Safe and Supportive Learning Collaborative

The Department of Education is proud to announce the launch of a new parent web page that provides resources aimed at parent and family engagement. This new addition to ED’s site is an excellent resource for those interested in learning more and getting involved in their child’s education.

www.ed.gov/parent-and-family-engagement

Neuroscience exploded into the education conversation more than 20 years ago, in step with the evolution of personal computers and the rise of the Internet, and policymakers hoped medical discoveries could likewise help doctors and teachers understand the "hard wiring" of the brain.

That conception of how the brain works, exacerbated by the difficulty in translating research from lab to classroom, spawned a generation of neuro-myths and snake-oil pitches—from programs to improve…

Merrianne Dyer, superintendent of Gainesville City Schools, has been telling me about a successful wrap-around program to help at-risk students.  Dr. Dyer felt that the program was worth sharing with other districts in Georgia. (I am hoping to get more educators on the blog talking about what works, per the many requests from readers.)

I asked her to tell us what Gainesville is doing. Here is her detailed account.

By Dr. Merrianne Dyer

Gainesville City…

Eighty-seven percent of K-12 students in the U.S. live in states that have adopted the Common Core State Standards. Though this widespread approval is no small feat in a country that has long resisted national learning standards, the Common Core cannot truly be called a success until the standards are effectively implemented.

With Common Core assessments coming online in 2014 - 2015, educators have had to grapple with…