College. “This partnership places JJC at the forefront, providing a tool for our faculty and staff to enhance and streamline what they do to support our students.”
“As one of the first colleges in North America to deploy a scaled AI solution for staff, Joliet Junior College exemplifies a commitment to innovation and student success,” says Dr. Mark Koan, SVP of Tech Strategy and Partnerships at Canyon GBS™. “We are proud to partner with JJC in this transformative endeavor and look forward to driving continued advancements in AI-driven support systems for higher education institutions worldwide.”
About Canyon GBS™
Based in the vibrant Phoenix Metro Area and supported by a global team, Canyon GBS™ (https://canyongbs.com) is a pioneering tech company crafting impactful solutions powered by AI. With a diverse range of offerings tailored for sectors such as higher education, public sector government agencies, non-profits, and small businesses, Canyon GBS™ is dedicated to enhancing operational efficiency. Our mission is to equip organizations with powerful yet accessible AI-powered technology to better serve their constituents. Through our relentless pursuit of innovation and customer-centric approach, Canyon GBS™ strives to be a trusted partner in navigating today’s digital landscape.
About Joliet Junior College
Located in the south Chicago suburbs, JJC is the nation’s first public community college, with six campuses and education centers that serve approximately 27,000 students annually. JJC’s nine academic pathways offer customized, affordable certificate and associate degree options for immediate career placement, as well as seamless transfer capabilities through its partners across Illinois and throughout the US. JJC students also benefit from a collective $13 million in state and federal grants, and scholarship assistance in excess of $750,000 each year. Learn more at www.jjc.edu.
