Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

In the Classroom

Snapshots of the teaching and learning that take place inside schools

discipline paradox

National
April 20, 2018

Do charter schools suspend students more? It depends on how you look at the data.

Charters have a higher overall suspension rate than traditional public schools. But when you break down suspensions by race, charters actually post slightly lower rates.

Homework

Detroit
April 17, 2018

The Detroit district’s first homework policy is in the works. See how much homework it recommends your child do every night.

Detroit students who are drowning in homework — or unable to complete it because of challenges at home — could soon find relief in a…

First Person

Detroit
April 16, 2018

Let’s solve the right problems for Detroit’s students with disabilities — not recycle old ones

I’ve spent 25 years both studying and actively trying to improve schools for students with disabilities. Segregated settings aren't the answer.

How I Teach

Tennessee
April 13, 2018

Why this Memphis history teacher seeks to create a ‘calming slice of Africa’ in his classroom

How do teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask great educators how they approach their jobs. You…

How I Teach

Colorado
April 4, 2018

This Colorado teacher admitted she didn’t know all the answers – and students responded

Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask educators who’ve been recognized for their work how they approach their jobs. You can…

behind the music

New York
April 2, 2018

‘Connecting kids with who they are’: Why school diversity advocates are optimistic about Chancellor Richard Carranza

In New York City, advocates who have pushed for more diverse and inclusive schools are hopeful Carranza’s record will carry over.

School supplies

National
March 28, 2018

28,000 American teachers benefiting from cryptocurrency after company funds their DonorsChoose requests

The donation only temporarily offsets the many needs American teachers cite for their classrooms — and frequently fund out of their own pockets.

By the numbers

New York
March 27, 2018

More gifted programs join New York City’s school diversity efforts

Enrollment in the city's gifted programs is almost the reverse of the overall demographics in the school system.
Indiana
March 22, 2018

How an Indianapolis teacher is making fourth grade more like a video game

Amanda Moore uses adventures to entice students to practice math and reading skills.

thrown for a loop

National
March 21, 2018

Elementary school teachers sometimes follow a class of students from year to year. New research suggests that’s a good idea.

A new study shows that students improve more on tests in their second year with the same teacher and the benefits are largest for students of color.
Colorado
March 15, 2018

Crazy contraptions, Chemistry Cat, and climbing stories: How this Colorado science teacher connects with kids

A science teacher from northeastern Colorado talks about what she did when a mother began to criticism a student and why she loves Rube Goldberg contraptions.

behind the music

New York
March 14, 2018

‘We just wanted to help the movement’: Meet the NYC teacher whose students wrote a #NeverAgain anthem

We checked in with Kyle Fackrell, Lavelle Prep's longtime music teacher, to learn about the song, his students, and their ambitions.

Parents in school

Tennessee
March 13, 2018

English class for parents at one Memphis school fuels sense of community

Kate Bond Elementary offers a model for Shelby County Schools, where a growing immigrant population is compounding longtime challenges with parent involvement.

Repairing harm

Colorado
March 13, 2018

Inside one of three Denver schools serving as a national model for how to do discipline differently

Restorative justice is an approach to school discipline that focuses on repairing harm rather than doling out punishment.

intended consequences

National
March 13, 2018

When Chicago cut down on suspensions, students saw test scores and attendance rise, study finds

A modest drop in out-of-school suspensions for severe behavior actually led to small increases in test scores and attendance for all students in a school.

How I Teach

Tennessee
March 2, 2018

Kids learn better when they’re moving. Just ask this Memphis teacher and dance coach.

Every day, Alexia Young's third-graders jump up from their desks, dance around the classroom, and belt out a “reading chant."

How I Teach

Colorado
February 27, 2018

Meet the only speech-language pathologist in Colorado’s Teacher Cabinet

A school speech-language pathologist talks about the movie that inspired his career choice and how he connected with a student who, at first, barely looked at him.

student discipline

Tennessee
February 21, 2018

Looking for the ‘why’ behind student suspensions, Memphis schools turn to behavior specialists — again

For the first time since the city's 2013 school merger, behavior specialists are back in Memphis schools.

race in the classroom

New York
February 21, 2018

This test-prep passage about Robert E. Lee made a New York City teacher feel ‘angry and sick’

The incident highlights the concerns of advocates who say that even seemingly neutral materials like test-prep booklets can reflect baked-in biases.

How I Teach

Tennessee
February 16, 2018

This Memphis teacher went viral for holding ‘class’ on Facebook Live during a snow day

How do teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask great educators how they approach their jobs.

school rules

National
February 16, 2018

Arkansas passed a law banning suspensions for truancy. Then it was largely ignored.

Three years after the law passed, nearly 1,100 students were suspended for not showing up to school.

How I Teach

Colorado
February 7, 2018

Lessons from the school store: How this special education teacher sets up students for an independent future

A special education teachers talks about how the school store helps students prepare for the future and why there’s no stigma when lessons are repeated in her classroom.

curriculum conundrum

National
February 6, 2018

With new focus on curriculum, Gates Foundation wades into tricky territory

The Gates Foundation has a new plan intended to help public schools: improve the materials that teachers use to teach. But that may run into some challenges.

real-world math

Indiana
February 5, 2018

Forget frustrating equations. This Indiana high school teaches algebra you’ll actually use.

As soon as Caitlin Scull started her stopwatch, her classmate began texting. “You want it to be real,” their teacher, Eric Gurule, told Scull and…
Indiana
February 2, 2018

‘They made sure I didn’t give up’: How an Indianapolis high school raised graduation rates

Two years ago, one in three students wasn’t graduating at the high school, which enrolls nearly 2,000.

