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With Dan Bowen, Beth Worrall, and Lee Hickin from Microsoft Australia

It's a fortnightly chat about Artificial Intelligence in Education - what it is, how it works, and the different ways it is being used. It's not too serious, or too technical, and is intended to be a good conversation of background information.

Of course, as well as getting it here on the website, you can also just subscribe to your normal podcast service:

"This podcast is produced by Microsoft Australia & New Zealand employees, Lee Hickin, Dan Bowen, and Beth Worrall. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are our own."

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Lee Hickin, Beth Worrall, and Dan Bowen work in the Microsoft Australia and New Zealand team, they talk about Artificial Intelligence in Education - what it is, how it works, and the different ways it is being used. It's not too serious, or too technical, and is intended to be a good conversation of background information.

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goes with the Designing with Intention post

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goes with the Designing with Intention post

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Google docs to use with that post in your own planning!

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Designing with Intention using Pre-Assessments

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Designing with Intention using Pre-Assessments

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Great read!!

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As educators, we strive to ensure our students grasp the material we present. But how can we be sure our students are understanding the material? Checking for understanding throughout class is crucial for both teachers and students. It allows us to identify areas needing reinforcement, adapt our instruction in real time, and empower students to take ownership of their learning. Here are 23 strategies to gauge student understanding and keep your classroom buzzing with interactive learning.

Verbal Strategies
Open-Ended Questions
Instead of asking yes/no questions, ask questions that prompt students to explain concepts in their own words. For example, "Can you elaborate on the main idea?" or "How does this concept connect to what we learned yesterday?"
Think-Pair-Share
After doing a small bit of teaching, give your students a little time to think about a question related to the learning. This gives students time to formulate their thinking and process the information individually. Then, have each student turn to their neighbor and share their thoughts. Students should be encouraged to ask questions and give feedback to each other in the process. This not only fosters collaboration it also helps clarify understanding.

" Who doesn't understand?"

When a student expresses confusion, ask if others feel the same. This normalizes asking for help and encourages open participation. It also shows students that it's ok not to understand a concept.
Sentence Starters
Provide sentence starters like "In my own words, the key takeaway is..." or "I found it interesting that..." to guide student explanations.
Fishbowl Discussions

Arrange a small group of students in a circle for a fishbowl discussion while the rest observe. This will allow for a more focused assessment of participation and comprehension.
Peer Explanations
After explaining a concept, pair students up and have them explain the concept to each other. This reinforces understanding and identifies areas needing individual attention.

Interactive Strategies
Exit Tickets
Briefly ask students to summarize a key point, answer a question, or reflect on their learning at the end of class. This provides valuable insights into their comprehension.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Pose a true/false statement or ask a question. Then, have students use thumbs up/down to respond. Follow up with discussions for incorrect responses.
Give Me Five
Establish a scale (1 = not clear, 5 = crystal clear) and ask students to hold up their fingers to indicate their understanding level. This provides quick feedback and allows you to address common concerns.
One-Minute Essays
Give students a minute to write a quick lesson summary or answer a specific question. This assesses their ability to understand the information.
Gallery Walk
Have students create posters or short presentations on key concepts and post them around the class. Students then rotate and write down key takeaways gained from each other's work.

Kinesthetic Strategies
Four Corners
Divide the room into sections representing different answers or options to a question. Have students go to the corner they agree with or are interested in. Students in each corner can then discuss their position or perspective. This will help reveal an understanding of the topic.
Human Bingo

Create bingo cards with learning objectives, questions, or tasks written in the squares. Have students rotate around the room and find peers to complete the tasks on the bingo cards. Once a peer has completed a task on the card, they can mark it off. For example, tasks might include finding someone who can name four colors, list the planets in the solar system, etc. This activity not only promotes active listening but is also a great way to check for understanding. Check out this sample ESL Human Bingo lesson by Teach This. In addition, if you are looking for an editable template, Canva has a lot of Bingo Card templates.
Traffic Light Check
Place red, yellow, and green cards around the room. Red can stand for "I'm confused" or "I need more help." Yellow can stand for "I somewhat understand" or "I'm kind of getting it." Green can stand for "It's clear" or "I understood it." Students can signal their understanding by moving to different cards around the room or placing clothespins on the appropriate card as demonstrated by Emma Willis.
Move and Match
Write key terms or concepts on cards and scatter them around the room. Students move and find the definition or example that matches each term, promoting movement and collaboration.
Role-Play
Assign students scenarios or situations related to the lesson. Then, ask your students to act them out. This will allow them to demonstrate their understanding through application.

Creative Strategies
Muddiest Point
Ask students to write down the part of the lesson they found most confusing (the "muddiest point"). This helps identify areas needing clarification.
Concept Maps
Have students create visual representations of the relationships between concepts and ideas they learned. This will help promote critical thinking and organization.
Draw It

Challenge students to draw a concept or process they learned. One way to do this is by incorporating Talking Drawings into your classroom. In addition, there are several online tools and applications that students can use, such as Google Canvas, AutoDraw, Google Drawings, or iPad apps.

Digital Strategies
Online Quizzes and Polls
Utilize online platforms to create quick quizzes or polls to assess comprehension and adjust instruction accordingly. There are many tools you can use, such as Poll Everywhere, Google Classroom, , , and more.
Word Clouds
Have students use online word clouds to collectively generate keywords or key ideas from the lesson. This will offer a visual representation of understanding. Mentimeter is a great tool for creating word clouds.
Digital Exit Tickets
Use online forms, such as Google Forms, for students to submit exit ticket responses. Getting the data back in a Google Sheet will make it easy to analyze the data.
Short Video Recordings
Allow students to record a short video recording. They can summarize key takeaways from the day's lesson. Students can use Flip to record their videos.

Integrating various strategies to check for understanding will provide comprehensive knowledge of your students' grasp of the material and keep the assessment process engaging and dynamic. Which strategies will you use? Have others to add to the list? Leave a comment to share with us!

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Checking for understanding in the classroom is crucial. Check out these 23 strategies to gauge student understanding in your classroom.

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As the students file out of Janet's classroom, I sit in the back corner, scribbling a few final notes. Defeat in her eyes, Janet drops into a seat next to me with a sigh.

"I love these kids," she declares, as if trying to convince me. "I adore them. But my hope is fading."

"Why's that?" I ask, stuffing my notes into a folder.

"They're smart. I know they're smart, but . . ."

And then the deficit floodgates open: "They don't care about school. They're unmotivated. And their parents-I'm lucky if two or three of them show up for conferences. No wonder the kids are unprepared to learn."

At Janet's invitation, I spent dozens of hours in her classroom, meeting her students, observing her teaching, helping her navigate the complexities of an urban midwestern elementary classroom with a growing percentage of students in poverty. I observed powerful moments of teaching and learning, caring and support. And I witnessed moments of internal conflict in Janet, when what she wanted to believe about her students collided with her prejudices.

Like most educators, Janet is determined to create an environment in which each student reaches his or her full potential. And like many of us, despite overflowing with good intentions, Janet has bought into the most common and dangerous myths about poverty.

Chief among these is the "culture of poverty" myth-the idea that poor people share more or less monolithic and predictable beliefs, values, and behaviors. For educators like Janet to be the best teachers they can be for all students, they need to challenge this myth and reach a deeper understanding of class and poverty.

Roots of the Culture of Poverty Concept

Oscar Lewis coined the term culture of poverty in his 1961 book The Children of Sanchez. Lewis based his thesis on his ethnographic studies of small Mexican communities. His studies uncovered approximately 50 attributes shared within these communities: frequent violence, a lack of a sense of history, a neglect of planning for the future, and so on. Despite studying very small communities, Lewis extrapolated his findings to suggest a universal culture of poverty. More than 45 years later, the premise of the culture of poverty paradigm remains the same: that people in poverty share a consistent and observable "culture."

Lewis ignited a debate about the nature of poverty that continues today. But just as important-especially in the age of data-driven decision making-he inspired a flood of research. Researchers around the world tested the culture of poverty concept empirically (see Billings, 1974; Carmon, 1985; Jones & Luo, 1999). Others analyzed the overall body of evidence regarding the culture of poverty paradigm (see Abell & Lyon, 1979; Ortiz & Briggs, 2003; Rodman, 1977).

These studies raise a variety of questions and come to a variety of conclusions about poverty. But on this they all agree: There is no such thing as a culture of poverty. Differences in values and behaviors among poor people are just as great as those between poor and wealthy people.

In actuality, the culture of poverty concept is constructed from a collection of smaller stereotypes which, however false, seem to have crept into mainstream thinking as unquestioned fact. Let's look at some examples.

MYTH: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.

The Reality: Poor people do not have weaker work ethics or lower levels of motivation than wealthier people (Iversen & Farber, 1996; Wilson, 1997). Although poor people are often stereotyped as lazy, 83 percent of children from low-income families have at least one employed parent; close to 60 percent have at least one parent who works full-time and year-round (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2004). In fact, the severe shortage of living-wage jobs means that many poor adults must work two, three, or four jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute (2002), poor working adults spend more hours working each week than their wealthier counterparts.

MYTH: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children's learning, largely because they do not value education.

The Reality: Low-income parents hold the same attitudes about education that wealthy parents do (Compton-Lilly, 2003; Lareau & Horvat, 1999; Leichter, 1978). Low-income parents are less likely to attend school functions or volunteer in their children's classrooms (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005)-not because they care less about education, but because they have less access to school involvement than their wealthier peers. They are more likely to work multiple jobs, to work evenings, to have jobs without paid leave, and to be unable to afford child care and public transportation. It might be said more accurately that schools that fail to take these considerations into account do not value the involvement of poor families as much as they value the involvement of other families.

MYTH: Poor people are linguistically deficient.

The Reality: All people, regardless of the languages and language varieties they speak, use a full continuum of language registers (Bomer, Dworin, May, & Semingson, 2008). What's more, linguists have known for decades that all language varieties are highly structured with complex grammatical rules (Gee, 2004; Hess, 1974; Miller, Cho, & Bracey, 2005). What often are assumed to be deficient varieties of English-Appalachian varieties, perhaps, or what some refer to as Black English Vernacular-are no less sophisticated than so-called "standard English."

MYTH: Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol.

The Reality: Poor people are no more likely than their wealthier counterparts to abuse alcohol or drugs. Although drug sales are more visible in poor neighborhoods, drug use is equally distributed across poor, middle class, and wealthy communities (Saxe, Kadushin, Tighe, Rindskopf, & Beveridge, 2001). Chen, Sheth, Krejci, and Wallace (2003) found that alcohol consumption is significantly higher among upper middle class white high school students than among poor black high school students. Their finding supports a history of research showing that alcohol abuse is far more prevalent among wealthy people than among poor people (Diala, Muntaner, & Walrath, 2004; Galea, Ahern, Tracy, & Vlahov, 2007). In other words, considering alcohol and illicit drugs together, wealthy people are more likely than poor people to be substance abusers.

