In his weekly address on January 30, 2016, President Obama launched an initiative called Computer Science for All. As the President noted in his address, computer science (CS) is now a basic skill. It is something that nine out of ten parents want taught in their children’s schools, but only about a quarter of our … Continue reading Computer Science for All—Families and PTAs Have a Role, Too
Overcoming the “I’m Bad at Math” Myth
I’m bad at math. I’m not a math person. I just don’t have the “math gene.” Long before Barbie complained that “math class is tough,” students have bought into the idea that they can’t do math. A survey of Americans found that three in ten report that they are not good in math. Over half … Continue reading Overcoming the “I’m Bad at Math” Myth
4 Videos to Help You Understand Why and How Math Has Changed
You have probably seen it in social media, heard about it from friends, and maybe even felt it yourself—parents are finding themselves at a loss with the math homework their child is bringing home. Why does it look so different? Why don’t they do it the way that we learned? (Actually, they still do.) Here … Continue reading 4 Videos to Help You Understand Why and How Math Has Changed
New Video Series Helps Families Understand Assessments
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the results of the 2015 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) on Friday. Last week also saw the passage and signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB). While NCLB brought in universal assessment of students … Continue reading New Video Series Helps Families Understand Assessments
Understanding Your Child’s PARCC Score Report
Illinois will be releasing the final results of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment shortly. As part of this release, families will be receiving a report on their student’s individual results. There has been a long delay in releasing results this year due to the need to determine what … Continue reading Understanding Your Child’s PARCC Score Report
PTA Supports the Bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act
Yesterday, a U.S. Senate and House of Representatives conference committee released the final text of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB), the primary law governing the federal role in K-12 education. The bill will now be considered by all members of … Continue reading PTA Supports the Bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act
Navigating the Illinois School Report Card
Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the 2014-2015 version of the Illinois Report Card. This online, interactive version of the report card was launched last year and provides significantly more information for parents about their child’s school than the old paper report card you might have seen a few years ago. … Continue reading Navigating the Illinois School Report Card
Join the Largest Learning Event in History—Host an Hour of Code Event
We live in an increasingly technology-driven world, and the number of computer science jobs available is increasing faster than we are producing computer science graduates. The creativity and problem-solving skills required help prepare students for any future career, but 90 percent of our schools do not teach programming, computer science, or even computational thinking. To … Continue reading Join the Largest Learning Event in History—Host an Hour of Code Event
Illinois Vision 20/20 Creates a 21st Century Learning Center
Illinois Vision 20/20, which includes the Illinois PTA as a supporting partner, has created a new resource for high school students, the 21st Century Learning Center. The learning center is currently hosted on iTunes U and provides over 1,100 digital resources aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards in four core subjects: English/Language Arts (grouped … Continue reading Illinois Vision 20/20 Creates a 21st Century Learning Center
Top 5 Takeaways from the ISBE & Illinois PTA Back-to-School Webinar
The Illinois PTA and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) co-hosted a back-to-school webinar for the second time on September 23, 2015. The webinar featured Illinois PTA president Matthew John Rodriguez, new Illinois state superintendent Dr. Tony Smith, and ISBE assistant superintendent for the Center for Language and Early Child Development Reyna Hernandez. Here are … Continue reading Top 5 Takeaways from the ISBE & Illinois PTA Back-to-School Webinar
8 Key Points Families Need to Know About the PARCC Score Release
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released preliminary statewide scores from this past spring’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment yesterday. District-level scores will be released in late-October, and families will see their individual student’s scores sometime in November. Here are the eight key points to know about the … Continue reading 8 Key Points Families Need to Know About the PARCC Score Release
Math Video Series To Help You Help Your Child With Homework
The New Illinois Learning Standards for Math, based on the Common Core State Standards, are a fundamental shift in the way our children learn math. These new standards don’t just spell out what a student needs to learn, but shift teaching in focus, coherence, and rigor. The standards focus on the skills that students truly … Continue reading Math Video Series To Help You Help Your Child With Homework
Three Key Things Parents Need to Know This Back-to-School Season
As kids head back to school, here are three key things that parents need to know. Family Engagement is the Key to Student Success Years of research shows that family engagement is crucial to children’s success in school and beyond. When families are engaged by reading together, monitoring homework, ensuring attendance, working with teachers, asking … Continue reading Three Key Things Parents Need to Know This Back-to-School Season
Governor Signs Two More Illinois PTA-Supported Bills
Governor Rauner continues to take action on bills that were passed by the legislature this past spring, including two more that were supported by the Illinois PTA. Multiple Measure Index Bill House Bill 2683, the Multiple Measure Index Bill, now known as Public Act 99-0193, was signed into law on July 30, 2015 by Governor Rauner. … Continue reading Governor Signs Two More Illinois PTA-Supported Bills
News from National Convention—STEM Education
One of the top topics at the 2015 National PTA Convention was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, as several panel discussions and workshops focused or touched on the topic. It is an important issue, as the US is producing fewer engineers and other STEM-related graduates at a time when the number of jobs … Continue reading News from National Convention—STEM Education
Engaging Teens to Start an Emotion Revolution
A recent article in the Harvard Business Review indicates that today’s teenagers may not be ready to become tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and educators—not because they lack technical skills, but because they are emotionally unprepared. The results come from work done by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence focused on the future workforce. Teens in the … Continue reading Engaging Teens to Start an Emotion Revolution
Parent Roadmaps to Help Your Child Succeed
Similar to the PTA Parents’ Guides to Student Success, the Council of the Great City Schools has created a series of Parent Roadmaps to support parents with the new standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. There are English and math guides for each grade level from Kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as for … Continue reading Parent Roadmaps to Help Your Child Succeed
Illinois PTA and Illinois State Board of Education Launch PARCC Primer Event
This spring, Illinois students in the third through eighth grade and some high school students will take the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessments that are replacing the ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) tests. Illinois PTA has partnered with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to help educate families … Continue reading Illinois PTA and Illinois State Board of Education Launch PARCC Primer Event
Illinois PTA Supports Vision 20/20
A coalition of six statewide education organizations have joined forces behind Vision 20/20, including the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the Illinois Principals Association (IPA), the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO), the Superintendents’ Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity (SCSDD), and the Illinois … Continue reading Illinois PTA Supports Vision 20/20
Great Kids Video Series Details Your Child’s Educational Milestones
When our children are little, we anticipate and celebrate every milestone—sitting up, first words, walking, and more. When they get into school, meeting their education milestones are just as important, but we often don’t know what those milestones are or what they look like. Great Kids has come to the rescue with a series of … Continue reading Great Kids Video Series Details Your Child’s Educational Milestones
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