How I Teach

Tennessee
February 2, 2018

This teacher uses Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois to tie the past to the present for his students

How do teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask great educators how they approach their jobs.

How I Teach

Colorado
January 24, 2018

From the Caribbean to Colorado: One teacher’s journey into the family business

A Colorado high school teacher talks about why teachers need a thick skin and how she and a colleague created a program for first-generation college-bound students.

How I Teach

New York
January 22, 2018

In divisive political times, an East Harlem government teacher strives for nuance

Some teachers might prefer to avoid politics in the classroom. Not Steven Serling. As a government teacher at Park East High School in East Harlem,…

getting in

Detroit
January 18, 2018

Detroit district moves beyond test scores for admittance to elite high schools like Cass Tech and Renaissance

An admissions team will use a score card that gives students points in various categories including test scores, grades and essays.

How I Teach

Colorado
January 17, 2018

From bikes to blue hair: how one Denver kindergarten teacher shares his passion with students

A Denver kindergarten teacher, originally from Venezuela, talks about the teachers who inspired him, why he uses secret codes, and how he gets to know students.

First Person

National
January 17, 2018

This Betsy DeVos-inspired Twitter thread recounts the ups and downs (but mostly ups) of one school’s Common Core shift

A former New York City teacher says the standards prompted anything but a disaster at his school.

college plans

National
January 12, 2018

As Washington decides their fate, ‘Dreamers’ preparing for college are stuck in limbo

These students aren’t just breathlessly waiting to learn whether they’ll be accepted into college -- they’re waiting to see whether they have a future in this country.

How I Teach

Tennessee
January 11, 2018

Tupac, Shakespeare, and ‘Stranger Things’: How a top Tennessee teacher relates to her students

How do teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask great educators how they approach their jobs.

First Person

Tennessee
January 11, 2018

I’m a teacher in Memphis, and I know ‘grading floors’ aren’t a cheat — they’re a key motivator

If we can’t give hope to our kids, what are we here for?

blast from the past

New York
January 9, 2018

Harkening back to earlier era, struggling New York City school fights closure but faces long odds

A decade ago, teachers picketed P.S./M.S. 42 R. Vernam in Rockaway, Queens and declared the campus unsafe. Parents said the building was in horrible…

Classrooms without teachers

National
January 9, 2018

In many large school districts, hundreds of teaching positions were unfilled as school year began

In the country’s largest school districts, thousands of students started the school year without a permanent teacher, according to data from public records.

How I Teach

Colorado
January 3, 2018

To teach American music, this Colorado teacher takes students back in time

A Fort Collins teacher talks about why American Roots music is so important, how a Japanese concept influences his teaching and why he loves parent-teacher conferences.

bolstering literacy

Tennessee
January 2, 2018

Four Memphis charter organizations pilot new reading curriculum

The literacy grants from Memphis Education Fund come at a time when local and state officials are doubling down on solutions to Tennessee’s reading challenges.

season of searching

New York
December 19, 2017

Plans to shutter schools will force more than 400 New York City teachers to search for new jobs

What’s next for those teachers depends on the city’s plans for their schools -- and whether principals want to hire them.

How I Teach

Tennessee
December 7, 2017

Why this educator uses autumn leaves to teach vocab to Memphis’ youngest students

Chalkbeat spoke with an early childhood educator about how she incorporates literacy into every lesson.

A race against time

Detroit
December 7, 2017

Can this Detroit principal help her students learn quickly enough to save her school?

What's happening here offers a window into what schools like this are up against — and the tools they're using to try to gain some ground.

How I Teach

Colorado
December 5, 2017

After a mother’s surprising request, this Colorado debate coach realized the value of her work

A Colorado Springs English teacher talks about what students value most about the speech and debate program and which technology tools she loves most.

discipline dispute

National
November 28, 2017

As national debate over discipline heats up, new study finds discrimination in student suspensions

Black students in Louisiana are suspended for slightly longer than white students after being involved in the same fight, according to new research that adds to a roiling national debate about school discipline.

How I Teach

New York
November 27, 2017

Why this Bronx music teacher uses science — and bananas — in her classroom

How do teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask great educators how they approach their jobs. You…

story slam

Indiana
November 22, 2017

Tips for teaching poetry in a women’s prison: ‘Remember, you are not allowed to hug anyone’

Editor’s note: This story was about a video taken at a story slam hosted by Chalkbeat, Teachers Lounge Indy, WFYI Public Media, and…

Transition plan

Tennessee
November 14, 2017

Two state-run schools sharing a Memphis building will now share a principal, too

ASD officials announced this week that Yolanda Dandridge will take the lead of Frayser Elementary, in addition to her role as principal at Georgian Hills.

How I Teach

Colorado
November 13, 2017

‘All our dreams are on his shoulders.’ The stories that motivate a bilingual teacher

A bilingual teacher talks about how kids naturally merge two languages, why she uses drama to teach writing and what she learned from a parent-teacher conference.

debating admissions

New York
November 9, 2017

Parents at a selective middle school fear an influx of ‘unscreened’ students

A proposal to close a struggling middle school could have ripple effects on its neighbor: A diverse, high-performing school in the same building.

Taking attendance

New York
November 7, 2017

Want to make middle school admissions more fair? Stop looking at this measure, parents say

A group of Manhattan parents wants middle schools to stop looking at applicants' attendance rates, saying it puts poor students at a disadvantage.

action alert

New York
November 6, 2017

After New York City teachers push for paid family leave, union takes up the fight

Under the city’s current policy, only birth mothers are allowed to take time off after having a baby. Even then, they have to use their sick time, which is limited.
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