The Culture of Classism

The myth of a "culture of poverty" distracts us from a dangerous culture that does exist-the culture of classism. This culture continues to harden in our schools today. It leads the most well intentioned of us, like my friend Janet, into low expectations for low-income students. It makes teachers fear their most powerless pupils. And, worst of all, it diverts attention from what people in poverty do have in common: inequitable access to basic human rights.

The most destructive tool of the culture of classism is deficit theory. In education, we often talk about the deficit perspective-defining students by their weaknesses rather than their strengths. Deficit theory takes this attitude a step further, suggesting that poor people are poor because of their own moral and intellectual deficiencies (Collins, 1988). Deficit theorists use two strategies for propagating this world view: (1) drawing on well-established stereotypes, and (2) ignoring systemic conditions, such as inequitable access to high-quality schooling, that support the cycle of poverty.

The implications of deficit theory reach far beyond individual bias. If we convince ourselves that poverty results not from gross inequities (in which we might be complicit) but from poor people's own deficiencies, we are much less likely to support authentic antipoverty policy and programs. Further, if we believe, however wrongly, that poor people don't value education, then we dodge any responsibility to redress the gross education inequities with which they contend. This application of deficit theory establishes the idea of what Gans (1995) calls the undeserving poor -a segment of our society that simply does not deserve a fair shake.

If the goal of deficit theory is to justify a system that privileges economically advantaged students at the expense of working-class and poor students, then it appears to be working marvelously. In our determination to "fix" the mythical culture of poor students, we ignore the ways in which our society cheats them out of opportunities that their wealthier peers take for granted. We ignore the fact that poor people suffer disproportionately the effects of nearly every major social ill. They lack access to health care, living-wage jobs, safe and affordable housing, clean air and water, and so on (Books, 2004)-conditions that limit their abilities to achieve to their full potential.

Perhaps most of us, as educators, feel powerless to address these bigger issues. But the question is this: Are we willing, at the very least, to tackle the classism in our own schools and classrooms?

This classism is plentiful and well documented (Kozol, 1992). For example, compared with their wealthier peers, poor students are more likely to attend schools that have less funding (Carey, 2005); lower teacher salaries (Karoly, 2001); more limited computer and Internet access (Gorski, 2003); larger class sizes; higher student-to-teacher ratios; a less-rigorous curriculum; and fewer experienced teachers (Barton, 2004). The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (2004) also found that low-income schools were more likely to suffer from cockroach or rat infestation, dirty or inoperative student bathrooms, large numbers of teacher vacancies and substitute teachers, more teachers who are not licensed in their subject areas, insufficient or outdated classroom materials, and inadequate or nonexistent learning facilities, such as science labs.

Here in Minnesota, several school districts offer universal half-day kindergarten but allow those families that can afford to do so to pay for full-day services. Our poor students scarcely make it out of early childhood without paying the price for our culture of classism. Deficit theory requires us to ignore these inequities-or worse, to see them as normal and justified.

What does this mean? Regardless of how much students in poverty value education, they must overcome tremendous inequities to learn. Perhaps the greatest myth of all is the one that dubs education the "great equalizer." Without considerable change, it cannot be anything of the sort.

What Can We Do?

The socioeconomic opportunity gap can be eliminated only when we stop trying to "fix" poor students and start addressing the ways in which our schools perpetuate classism. This includes destroying the inequities listed above as well as abolishing such practices as tracking and ability grouping, segregational redistricting, and the privatization of public schools. We must demand the best possible education for all students-higher-order pedagogies, innovative learning materials, and holistic teaching and learning. But first, we must demand basic human rights for all people: adequate housing and health care, living-wage jobs, and so on.

Of course, we ought not tell students who suffer today that, if they can wait for this education revolution, everything will fall into place. So as we prepare ourselves for bigger changes, we must

Educate ourselves about class and poverty.

Reject deficit theory and help students and colleagues unlearn misperceptions about poverty.

Make school involvement accessible to all families.

Follow Janet's lead, inviting colleagues to observe our teaching for signs of class bias.

Continue reaching out to low-income families even when they appear unresponsive (and without assuming, if they are unresponsive, that we know why).

Respond when colleagues stereotype poor students or parents.

Never assume that all students have equitable access to such learning resources as computers and the Internet, and never assign work requiring this access without providing in-school time to complete it.

Ensure that learning materials do not stereotype poor people.

Fight to keep low-income students from being assigned unjustly to special education or low academic tracks.

Make curriculum relevant to poor students, drawing on and validating their experiences and intelligences.

Teach about issues related to class and poverty-including consumer culture, the dissolution of labor unions, and environmental injustice-and about movements for class equity.

Teach about the antipoverty work of Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller, the Black Panthers, César Chávez, and other U.S. icons-and about why this dimension of their legacies has been erased from our national consciousness.

Fight to ensure that school meal programs offer healthy options.

Examine proposed corporate-school partnerships, rejecting those that require the adoption of specific curriculums or pedagogies.

Most important, we must consider how our own class biases affect our interactions with and expectations of our students. And then we must ask ourselves, Where, in reality, does the deficit lie? Does it lie in poor people, the most disenfranchised people among us? Does it lie in the education system itself-in, as Jonathan Kozol says, the savage inequalities of our schools? Or does it lie in us-educators with unquestionably good intentions who too often fall to the temptation of the quick fix, the easily digestible framework that never requires us to consider how we comply with the culture of classism.

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Believing that poor people are different from those with higher incomes is dangerous and wrong.

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Leveraging the teacher-coach relationship can build support systems that make SEL instruction more effective.

Recently, I had the opportunity to coach a group of elementary school teachers through the process of lesson study. This team of teachers wanted to explore how a gallery walk would impact student engagement in math.

By observing students during the activity and asking them for feedback on the process, we found that gallery walks increased student-to-student engagement. However, learners struggled with moving from station to station and argued over who was to do what. Teachers agreed that, despite these challenges, the activity increased student agency and collaboration. To smooth the process, they started modeling collaborative learning processes, had students define group roles, and worked with students to develop performance-based rubrics for cooperation.

Student transitions and relationships have both improved as a result.

This experience highlighted key social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. When coaching K-12 teachers, I often ask them to consider their desired legacy. Math teachers may or may not make mathematicians out of their students; science teachers may or may not have the next Einstein in their class. Yet all teachers can help students develop self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills-SEL competencies that will aid them throughout life.

When I think back on my experiences in school and my teachers' legacies, I most remember those who helped me develop as a person, regardless of the content they taught. But how, you may wonder, can instructional coaches assist teachers' developing these skills in students?

Prioritize Students' Self and Peer Evaluations

You can help teachers promote student agency by observing and providing feedback on lessons, modeling and co-planning, and co-delivering lessons that foster self-awareness, identity development, responsibility, and empowerment.

I ask teachers to query students at the end of each lesson about whether they feel they've met stated learning objectives. The teacher asks students to provide evidence that supports their assertions and to suggest next steps for mastering content.

Young students can do this using sad and happy face icons. I've worked with middle and high schools that have opted to use diagnostic testing data with students in quarterly goal-setting sessions, such as that produced by i-Ready and/or NWEA MAP Growth.

You might demonstrate how students can peer-review work and/or serve as active audience members (evaluators) during group presentations, then reflect on whether to make changes to their work based on peer feedback.

Increase Student Collaboration and Cultivate Empathy

Teachers with whom I work occasionally hesitate when releasing responsibility to students and having them struggle productively. I understand the desire to ensure that students understand content before they're set free. However, this can lead to teacher-dominated instruction.

Students need time to practice skills, problem-solve, and make sense of information through peer discussion. Coaches might remind concerned educators that they can model expected behaviors, provide students with individual roles/jobs, and discuss desired learning outcomes. Teachers can also provide students with exemplars of quality work, alert them to upcoming transitions, and observe student performance during peer activities. Gallery walks, inside/outside circles, and jigsaws are interactive strategies that I recommend. There are many options for getting students to talk.

Learning collaboratively aids students' retention of information and helps them recognize and build empathy for the feelings and perspectives of others. It also creates a sense of belonging. Coaches might provide teachers with training and/or resources for embedding diverse perspectives within academic content. In history and social studies, Facing History and Ourselves and A People's History of the United Statesare great places to start.

Support and Reframe Negative Student Emotions

Stress and anxiety can debilitate adults and children alike. Think about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. You might suggest that teachers bring mindfulness practices into their pedagogy to further support social and emotional wellness.

I've seen educators use meditation as a centering activity as students settle into class. I've also observed teachers asking even the youngest of students to identify their current emotional states using pictures. They've used anchor charts to portray and discuss physical feelings of emotions (what nervousness, sadness, fear, etc., feel like in the body); what actions students might take to alleviate them; and/or thinking routines in which they might engage to reframe negative thoughts and feelings.

Provide Professional Development

Coaches can help teachers recognize and address implicit biases and consider strategies for improving relationships with both students and families-critical to SEL. You can use tools like the Harvard Project Implicit, or other implicit association tests (IATs), to help teachers craft assessments free of bias. Allow them grace and time to get to know students-and their inherent strengths-before prioritizing student learning deficits within instruction.

Training on restorative justice practices can also boost SEL. In addition to conferencing with students involved in conflict and helping them determine ways to improve peer relationships, I've coached teachers to have students reflect on potential impacts of their actions-alone and with others-through writing. Including family and community members in restorative justice conversations provides an opportunity to promote community involvement at school.

Coaches can encourage teachers to discuss the impact of SEL initiatives on students' personal and academic growth within their professional learning communities.

Additional Resources

PBL Works has developed collaboration rubrics for grades kindergarten through two, three through five, and six through 12, which are available online. For specific examples of what SEL can look like in elementary, middle, and high school, I have found these New York Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks to be particularly useful in my coaching work, along with the SEL lesson-planning template developed by Meena Srinivasan for her book SEL Every Day.

Educators help mold self-actualizing and unique human beings; to that end, SEL is vital to all teaching and learning. Coaches can help teachers embed SEL in what they're already teaching, as opposed to adding something new to a teacher's plate. By assisting them in the development of lessons and activities that allow students to self-reflect and exhibit agency and that foster student engagement and collaboration, you can help them model to students how to regulate positive and negative emotions associated with challenge, growth, and achievement-while simultaneously providing mentorship on best practices for content instruction.

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How Instructional Coaches Can Help Teachers Foster Students' SEL Skills

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Leveraging the teacher-coach relationship can build support systems that make instructional coaching strategies for SEL more effective.

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Data Storytelling in the Classroom: Teaching Students to Use Data to Tell Stories

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Data Storytelling in the Classroom: Teaching Students to Use Data to Tell Stories

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In today's data-driven world, being able to effectively tell stories with data is an important skill for students to have. Data storytelling combines the use of data visualization and narrative techniques to present data in a way that is easy to understand and engage with. In this blog post, we will explore how data storytelling can be incorporated into the classroom to teach students valuable skills and help them make sense of the world around them.
Understanding the Concept
At its core, data storytelling is the process of using data visualization and narrative techniques to present information in a way that is easy to understand and engage with. This can be done through a variety of mediums, such as infographics, interactive websites, and presentations. Data storytelling has a wide range of applications, from business and marketing to journalism and education.

