Promising Practices Past Issues

Post Volume 3, Issue 6April 29, 2022 15 pages22v06w

Inside: Career-Driven Students, IT Pathways, High School of Business

In this issue, an Oklahoma tech center builds student awareness and readiness for postsecondary and workforce success. Also: A Kentucky district builds pathways to IT credentials and great jobs with industry support; Iowa students earn college credits and gain career experience with High School of Business; and how teachers can cultivate an explorer mindset with resources from National Geographic. Start reading our flipbook or download the complete issue (PDF).

Post Volume 3, Issue 5 March 31, 2022 11 pages22v05w

Inside: Work-Based Learning, Resilience, Positive School Cultures

In this issue, see how West Virginia transformed classrooms into businesses, giving students the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Also, explore ways to inspire and build resilience in students; take a proactive approach to a positive school culture; and watch students come alive with project-based learning and National Geographic’s rich Resource Library of units, lessons, activities and more. Start reading our flipbook or download the complete issue (PDF).

Post Volume 3, Issue 4February 28, 202213 pages22v03w

Inside: Classroom Management, CTE’s New Workforce, Math Success

In this issue, explore proactive ways to manage your classroom and curb student disruptions. Also, see how districts and schools in Dallas and Oklahoma are adapting their CTE programs to prepare students for the jobs of the future; keep elementary schoolers excited about math while they build number sense; and get students pumped up about science with SREB and National Geographic Society resources. Start reading our flipbook or download the complete issue (PDF).

Post Volume 3, Issue 3January 31, 20229 pages22v01w

Inside: Nurture Each Child, Rethink Discipline, Work Readiness, More

In our latest issue, Baruti Kafele shares the mindsets and practices of educators who ensure each child achieve their very best. Also in this issue: Boys Town offers positive alternatives to suspensions that transform student outcomes; a Missouri center’s strategies for embedding employability skills in their curriculum; designing engaging social studies instruction with SREB’s PIPs and National Geographic’s resources; MSW2022 updates and more. Download the issue (PDF) or read our online flipbook!

Post Volume 3, Issue 2October 29, 20219 pages21v13w

Inside: Using Data Well, Recipes for Health, Young Men of Color, More

In our latest issue, learn how Penta Career Center’s assessment data tools and techniques can help you increase success in your school. Also in this issue: West Virginia CTE students cook up tasty solutions for community health, Robert Jackson’s strategies for nurturing young men and boys of color toward excellence, SREB’s new Powerful Health Education Instructional Practices, free fall instructional webinars and more. download the issue (PDF).

Publication Volume 3, Issue 1September 30, 202110 pages21v12w

Inside: PBL, Standards-Based Grading, Teacher Retention, #GenGeo, More

Learn how students engaged in hands-on project-based learning are earning national recognition in a NASA design competition. Also in this issue: An Ohio school’s standard-based grading journey; district efforts to recruit, support and retain quality teachers; pairing powerful instructional practices with National Geographic classroom resources; SREB’s new Readiness course digital tools, and more. Start reading or download the issue (PDF)..

Publication Volume 2, Issue 612 pagesApril 20, 202121V03w

Students Climbing the Achievement Ladder
News, stories and videos about teachers, counselors and school leaders

cover photo of newsletterGetting students to master learning standards is a journey, not a sprint. It takes quality teaching and professional development, instruction aligned to standards and so much more.

In this issue of our Promising Practices Newsletter, read how an Ohio high school implemented a three-year reform plan and saw student growth in all tested areas each year. The reforms were so successful that they trickled down to the middle and elementary grades.

This issue also includes a special feature on two districts’ diversity, equity and inclusion journeys by SREB’s Paula Egelson and Rebecca Purser.

Also featured:

  • Schools Add Esports to Their Learning Playbooks
  • About Our All-Virtual 2021 Making Schools Work Conference
  • Williamsburg High School Wins 2020 Pacesetter Award
  • Partner Spotlight: Redwood Learn
  • Virtual Networking Reception
  • Essay Contest: Win a World War II Home Front Resource Trunk
  • Featured Speaker Spotlight

Start reading our NEW newsletter, now in a flipping-page format. 

Download the PDF version of the newsletter.

Publication Volume 2, Issue 58 pagesMarch 4, 202121V02w

Preparing Students for Life After Graduation
News, stories and videos about teachers, counselors and school leaders

photo of newsletter coverThere’s no magic bullet or one-size-fits-all approach to preparing students to succeed after graduation. But most educators agree that students need to be well-rounded with a combination of core academic, technical and workplace skills.

In this issue of our Promising Practices Newsletter, read how an Alabama school district is laser-focused on equipping students with academic knowledge, career exploration, hands-on experience, employability skills and credentials in high-demand fields.

Also featured:

  • How a South Carolina high school addresses students’ mental health needs
  • Ashbury High School Wins 2020 Pacesetter School Award
  • Health and Safety at the 2021 Making Schools Work Conference
  • Featured Speaker Spotlight: Mary Hemphill-Joseph
  • Featured Speakers Promote Systemic, Sustainable Change

Start reading our new newsletter, now in flipping-page format.

