Special education for administrators comes down to five duties: placement decisions, collaboration between staff, behavior support, inclusion in school events, and knowing the law. Some administrators enter the role with limited preparation in special education law. The IEP team determines placement, and school and district personnel are responsible for implementing ...

Teaching students from divorced families means managing two households, not one. Follow school policy and any court or custody orders on file when communicating with parents, and provide educational information to each parent who is legally entitled to receive it. Route ambiguous custody documents to administration, and hold separate conferences ...

Teach Like a Rock Star is a professional development event for teachers created by Hal Bowman, a former band director who moved into core-content classroom teaching before speaking to educators nationwide. In this interview, Bowman answers seven questions on classroom culture, his podcast, and why he rejects the edu-guru label. Featured ...

The qualities of a great teacher aren't a single trait but a full deck: compassion, empathy, grit, creativity, and adaptability working together. No teacher starts with every card in hand. The strongest teachers keep building theirs year after year, picking up new qualities through reflection, practice, and plain persistence in ...

Making curriculum more engaging rarely means replacing it. You can't always change the scope and sequence you're handed, but you can change how it lands: room transformations, genius hour, movement, self-assessment, celebrations of learning, music and drama, games and quests, and structured discussion all work inside a mandated curriculum. Featured Programs: Sponsored ...

Taking risks as a teacher means trying something outside your routine even when it might flop. Two common obstacles are what Hope and Wade King call "jokers": your own self-doubt, plus colleagues who discourage you. Start small, check safety and school policy, and expect to revise. Featured Programs: Sponsored School(s) Liberty University Featured Program: ...

Making lessons more engaging starts with swapping passive note-copying and straight lectures for active, experiential tasks students actually do something with. Build in student choice, quick checks for understanding, and multi-modal activities: projects, discussion, hands-on work, instead of relying on notes and a test. Active, meaningful learning experiences can be ...

Building positive relationships with students is an important part of effective classroom management, alongside clear rules, routines, and consistent expectations. Research from the Australian Education Research Organization shows that trust between teacher and student supports calmer, more productive classrooms and makes behavioral expectations easier to hold. Featured Programs: Sponsored School(s) Liberty University Featured Program: ...

Group work for students with disabilities works, but it has to be taught before it's expected. Front-load the routine and define each center's objective. Group strategically based on the lesson objective and students' instructional needs, while providing the accommodations, modifications, and supports required by each student's IEP. Structure is what ...

Classroom behavior management strategies work best when you pair a few well-practiced go-to moves with the flexibility to switch tactics for students who don't respond to your usual approach. Five practical options here- brain fuzzing, check-in/check-out, High Trust language, Love and Logic's SEL banking, and restorative practices- cover students at ...