The benefits of teaching data storytelling to students are many. It helps students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and to make sense of the vast amounts of data that are available today. It also allows students to communicate their ideas more effectively and to make data-driven decisions.
Incorporating Data Storytelling into the Curriculum
Data storytelling can be integrated into different subject areas, such as math, science, social studies, and language arts. For example, in math class, students can use data visualization to show patterns and trends in data sets. In social studies, students can create data stories to explore historical events or current social issues. In language arts, students can use data storytelling to present research findings.

To teach data storytelling, teachers can use a variety of teaching strategies and resources. For example, teachers can use videos, tutorials, and interactive exercises to introduce students to the basics of data visualization and storytelling. They can also use project-based learning, where students use data to explore a topic of interest and present their findings in a data story. There are also several tools and platforms available online, such as Tableau, Canva, and Piktochart, that can be used to create data visualizations and infographics.
Student Examples and Case Studies
Examples of student projects that demonstrate data storytelling skills

Student project 1: A data visualization of the relationship between academic performance and absenteeism in a school.

Student project 2: An interactive website exploring the impact of pollution on the environment and public health.

Student project 3: A data story highlighting the effects of poverty on education outcomes in a specific community.

Discussion of the challenges and successes of teaching data storytelling in the classroom

Challenges: Lack of resources and technical expertise, difficulty in finding relevant and engaging data sets, limited time to incorporate data storytelling into the curriculum

Successes: Improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills, increased engagement and motivation among students, better communication and presentation skills
Conclusion
In this blog post, we have explored how data storytelling can be incorporated into the classroom to teach students valuable skills and help them make sense of the world around them. By using real-world examples of student projects and discussing the challenges and successes of teaching data storytelling, we hope to inspire and inform educators looking to integrate this important concept into their curriculum. For those who are interested in learning more about data storytelling in education, there are a number of resources available online, including blogs, articles, and tutorials, that can provide additional guidance and inspiration.
This article was directed by Alvaro Moncada and written by ChatGPT

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Data Storytelling in the Classroom: Teaching Students to Use Data to Tell Stories

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Introduction In today's data-driven world, being able to effectively tell stories with data is an important skill for students to have. Data storytelling combines the use of data visualization and narrative techniques to present data in a way that is easy to understand and engage with.

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What are your school doing?

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They're coming for the kids' phones. Who is "they"?

Governments, for starters. There's a national U.K. effort to forbid phone usage by students during the school day. Bans have already been implemented in France and China.

Next up, we have the professors. Dozens of prominent academics, including Jonathan Haidt, sent a letter this fall to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calling on him to issue an official advisory asking schools to adopt phone-free policies. They argue that personal devices are generally unhealthy for kids, but particularly so when they are used during the school day.

Finally, the editorial boards. In the past two months, Bloomberg and The Washington Post have called for bans on phone usage during the school day, with the Post going even further by advocating that students be forced to leave their devices at home.

Why all the fuss? Turns out, there are good reasons.

Spoiler alert: Solutions are not as obvious as we might wish. We're dealing with something more than kids watching TikTok during science class.
The case against mobile phones in school
Those hoping to ban phones see them as an unhealthy interference with nearly every key function schools are meant to serve. They argue that:

Just as more kids began spending more time with their phones, we saw a massive spike in depression and mental illness. By 2012, major social media platforms had become particularly engrossing/addictive by adding features such as likes and retweets, then coding sophisticated algorithms that massively increased the length of time users would remain engaged. By 2015, most American teenagers had smartphones. In the years to come, nearly every indicator of youth wellness worsened. It happened in one developed country after another, where technology adoption occurred at the same clip. The share of adolescents reporting high levels of loneliness, for instance, doubled in less than a decade. Psychologist Jean Twenge, whose early work on this issue was often dismissed as alarmist, has proven terribly prescient. She and others say that while we may not be able to keep kids away from dangerous social media all the time, the least we can do is to make schools a respite.

Phones prevent socialization between students during school. Ask a veteran teacher what's changed in recent decades, and the first thing they're likely to mention is kids not talking to one another anymore. Some can barely initiate or sustain a conversation with a same-age peer. They don't have the practice. Others wear AirPods like security blankets. Phone bans are seen as restoring critical interactions that kids missed-to their lasting detriment-during Covid closures.

Despite what rules may exist, most students are using their phones during school. In a study conducted by Common Sense Media-which does fantastic work on this issue-97 percent of kids aged 11-17 were on their phones between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on school days for an average of forty-three minutes. They typically picked up their phone thirteen different times. The most frequently accessed apps were social media. To fed-up policymakers, this is evidence that guardrails on student phone usage have utterly failed. It's time to get serious.

Phone usage reduces learning. You may be aware that we're experiencing something of a learning crisis since the arrival of the pandemic. It's bad. We need to maximize every tool to help students recover. In classrooms where phones are permitted, students perform worse-even if they are not among those using a device. This may suggest that distraction is contagious across whole groups.

To sum up, there are loads of reasons to keep kids off their phones during class. I tried to find dissenters who took the opposite position-that phones are relatively benign and we shouldn't bother trying to keep kids from using them during school. But, honestly, I couldn't find anything worth sharing with you. (Feel free to send me good stuff you've run across. I know the dissenters are out there!)
The policy options
Ok, if we're going to do a phone ban, what does that look like? Schools commonly choose one of three rules:

1. Students can't bring their phones into the school building. Phones stay at home. There are obvious issues with this approach. Parents want to be able to track their kids to and from school to ensure safe travel. They want kids to be able to call them if they have a bike accident or need a ride home after school. Many students go directly from dismissal to pick up siblings at other schools or to extracurriculars where they may need their devices. Some kids do not carry cash-rather, they pay only through apps on their phones, and they need to be able to purchase things after school for themselves or their family. Just a ton of things going on here. So why are some schools-indeed, some countries-going this way? Because it simplifies enforcement. Some teachers appreciate that. If there are no phones in the building, teachers don't have to collect them or remind students to put them in their lockers. Additionally, if the phones aren't in the building, they can't relay text messages or notifications to smart watches kids are wearing. Regardless of the merits of this approach, principals are likelier to win a fight with a car full of wolverines than to get parents to send their kids to school phone-less. It's a tough sell.

2. Students can't have their phones in class. They must be checked into a pouch/holder under the teacher's supervision or left in a locker. Usually, this means bell to bell. Students cannot access phones at lunch or recess. This approach avoids some of the sticky problems of the previous policy while making it reasonably easy for teachers to see whether a student's phone has been surrendered or not. The downside is a somewhat greater burden of enforcement, which introduces the possibility of inconsistency from one homeroom to another. Nonetheless, this is the policy that seems most popular these days.

3. Students can't use mobile phones in class. It's fine to have the phone-it just needs to stay in a pocket, backpack, etc. Can't be out on the desk, can't be actively streaming music to a student's headphones, can't be capturing video of a kid drooling through his nap at the next desk. This one requires a substantial level of teacher enforcement, which quickly becomes exhausting. Many teachers simply give up. It's comically easy to thwart. Kids ask to use the bathroom and sit in the toilet stall for twenty minutes enjoying the algorithm's greatest hits. This policy still has its supporters, though, because it is least likely to lead to confrontations with angry parents who want their children to be reachable at all times. It's probably the least popular option with teachers.

Other stuff nobody wants to talk about
What struck me in my conversations with educators and parents about phone bans is how little they talk about phones. Or social media. Instead, there are two issues they bring up repeatedly.

First, accountability and consequences for students. The key thing about any cellphone policy, as you probably picked up in the section above, is enforcement. Teachers don't want to spend all day policing phones. It's awkward. It's infantilizing. It can escalate. For some kids, having something cherished taken from them puts them in a very defensive, anxious position. Power dynamics across lines of difference zoom to the fore. Parents get really angry. Administrators often won't back teachers who enforce the administration's own policies.

And yet: Without consistent enforcement, none of these cellphone policies mean anything. I had many exchanges with current and former teachers. When I asked them which policy they preferred, by far the most common answer was "the one that will be enforced."

We are living through a moment when punishing students-including things like confiscating their cellphones-is out of vogue. Schools have heard loud and clear that students are struggling, they are fragile, and the priority is to build relationships. To make students feel welcome. Punitive discipline is alienating.

District, state, or national phone bans might give cover to schools to do more enforcement. But in a hyper-decentralized system like ours, schools are going to do what they want to do. There's a tension between the prevailing desire to lighten up on discipline and the need for consistent enforcement if we want fewer phones in class. Shouldn't we discuss that openly?

Second, we have a broader problem with student presence. Lots of kids aren't even showing up to school. When they do, it's gotten harder to earn their attention because there is more competition for it. Phones are just one element-one that schools may control through a ban. But school-sponsored technology in the classroom is whopper of a challenge, too. Conservatively, 80 to 90 percent of schools have 1:1 computing. Tablets and Chromebooks can do many of the same things as smartphones-and kids have full access to them throughout the day. Unable to text one another because their phones are stored away, students open shared Google docs and send messages to one another that way. Easy. They rush through activities to play games. You might think the IT department would block kids from accessing game sites, but software companies cleverly disguise non-nutritional content as "educational." (Check out this example. If this is math instruction, bowling is CrossFit.)

Matt Kraft and his colleagues have done great work explaining how the value proposition for the American teacher seemed to deteriorate beginning in 2010 or so. They cite a number of compelling explanations. I submit that we cannot overlook how much of it is due to teachers competing for student mindshare. It's no fun when half your class isn't truly there. Banning cellphones won't solve that problem. Districts may need to ask themselves difficult questions about the tens (or hundreds) of millions of dollars they have invested in screens.
What should we do?
OK, let's ban students from using their phones during the school day. I'm sold. That's probably the easy part. How can this policy be implemented so it works?

Schools should invest in secure, signal-blocking pouches from a company like Yondr. That way, devices stay with the students but they cannot be used. Less for teachers to police. At the end of the day, students can unlock the pouches and access their phones. No need to return to a homeroom where the phone is being stored; unlocking stations can be made available after the final bell in every classroom and exit. If it works at Madonna concerts and Chris Rock comedy shows, it can work in schools. Districts like Springfield, Massachusetts, are reporting positive results. Others, like Richmond, Virginia, are signing on.

But let's establish rules for adults-not just students. If enforcement of phone policies is essential, insist teachers take the appropriate action each and every time they encounter a breach. We do this with plenty of other high priorities. Teachers can't ignore bullying or physical violence. They can't let kids cheat on state tests. They shouldn't ignore phones, either. Teachers will have an easier time explaining a phone confiscation to a parent if they can point to a district directive. Hold teachers accountable on performance reviews if they are undermining the school's campaign for phone-free learning.

