Are fidget spinners a good distraction? Amanda Martinez Whirling fidget spinners invaded classrooms across the country this past spring, but with many schools banning them as a distraction, their future as a potential remedy for students with attention difficulties is in doubt. Read more>> How can online classes help students get more sleep? Sponsored by Middlebury Interactive Languages High school students in Alabama's Piedmont City School District—a rural district of 1,200 students—can sleep late without missing any class time, thanks in part to Middlebury Interactive Languages' digital K12 language courses. Read more>> What are schools really saying when they reward perfect attendance? Huffington Post Make school a safe haven, a place of significance and fun where children want to be. Educate parents on the importance of helping your child to attend as much as possible. But please, do not reward children for coming in when unwell, for putting school above family or for just merely having their name ticked on a register. Read more>> Managing absence is as fundamental as reading, writing and arithmetic Sponsored by Kronos Incorporated In this issue brief, learn about the true cost of manual absence management. Understand how using an automated absence management solution can help school districts see absence trends to better control costs, improve productivity and the workforce experience, and reduce unplanned overtime and burnout. Read more>> Amend state school code to reflect realities of charter funding The Inquirer Charters schools know far more than their school districts how much it costs them to educate their students. They should be responsible, therefore, for developing their own budget instead of relying on one prepared by their sponsoring school district. Read more>> Continuous improvement for all Sponsored by AdvancED Every institution, regardless of where you are today, can be better tomorrow. Although institutions may start at different points and experience varying circumstances, all can benefit from a framework of research-based tools, training, resources and customized technical assistance to move forward. Read more>> The case for slashing summer vacation Bloomberg View Districts should focus less on radical changes to the school calendar--such as year-round school--than on making academic instruction available to students earlier in the summer. And policy makers should provide incentives to poorer districts to expand summer enrichment programs that improve students' retention of material taught during the school year. Read more>> How poorly rated schools attract better teachers Chicago Booth Review Questions persists about whether accountability efforts could backfire by driving good teachers out of poorly rated schools. But sometimes the reverse is true: in certain circumstances, a bad accountability mark for a school decreases the likelihood that a teacher will leave, and even leads to more good teachers joining. Read more>> | 