In order to successfully solve real-world math problems, students need to apply basic math concepts to new challenges. 1 OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE K-12 CURRICULUM: TOWARDS A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE Dr. Cecilia Liwanag Calub Professor, Tarlac State University INTRODUCTION Nations around the world are undertaking wide-ranging reforms to better prepare children for the higher educational demands of life and work in the 21st century. Few months later after the said report, K to 12 bill was approved and signed into a law known as RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 on May 15, 2013. Challenges facing private schools make it extremely difficult to keep them thriving and competitive. Deeper learning encompasses the skills, understandings, and mindsets students need to succeed in college and career. It takes time, strategy, and rethinking professional development.”, Similarly, Theresa Ewald, Assistant Superintendent of Kettle Moraine School District, says, “For some of our teachers, the strategies may be a very new way of thinking about learners and the classroom environment,” which requires them to take risks in their teaching. Yet, Hennessy says support from administration has made it easier for her to implement a challenge based learning approach. Ariel touched on the history of education, catalogued the problems of the status quo and pointed to a few innovative initiatives. To identify top challenges, we asked educators and education leaders to use a wiki survey crowdsourcing tool to answer the question: “Which is a bigger challenge in K-12 education?” Participants could vote multiple times for one of two possible answers (i.e. What kinds of solutions can be created to help? The challenges facing startups serving K-12 education. Students who participate in guided collaborative projects improve critical thinking and social skills needed for college and careers (P21, 2015). Posted on 2012, Nov 01 3 mins read Ariel Diaz wrote an insightful post in PandoDaily yesterday outlining the state of affairs in online education. She says students must learn the process for problem solving, which requires more time asking questions before jumping to solutions. COVID-19 Response: K-12 As a community and a nation, we are facing unprecedented challenges in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it revealed a $28.175 million investment from Google, AT&T, Chevron and other organizations to address these challenges. Communication 4. While it may be a new school year, the biggest challenges that educators are markedly familiar, with respondents of the Report highlighting a lack of time, large workloads and student mental health and wellbeing as major distractions. The most difficult part of implementing deeper learning, according to Gaines, is “moving teachers from the traditional setting to expanding their classrooms beyond what they are comfortable with. However, these struggles may be a part of a greater problem that is not clearly seen by parents, guardians, and educators. 6300 Canoga Ave., Suite 1150, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, Forever Changed: Education Predictions for 2021, Amazon Opens Up Scholarship Applications for Future CS Engineers, A Day in the Life of an Assistant Superintendent During Distance Learning, Attacks Disguise Malware as Student Assignments, OpenSciEd Releases Latest Free Middle School Science Unit, How Robotics and Coding Platforms Support STEM Learning, Report: There's More to Come for AI in Ed, Download the Mar/Apr 2019 digital edition of THE Journal, Customer Cloud Story: Reimagining Education, Back to School Prep: Tools & Best Practices for Returning Online if the COVID-19 Pandemic Demands It. Few education initiatives this year have been as divisive as the Common Core State Standards, and the opposition isn't likely to die down anytime soon. University of Chicago researchers analyzed programs designed to improve students’ non-cognitive skills, and concluded that this training improves students’ academic performance and reduces racial/ethnic and gender performance gaps. These are among many issues afflicting the teachers and students of senior high school, on top of the framework of the K to 12 curriculum, which is to produce cheap labor, said Quetua. Researchers: How can we measure progress in meeting these challenges? One 100Kin10 partner for example, the University System of Maryland (USM), has used Grand Challenges to focus its work with Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) on a particularly pressing challenge: implementing Next Generation Science Standards for all its students without enough physics teachers. We also combined non-cognitive skills with social-emotional development due to their shared focus on developing students’ personal and social skills. We are pleased to share this study with you! At Rancho Minerva Middle School in Vista Unified School District, Principal Ben Gaines says students use technology to develop deeper learning skills such as collaboration and communication as they connect with people across the globe. Yet as schools break away from traditional models of education, new challenges emerge. Two key mental health challenges our schools are facing are: 1. The following sections explain each challenge in greater depth, to provide all stakeholders with the background needed to find innovative solutions. Amber Arellano, the founding executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest, talked about the challenges facing Michigan K-12 public education in a lecture Wednesday afternoon at the Ford School of Public Policy. The biggest challenges facing today’s K-12 technology leaders are no real mystery. This includes non-cognitive skills such as self-discipline and collaboration, as well as academic knowledge and critical thinking (Hewlett Foundation). As K–12 STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education tries to move full steam ahead in schools nationwide, thousands of teachers, principals, policymakers and others are saying some major challenges still persist. With closures, however, operators are facing unique challenges this time around: smaller staff due to budget cuts or furloughs, fewer pantry items thanks to disruptions in the supply chain and availability and changes in serving format—for instance, buffet-style create-your-own dishes may be eliminated to boost safety and reduce the number of high-touch areas. ), and could also choose to submit their own ideas. Specifically, students develop conceptual understanding, or a deep understanding of how math “works,” and then learn to apply concepts when faced with new or different problems. 