Great Leaps is a mission driven company fueled by a passion for equipping students for success through simple, effective and fun educational interventions. We have effective language and math interventions but are best known for our one-on-one Reading Intervention. For 20+ years, hundreds of thousands of students with a range of challenges including dyslexia have been to the independent reading level in 15 minutes a day with Great Leaps.

When my school implemented a new literacy curriculum in the start of the 2015-16 school year, I remember laughing. Not a, “Here we go again with yet another curriculum” laugh, but a, “It wouldn’t be right to cry in front of my principal” laugh. I was a fifth-grade literacy teacher, having chosen to return to the classroom after serving in school leadership roles. While I was worried about implementing a new curriculum, I had faith in my school leaders’ decisions. So I took a deep breath and a closer look. 

The opportunity for education to lead rather than follow innovative, breakthrough applications of technology is within reach. Educational leadership can leverage these technologies to advance teaching and learning for each learner.

For students to participate effectively in this changing world, they must understand it. The 21st century student will sell to the world, buy from the world, work for international companies, compete with people from other countries, manage employees from other cultures, collaborate with people all over the world, and solve global problems.

The mission of the United States Department of Education is “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” Few would disagree that achievement, preparation, competitiveness, excellence and equal access are worthy aspirations for the educational systems serving students today. 

Any educator who has been in the profession long enough remembers the numerous and well-intentioned curriculum programs and instruction initiatives that have appeared, faded, and even disappeared over the last few decades. Names such as Learning Styles, Cooperative Learning, New Math, Whole Language, Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement (TESA), Discipline with Dignity, and Multiple Intelligences, conjure up memories of what we used to call staff development. Many school districts ran one-day workshops conducted by outside consultants, purportedly designed to train teachers adequately to successfully implement these initiatives. However, because there was little or no sustained follow-up or support for implementation, most of these programs faded, and teachers went back to their previous instructional methods. Over time, teachers inevitably grew suspicious---some might even say cynical---of any new reform. The mantra in faculty rooms was, “This, too, shall pass.”

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three part series.

The innovation academic literature and international data consistently show that innovation moves from North to South rather than South to North. There are many reasons for that flow. Most of them are related to economic development and knowledge creation theories. There are few examples of innovational education models flowing from South to North. I will review three models that are recognized as innovative by scholars and international organizations looking into new ways of teaching and learning.

Let’s take a moment to think about what we used to mean by “good teaching.”

It’s a question I often ask myself as I walk classrooms across the U.S., consulting with educators. And it’s an especially important question now, as teachers and school leaders begin to understand why it’s so vital to make the shift to standards-based classrooms that develop the “new economy” skills students need in the 21st century. We have moved rapidly from a manufacturing-centric economy to a global, technologically advanced, knowledge-based economy. Twenty-first century employers are searching for workers who can analyze, problem-solve, communicate effectively and work in autonomous teams. We are preparing students for a world we can’t even imagine. 

In the era of ed reform, redefining the Three R’s is a political pastime. “Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships” seems to be a common favorite. This reframing is well-intended, and sometimes enlightening, but it doesn’t translate well from catchphrase to classroom.

Purchasing Quality Instructional Materials

Selecting the right curriculum is a high-stakes, legacy decision. Some districts adopt as often as every few years while others wait decades before making new procurement decisions. Too often we at EdReports.org hear of districts and schools that experience buyer’s remorse as soon as the materials begin to be implemented. They learn the hard way that while many products appear to have the same or similar characteristics, not all materials are created equally despite the same claims of academic rigor and standards alignment.

It’s amazing what digital tools can learn about us by simply watching what we do —whether that is shopping for books or music on Amazon, searching Expedia for hotel rooms or checking out at the local supermarket. Those observations are often used to deliver reading and listening recommendations, targeted advertisements and the coupons printed with our grocery receipts — all customized and miraculously germane to our interests.

Reading is a complex skill and it’s not unexpected to find that different groups of experts focus on different aspects of the behavior. 

My brother, who teaches economics at Texas A&M once asked me, “Why is it that some of my students don’t recognize massive mistakes in their computations? Numbers will be going up when they should be going down. Sometimes answers are off by orders of magnitude, and the whole idea slips unnoticed.” It all comes down to what we think of as number sense - making sense of numbers.

Soundtrap is the future of education. It is a cloud-based program that allows composers, musicians, music students, teachers and others to collaborate and learn using music as the backdrop for a truly worldwide educational experience.

Young children learn differently from older children. Their Early experiences like play have a deep impact on their development and create the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Children develop their problem solving skills as well as their collaborative working ability through these play experiences.

There’s no question that education is changing.

