Teaching Today

The word “data” can be a trigger for many educators. However, data that tracks student engagement and academic progress gives us a picture of what’s happening, so we can create what’s possible. We're joined by educators from Crosstown High School, a project-based learning school in Memphis, Tennessee for a look at a non-traditional approach to collecting and understanding student data.

It may seem like a new development, but single-sex education is actually a throwback to older curriculum systems that date back to before the 19th century. Are single-sex classrooms beneficial to students today? We're joined by a panel of educators who weigh in on the benefits and drawbacks of same-sex classroom environments.

Data is much more than test scores — it can also be a powerful tool that informs, engages, and creates opportunities for students. On a practical level, data can refocus and improve instruction, make connections that lead to insights within curriculum, and help us build upon individual student strengths. Although the past two school years have been non-traditional when it comes to data from standa...

In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, educators and schools across the nation are navigating anti-racist, anti-bias (ABAR) work. Often used in concert and sometimes interchangeably, by definition, these terms represent an activist approach to educational curricula that attempts to challenge prejudices, including racism, sexism, ableism, and ageism. We're joined by Columbia University graduat...

Our panel of K-12 principals returns for a look at how their schools have been evolving since we last spoke with them in the fall, their predictions about what instruction will look like in the coming year, and their thoughts on what pandemic practices should remain even as we shift to the next normal in education.

Throughout our New Normal series, we've been following K-12 district leaders from across the country as they grapple with the challenges of leading educators and students through a pandemic. In this episode, we look ahead to the next normal and imagine what school might look like for the 2021-22 academic year.

Today’s students use their digital expertise and the power of their voice to respond to issues of inequity in society. Therefore, it is essential that teacher educators develop their own racial literacy skills — and those of their pre-service and classroom teachers — in order to support students' digital activism. Authors and Teachers College, Columbia University faculty Detra Price-Dennis and Yol...

Beyond the functional level, literacy plays a vital role in transforming students into socially engaged citizens. How do we teach literacy in a way that is both culturally and socially responsive? We hear from our K-12 coaching experts as they unpack the importance of literacy and discuss the evolution of literacy instruction.

Project-based learning (PBL) has been credited with revitalizing education for students, creating opportunities for them to use real-world scenarios, challenges, and problems to gain crucial skills that support their intellectual and emotional development. What role can professional development organizations play in supporting schools with this type of teaching and learning?

Project-based learning isn’t just a vocabulary term or a buzzword — it’s a way of approaching the entire process of teaching and learning. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Liza Bearman, who serves as the Director of the Wildwood Institute for Social Leadership at Wildwood School in Los Angeles, CA, about how students at Wildwood (referred to as members) develop and execute real life projects in...

Project-based learning embraces the belief that students must cultivate their own knowledge, and helps make learning sticky through real-world experiences, personal reflection, and peer-to-peer collaboration. We're joined by New York City teachers — from the Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries and the Urban Assembly School for Collaborative Healthcare — w...

Project-based learning encourages collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills, and helps boost student engagement and ownership. But it can be complicated to balance student choice and agency with effective learning outcomes. Our K-12 coaching leaders are here to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of project-based learning, as well as practical ways to implement this work in classro...

Pre-existing disparities in access to adequate technology have been exacerbated by a shift to remote and blended learning environments over the past year, placing Black children at a further disadvantage. Black parents have worried about accessing resources or supplies that will help keep their children on track academically, and have voiced concerns regarding the safety of their children when ret...

This week, we're talking with parents — Rashan Ali from Atlanta, GA; Laura Rebell Gross from Brooklyn, NY; and Tswelo Kodisang from Johannesburg, South Africa — about how they've supported their children academically and emotionally over the past year as they've adapted to learning during a pandemic.

Equity in education requires that teachers and leaders offer every child an equal chance for success — but what does this success look like when it comes to testing? We’re joined by educational leaders Tangela Johnson and Laura Meili for a powerful and thought-provoking look at equity and assessment.

How has the pandemic impacted assessment practices in K-12 schools? We're joined by teachers from New Jersey, New York, and Texas as we unpack assessment experiences from the past year and discuss how testing informs teaching.

Depending on your perspective, the postponement of standardized tests can be seen as a blessing or a curse. For many educators, this reality presents a chance to unpack the connection between testing and teaching, and examine how we might ensure excellence, equity, and accountability in the absence of standardized testing. Dr. Frank Barnes, Chief of Equity and Accountability at Charlotte-Mecklenbu...

Teachers don't just teach subjects, they teach students. From tiny to tall, students are actual human beings with independent identities, personal autonomy, and a will of their own. Experienced educator Joshua Laub joins us for an in-depth conversation on how to support our students through the current crisis by creating a compassionate classroom culture and understanding behavior as a form of com...

This week, we're joined by educational leaders — including AFT President Randi Weingarten and faculty from Teachers College, Columbia University — to discuss the causes of and solutions to the biggest challenges facing education today.

Traditional ways of teaching and learning have been disrupted around the globe — for the moment, and perhaps forever. What does this mean for the future of education — the way we teach, the manner in which we teach, and the way we train and support teachers? In this episode, we're joined by the Provost and Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs from Teachers College, Columbia Universit...

It has been said that teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together. As we kick off 2021, we are joined by teachers with 1 to 15+ years of experience as they talk about their love of teaching today. In the midst of the pandemic, these teachers provide powerful insights on social-emotional learning and strategies for themselves...

As 2020 comes to a close, we're looking back on this challenging year and reflecting on what we've learned, what questions still remain for educators, and what new opportunities for growth await us in 2021.

Our panel of school principals joins us again to reflect on what they've learned since our last conversation, when they were preparing to reopen their schools for the 2020-21 school year. Amidst shifting regulations and rising COVID-19 numbers, principals have not just been tasked with maintaining safe, socially distant environments, but have entered into a cycle of reopening and closing their sch...

Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of speaking with district leaders from around the country as they were developing and implementing plans for returning to school. Now, we're revisiting the conversation to see what has transpired over the past few months — how these leaders are continuing to navigate uncharted territory, what new challenges they're facing, and how they're responding to the so...

Politics, protests, and the pandemic have dominated headlines and contributed to what has been an extraordinary final stretch of 2020. Communities across the country are continuing to wrestle with COVID-19, which has reached frightening rates of infection; the aftermath of a historic presidential election with an unprecedented response from the current administration; and continued social/politica...