Next, attach a reasonable and meaningful penalty to violating school phone rules. It should be commensurate with the magnitude of the offense. To date, it sounds like most schools treat this as pretty low magnitude. I'd say we need to bump it up a level so there is a bit more deterrence. Medium magnitude. Don't just take the phone and return it at the end of the school day. That's when the student was going to regain access anyway if they were following the rules in the first place. It's not an actual consequence. Ask a parent to retrieve any phone that's found during the school day where it does not belong. Have the student serve a detention. Don't go overboard, but make the point.

Finally, don't lose the forest for the trees. We all want classrooms to be warm, lively, engaging environments where kids can focus on things worth doing. Target all the barriers to that goal, even if they turn out to be iPads, bad curricular materials, boring instruction, negligent classroom management, or low expectations. If we don't address those things, how can we blame kids for watching TikTok in the bathroom? Wouldn't you do the same?
The most enjoyable part of working on this post was hearing directly from students. I had fun conversations with my own kids, who are fourteen and twelve, as well as the children of friends and colleagues. A few of them reviewed early drafts and pointed out all sorts of things I'd gotten wrong. It was a good reminder that we ought to include young people more often in discussions of education policy. If you have an opportunity to talk about cellphones, chronic absenteeism, grade inflation, or any other hot-button issues with middle or high school students, I can almost guarantee it will be time well spent and you will hear things that adults never bring up.

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Editor's note: This was first published on the author's Substack, The Education Daly. They're coming for the kids' phones. Who is "they"?

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Leaders from the industry, education, and nonprofit spheres gathered to ensure Virginia's students develop into the innovators of tomorrow.

Dr. Michelle DeLoach presenting as part of the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel.

Rarely does a state build a new high school course from scratch, let alone an entire content area.

Virginia was already well on its way to becoming a national leader on Data Science and Literacy. But on December 3, the state's K-12 leaders decided to take things a step further, collaborating with The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) to gather K-12, higher education, and business leaders for a conversation focused on guiding Virginia's students on their journeys from the classroom to their future careers.

The Data Science Career Pathways Summit, hosted by VSTE as a part of their Annual Conference in Roanoke, Virginia brought these leaders from many different spheres of influence together to focus on one shared goal: empowering Virginia's students with the data literacy skills and data science education they will need to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.

New commitments to accelerate K-12 Data Science

Over 50 new commitments, suggestions and ideas were gathered at the Summit to advance statewide work in K-12 Data Science education. These commitments ranged from Laurel Ridge Community College agreeing to add Data Science to the teacher CS Generalist Certificate to the expansion of dual-credit partnerships with the community college system.

The summit opened with a welcome from Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Schools, Virginia Department of Education. Rod Carnill, Executive Director of VSTE, connected the purpose of the Summit to prepare the workforce needed now and in the near future to the VA 2030 Blueprint.

The workforce and industry panel then tackled the question of which knowledge, skillsets and dispositions related to data are needed for employees' success. The workforce panel was stacked with panelists from every industry touched by data science, from IBM to NASA. Many speakers focused on the need to teach students data science in order to keep the US workforce competitive:

Ted Hallum of IBM shared, "If we talk about keeping the US competitive, for every one machine learning or data scientist the US produces, China produces nine...If we want to remain competitive over the next five, ten, 15, 20 years, we need to radically optimize our pipeline for people to learn these skills."

Henry R. ("Speaker") Pollard, V. moderates the Business & Industry Workforce Panel.

Several panelists pointed out that these skills must be taught long before an employee ever steps into the office, especially with the advent of AI.

Angela Rizzi of NASA shared, "We need to understand this doesn't start in college, and it doesn't start in high school - it starts much earlier. We need to build capacity and interest amongst our earliest learners."

Joshua Jones, CEO of Quanthub, shared, "[AI] Prompt engineering is a data skill, and not enough folks are talking about this or are afraid to do so. You need to understand data privacy, data fluency, and how the tool works to do that well."

Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer moderates the Higher Education panel.

Paving a data science pathway to success, no matter the method

This was followed by the higher education panel led by Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer from George Mason University, VA that included faculty from 2-year and 4-year universities (public and private) across the state including University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Longwood University, Shenandoah University and Laurel Ridge Community College. Dr. Seshaiyer currently serves as the higher education appointee to both the VA STEM Education Advisory Board and the VA Workforce Development Board to the Office of the Governor of Virginia. The panel focused on questions surrounding higher education pathways in data science around degree programs, majors, minors, digital badging, microcredentials and dual-enrollment as well as aligning these programs to the workforce needs. The questions included:

What should all students know about data science by the end of high school, regardless of career or postsecondary path?

What prerequisite subjects will set students up for success in university data science programs?

What are the advantages of getting a formal data science degree?

How would you advise a student to choose a particular data science program or pathway?

Speakers focused on the overall necessity of data science education, for all students.

Dr. Ralph Wojtowicz, Director of the Division of Applied Technology and Associate Professor of Mathematics and Shenandoah University, shared, "Why is data science important to study at the undergraduate level? Without data, there is no science. Without data, there is no business."

Dr. Brian Wright, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs with UVA's School of Data Science, shared, "We need to abandon the idea that Data Science is fundamentally derivative of other disciplines. Other disciplines do not caveat their study as being footnotes in other fields."

Empowering tomorrow's leaders today

Dr. Deb Crawford moderates the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel.

The summit closed with a panel on K-12 Data Science and Literacy led by Dr. Deb Crawford, VDOE Data Science Course Development & Implementation Lead. Panelists from school districts across the state emphasized the need to begin teaching students data literacy skills early and often, highlighting the fact that though many students might not go into STEM, all would use data.

A graph used during the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel highlighting the need for data literacy

Panelists also noted that data literacy and data science education are not easily taught in one singular course and need to be infused across subjects in order to reach all students at the beginning of their educational journeys. This may require changing the image most students conjure when they think of data science.

As IBM's Ted Hallum shared, many young students count themselves out of math early on because they're intimidated by the language of math and fail to see themselves in the unapproachable formulas and hypothetical questions. However, once they can see themselves and their lives reflected in the math, in the data, they begin to see its power:

"I listened to the lecture, I read the textbook, the concept was totally alien to me... and then when we did an applied exercise and wrote it in R, I finally understood what the formula in the textbook was trying to express....I hope you'll entertain the idea of taking the math you're familiar with, embracing a coding-language, and integrating those two things together - because out in the workforce, that's how it's going to play out in the real world. The sooner [students] can gain experiences with that, the better."

Chris Dovi, current Virginia STEM Advisory Board Appointee and Co-Founder of CodeVA, shared during a lunch talk, "As a former journalist, I can tell you that data science education protects democracy. We need a data literate population that understands how to interpret statistics they see in the news and on social media. We need people to ask the right questions and to understand how our changing world works."

As Executive Director of CodeVA, Chris Dovi is now helping amplify the work created by the VDOE Data Science Course Development & Implementation Taskforce and making it accessible to other states, with samples of content from Virginia's OER portal modeled from resources created by the VDOE Data Science taskforce.

Statewide progress in Virginia outpaces the country

Few states have done as much as Virginia to ensure students are prepared for the data-driven 21st century.

A new high school course developed from scratch; statewide educator training cohorts; modernized content standards in K-12; and students placing in Ivy-league institutions with projects submitted from their new coursework. The list of achievements is long and continues to grow as Virginia K-12 Data Science sets out to scale to additional schools.

How did Virginia manage to accomplish so much so quickly?

In 2020, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Mathematics leadership organized a Data Science course development team to write the Virginia Standards of Learning for a high school Data Science course. This Phase 1 team of K-12 and higher education representatives began organizing conversations to imagine a new type of high school mathematics experience for students, one which would center data analysis, technology, computing, and core mathematics learning together in one joint program - reflecting how these disciplines are utilized in the modern workforce.

"In creating the course, we have been intentional in employing project-based learning combined with an instructional philosophy that moves beyond the traditional approach of 'here is the mathematics, statistics or computing, go solve the problem' to 'here is the societal problem or dataset, let us find innovative data science approaches motivated by mathematical foundations, statistical thinking or computational thinking to solve it'" - Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer, Professor of Mathematics and Director at George Mason University

"Students rarely have an opportunity to explore problems relevant to them or their communities. We are making that the norm in data science courses." - Dr. Deborah Crawford, Mathematics Supervisor, Frederick County Public Schools

The Virginia Data Science State Standards and content unit resources were developed entirely from scratch by a diverse team, including K-12 district leaders and teachers, practicing data scientists from industry, six higher education institutions, CTE reps, and the Virginia Department of Education mathematics team. The team developed four curriculum modules in 2021 which were field tested in the Year 1 pilot in 2022-2023, following the approval of the DS state standards in April of 2022. The Data Science Leads team revised the unit resources in 2023, based on feedback from the Year 1 pilot teachers through VDOE surveys and data science teacher focus groups. Four curricular modules, including over 310 vetted resources, video guides produced in-house, and locally sourced datasets and data talks and project guidelines and rubric for student choice in problem statements were created and shared with teachers on a Data Science Hub in a Canvas LMS through Virtual VA. Teachers drove much of this content development, working late hours and countless weekends - far beyond their normal job descriptions.

"The Data Science Standards of Learning in Virginia were developed by a diverse group consisting of Virginia educators from higher education and K-12 along with input from representatives from business and industry across the Commonwealth. The varied perspectives brought to the table by each member of this group resulted in a rich set of standards that address the future needs of students as they leave K-12 education and enter college or the workforce. The skills needed to be successful in today's data-driven environment are different than the skills needed just ten years ago. Students must be flexible learners who can represent data and analyze information in order to recognize patterns and solve problems." - Tina Mazzcane, fmr. Virginia Department of Education, Mathematics Coordinator

The Data Science Leads team designed two VDOE Data Science 3-day institutes in 2022 and 2023 to provide professional learning for new Data Science teachers and key insights into the data literacy skillset. Partners providing training included NASA, Amazon: AWS, CodeVA, and NC State InSTEP. Teachers from the first pilot year are now mentoring the Year 2 pilot teachers, and this network of data science high school educators is fueling the acceleration of resource creation and coaching statewide.

The Data Science Career Pathways Summit connected district leaders, teachers, community college and university professors with community partners from business and industry. The Year 2 pilot teachers are forming community partnerships where students work with a partner on a problem statement from a real data set provided by the partner. One example comes from Norfolk Airport Authority who asked students to use their data to create a cost-effective model that allocates every incoming flight at Norfolk International Airport to a specific gate. Data science students themselves are reaching out to potential community partners based on their interests.

The VA Data Science course kicked off their pilot year in the 2022-2023 school year, with nineteen high schools piloting the program statewide - and it went better than expected. Some students entered their projects in regional and state-wide science and engineering fairs with great success. Student teams from the pilot took first place in Engineering, first place in Mathematics, and third place in Computer Science at the JMU Science & Engineering Fair. Other students at Frederick County Public Schools leveraged data science and computing projects developed in the state's pre-pilot as supplement materials on college applications, landing them coveted spots at the nation's top universities including John Hopkins University, Dartmouth University, and the University of Virginia.

