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"I t is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work….” What is the unfinished work? Was Lincoln talking to us in Gettysburg on that November afternoon in 1863? Is he still talking to us in his statement of nearly 154 years ago, a week...

Several Learning First Alliance member organizations have resources to help teachers and other educators deal with students’ questions on the race-based violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., this past weekend. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has a ssembled lessons and resources to help address the events in Charlottesville with students....

The Learning First Alliance recently released its 2017 Back-to-School toolkit, titled " The Secret Life of Public Schools ." This document helps educators share their success stories and engage parents, students, key lawmakers and community members, and the general public to support their schools. Below are tips for using social...

Sharon Robinson recently retired as president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), but she’s planning to continue the work that has defined her career. Robinson has been a staunch advocate for professionalization of the teaching field and has pushed for policies that would enhance...

In addition to picnics, vacations, and beach reading, summertime provides educators the perfect opportunity to look back on the year and plan forward. Throughout my 30 years in education, the months of June, July and August allowed me to reflectively ask “where am I” and then project “where do I...

Lynn M. Gangone took the helm of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) last month, bringing a wealth of expertise include higher education leadership, advancement of underrepresented populations, strategic planning, and change management to the association. AACTE is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to...

As school and district leaders plan back-to-school communications, they often focus on “external” stakeholders, such as the families they serve, the media and the greater community. They might not spend as much time thinking about “internal” stakeholders—their staff and volunteers. But internal communications are key in maintaining and improving the...

The back-to-school season is full of hope and excitement. It’s also an extremely busy time for everyone in education, and it’s a particularly important opportunity to communicate with parents and the community at large about all the good things that are taking place in public schools across the country. The...

Imagine a world where parents can genetically design and modify their own children. Think it’s far-fetched? The cost of sequencing our personal genome is dropping, and genome editing technologies are growing more accessible. It could become a reality within the next decade or so. “Do we want our kids to...

When people look at a school building, what do they see? Why do some people think education, while others seem to be thinking about who controls it? I recently attended several presentations by conservative thinkers on vouchers, school choice, tuition tax credits, and education savings accounts. While each speaker listed...