by Laura Maniglia | Jul 12, 2021 | enrollment, kindergarten, public schools, teachers
The pandemic caused a wide range of school disruptions that will have effects for years. Now school officials are bracing themselves for a fall semester like no other, when a huge influx of children ages 4-6 enter the school system. “Seventeen states and the District...
by Laura Maniglia | Jul 5, 2021 | academic standing, Charter schools, instruction, school choice, student engagement, students, teachers
School vouchers are public funds allocated to parents for tuition at private schools. Vouchers have been a controversial concept since the 1950’s when economist and Nobel prize winner Milton Friedman proposed them as a method of school reform in the New York City...
by Laura Maniglia | Jun 24, 2021 | attention & focus, classroom management, cognitive skills, instruction, metacognition, mindset, student engagement, students, teacher effectiveness
When students learn related topics in a subject like math or a language, they may benefit from using a technique called “interleaving.” Also called mixed or varied practice, “Interleaving is a process in which students mix multiple subjects or topics while they study...
by Laura Maniglia | Jun 15, 2021 | academic standing, Charter schools, instruction, student engagement, students, teacher effectiveness, teachers
A previous article defined charter schools and how they differed from district-run public schools. Because charters reflect the communities they serve, they differ from one another as much as they differ from public schools. Thus, data about their performance...
by Laura Maniglia | Jun 9, 2021 | academic standing, Charter schools, enrollment, instruction, parents, pods, student engagement, teacher effectiveness, teachers
Charter schools are alternative public schools that are tuition-free and open to students outside their local districts. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, “The charter school model empowers teachers to provide innovative, high-quality...
by Laura Maniglia | May 31, 2021 | attention & focus, cognitive skills, instruction, mindset, note-taking, reading, students, study skills
A previous blog post on active learning presented evidence from several research studies indicating that the “low tech” method of handwriting notes provides certain advantages over the high tech note-taking on tablets and...
by Laura Maniglia | May 20, 2021 | attention & focus, cognitive skills, instruction, language, non-cognitive skills, PISA, reading, student engagement, students, teacher effectiveness
A war is waging in English departments around the country regarding the literature syllabus: Should teachers follow the canon of classical literature or encourage student choice of young adult or graphic...
by Laura Maniglia | May 13, 2021 | cognitive skills, instruction, metacognition, non-cognitive skills, public schools, student engagement, study skills, teacher effectiveness
The history of formal education begins in the Middle East. The ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia (circa 3150 BCE -30 BCE) required education systems that maintained their cultures. In Egypt, the priests were a “powerful intellectual elite who . . ....
by Laura Maniglia | Apr 23, 2021 | academic standing, instruction, NEA, PISA, students, teacher effectiveness, teacher training, teachers
Since the year 2000 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has administered the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to 15 year olds around the world. The exam provides comparative performance data among 80 countries in...
by Laura Maniglia | Apr 2, 2021 | Charter schools, instruction, learning, parents, pods, public schools, school choice, student engagement
Virtual learning has become the norm during school closures. Children are isolated at home with little or no interaction with classmates and friends. Most schools remain closed, with few plans to reopen soon, continuing to offer only remote or hybrid forms of...
Laura Maniglia