The data science pilot has since expanded to about 50 teachers from 23 school divisions and independent schools this school year and is on track to reach 75 teachers in the 2024-2025 school year.

Last August, the state capitalized on this momentum by infusing data literacy throughout their updated mathematics standards of learning for K-12 curriculum, building upon the course state standards released in April 2022. Now, students as early as K-5 will begin learning more robust foundations of data intuition and literacy - guaranteeing high school isn't the first time these students encounter data learning.

Virginia's work has been nothing short of heroic and has generated national interest in the subject. Many in the state were working extra hours or on volunteer basis to make 21st century mathematics opportunities that prepare students for today's realities of career and daily life. But more action is needed nationally to ensure data literacy can be the norm, rather than the exception.

Are you an educator in Virginia eager to start a data science program in your school? Contact Keisha Tennessee, VDOE CS Coordinator, keisha.tennessee@doe.virginia.gov, or Dr. Deb Crawford crawford@fcpsk12.net for more information.

Leaders from the industry, education, and nonprofit spheres gathered to ensure Virginia's students develop into the innovators of tomorrow.

Dr. Michelle DeLoach presenting as part of the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel.

Rarely does a state build a new high school course from scratch, let alone an entire content area.

Virginia was already well on its way to becoming a national leader on Data Science and Literacy. But on December 3, the state's K-12 leaders decided to take things a step further, collaborating with The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) to gather K-12, higher education, and business leaders for a conversation focused on guiding Virginia's students on their journeys from the classroom to their future careers.

The Data Science Career Pathways Summit, hosted by VSTE as a part of their Annual Conference in Roanoke, Virginia brought these leaders from many different spheres of influence together to focus on one shared goal: empowering Virginia's students with the data literacy skills and data science education they will need to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.

New commitments to accelerate K-12 Data Science

Over 50 new commitments, suggestions and ideas were gathered at the Summit to advance statewide work in K-12 Data Science education. These commitments ranged from Laurel Ridge Community College agreeing to add Data Science to the teacher CS Generalist Certificate to the expansion of dual-credit partnerships with the community college system.

The summit opened with a welcome from Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Schools, Virginia Department of Education. Rod Carnill, Executive Director of VSTE, connected the purpose of the Summit to prepare the workforce needed now and in the near future to the VA 2030 Blueprint.

The workforce and industry panel then tackled the question of which knowledge, skillsets and dispositions related to data are needed for employees' success. The workforce panel was stacked with panelists from every industry touched by data science, from IBM to NASA. Many speakers focused on the need to teach students data science in order to keep the US workforce competitive:

Ted Hallum of IBM shared, "If we talk about keeping the US competitive, for every one machine learning or data scientist the US produces, China produces nine...If we want to remain competitive over the next five, ten, 15, 20 years, we need to radically optimize our pipeline for people to learn these skills."

Henry R. ("Speaker") Pollard, V. moderates the Business & Industry Workforce Panel.

Several panelists pointed out that these skills must be taught long before an employee ever steps into the office, especially with the advent of AI.

Angela Rizzi of NASA shared, "We need to understand this doesn't start in college, and it doesn't start in high school - it starts much earlier. We need to build capacity and interest amongst our earliest learners."

Joshua Jones, CEO of Quanthub, shared, "[AI] Prompt engineering is a data skill, and not enough folks are talking about this or are afraid to do so. You need to understand data privacy, data fluency, and how the tool works to do that well."

Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer moderates the Higher Education panel.

Paving a data science pathway to success, no matter the method

This was followed by the higher education panel led by Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer from George Mason University, VA that included faculty from 2-year and 4-year universities (public and private) across the state including University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Longwood University, Shenandoah University and Laurel Ridge Community College. Dr. Seshaiyer currently serves as the higher education appointee to both the VA STEM Education Advisory Board and the VA Workforce Development Board to the Office of the Governor of Virginia. The panel focused on questions surrounding higher education pathways in data science around degree programs, majors, minors, digital badging, microcredentials and dual-enrollment as well as aligning these programs to the workforce needs. The questions included:

What should all students know about data science by the end of high school, regardless of career or postsecondary path?

What prerequisite subjects will set students up for success in university data science programs?

What are the advantages of getting a formal data science degree?

How would you advise a student to choose a particular data science program or pathway?

Speakers focused on the overall necessity of data science education, for all students.

Dr. Ralph Wojtowicz, Director of the Division of Applied Technology and Associate Professor of Mathematics and Shenandoah University, shared, "Why is data science important to study at the undergraduate level? Without data, there is no science. Without data, there is no business."

Dr. Brian Wright, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs with UVA's School of Data Science, shared, "We need to abandon the idea that Data Science is fundamentally derivative of other disciplines. Other disciplines do not caveat their study as being footnotes in other fields."

Empowering tomorrow's leaders today

Dr. Deb Crawford moderates the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel.

The summit closed with a panel on K-12 Data Science and Literacy led by Dr. Deb Crawford, VDOE Data Science Course Development & Implementation Lead. Panelists from school districts across the state emphasized the need to begin teaching students data literacy skills early and often, highlighting the fact that though many students might not go into STEM, all would use data.

A graph used during the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel highlighting the need for data literacy

Panelists also noted that data literacy and data science education are not easily taught in one singular course and need to be infused across subjects in order to reach all students at the beginning of their educational journeys. This may require changing the image most students conjure when they think of data science.

As IBM's Ted Hallum shared, many young students count themselves out of math early on because they're intimidated by the language of math and fail to see themselves in the unapproachable formulas and hypothetical questions. However, once they can see themselves and their lives reflected in the math, in the data, they begin to see its power:

"I listened to the lecture, I read the textbook, the concept was totally alien to me... and then when we did an applied exercise and wrote it in R, I finally understood what the formula in the textbook was trying to express....I hope you'll entertain the idea of taking the math you're familiar with, embracing a coding-language, and integrating those two things together - because out in the workforce, that's how it's going to play out in the real world. The sooner [students] can gain experiences with that, the better."

Chris Dovi, current Virginia STEM Advisory Board Appointee and Co-Founder of CodeVA, shared during a lunch talk, "As a former journalist, I can tell you that data science education protects democracy. We need a data literate population that understands how to interpret statistics they see in the news and on social media. We need people to ask the right questions and to understand how our changing world works."

As Executive Director of CodeVA, Chris Dovi is now helping amplify the work created by the VDOE Data Science Course Development & Implementation Taskforce and making it accessible to other states, with samples of content from Virginia's OER portal modeled from resources created by the VDOE Data Science taskforce.

Statewide progress in Virginia outpaces the country

Few states have done as much as Virginia to ensure students are prepared for the data-driven 21st century.

A new high school course developed from scratch; statewide educator training cohorts; modernized content standards in K-12; and students placing in Ivy-league institutions with projects submitted from their new coursework. The list of achievements is long and continues to grow as Virginia K-12 Data Science sets out to scale to additional schools.

How did Virginia manage to accomplish so much so quickly?

In 2020, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Mathematics leadership organized a Data Science course development team to write the Virginia Standards of Learning for a high school Data Science course. This Phase 1 team of K-12 and higher education representatives began organizing conversations to imagine a new type of high school mathematics experience for students, one which would center data analysis, technology, computing, and core mathematics learning together in one joint program - reflecting how these disciplines are utilized in the modern workforce.

"In creating the course, we have been intentional in employing project-based learning combined with an instructional philosophy that moves beyond the traditional approach of 'here is the mathematics, statistics or computing, go solve the problem' to 'here is the societal problem or dataset, let us find innovative data science approaches motivated by mathematical foundations, statistical thinking or computational thinking to solve it'" - Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer, Professor of Mathematics and Director at George Mason University

"Students rarely have an opportunity to explore problems relevant to them or their communities. We are making that the norm in data science courses." - Dr. Deborah Crawford, Mathematics Supervisor, Frederick County Public Schools

The Virginia Data Science State Standards and content unit resources were developed entirely from scratch by a diverse team, including K-12 district leaders and teachers, practicing data scientists from industry, six higher education institutions, CTE reps, and the Virginia Department of Education mathematics team. The team developed four curriculum modules in 2021 which were field tested in the Year 1 pilot in 2022-2023, following the approval of the DS state standards in April of 2022. The Data Science Leads team revised the unit resources in 2023, based on feedback from the Year 1 pilot teachers through VDOE surveys and data science teacher focus groups. Four curricular modules, including over 310 vetted resources, video guides produced in-house, and locally sourced datasets and data talks and project guidelines and rubric for student choice in problem statements were created and shared with teachers on a Data Science Hub in a Canvas LMS through Virtual VA. Teachers drove much of this content development, working late hours and countless weekends - far beyond their normal job descriptions.

"The Data Science Standards of Learning in Virginia were developed by a diverse group consisting of Virginia educators from higher education and K-12 along with input from representatives from business and industry across the Commonwealth. The varied perspectives brought to the table by each member of this group resulted in a rich set of standards that address the future needs of students as they leave K-12 education and enter college or the workforce. The skills needed to be successful in today's data-driven environment are different than the skills needed just ten years ago. Students must be flexible learners who can represent data and analyze information in order to recognize patterns and solve problems." - Tina Mazzcane, fmr. Virginia Department of Education, Mathematics Coordinator

The Data Science Leads team designed two VDOE Data Science 3-day institutes in 2022 and 2023 to provide professional learning for new Data Science teachers and key insights into the data literacy skillset. Partners providing training included NASA, Amazon: AWS, CodeVA, and NC State InSTEP. Teachers from the first pilot year are now mentoring the Year 2 pilot teachers, and this network of data science high school educators is fueling the acceleration of resource creation and coaching statewide.

The Data Science Career Pathways Summit connected district leaders, teachers, community college and university professors with community partners from business and industry. The Year 2 pilot teachers are forming community partnerships where students work with a partner on a problem statement from a real data set provided by the partner. One example comes from Norfolk Airport Authority who asked students to use their data to create a cost-effective model that allocates every incoming flight at Norfolk International Airport to a specific gate. Data science students themselves are reaching out to potential community partners based on their interests.

The VA Data Science course kicked off their pilot year in the 2022-2023 school year, with nineteen high schools piloting the program statewide - and it went better than expected. Some students entered their projects in regional and state-wide science and engineering fairs with great success. Student teams from the pilot took first place in Engineering, first place in Mathematics, and third place in Computer Science at the JMU Science & Engineering Fair. Other students at Frederick County Public Schools leveraged data science and computing projects developed in the state's pre-pilot as supplement materials on college applications, landing them coveted spots at the nation's top universities including John Hopkins University, Dartmouth University, and the University of Virginia.

The data science pilot has since expanded to about 50 teachers from 23 school divisions and independent schools this school year and is on track to reach 75 teachers in the 2024-2025 school year.

Last August, the state capitalized on this momentum by infusing data literacy throughout their updated mathematics standards of learning for K-12 curriculum, building upon the course state standards released in April 2022. Now, students as early as K-5 will begin learning more robust foundations of data intuition and literacy - guaranteeing high school isn't the first time these students encounter data learning.

