Blog

Apprenticeships are one way to bring together education interests and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. An apprenticeship, which offers students and new graduates training for a trade or profession, includes on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Since January 1, 2017, there are over 583,000 new apprentices in...

Last summer, a young welder invited me to evaluate apprenticeships at Newport News Shipbuilding , where students train to work on nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines. As I watched this woman and others engaged in apprenticeships using a torch while getting instruction from a tablet, it was immediately clear that...

The annual Phi Delta Kappa International poll gives policymakers a valuable tool: Reliable data on teachers, one of the most critical parts of the education equation. The question is, how should this tool now be used? The title, Frustration in the Schools: Teachers speak out on pay, funding, and feeling...

As Discovery Education’s Director of Global STEM Initiatives, I’ve had the unique opportunity to travel the world and see literally hundreds of examples of school systems implementing powerful STEM education programs. In talking with school leaders about their initiatives, one common refrain I’ve heard is that students need to witness...

Employers are now looking for a variety of talents, skills and personality traits in job candidates. These attributes need to be developed at each level of education, whether it is for traditional professional-level jobs or blue-collar jobs. But even this division is changing. In the manufacturing community, we are looking...

By Cindy Moss Vice President of Global STEM Initiatives, Discovery Education It’s no secret that today’s educators are focused on tomorrow. Given the rapid changes in the workforce, it is incumbent on teachers and administrators to prepare students for the unknown careers of the future. But how do you prepare...

We need to make considering the common good a priority in our school communities. We seem to be drifting to the idea that what’s good for me is much more important than what’s good for our entire community . A quick example is the anti-vaccination movement. It’s baffling that we...

Our nation needs good public schools. For families, public education is the tool to ensure their children’s future; for businesses, to have the talent that they need to grow; and for communities, a means to come together to shape the future. And for your community to have good public schools,...

The Learning First Alliance, which collectively represents 10 million educators, parents and school board members through our 12 member associations, unveiled its groundbreaking “ Elements of Success: 10 Million Speak on Schools that Work ” in January 2018. The report was designed as a compendium of best practices for schools...

Member organizations of the Learning First Alliance found both praise and criticism for the long-awaited federal Commission on School Safety report released on December 18, 2018. The 177-page report included many recommendations advocated by LFA members, including a federal clearinghouse of information, support for school counselors, improved access to school-based...