Beyond the Classroom Monthly

The Ohio State University is hosting free, virtual, monthly workshops aimed at helping students in grades 7 to 12. Student attendees get to explore math through engaging activities in a nontraditional environment. The topic for November is mazes.

Can you come up with a mathematical recipe to create mazes? Join The Ohio State University to find your way through a labyrinth and unwind its mysteries. Whether you already are a fan or not, you are sure to be captured by their appeal as you create your own…

The Ohio Department of Education posted new resources on the Reset and Restart Education website to assist mandatory reporters in …

Save the date: Feed and Fuel Your Future Career virtual learning series 

Help students find their future career! The Ohio Department of Education is collaborating with the Ohio Soybean Council, …

Resources are updated and posted regularly. Please check back often. Last updated on 10/5/2020.

Note about items marked …

I often told my children, unless they had an 8x10 glossy photo of an event or occurrence or unless they were told a piece of information directly from the person(s) involved, it could not be considered a truth. In the last couple of months, 8x10 photos have been figuratively developed and words from the stakeholders’ mouths have been recorded. Across the country, students have spoken and it’s time to listen.

A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the mental health risks of young adults who are increasingly coping with anxiety and depression, as they begin to face life…

Absenteeism data could be a key indicator in determining whether remote instruction is effective and where there are gaps, according to an analysis from Phyllis Jordan, editorial director of FutureEd, and Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works. In this commentary (excerpts follow), they offer several warnings about measuring attendance during this time, urging…

An excerpt from a piece I read this week - Deborah Farmer Kris is a writer, teacher, parent educator, and school administrator. She works on parenting projects for PBS KIDS for Parents and writes about education for MindShift,

Children read our emotions for cues about how they should react. If we express our excitement and hopes for their new school year, they will pick up on this. This was my intention yesterday, as my 6-year-old son and I were snuggling and talking about the year ahead. “I am so excited for all the books you are going to read, all the words you…

According to Peter Voderberg, Chief of Broadband Ohio (an initiative of the Dewine administration), nearly one million Ohioans do not have access to high speed internet.  What follows is a very useful and easy to understand article about the broadband issue / digital divide in America.  …

The racial injustice and subsequent events of the past several weeks have been mind-numbing. Hate makes no sense. The events since the George Floyd murder have forced a space for thinking much more deeply about inequity, racism and what it must feel like to be on the receiving end of unsolicited hatred. Our black and brown children must surely be traumatized. How is it that skin color elicits such emotion and behavior?…

As districts wind down another school year, (and this one was a doozy) it's generally a good exercise to review and reflect before setting direction for next school year.  After the year we just experienced and as boards and district administrators develop recovery plans for reopening schools and setting goals for an uncertain future, this reflection is essential. Leadership teams should take stock of where the district is in terms of its vision, mission and strategic plan goals  and ask this important question - how did the district develop over the past year? …