Chat Transcripts

The Accountability Push in Virtual Learning

April 9, 2012 Our guests discussed why accountability is so important for virtual schools, what they are doing to ensure high-quality learning for students, and what challenges they face in meeting that goal.

Learning to Identify and Understand K-12 Innovation

March 23, 2012 Everywhere you turn in K-12 education these days, it seems that someone somewhere is trying to do something "innovative." But how much of that work lives up to the word's meaning? Our chat guests discussed how to understand which new approaches are truly revolutionary, and which aren't.

What States and Nonprofits are Doing to Encourage Early High School Graduation

February 27, 2012 To save education dollars and encourage students to work hard, states and nonprofits are offering incentives for early high school graduation. Our guests spoke about the challenges and merits behind this movement in this online chat.

E-Learning Creates Foreign Connections

February 14, 2012 Our guests in this chat shared their experiences establishing meaningful connections between their schools in the United States and schools in other countries.

What U.S. Schools Can Learn From High-Performing Countries

January 13, 2012 This chat examined the United States’ mediocre showing on recent international tests, and what those results mean. Our guests helped us understand the kinds of lessons American officials and educators should take from those test results, and from the nations that outperform the United States—as well as common misconceptions and interpretations of the results we should avoid.

What Students Are Saying About College Readiness and What High Schools Can Do

October 25, 2011 - Education Week

This chat will include a discussion of what high schools can do to help pupils focus on career goals and encourage them to be more ambitious with their course selection.

Training the Hybrid Educator

September 22, 2011 - Education Week

This chat addressed what kinds of professional development are available to hybrid educators, as well as the key factors they need to know to be successful in the classroom. Our guests shared their experiences as hybrid and virtual instructors and talked about the role that hybrid education is playing in K-12 today.

Gifted Students Click on E-Learning

September 13, 2011 - Education Week

Our guests discussed how best to serve gifted students in an online learning environment, as well as what challenges may arise for this population of students.

Transforming Curricula Through Multimedia Tools

May 18, 2011 - Education Week

Our guests answered questions about how to incorporate multimedia tools into the core subject areas of science, math, social studies, and language arts curricula appropriately, effectively, and seamlessly.

Helping Students Motivate Themselves

March 3, 2011 - Education Week

Longtime community organizer Larry Ferlazzo joined us for a lively chat to talk about techniques he uses in his classroom to help students to motivate themselves to learn, which is the subject of a new book he’s written set to be published this spring.

Teaching Digital Writing: More Than Blogs and Wikis

March 15, 2011 - Education Week

Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, a director of programs with the National Writing Project, and Bud Hunt, an instructional technologist and former language arts teacher, joined us to discuss how new digital tools and platforms are changing writing instruction, and what this means for professional development.

Technology Counts: K-12 Seeks a Custom Fit: Schools Test Individualized Digital Learning

March 16, 2011 - Education Week

Schools are using digital tools in more innovative ways to personalize learning based on students' strengths and weaknesses, and trying to find a balance between using these new approaches and maintaining academic rigor. Our guests discussed the approaches they are using and how they are working to find that perfect balance between innovation and accountability.

Response to Intervention—In Theory and In Practice

March 16, 2011 - Education Week

Response to intervention involves early identification of students’ learning problems and the use of focused lessons, or interventions, to address those problems before they became entrenched. Three practitioners and researchers answered your questions about how RTI works and its effects.

Pathways: Preparing Students for Success in the 21st Century

March 7, 2011 - Education Week

Since its recent release, the report “Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century” has stirred interest and debate, particularly around the issue of whether four-year college is the answer for every student. William C. Symonds, director of the Pathways Project, and Ronald A. Wolk, the founding editor of Education Week, joined us for a lively discussion with on preparing students for success beyond school.

Education Stimulus: Gauging the Impact of a Federal Windfall

February 8, 2011 - Education Week

From Engagement to Empowerment: How 21st Century Tools Put Students in Charge of Their Learning

January 18, 2011 - Education Week

Quality Counts 2011: Education's New Economic Reality

January 3, 2011 - Education Week

A Conversation with Juan Sepúlveda

December 1, 2010 - Education Week

Using Professional Development to Create Effective Teachers

November 24, 2010 - Education Week

Schooling for Incarcerated Youths: The Link Between Education and Rehabilitation

November 17, 2010 - Education Week