Student Learning: The path to student success

From pre-k through their post-secondary years, Pennsylvania’s students learn in some of the finest public schools in the nation. Educators are well-trained and highly motivated. Curriculum is strong, and achievement – measured by multiple indicators – is high and growing higher. Partners for Public Education brings you stories of innovative teaching and learning in our schools and the difference it is making in the lives of students across Pennsylvania.

Below is an archive of Partners for Public Education web posts about student learning.

January 2018

More and more, policymakers, employers, and parents are realizing that career and technical education is a pathway to success for today's students.

July 2017

Too often, tablets, smartphones, and other devices keep kids inside and inactive, but the right technology can allow kids to be their own personal trainers.

July 2017

When kids play outside, they develop motor skills and burn calories, preventing obesity and reducing risk factors for heart disease.

June 2017

Partners for Public Education and the PA State Education Association (PSEA) are coordinating drives this fall to put great books in the hands of students who need them.

June 2017

More than 100 members of the PA State Education Association came to Harrisburg this month for PSEA's Lobby Days to meet and talk with policymakers about their schools, students, and professions.

May 2017

Reynolds, a Baldwin-Whitehall STEM teacher, was one of 28 educators and other professionals to travel to Florida to witness the launch of the SS John Glenn from Cape Canaveral.

April 2017

Students celebrated Read Across America last month with some mustache and silly expression bookmarks from Partners for Public Education.

April 2017

If you want evidence that funding public schools is a good investment, consider this: Pennsylvania public schools are among the best in the nation, according to objective measures and respected research organizations.

April 2017

Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Michael Soskil believes that educators have a responsibility to empower students. Soskil's story is featured in one of four new digital ads produced by PSEA highlighting how educators and support professionals are bringing the power of a great education to students in our public schools.

February 2017

Every day, educators across the commonwealth challenge students to achieve new goals. We asked some of them about the ways that their students are challenged at school. Here's what they had to say.

February 2017

The Southern Lehigh School District launched the Spanish Immersion Program at Liberty Bell Elementary School in 1989 — the first program of its kind in Pennsylvania.

February 2017

In this issue of Partners Post, we look at how educators are challenging students to prepare them to be successful in their future endeavors.

January 2017

When anxiety is affecting a student's ability to go to school, the first step for a school counselor is to build a relationship.

January 2017

We asked experts who work in Pennsylvania's public schools how school professionals can help children with anxiety.

January 2017

There are several professionals who can help, including school counselors, school nurses, school social workers, school psychologists, administrators, and teachers.

December 2016

The digital world is teeming with opportunities to learn in new ways and connect with friends. It can also be a dangerous place for kids and teens in the age of cyber bullying.

December 2016

The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed new tools and recommendations to help parents navigate the digital world.

December 2016

When technology is used as a learning tool, many of the needs that American psychiatrist William Glasser identified as motivators for human behavior are met in one way or another, educators say.

December 2016

Technology can be a great equalizer when it comes to education, educators and experts say. Kids living in rural areas can access the same online resources as kids living in the big cities or suburbs.

December 2016

Every December, school kids in Pennsylvania and beyond participate in the Hour of Code, a global education event that is a part of Computer Science Education Week.

December 2016

More and more schools across the nation are connecting with parents and students online.

November 2016

Across Pennsylvania, tens of thousands of education support professionals — classroom aides, office staffs, cafeteria employees, bus drivers, building maintenance staffs, and many others — work to make our schools run smoothly.

November 2016

For some students with autism or intellectual disabilities, physical education class can be intimidating. Educators and students at Biglerville High School have found a way to provide a safe and welcoming P.E. experience for everyone.

November 2016

Every day, educators and support professionals in our public schools work to ensure that each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.

November 2016

Every November, we celebrate American Education Week — a week when millions take time to honor those who make a difference in the lives of our children.

October 2016

There is a lot at stake in the November election. Please take a moment to learn about the candidates and their views on public education policies.

September 2016

School is a lot more than just academic achievement. That's why the nonprofit organization ASCD, formerly known as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, partnered with thousands of educators, support professionals, and advocates around the world to develop a way of talking about education that emphasizes the needs of the "whole" student.

August 2016

Pennsylvania school professionals suggest questions you may want to ask during parent-teacher meetings this fall.