Publication Volume 2, Issue 46 pagesJanuary 202121V01w

School Culture: Pump It Up!
News, stories and videos about teachers, counselors and school leaders

Newsletter cover image How students feel impacts the way they learn. That’s why it’s so important to have a positive school culture. In this issue of our Promising Practices Newsletter, read how the staff at one Mississippi school were intentional in their actions, big and small, to make major cultural shifts that led to more engaged, higher-performing students.

Also featured, find out how Oklahoma educators deliver work-based learning virtually.

Download the PDF

Publication Volume 2, Issue 36 pagesOctober 202020V16w

Uniting Theater and Medicine in Education
News, stories and videos about teachers, counselors and school leaders

Picture of newsletter coverIn this issue of our Promising Practices Newsletter, read how theater students and healthcare students at DeKalb County Technology Center in Rainsville, Alabama, honed their craft by uniting in a project that involved staging and solving real-world emergency medical scenarios.

Also featured, find out why teachers matter and explore strategies for building positive relationships with students.

Download the PDF

Publication Volume 2, Issue 27 pagesSeptember 202020V15w

Social-Emotional Learning During a Pandemic
News, stories and videos about teachers, counselors and school leaders

Picture of newsletter coverSchools, students and teachers began the school year facing daunting challenges that impact their emotional well-being, ranging from natural disasters to a global pandemic.

In this issue of our Promising Practices Newsletter, explore how social-emotional learning is more important than ever to help students succeed. Learn how a school equity strategist is helping schools support and nurture Black girls by cultivating authentic leaders, strengthening adult SEL and advancing culturally responsive practices.

Download the PDF

Publication Volume 2, Issue 18 pagesAugust 31, 202020V14w

Teaching and Learning During a Health Crisis
News, stories and videos about teachers, counselors and school leaders

Picture of newsletter coverTeachers share their personal stories of the rewards and challenges of teaching in an online learning environment in this kick-off issue of the Promising Practices Newsletter. Read how SREB is helping schools and districts with online, blended and hybrid instructionAlso featured: Explore the work of SREB’s K-12 Education Recovery Task Force, Advanced Career, the Making Schools Work Conference and more.

Publication By Diane James, SREB, and Kim Livengood, SREBVolume 1, Issue 11March 13, 2020

There’s Power in Struggle
Promising Practices from the 2019 College- and Career-Readiness Standards Networking Conference

Picture of newsletter cover“No one goes into education and into teaching to sit back and watch kids struggle,” says Tara Faircloth, the director of curriculum and instruction for the Caesar Rodney School District in Wyoming, Delaware. “It’s part of our nature to want to help,” she adds.

Publication By Jahana Martin, SREBVolume 1, Issue 10February 28, 2020

Shaking Things Up With Coding in Core Classes
Promising Practices from the 2019 Making Schools Work Conference

newsletter cover Coding is the act of writing a set of instructions that a computer understands so it will perform a task. Learning to code can help improve soft skills, also known as 21st-century skills or employability skills, that lead to success in the classroom or the workforce. Among other skills, coding builds students’ capacity to analyze data, design creative solutions to problems and collaborate in teams.

Publication By Diane James, SREB, and Richard Morrison, SREBFebruary 14, 2020Volume 1, Issue 9

Taking School Improvement to the Next Level With a Needs Assessment
Promising Practices from the 2019 Making Schools Work Conference

Newsletter coverWoodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama, is an urban school on a journey of transitioning from a culture of underperformance to one in which teachers and students are empowered to take ownership of learning and academic growth.

Publication January 30, 2020By Diane James, SREBVolume 1, Issue 8

Highlights From a Few of Our Featured Speakers
Promising Practices from the 2019 Making Schools Work Conference

The Opportunity Myth: How School Is Letting Students Down and How to Fix It

Classrooms are filled with students whose big goals for their lives are slipping away each day.

“That’s because we’ve been telling them that doing well in school creates opportunities — that showing up, doing the work and meeting teachers’ expectations will prepare them for their futures,” notes a report from TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project). TNTP calls this gap between students’ goals and the messages we send them, “the opportunity myth.”

Publication January 15, 2020Jahana Martin, SREB, and Joe Tadlock, SREBVolume 1, Issue 7

Choosing the Edtech That Fits
Promising Practices from the 2019 Making Schools Work Conference

Picture of newsletter cover Have you wondered if the education technology you’re using is right for your classroom, or whether you should be incorporating technology into your classroom? Educators can use technology as a tool to facilitate learning best practices and differentiating instruction, say Carl Robinson, Calvin Moore and Terrika Oliver of Richmond County School System in Augusta, Georgia.

Publication December 13, 2019Diane James, SREBVolume 1, Issue 6

Increase Graduation Rates Among African American Males
Promising Practices from the 2019 Making Schools Work Conference

Picture of newsletterMcKinley Vocational High School in Buffalo, New York, beats the odds when it comes to graduating African American males. Nationwide, research shows the graduation rate for black males is 59 percent — the lowest of any population in the country.

But at McKinley, the four-year graduation rate for African American males reached 87 percent in 2017 — more than 20 percentage points higher than the New York State average of 63 percent. The school’s five-year graduation rate for black males is 90 percent. A lot of credit goes to principal Marck Abraham, who took over the reins as principal in the 2016-17 school year after serving as assistant principal there.