Virginia's work has been nothing short of heroic and has generated national interest in the subject. Many in the state were working extra hours or on volunteer basis to make 21st century mathematics opportunities that prepare students for today's realities of career and daily life. But more action is needed nationally to ensure data literacy can be the norm, rather than the exception.

Are you an educator in Virginia eager to start a data science program in your school? Contact Keisha Tennessee, VDOE CS Coordinator, keisha.tennessee@doe.virginia.gov, or Dr. Deb Crawford crawford@fcpsk12.net for more information.

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Virginia Levels Up in Data Science Education

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Leaders from the industry, education, and nonprofit spheres gathered to ensure Virginia's students develop into the innovators of tomorrow. Dr. Michelle DeLoach presenting as part of the K-12 Data Science & Literacy Panel. Rarely does a state build a new high school course from scratch, let alone an entire content area.

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This article will change how you talk to children!

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It is optional of course. Interesting read and you may have heard about it in the news already.

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The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Evanston Township High School (ETHS) in Illinois is taking an innovative approach to education with a bold decision: They're offering race-separated classes to bridge the persistent academic gap between Black, Latino, and White students. This initiative, more than just a policy move, resonates deeply with the students' personal journeys. For instance, student Maria Gomez told her school newspaper she found a sense of belonging in the GANAS Algebra 2 class for Latinx students. These stories emphasize the value of "affinity classes." They show that offering classes separated by race is about more than teaching-it's crucial for cultural and personal ties.

Nearly 200 students have joined these classes, seeking more than just separation. They're looking for a nurturing learning environment. Teachers of color lead math and writing courses with the aim of providing a comforting academic space, especially in AP courses. In these courses, minority students often feel underrepresented in integrated classes. ETHS's initiative reflects a growing trend in education and an understanding of diverse student needs.

This bold move raises questions and garners mixed reactions

Evanston's initiative, mirroring strategies in cities like Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Oakland, navigates complex educational reform and racial integration. While these programs adhere to federal antidiscrimination laws, they spark debate about their alignment with broader educational goals.

The response to ETHS's classes has been polarized. On one hand, educators and researchers advocate for the program, pointing to studies demonstrating improved outcomes when minority students are taught by teachers of their own race. Some even theorize that students of all races need more Black teachers overall and that schools ought to focus on recruiting more non-White teachers. On the other hand, critics argue that this approach contradicts the principles of the Civil Rights Act by counteracting racial integration. The controversy has extended into the media, with conservative commentators accusing the school of undermining racial harmony and promoting divisive ideologies. Some have harshly criticized the program, saying it shortchanges Black and Latino students and allows "toxic ideologies" to infiltrate school life. These critiques echo larger national conversations about race, education, and equity.

Conversely, the student newspaper at ETHS presents a different narrative, illustrating the classes' positive impact through stories like that of Omar Pryor, a junior who experienced a profound sense of community in the AXLE English class for Black students. Teachers and students emphasize the importance of these spaces for empowerment and identity affirmation. Pryor's story, along with others, underscores the complexity of the issue-while some view these classes as a regression in civil rights, others see them as essential for fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment for minority students.

Overall, the National Education Policy Center views these segregated classes as a temporary measure to address deep-rooted racial inequities. This perspective suggests the need for a broader, more systemic approach to tackling these challenges in the long term.

What does this mean for the future?

ETHS student testimonials showcase a sense of belonging and reduced pressure in same-race classes. One Minneapolis teacher noted, "In our spaces, you don't have to shed one ounce of yourself because everything about our space is rooted in Blackness." Yet, the absence of comprehensive data on the program's academic impact leaves room for ongoing assessment and adaptation. Initiated in 2019, the program's long-term effectiveness in bridging the achievement gap remains to be seen.

The Evanston initiative, while pioneering, points toward a future where race-specific classes are no longer necessary. This vision aligns with broader educational goals of equity and inclusion. For educators across various contexts, this situation presents an opportunity to reflect on and advocate for teaching practices that acknowledge and address the diverse needs of their student populations. It encourages a proactive stance in adapting curricula and classroom environments to be more inclusive and supportive.

As we look forward, the role of teachers in shaping inclusive and equitable educational spaces becomes increasingly vital. Engaging in continuous professional development, fostering open dialogues within school communities, and advocating for policies that support equity are crucial steps. Teachers can be agents of change, inspiring a shift toward educational environments where every student, regardless of their race or background, has the opportunity to thrive.

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This District Tackles the Learning Gap With a Bold Move: Classes Separated by Race

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A district in Illinois is offering classes separated by race. What students, teachers, and critics are saying about it.

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Administration & Leadership

Share your thoughts on teacher evaluations. We're listening and may quote you!

Educators, you experience the impact of teacher-evaluation systems firsthand. How can these systems be improved to more accurately and fairly assess teaching performance, and what changes would you make so that evaluations are more reflective of your abilities and contributions in the classroom?

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Question: How Should the Systems for Evaluating Teachers Change?

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Share your thoughts on teacher evaluations. We're listening and may quote you!

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As a student growing up in Pakistan, Riffat Arif, now known to all as Sister Zeph, faced insults and bad treatment from her teachers at school. She dreamed of "a teacher who gives equal respect and love to children with no difference. I could not find that teacher, so I will be that teacher."

So, in 1997, at the age of just 13, she founded a school in the courtyard of her home, free to all. Children were to be treated with love and respect; beatings were not allowed.

And now, selected from over 7,000 nominations from 130 countries, Sister Zeph has been awarded the largest annual global prize for teachers, the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023, $1 million. "Her dedication to education and empowerment has touched countless lives and earned her numerous awards, recognizing her as a true change-maker and advocate for women's rights and children's education around the world," said the official citation.
How did you react when the prize was announced?
I was senseless in the first few seconds. I could not understand that this was my name. It was extremely surprising. But I did see that my dress color matched with the trophy [gold], so I was expecting it a little bit in my heart.
What are you going to do with the money?
When I applied for the program, the first thing I thought was, I will buy a piece of land. But now I know the money will come in installments for 10 years. But I'm going to request the government of Pakistan to give me land so I can build my dream school.
How did you manage to start a school at just 13 years old?
After facing discrimination, I decided I will never go back to a school. I also realized that this is not only my story - this story is of every child who belongs to an underprivileged community. [In Pakistan, like many countries, religious minorities such as Shi'a, Ahmadis, Hindus and Christians can face discrimination].

I brought my younger sister and requested her to learn from me. I started requesting my friends' younger siblings to come to my school. It was a play area for them in the beginning, we did not have a book or a notebook.
How did you support the project?
My parents were not in a position to help me. So at the age of 13, I learned to do embroidery. That was the first income I started generating to support my cause.

I would work 8 hours a day, teach my students 4 hours and teach myself 4 hours. I never went back to any institution. I would prepare for exams, take my exam fee to the institution and get a degree. That's how I got two master's degrees, in political science and history.

I never took a day off, never went to church. I never made any friends because I was focusing only on these 3 things, and it was quite tiring. I have no plans to be married - my cause is bigger than getting married.

In 2008 I joined the internet and started sharing my stories online, and in 2013 I won $20,000 in a global competition. I used this amount to establish a proper school on the outskirts of Gujranwa la and build a vocational center for adults.
What's the purpose of the vocational center?
It's to provide skills training to the mothers to start making their own money and escape physical and mental violence so they can support their children. I also teach our own students skills so they can pay their fees for college and university. We teach stitching, IT and digital literacy, English language so they can access the knowledge on the internet, and hairdressing and makeup so they can open beauty salons. We have our own clothing line as well; we use the income to run the project. It also creates jobs for the women who learn stitching from us. I have 30 employees - all women.
How did you first learn how to teach? What was your approach to teaching?
I wanted to do something opposite to the experiences I had to face as a child. So I would leave from home at 7 a.m. to teach, and I would come back at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and I would be very hungry. But I would never eat in front of my students, because many of them haven't eaten, and I did not have resources to feed them.
You wanted to be considerate of their feelings.
Yes. I would take the little children in my lap and I would teach them that way. When a teacher shows such affection to the children, they feel protected, they feel like they are not far from home, they are just with another mother. I want teachers to be like that. I did not get to enjoy my own childhood. I want children to be pampered and loved and have a childhood. They are like rose petals, and we should treat them like that.
How do you promote the rights of children to go to school?
In my city, Gujranwa la, over 20,000 children are child laborers making money for their families. My job is to reach out to those parents and to make them understand that even if they are not eating enough, even if their house is not good enough, education is more important. And my job is not to tell but to show the children that education is better than anything else.
How do you do that?
Through my love. Love is the language that everybody can understand. Love is the language that has no boundaries for religion or financial background. Love is everywhere and everyone needs love.
Freelancer Anya Kamenetz is the author of The Stolen Year. You can read more of her work at https://thegoldenhour.substack.com/

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$1 million teacher prize goes to Sister Zeph. Her philosophy: 'Love is the language'

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The Pakistani educator has won the largest annual prize for teachers from the Varkey Foundation. She says her teaching reflects her belief that "Love is the language that everybody can understand."

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Making Project-Based Learning More Accessible for Multilingual Students

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With appropriate scaffolding, multilingual students can successfully engage in all phases of PBL.

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The VDOE published an overview of revisions that can be found here if you are interested! :)

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While this is geared to math, it certainly has applications in all classrooms!

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Maybe you've been asked to teach a middle school math intervention or RTI class or an intervention math class for high school. Maybe you're teaching a regular math class, but so many of your students have so many gaps in their math skills that you're not able to get through the amount of content that you need to. Maybe you've been given resources or maybe you've been given the freedom to find your own (a blessing and a curse). I've been right where you are and this blog post will help.

Intervention math and struggling math students are my passion. I became a high school math teacher not because I have a love for math, but because I realized math is the "gate keeper" for many historically underserved students - without passing math, students can't graduate thus creating a gate. Failing math is also the #1 reason students decide to drop out of high school. I wanted to change that. So when I started teaching high school math support and algebra 1 in South Central Los Angeles, I was pumped about the impact I could have. But boy of boy was it harder than I expected. I went on to teach intervention and Algebra 1 in East San Jose and Denver as well. And at each school I was asked to teach something different in my intervention math class. Sometimes I was asked to go back to middle school content entirely and fill in all the gaps just in case they missed it. Sometimes I was asked to teach them the same grade level content and intervene just in time. In this post I will share my personal experiences teaching intervention math and help you learn from my years of learning what works best for students who struggle with math.

Definition: Just in time math interventions vs just in case math interventions

Benefits of just in time interventions

I have come to be a believer in just in time interventions instead of just in case interventions, but it wasn't always this way. Early in my teaching career I enjoyed having a whole period to fill in all the middle school content my students had previously failed. I saw nothing wrong with that. It wasn't until my fifth year in the classroom when my administration pushed me to "just teach Algebra 1" to my intervention math kids that my eyes were opened to the power of just in time interventions. Here are the 3 main benefits:

Just in time interventions can be customized to each student's specific strengths and weaknesses, whereas just in case interventions provide a one-size-fits-all approach. I know this sounds overwhelming when you have over 100 students on your roster, but I promise this can be done efficiently.