August 2016

It's the most wonderful time of the year. That's right. Back to school.

July 2016

Just how good are Pennsylvania educators? The commonwealth is home to the last two winners of the Milken Family Foundation's Educator Award, a national honor known as the "Oscar of teaching."

March 2016

Seventh-grade students at Palisades Middle School in Bucks County sport mustachioed bookmarks from Partners for Public Education while celebrating the value of good books during Read Across America Week in early March.

February 2016

The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) has partnered with the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) to produce a television program that highlights the great things that educators and support professionals are doing in our schools every day to help students learn and grow.

February 2016 

During Pennsylvania Business Week, teams of students form and manage companies using financial simulation software that allows them to price their products and compete with each other virtually. Students name their companies and products, overseeing everything from production to marketing.

December 2015  

With the holidays coming up, you may be looking for a few good books to give your young reader. To help you out, Partners for Public Education asked Pennsylvania educators to offer reading tips and book recommendations for children in preschool and elementary school. Check out Partners' new handouts below to hear what those educators suggest.

December 2015 

As a society, I believe we have reached a "tipping point" in which teaching and learning with technology is no longer an option. In fact, I am not sure we can even separate the two any longer. It is an absolute necessity, a moral and societal imperative.

December 2015 

Technology in the classroom is nothing new for science teacher Steve Rhoades, a 22-year veteran of the Wilson School District in Berks County. Long an acolyte of digital learning, Rhoades has found that students are often more engaged when classrooms go online.  

December 2015 

Most experts agree that children tend to be more engaged and interested when technology is an integral part of their learning. Go into many schools across Pennsylvania, and you will see just how much technology is a part of the learning experience. At home, kids also love to log in to their tablets, laptops, and gaming devices. Parents and other caring adults can help children find games and apps that are educational.  

November 2015 

 If all goes as planned, four "Little Free Libraries" are coming to Bucks County this spring. What are "Little Free Libraries"? They are just that — small street-corner library boxes where children can borrow books.

November 2015 

An innovative after-school program helps students across Pennsylvania build community, explore creativity, and cultivate a love of reading at their local libraries.  

November 2015

A student from the Hermitage Area School District in Mercer County sports one of Partners' new bookmarks that doubles as a pretend mustache.

September 2015 

For students at West Hills Primary School in the Armstrong School District, reading and exercise go hand in hand. Students at the western Pennsylvania school can enjoy a book while participating in physical activity, thanks to the StoryWalk Fitness Trail.

September 2015 

Every baby born at UPMC Altoona Regional Hospital or Nason Hospital in Roaring Spring goes home with a brand new book. It's part of an effort known as "Books for Babies" spearheaded by educators and support professionals in Blair County.

September 2015 

Researchers have found a wide disparity between the literacy skills of children from low-income homes and those from wealthier families in large part because too many poorer families have no books.

September 2015 

One of the best ways to prepare young children for school and to nurture a lifelong love of reading is to make sure they have access to quality books before they even enter a classroom.

June 2015

School districts across Pennsylvania plan to use additional state funding in next year's budget to support high-quality early childhood education, reduce class sizes, and hire back teachers and other staff who were laid off as a result of budget cuts.

March 2015 

Upper Merion Area High School senior Kaitlyn Lutz started playing the violin when she was 3 years old. Once she started elementary school, her school's music program turned her early interest into a lifelong passion. "If I didn't have music, I'd feel lost," Kaitlyn said.

March 2015 

Music and the arts are a critical part of a well-rounded education. Not only do the arts introduce creativity and innovative thinking into day-to-day learning, they also have been found to increase students' social and emotional skills and competencies, including teamwork, confidence, communication, and leadership.

February 2015 

Every March, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers across the country bring together children and adults to celebrate the joys of reading just in time for Dr. Seuss' birthday.

December 2014 

Children today have seemingly unending choices when it comes to media. As the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes, many children and teens have few rules guiding their use of media and, as a result, are spending way too much time staring at screens.

December 2014 

"What century are you teaching in?" This question was posed by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, author and internationally recognized education expert, speaking at a professional learning session I attended. She asks this question to point out that a great many of the classrooms of today look eerily similar to those of our own and even our parents' childhoods.