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By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton Recent reports have shared that employers are finding recent high school graduates increasingly unprepared for the workforce and in need of additional training to supplement this lack of skills. Illinois is no exception to this case. Illinois-based employers have also discovered that both high school graduates and postsecondary graduates still lack […]

By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton   CBE: What it is and Why it Matters Competency-based education (CBE), also referred to as mastery education or proficiency-based education, upends our traditional education system and seeks to provide students with a school and classroom dedicated to ensuring their success in a particular area before moving on to more rigorous […]

By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton   The Schooling Myth and ESSA’s New Priority For those of us who have worked and are currently working in schools, it’s funny—and a little sad—to revisit some of our favorite shows and movies from childhood. Each one depicts, in varying ways, the cold, dark school building with monotone teachers reading […]

  By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton   A recent article from Education Next examines wraparound services for students both in and out of school. Under ESSA, schools are now encouraged to implement whole child teaching approaches, addressing students’ needs both within and outside of the classroom. The idea behind this is that if students are taught […]

  By Grace Shelton @GraceCShelton   Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), often referred to as whole-child instruction, has been the subject of much discussion in public education decision-making. A 2017 Princeton article examined the effects of adopting these strategies into school curriculum and found that the benefits of SEL expand beyond the school and into the realm […]

  By @GraceCShelton   The adoption of ESSA has resulted in many education priority shifts. Many of these shifts focus on equity and access, whole child learning, and additional academic needs for students. However, one that is particularly interesting is the enhanced focus on positive school culture and climate. In order to encourage positive culture […]

  By Ryan Balch   3 Questions Parents Should Ask on Every School Tour As many parents are now thinking about school options for next year, there are a lot of questions parents have about how to know what makes a good school.  Is it a certain curriculum?  Having foreign languages or gardening programs?  Multiple […]