Category Archives: Blog

How Mississippi is prioritizing student learning and safety

COVID has undeniably changed education, and as schools, districts, and states move forward with educating students in a new reality, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is focusing on student learning and student safety. MDE is investing up to $49 million of its American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds…

Mental health tops education leaders’ post-pandemic priorities

Education leaders are beginning to move on from COVID-related safety measures, and are instead focusing on managing mental health and violence on campus, according to a new report from Rave Mobile Safety. Rave’s report,  2022 Crisis Communication and Safety in Education Survey, surveyed more than 400 K-12 employees and more than 380 higher education staffers….

Student well-being is critical–here’s how to support it

Student well-being has a direct impact on student motivation, engagement, and learning. In short, their social and emotional well-being has a long-term impact. It is absolutely critical that educators learn to support student well-being. Skills such as self-awareness and self-management are also critical for effective collaboration and learning. And when school leaders support overall student…

Using Federal Grants to Hire Personnel

Using federal funding sources like Title I, IDEA, and ESSER to hire more reading and math coaches, counselors, school psychologists, tutors, and other support staff is a key strategy for meeting students’ academic and social-emotional learning needs. However, when school systems use federal funding for personnel expenses, they must have a plan for when the…

4 steps to a successful SEL implementation

After several years of using a homegrown social emotional learning (SEL) approach, our district decided it was time for a more official curriculum that would support our middle and high school students’ mental health, academic achievement, and overall well-being. With about 840 students in grades 8-12, we’d already developed a homeroom/advisory period meant to create…

Weaving SEL into curriculum doesn’t have to be hard

As an educator and curriculum content creator, I’m always seeking to develop lessons that offer students opportunities to express complex emotions and share personal experiences. Inspiring self-expression and building a safe communal space begin with authentically exploring social-emotional learning (SEL) content. Students are always navigating developmentally appropriate mental health and emotional-regulation growth, but today’s students…

Leveraging and Securing Data for Education

Using data to make more informed decisions can help drive digital transformation in schools and colleges. However, this is only possible if institutions use data safely and responsibly. This interactive ebook offers advice to help school and college leaders achieve true digital transformation by effectively leveraging and securing data for education. This site is jointly…