eSchool News

Key points: The human element remains the beating heart of education How districts can build a shared AI structure Three ways school districts can build a sustainable AI framework For more news on teaching and AI, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and an unprecedented explosion of information, public education stands at a pivotal and exciting crossroads. As Superintendent of the Van Buren School District, I have the p

Key points: Paper and curriculum for the human work of learning, technology for the logistics of running a room The future researcher in every fifth grader: The case for curiosity-first teaching When a teacher ditched screens, class got harder–that may be why it worked For more news on teaching trends, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub It is an odd thing to hear from someone who builds education technology for a living, but the most important tool in an elementary

Key points: Schools need systems that help them intervene early Why students disengage before they fall behind Taking a deeper look at students’ well-being For more on MTSS and students, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub Schools today are navigating an unprecedented convergence of academic gaps, behavioral challenges, chronic absenteeism and rising student mental health needs. As of Spring 2024, the average U.S. student still remained nearly half a grade level behind pr

Key points: Insight into student well-being is a critical part of fighting absenteeism Why students disengage before they fall behind When it comes to absenteeism, the real work begins in summer For more on student well-being, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub Our schools face a paradoxical challenge: chronic absenteeism, which is being treated as an attendance problem, actually isn’t. Nationally, roughly 22–24 percent of students are chronically absent, meaning they

Key points: Summer offers educators the opportunity to reignite their passion for teaching Teacher burnout is at an all-time high Why student engagement starts with teacher clarity For more news on educator well-being, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub Summer break has finally arrived, and if you’re like most educators, you’re probably feeling a lot of conflicting emotions. There’s relief that the school year is behind you, pride in everything you&#821

Key points: Ninety percent of district leaders report increased demand for specialist staff We need accessible data and greater student agency Data-driven decision-making is the key to unlocking K-12 district success For more on district management, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub As school districts prepare for the 2026–27 academic year, new national data from BlazerWorks reveals a growing staffing crisis across K–12 education, with more than 90% of district leader

Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on Vernier’s blog and is republished here with permission. What does it actually mean to prepare students for the future? What skills do they need to succeed in tomorrow’s workforce? These questions are deeply intertwined into the work we do here at Vernier Science Education, and it’s what brought us together with Marzano Research for a recent webinar, “Beyond the Buzzword: Making Employability Skills Central to K

Key points: Access to relevant data helps educators make informed strategic decisions Learning starts with consistency and communication Data alone doesn’t determine success–leaders who know how to use it do For more on data-driven leadership, see eSN’s Educational Leadership hub Today’s K-12 school districts have numerous responsibilities, from managing staff resources, to ensuring student safety, to fostering a learning environment where all students flourish. One of

Key points: District leaders must view science achievement as the result of a connected system rather than a single-year event Data alone doesn’t determine success–leaders who know how to use it do Learning starts with consistency and communication For more on science achievement, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub District leaders are under increasing pressure to improve science achievement while balancing competing priorities, staffing challenges, instructional deman

Key points: Content knowledge matters, but it is incomplete without application Career readiness starts with a critical, undertaught skill: Decision Education Decision Education: A new approach to driving STEM workforce readiness For more news on Decision Education, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub It’s graduation season. Across the country, students are stepping onto stages with transcripts that signal readiness for what comes next. They can name elements on the per

Key points: Educators and vendors must become true partners in growth creation Learning starts with consistency and communication Leading in the in-between: A multi-track approach to leadership growth For more on outcomes-based partnerships, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub Imagine, for a moment, that a children’s medication is released to the market without undergoing rigorous clinical trials to determine its efficacy. With no reliable data on proper dosages and mod

Key points: Educators should be able to capture and use evidence without added burden Learning doesn’t happen by accident–it starts with consistency and communication Data alone doesn’t determine school success–leaders who know how to use it do For more news on supporting student agency, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub Students are more than letter grades and test scores. They are unique individuals with their own goals, skills, and needs–deserving an educatio

Key points: Managing student behavior is the most-cited source of job-related stress To boost teacher morale, reimagine the teacher role The unseen connection between student absenteeism and teacher burnout  For more news on teacher burnout, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub Teacher stress declined modestly in 2026, but teachers were still far more likely than similar working adults to report higher stress, worse well-being and greater financial strain, extending a patt

Key points: Working as a team helps educators create a system where all students have access to high-quality instruction Leading in the in-between: A multi-track approach to leadership growth Data doesn’t determine school success–leaders who know how to use it do For more news on district learning, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub A student’s school experience can shift dramatically–not just from year to year but from classroom to classroom each day. They may f

Key points: Even strong defenses can still be penetrated by a determined adversary Will schools answer the Canvas breach’s wake-up call? Why digital resilience is critical for U.S. K-12 schools For more news on cyber resilience, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub Cyber resilience in education starts at the data layer. That is because the data layer is where schools’ most important information lives and where recovery begins when something goes wrong. It includes the st

Key points: Career-connected learning helps students see school as important Report: The skills gap needs urgent attention Students must develop durable skills to thrive in an AI-dominated world For more news on durable skills, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Career-connected learning is critical for life-skills development and the middle grades are as important as any other level. While some schools have pivoted to more project-based learning to ensure that students a

Key points: We are facing an adolescent literacy emergency The hidden skill many kids are losing 6 keys to building a high-impact summer reading program For more news on literacy, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Ameer Baraka knew something was wrong long before anyone gave it a name. Ameer grew up in poverty in Louisiana and had difficulty learning to read, but no one caught it. By third grade, he had already decided he would never amount to anything. By his teenage years

Key points: Reaching out too late means playing catch-up for the rest of the year We can’t punish our way out of the attendance crisis When it comes to absenteeism, the real work begins in summer For more on fighting absenteeism, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub Here is a lesson for you: If you wait until the first day of school to address attendance, you’ve already lost the battle.  For the students who struggle the most, summer isn’t just a brea

Key points: Engagement is something teachers build into lessons to reach students With students tuning out, it’s time to rethink the classroom This district’s STEM “space station” is a growing YouTube hit For more on student engagement, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub On Valentine’s Day, my fifth graders broke up with King George III. They wrote him letters, real ones, with reasons, and to do it well, they had to go back into their textbooks and dig up the evidence.

Key points: A successful summer program can’t focus solely on assessment scores 5 ways to make reading click for teens Why schools and public libraries must unite–in summer and all year long For more news on summer literacy, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub In 2023, Bob Bolduc, the founder of Hope for Youth and Families, identified a gap in our student’s reading success here in Springfield, Massachusetts. He sought to identify a solution that would specifically support middle