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Better Learning Through Better Content & Better Communications
Every day, 6,000 kids drop out of school, according to Lisa Gillis of Integrated Educational Strategies. 88% of those kids who drop out of school actually had passing grades. Still, 1/3 of the kids admitted to U.S. universities need mathematics and literacy remediation, which is a huge cost in many ways. She explains how blended learning and…
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Learning Communities Within a High School
Designed around five small learning interests, Colleton County High School in Walterboro, South Carolina is a different kind of high school. Cliff Warren, Colleton County High School’s principal, talks about the unique design of this campus, as well as its academic approach of preparing students for career and college. With five schools within a school, it…
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Moving from an Agrarian Calendar
“We can’t get there from here,” according to Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and current president of the Alliance for Excellent Education. He was referring to the challenge of improving an education system that has stagnant state budgets, teachers that are retiring and the need to do a better job teaching a wider…
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Blended Learning Explained
“In its simplest form, it [blended learning] is the combination of face-to-face instruction and online or digital tools,” explains Lisa Gillis of Integrated Educational Strategies at the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s 2012 National Summit. It is about having individualized learning plans, as well as a personal touch of a teacher. Blended learning provides teachers with…
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Benchmarking Learning
For decades, technology has held the promise of improving the education system. What makes it different this time? Clearly, low-cost broadband and portable computing devices that are easy to use are catalysts for a change in teaching. There is also a mindset change that needs to occur as well, particularly in the form of policies…