How to provide just in time math interventions

Below is my approach to delivering just in time interventions based on real classroom experience and what worked for my students.

In order to successfully provide just in time interventions, you are not able to get through all of the material. You have to make time for the just in time supports as you're teaching grade level content so therefore it takes more time to teach the grade level content. Talk with your colleagues and check out a resource like achievethecore.org to determine what content is essential, and what content can get left out for now using their priority content docs for middle school and high school.

Once you've identified the essential content from step 1, think about the gaps students might have related to that essential content. For example, the grade level content in Algebra 1 is multi-step equations. The gaps students have for multi-step equations include: two step equations, one step equations, distributive property, and combining like terms. Make a list of all the gaps students have that lead up to the grade level content.

Now that you have the gaps identified from step 2, plan how you will fill that content in just in time for the grade level content. Instead of pausing your grade level content for 6 weeks (or more) to cover all of the basics that we know students struggle with, identify what material they struggle with that leads up to that specific grade level content. For example, before I teach multi-step equations I'll build in additional time for distributive property, combining like terms, one step equations, two step equations and then immediately after I will teach the grade level standard multi-step equations. I'm providing the interventions just in time for the grade level content.

In his book, Embedded Formative Assessment, Dylan William defines true formative assessment as, "Encompassing all those activities undertaken by teachers, and/or by their students, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged." (William, Embedded Formative Assessment, 2011, p. 37). In order to catch up students to grade level we have to provide true formative assessment the way William defines it here. We must use data we gather during the period to "modify the teaching and learning activities in which [we] are engaged." If we're not collecting informal formative feedback throughout the lesson AND responding in real time to that feedback by modifying our plans, students will continue to fall behind. The most effective way to teach intervention lessons everyday is with a combination of gradual release of responsibility, formative assessment, and cold calling. I've combined these research based methods (and added my own twist) into the Math Wars Method™️ which you can learn more about in this FREE mini-workshop.

I hope this has helped you see the benefits of just in time math intervention and that it's not as hard or intense as you might have thought. The benefits are robust and once you dig into the 4 step process and tweak it and make it your own, you'll be energized by the student engagement and growth!

Teaching math to students who struggle is hard. But I've cracked the code. Register for my FREE mini-workshop and learn three surprisingly easy ways to engage even your most challenging and apathetic math students.

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Maybe you've been asked to teach a middle school math intervention or RTI class or an intervention math class for high school. Maybe you're teaching a regular math class, but so many of your students have so many gaps in their math skills that you're not able to get through the amount of content that you need to.

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4 Practices to Help Teachers Navigate Change

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4 Practices to Help Teachers Navigate Change

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4 Practices That Help Teachers Navigate Change

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Used regularly, these practices can help teachers identify the core values that support them in enduring the challenges of the job.

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When I think about my first year as a high school teacher, I have a strong, sensory memory. I'm lying on the cold, thinly carpeted, concrete floor in my tiny office. It's lunchtime; my door is locked, and the lights are out. I am hiding-and I'm totally overwhelmed. The darkness provides a little comfort and calm, yet I am starkly aware of my head-to-toe exhaustion, and a deep, pervading sense of loneliness. That year, my principal visited my classroom once or twice, and I rarely interacted with other teachers.

New teachers' primary strategy for stress management is hunkering down and working harder-rather than reaching out for help and support. We educators are often at the center of large groups every day, which requires a lot of emotional labor. "Leave your problems at the classroom door," we're told. (Mask your own needs on behalf of those students you love.) Perform, perform, perform.

In that sense, it's natural to crave quiet moments to reconnect with ourselves and reboot our taxed nervous systems. Maybe, like me, you also worry about burdening others when everyone is already struggling. Yet those moments alone, if one feels emotionally exhausted, can extend into hours and days-and a greater sense of isolation and apathy. And if we're not sharing our experiences with others, it can further alienate us.

Despite these tensions, research clearly points to the benefits of social connection. Studies also tell us that social support plays a role in lessening the impact of job demands and emotional exhaustion on teachers, specifically. Right now, we can all benefit from considering the social component of social and emotional learning. Rather than giving you a long list of time-consuming social "to-dos" to add to your "self-care" list, I want to share a few research-based, low-lift strategies for connection that are practical and feasible and can be easily integrated into an educator's busy life.

1. Share appreciation for your colleagues

One of the simplest things you can do to feel more socially connected at work is recognize and acknowledge the goodness around you. Gratitude is a relationship-strengthening emotion. In fact, a 2022 study reveals its stress-relieving benefits to both the expresser and the receiver.

Imagine that you and a colleague down the hall are paired up for a six-minute task (designing a bike and creating a marketing plan). Next, each of you must make a three-minute sales pitch to an expressionless audience. (My heart rate is revving up just thinking about this.)

In this research study, some "expressers" simply described their day to their partner before giving their sales pitch, while others shared their appreciation for their partner. In the end, both members of the gratitude pair demonstrated superior cardiovascular responses to stress.

In other words, a little bit of appreciation for your colleagues can potentially reduce tension for both of you as you each navigate the difficult tasks you face each day.

Whether you seek out your colleagues formally or informally, simply acknowledging and appreciating each other can reduce the stress you are feeling in your body. For example (and this is sincere), "To my GGSC colleague, Mariah, thanks for calling to check in with me last week. Sharing our struggles with each other helped to normalize it all for me. And I hung up the phone feeling a little more grounded."

For a more formal approach to sharing appreciation, incorporate a Gratitude Circle into your small or larger staff meetings. Carve out a few minutes for colleagues to say "thank you" to each other for simple kindnesses. Ask them to speak directly to the person they are thanking and to be specific: "Thank you to my GGSC colleague, Maryam, for the '80s Spotify playlist you sent to me when I had to drive my youngest daughter to college. As a mom yourself, you know how difficult it was for me to say goodbye to her, and you know that '80s music brings me joy. Your thoughtfulness made me feel more connected to you."

If you could share appreciation for a colleague right now, who would you choose and what would you say? Express it, rather than just think it. That's the key to this practice.

2. Identify your support system

Research tells us that social support, the experience of being cared for, valued, and part of a mutually supportive human network, benefits our mental and physical health. You may be comfortable sharing appreciation for someone on your team, but after a few years in and out of your COVID cave, you may also be asking yourself who is actually available for support right now.

Take five to 10 minutes this weekend to consider your people (near and far) and write down their names. Then, make a quick note of the ways they can support you. Researchers identify the following categories of social support:

Informational support: advice or feedback (people you can ask, "How should I handle this difficult conversation with my student?")

Emotional support: sympathy, empathy, and an understanding of your experience ("No wonder you're exhausted. I get it.")

Esteem support: recognition of your skills and abilities through compliments and validation ("You've got this-you're a strong leader with a lot of grit.")

Social network support: accessible, online, community-based resources, including discussion forums and people available to check in and chat about your interests or dilemmas ("We're here for you! Share your questions and comments with us.")

When I find myself spinning at a hamster-wheel pace, I tend to forget who might be available for some quick advice (my colleague Vicki), a funny text or joke (my old college buddies, Kerri and Lisa), a walk (my neighborhood friend, Debbi), or a reassuring phone chat or Zoom conversation (my colleague Kira). Most of my people live far away, but they are out there.

What about you? Who is in your circle-in little ways and bigger ways? If you find yourself struggling to identify your potential supporters, now is a great time to consider reaching out to (re-)establish a few connections.

3. Call, text, or meet one person this week

Friendships can give us greater purpose and meaning, better health-and even longer lives. However, when you're busy (and tired), they require a little planning and a commitment to show up. One of the best strategies we have in our wellness toolkit is something called behavioral activation. It comes from the world of cognitive behavioral therapy, and it's annoying (when one feels exhausted and grumpy), but it works.

Behavioral activation is doing "the thing"-even if you don't feel like it-which often leads to a more positive emotional state. For example, getting up and going to that exercise class with your friend or accepting your colleague's invitation to meet for drinks-even though you'd rather be on your couch watching Netflix. No doubt you can think of a time when saying "yes" to social connection lifted your spirits and even energized you.

So, don't wait for an invitation. Take a few minutes to reach out to at least one person this week (e.g., a text, email, phone date, a cup of tea or coffee, a walk after school-whatever works for you). And if you're feeling extra motivated, make a commitment to nurture one specific relationship over the coming month. Schedule time to meet (online, phone, or in person).

Consider the following: Who will you choose to connect with during the week (or across the month?) Why? What did you notice in yourself before, while, and after you reached out? How does this experience influence your motivation to continue pursuing social connections?

Whether you choose to nurture a relationship inside or outside of work, keep in mind that teachers' working relationships at school can be the most effective at preventing burnout. A recent study indicates that educators who perceived more social support from colleagues (rather than friends and family) had lower levels of burnout and greater emotional intelligence. Why? Perhaps because our colleagues are best at helping us solve work-related challenges, the researchers suggest.

However, we may also feel more connected to colleagues who share similar experiences because we can understand each other's work struggles-big and small-from the pile of grading in front of us to an unjust and ineffective discipline policy. Further, we can validate those struggles while affirming each other in moving forward to address them.

More importantly, if we can experience a "we're all in this together" sense of team support and belonging, we are likely to feel more empowered and less stressed.

4. Join a supportive community

If you're struggling to identify people in your support network at school, you might also consider joining a wellness group for educators. It's likely to involve a monthly commitment of one to two hours a month-but it's an investment in the kind of "meeting" you can look forward to. And studies suggest that when teachers participate in groups that feature well-being practices, including mindfulness and other strategies for navigating emotions, they report improvements in personal well-being and their ability to provide more emotional support in their classrooms.

Over the past few years, large, energized teacher-support programs have been growing in number. For example, Happy Teacher Revolution promotes the mental health and wellness of teachers by preparing educators to lead support groups in their own communities. ​ Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education helps teachers handle their stress and rediscover the joys of teaching in a range of different group settings, while the goal of the Transformative Educational Leadership Program is to cultivate the inner transformation of educational leaders in service of outer transformative change in the field of education.

You may also be aware of communities of practice in your area. According to educational theorist Etienne Wenger, who coined the term, " communities of practice" are "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." When you are part of a community of practice (as a social learning system), you can "share your experiences and knowledge in free-flowing, creative ways that foster new approaches to problems." In fact, Wenger and researcher William B. Snyder claim that the strength of a community of practice is that it can be "self-perpetuating." As members share wisdom and generate knowledge, they "reinforce and renew" their passion and expertise.

Further, because teaching is not a solitary activity, both research and theory suggests that we can gain a stronger sense of self-efficacy-that "I can do this!" sense of ourselves-when we accept and receive collegial support. In fact, when teachers strongly identify with their school and feel a sense of teamwork, they tend to find their workload more manageable, which lowers stress. In other words, we need each other to move forward with confidence and hope.

