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Blog post Megan Boren, SREB Project Manager

Paying Teachers Less for Summers Off
Do teachers really get more leave than other professionals?

Megan BorenA common comment I hear in my work researching the teacher workforce and its challenges is that “teachers only work 10 months per year, so they should make less money.”

In my view, compensation should be about the level of skill and knowledge required, the impact of the position and the growth of the employee. In addition to the market rate, these are the typical elements factored into compensation for professionals.

Blog post Stephen Pruitt, President, Southern Regional Education BoardFelicia Cumings Smith, President & CEO, National Center for Families Learning

Longitudinal literacy programming pays dividends for all ages

Veronica Valencia didn’t know many people when she moved to southwest Detroit from Michoacán, Mexico in 2005. So, when her nieces and nephews had the chance to be part of a new family literacy program at their school, Valencia jumped at the chance to be there and support them.  

The family literacy program, made possible by Kentucky’s National Center for Families Learning with support from Toyota, relied on NCFL’s signature four-component family literacy model, which seeks to impact a family’s long-term trajectory through a multigenerational approach.

Blog post Susan Simpson, SREB Leadership CoachConnie Luper, SREB Senior Leadership Coach

Three Ways to Design for Teacher-Led Growth (and Why You Should Care)

Three Ways to Design for Teacher-Led Growth (and Why You Should Care)

Just like you ask teachers to create environments where students feel an ownership over their learning, teachers will do well in a teaching environment where they have ownership over their own growth.

In this post, we talk about how to accomplish this teacher-led growth in your school.

Blog post Courtney LeidnerSREB Analyst II

Tips on Starting a STEAM School: A Look at Jefferson Middle School

Tips on starting a STEAM school: a look at Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School in Columbia, Missouri, is a great example of a STEAM school that works. This is why their session at the 2023 Making Schools Work Conference was so great: They showed what made their program work and gave tips on how you can start a program at your school. And we compiled them here for you!

Blog post Debra CullenSREB Instructional Coach

Mastering Master Schedules: Insight on Creating a Plan That Actually Works

Ways to Master Your Master Schedule

How can you create a master schedule that is focused on rigor, remediation and resilience? In other words, how do you create a master schedule that will actually be useful to your teachers and students?

In this post, we talk about how Mill Creek Middle School in Tennessee utilizes promising practices in master scheduling that you may want to try for yourself.

Blog post Keshia KingSREB Instructional Coach - Math

Sharing Is Preparing: Collaborating With Students on Creating Success Criteria

Reasons to Collaborate with Students When Making Success Criteria

We recently talked about the importance of using success criteria in your classroom. This isn’t something you have to do alone, though. Working with students to create these measures can be a great way to help them understand the purpose of your assignments.

In this post, we show you how student collaboration on success criteria can benefit everyone.

Blog post Megan Boren | SREB Project Manager

Let’s give our teachers what any employee needs to be successful

Total Teacher Preparation Program Completions in the SREB Region We have a public-school teacher vacancy and turnover problem — more are leaving than coming in. In 2021, turnover equated to a loss of over 152,000 teachers from their positions in the SREB region. Yet we only prepared shy of 58,000 new teachers (traditional and alternative prep combined).  

Blog post Ashley ShawSREB Communications Specialist

Knowing Isn’t the Same as Understanding: Tips on Aligning Your Curriculum to Encourage Deeper Learning

Tips on Aligning Your Curriculum to support deeper learning

Students are good at learning the facts of the lesson to pass a test, However, it can be a lot harder to help them truly understand the material. 

In this post, we talk about ways to help students move past knowing the assignment and reach a place of understanding…all while helping you align your curriculum to the standards.

Blog post Natalee JonesPolicy Analyst

SREB Region Lags Behind in New Skills Report

In the new Coursera Global Skills Report, the United States ranked 78 out 100 countries on job skills observed from Coursera’s learner base. The three job-relevant skill domains compared in the report were business, technology and data science.

Blog post Connie Luper, School Improvement Senior Leadership CoachAshley Shaw, SREB Communications Specialist

Turn up the Boombox: How Music Can Boost Learning

Image of a student wearing headphones with an overlay with the text "Ways to Boost Learning Through Music"

Think about all of the times you’ve gotten a song stuck in your head. Music is powerful like that. 

In this post, we talk about how you can take advantage of that power to help students learn. All you need to do is add a little music to your class!

Blog post Ashley ShawSREB Communications Specialist

7 Tools and Activities You Can Use to Keep Your Class Engaged

Picture of the "Breaking Out of the Box" session with an overlay and the text: Ideas to Make Your Class Engaging

In this post, we give you ideas on activities you can do to make your class more engaging for your students.

If you have been looking for ways to make your class more interactive, then this is a great place to start.