Students have increased opportunities to learn any time, in school, throughout the community and on the web. There is growing interest in learning through virtual reality, digital games and social media platforms. Stakeholders are placing more importance on immediate student-level data to help adjust learning in real-time.

Education and corporate culture have a long history together. Sir Ken Robinson describes the relationship quite succinctly, “Public schools were not only created in the interests of industrialism — they were created in the image of industrialism.”

Cyberbullying — the use of technology to threaten, harass, humiliate or target another person — is a serious problem at schools nationwide. In several high-profile cases, cyberbullying was cited as a key factor in teen suicides, prompting parents, educators and peers to consider new ways to address the issue and reach out to targeted students. But preventing cyberbullying remains a challenge because of the pervasive use of technology and children’s reluctance to report online harassment.

Across the country classroom instruction is being “flipped.” Instruction is infused with technology as a tool used by students to individualize their learning. At the core of this flip is the individualization of instruction where the students are able to be a more active participant in their learning rather than a passive recipient. The use of technology allows the teacher to provide instruction and resources not provided in the traditional model driven by a single entity — the teacher. The teacher acts largely alone in responsibility for distribution of instructional decisions. In current school system leadership models superintendents and principals also are alone to follow a distribution model of system leadership. There is a more effective way. System leadership must flip from a distribution leadership model to one that is distributive, focused on creating a continuous improvement culture of the collective.

I have 10 email addresses and counting.  I can view them on any of my many devices, regardless of my connection.  Modern convenience is great, except when it breaks. 

Or when a password changes

Or a Wi-Fi router resets

Or I shift my work location

Now think about a classroom.  During the day, either the students change or the subjects change, which means in one classroom you might have 6 to 8 different subjects for 28 to 35 students or 6 to 8 different periods for 28 to 35 students.

Who do you think about when you worry about meeting student needs? I’ll bet you think about those students who are struggling in one way or another to keep up or catch up. So, when you think about differentiating to meet student needs, you think of ways that will work for these students.

Meeting the needs of learners with special needs is a complex process.  The uniqueness of each individual’s strengths and challenges merits a fully individualized assessment.  Furthermore, designed interventions are as diverse as the individuals themselves.   When working with individuals on the autism spectrum, that diversity is even more pronounced, as the ways in which the individual is impacted by ASD vary widely. 

Heroin use in our society today has reached considerable numbers.  In 2015, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released figures indicating a 63 percent increase in heroin use within a decade and a near quadrupling of heroin-related overdose deaths.

Active teenagers are increasingly focused on their weight, physique, athletic ability and body image. While this could be considered a step in the right direction for cultivating a healthier generation, many teens are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their body image goals.

Discover a world of imagination and fun at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, located in the heart of Coastal Virginia! The world-class science and learning facility, and official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center, immerses guests into a full throttle space and aviation experience.

Two permanent galleries, Space Quest and Adventures in Flight, showcase everything from a full-size Air Tran DC-9 to a three-billion-year old moon rock. Learn how America’s first astronauts, The Mercury Seven, trained right here in Hampton! With over 100-hands on exhibits, families will spend a whole day soaring through space and time, exploring all the center has to offer.

Henricus Historical Park has offered education programs to grades Pre-K – 12 for nearly 20 years.  Each program covers not only history and social studies, but also includes math, technology and sciences -- STEM Education.  Our newest programs meld the history of 17th century Virginia, with an understanding of the incredible changes in not only religion, education and politics, but in science and technology that took place some 400+ years ago in Europe; many of these changes helped make “the Age of Exploration” possible to the New World.

American poet, writer and scholar Mark Van Doren says, “The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”

On Dec. 1, 1955, the act of one courageous woman sparked a movement that brought change not only to the city of Montgomery, Alabama but throughout the United States.

Carowinds is the place where the Carolinas come together. Located off I-77 (Exit 90) at the NC/SC border, the premier entertainment destination of the Carolinas touts world-class thrill rides, live entertainment, authentic Carolina cuisine and more. Feel the sting of Fury 325, the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster. Winner of the 2015 Golden Ticket Award for “Best New Ride” by the readers of Amusement Today, this steel behemoth reaches heights of 325 feet tall and breathtaking speeds of 95 miles per hour - it’s full throttle all the way. This historic expansion includes new attractions and amenities for all members of the family – from mild to wild! Plus, it’s included with admission. Plants vs. Zombies™ Garden Warfare 3Z Arena is the world’s first intra-active 3-D digital experience. Guests are immersed in the Plants vs. Zombies™ Garden Warfare 2 universe and compete in an epic battle to find the Golden Gnome.