At the Greater Good Science Center, we are excited to be hosting a new monthly community of practice (CoP) focused on educator and student "wellness." Launching this January, our CoP's purpose is to envision, experience, and co-create learning communities that are caring, compassionate, and connected. We have three primary goals: to deepen our understanding of social and emotional well-being, to experience greater well-being as adult learners in community, and to share ideas and best practices for supporting our students, colleagues, and ourselves. We invite you to check out our invitation and learn more.

As a co-facilitator of our new CoP, I still reflect on my concrete-floor moments as a new teacher. I remember the sense of alienation (and the driving perfectionism) that knocked me down. I still encounter lonely and overwhelming moments, but I also know that we educators can't do this work alone.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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Here are four simple ways to find social support as an educational professional.

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I started my Truth For Teachers podcast in January 2015, and since then, I've heard from countless educators who are now hooked on the format and are anxious to find other great education podcasts to follow.

That makes me so happy! Podcasts have been instrumental in my growth as an educator (and as a human), and I love to see other people fall in love with podcasts, too.

I frequently listen to podcasts when going for walks, driving, running errands, preparing meals, cleaning, making art, exercising, stretching, and doing stuff around the house. That's a pretty big proportion of my day, so I consume a LOT of audio content and have found some incredible shows.

I'll admit that I've been hesitant to release a list like this, because there's no way I could name all the great education podcasts in existence and I'm leaving some great folks out for sure. This is not a definitive list of the "best" podcasts, but rather, a curated collection of shows that I find simpatico with my own and help push my thinking.

My top education podcast recommendations for Truth for Teachers listeners
If you like my Truth for Teachers podcast, I think you'll enjoy these, too.
Hosted by the incredible Dr. Sheldon L. Eakins, The Leading Equity Podcast is all about empowering educators with the tools and resources they need to create equitable schools. Each episode is jam-packed with inspiring interviews and stories from the most influential voices in equity in education today. As a listener, you'll come away with a wealth of practical tips and strategies that you can put into action right away to make a real difference in your school.

A must-listen for any educator looking to stay ahead of the curve in their teaching practice! Hosted by seasoned educator Jennifer Gonzalez, this podcast explores the latest trends, strategies, and technologies in education ( she comes up with an annual Ed Tech Guide). From classroom management to assessment techniques, Cult of Pedagogy covers a wide range of topics designed to help educators improve their craft and meet the needs of their students. With engaging interviews, real-world examples, and actionable advice, this podcast is the ultimate resource for teachers looking to stay inspired, informed, and connected with the education community.

Hosted by Elena Aguilar, a coaching expert and author, the Bright Morning podcast presents weekly guidance to educators aimed at fostering their success. The majority of the episodes focus on coaching but she also talks about equity and combatting racism in the education space. If you like the tone and mindset/resilience/communication topics covered on Truth for Teachers, I think you'll really enjoy Elena's work.

Too Dope Teachers and a Mic is a podcast hosted by the only black and brown teachers in their school: Kevin Adams and Gerardo Munoz. Together, they deliver a refreshing take on important topics like equity, social justice, teacher wellness, and more. A lot of their episodes feature various educators and thought leaders who are making a difference in the world of education. This podcast pushes me to be a better, more empathetic educator (and person) by highlighting perspectives often missing in K-12 conversations. It's light-hearted and very informal, but also incredibly insightful.

If you want to be inspired or challenged about what education can and should be, you'll love TED Talks Education. This podcast features a diverse range of voices, all of whom are dedicated to exploring the latest trends and ideas in the field. The episodes are available either as a podcast or as a video. They're quite short but very meaty-perfect if you don't have a lot of time.

The Burned-In Teacher Podcast is a weekly show for educators who are looking for ways to rekindle their love for teaching. Hosted by veteran teacher, Amber Harper, this podcast explores the challenges and triumphs of the teaching profession, offering practical tips and strategies for staying motivated and engaged in the classroom. If you're feeling teacher tired, you can get started with her episode on how to combat teacher fatigue and keep yourself energized. Whether you're a new teacher just starting out, or a seasoned veteran looking for fresh inspiration, Amber and her guests are the perfect resource for anyone who wants to keep their teaching fire burning bright.

Dr. Catlin Tucker is a veteran educator and authority on technology, blended learning, and balance. In this podcast, she uses her expertise to help teachers find more sustainable approaches to teaching (I interviewed her on my Truth for Teachers podcast to talk about that exact topic). The Balance with Catlin Tucker is packed with solid strategies and inspiring advice. This mini episode on self-management is only 10 minutes long but is super helpful for teachers who want to incorporate their SEL skills when working with students. Catlin frequently talks with thought leaders to explore the question, "How do we empower ourselves to create and implement boundaries both inside and outside of the classroom?"

The Creative Classroom with John Spencer is a podcast for educators looking to infuse creativity and innovation into their teaching practices. It's hosted by John Spencer, a former middle school teacher and now a professor and best-selling author. From discussions on project-based learning and design thinking to tips on how to foster a culture of innovation in the classroom, this show focuses on making learning more impactful for students. John also offers insights into how teachers can tap into their own creativity and bring new energy to their classrooms.

This is the podcast I recommend most for people who are looking for a podcast similar to Truth for Teachers in topic, format, and tone, because its host and I think so much alike. The Always a Lesson podcast has a single goal: to empower educators to reach their full potential. Hosted by Gretchen Bridgers (formerly Schultek), a seasoned teacher, teacher coach, and trainer, the show focuses on supporting teacher leaders such as peer mentors, cooperating teachers for student teachers, and instructional coaches. Through expert guidance, Gretchen helps these educators develop and implement effective, empowering support models that drive student success and teacher satisfaction. Whether you're looking for support and guidance as you grow in your career, or seeking inspiration and new ideas, the Always a Lesson podcast is the perfect resource for any educator who is committed to always finding the lesson.

The Transformed Teacher is an uplifting weekly podcast that centers on finding balance and happiness in both teachers' professional and personal lives. Hosted by Meredith Newlin, the episodes focus on topics like reducing stress, increasing organization, and making a comeback from burnout. From discussions on self-care, to insights on how to get through to students more effectively, The Transformed Teacher is a supportive and empowering resource for anyone looking to find more joy in their teaching.

The Resilient Teacher podcast with Brittany Blackwell, M.Ed., provides educators with the resources and mindset needed to combat burnout and maintain a sustainable teaching career. With a new episode every Tuesday, this podcast can help personalize your self-care, prioritize your well-being, and have a greater impact on your classroom and community.

Teachers Need Teachers is a podcast that's focused on providing support to new and beginning teachers as they navigate their initial years in the profession, helping them thrive instead of just surviving. It is hosted by Kim Lepre, a 40 Hour Teacher Workweek alumni, experienced educator, and instructional coach. In the episodes, she shared her insights and best practices on a variety of topics relevant to the teaching profession.

Betsy Potash shares so many practical, relatable teaching ideas in this show. Though topics are geared toward middle and high school English teachers, there are tons of episodes that will help any K-12 educator stay creative. Betsy is thoughtful, intentional, and embodies thinking outside of the box, and I especially appreciate her equity-focused lens.

Want more? Check out the dozens of excellent K-12 podcasts available on the BAM radio network for educators. You'll find high-quality, professionally produced shows on every education topic imaginable. Seriously-if you love podcasts, don't miss this site!

Also, I personally don't listen to ed tech podcasts very often, but if that's an area of interest for you, check out Dr. Monica Burns' Easy EdTech podcast and The Shake Up Learning Show with Kasey Bell. Both are extremely informative and share lots of great practical classroom tips. They're great resources for folks who want to stay current with trends in education and make new ed tech innovations work for them.

Limited series education podcasts
Although no longer producing new episodes, these limited series podcasts are still definitely worth your time and will push you to think more deeply about how K-12 education functions.
"Nice White Parents" is a podcast produced by Serial and The New York Times that examines the ways in which well-intentioned white parents can perpetuate systemic racism in the American education system. The show dives into the 60-year history of a New York City public school, PS 45, and follows the experiences of Black and Latino students, families, and educators as they navigate the challenges posed by well-intentioned white parents and a history of school segregation. The podcast provides a unique and thought-provoking look at the ways in which race and class intersect to shape the American education system.

Southlake is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of race and class in America and how that impacts education. In Southlake, Texas, on the surface, everything appears to be perfect - beautiful homes, strong community spirit, and top-notch schools. But when a video emerged showing high school students using a racial slur, the town was rocked to its core. Black residents came forward to share stories of racist bullying and harassment, leading the school board to take action. Yet, the unveiling of the Cultural Competence Action Plan sparked a heated debate that divided the community. Hosted by NBC News national reporter Mike Hixenbaugh and correspondent Antonia Hylton as they delve into the depths of Southlake to uncover the truth behind this seemingly idyllic town.

In Sold a Story, the investigative journalist Emily Hanford delves into the reading crisis affecting millions of children. Despite decades of research on how children learn to read, many schools are disregarding the findings and instead investing in training and materials based on a discredited theory. This six-part podcast exposes the authors and a publishing company profiting from this flawed approach. Anyone who's taught reading will find this relatable, and it's a good listen for any educator who wonders how certain understandings in education become canon.

This limited series podcast has 50 episodes that cover the full spectrum of Black American History. Hosted by Clint Smith, he talks about key events and personalities - from the first enslaved Black people to touch American soil at Jamestown to the current Black Lives Matter movement. More than a history lesson, the podcast is an opportunity to deepen our understanding and appreciation for the vital role Black Americans have played in shaping our country and its culture.

Teaching Hard History is a podcast that explores difficult and often neglected aspects of American history. Though it's technically not a limited series and IS producing new episodes, they are organized by topic/season in a way that makes it easier to consume the content like a limited series. It's produced by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) which has tons of great educator resources. Through discussions with experts and educators, the podcast delves into topics around systemic injustice, with the aim of promoting a deeper understanding of the past and its ongoing impact on society today.

Non-education podcasts I enjoy
In addition to the list above, here are some of the podcasts not specifically related to K-12 teaching that I often listen to. I don't necessarily agree with or endorse everything on these shows, but folks ask me a lot what non-education-related shows I enjoy. Here's a partial list of the ones I listen to most frequently:
What K-12 education podcasts do you listen to?

There's no way that I could name all the great education podcasts that are out there, but I hope this list is enough to get you started! Please share your favorites in the comments, and if you're an educator who recently started a podcast, let us know that, too, so we can follow you!

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My favorite podcasts for teachers and K-12 educators

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Here are some of the best K-12 education podcasts that I've found. If you like my Truth for Teachers podcast, I think you'll enjoy these, too.

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Please watch !! This will make you smile no matter how hard of a day you are having!! I am not sure if this is how hard teachers tray to engage our students or if it shows how much everyone should really love what they do and make the best of every day!

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Postmodern Jukebox ft.Morgan James & Tambourine guy...