4 challenges facing education reform in 2014 Wikimedia user Manny Broussard. The struggles facing superintendents are multi-faceted – from balancing planning with action, to gathering input and making executive decisions, to accounting for diverse stakeholders with various needs. https://t.co/ylaQhFN3M1 pic.twitter.com/kybichaAQs, — Digital Promise (@DigitalPromise) November 19, 2015, Aubrey is the Chief Research Officer at Digital Promise. In the coming months, we will launch new projects to directly address these four challenges, and want to highlight stories of others doing the same. In addition to K–12 school systems, key aca… Nancy Shapiro, associate vice chancellor for education and outreach and special assistant to the chancellor for P-20 education at USM, in a prepared statement explained: “We count on 100Kin10 summits, forums and solution labs to help us meet this very real challenge through opportunities to share and problem-solve with other partners who are committed to similar challenges.”. The biggest challenge facing K-12 students seems to be trying to fit into an archaic educational system that has been tailored to educate the masses as oppose to catering to individual needs. Across the country, schools are adopting new approaches to teaching and learning in order to prepare students for life in a technology-rich world. Educators: How are you tackling these challenges in your classrooms? They will need to work collaboratively and apply knowledge in new ways to develop innovative solutions (Hewlett Foundation). The hearing follows Chairman Clyburn’s According to the Gallup 2017 Survey of K-12 School District Superintendents, a majority of district leaders report that the greatest challenges facing their schools are budget shortfalls and assisting students whose achievement is impacted by socioeconomic conditions. Every year throughout the United States class sizes grow larger and larger. Last week, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) released its 2015 IT Leadership Survey, detailing the challenges and priorities of K-12 tech administrators.Currently in its third year, the report was created in conjunction with MDR and funded by SchoolDude and is a great resource for anyone wanting a better understanding of the direction of technology on school campuses. 2 Key Challenge #1: Facing K-12 Facilities Management Professionals In June 2012, facilities professionals serving K-12 schools and school districts across North America were invited to take part in an extensive facilities management survey. On the other hand, teachers must empower students to be “completely in charge of how they learn the standards.”. She explains, “We have a diverse group of learners, and this allows everyone on the team to collaborate and learn from one another.”. Schools and school districts, K-12 are facing several challenges with their IT systems. Many school districts across the country now provide STEM curricula at all grade levels. Additionally, Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger (2011) found that participants in school-based social-emotional development programs improved their attitudes, behaviors, and academic performance. “The most challenging thing about implementing challenge-based learning in schools is changing the mindset of students and teachers,” says Dawn Hennessy, Technology, Design, Innovation and Robotics teacher at Carroll Magnet Middle School in North Carolina’s Wake County Public School System. Developers: How could technology address these challenges? How Are Educators Continuing Powerful Professional Learning Online? Mathematical concepts and problem solving skills are essential for success in everyday life, including for understanding finances, politics, social relationships, and the arts (NCTM). New Approaches to Instructional Technology Coaching, Digital Promise We wanted to know: what do educators see as their top challenges? Even more important: students will face extremely complex problems as they enter the workforce, such as rapid climate change and poverty. The new Common Core standards for math, as well as other college and career-ready standards, require students to develop real-world math skills. According to researchers at the University of Chicago, non-cognitive skills include “academic behaviors, academic perseverance, academic mindsets, learning strategies, and social skills.” Mainstream media often describe specific student qualities or behaviors, such as “persistence, self-discipline, focus, confidence, teamwork, organization, seeking help, and staying on task” (U.S. News & World Report, 2015). Deeper learning is also crucial for the health of our society and economy. A total of 276 people participated in the survey. Other major challenges to deal with are the passage of the bill on K to 12 and completion of the curriculum for grades 11 &12. The first challenge lies in identifying underlying problems keeping students from learning today. Challenge-based, problem-based, project-based, and civic learning through community engagement are approaches that share a common interest in authentic learning. U.S. companies and organizations are expected to create nearly half a million new positions in computer and information technology in the next decade. Also, it is time-consuming to recruit community partners for real-world projects. Dawn Martesi, an instructional coach at Armstrong Middle School in Levittown, Pennsylvania, says supporting students’ non-cognitive development is challenging because it requires teachers to adopt a new mindset, different from the traditional view of teachers as content experts. Share your thoughts with us on Twitter: @digitalpromise, Let us know: how are you tackling the top challenges in K-12 #education?