Louisiana
Reading & Literacy
Young Writers Need Structure to Learn the Craft. How Much Is Enough?
Writing instruction should give students both tools and exemplars they can use—and frequent opportunities to practice them at length.
Classroom Technology
Should Schools Ban TikTok? Louisiana Ed. Chief Urges Districts to Do It
Louisiana is one of the first states to recommend school districts ban TikTok from all school-owned devices, amid major privacy concerns.
Social Studies
Video
Updating Social Studies Expectations in the ‘Critical Race Theory’ Era
Always a focal point for controversy, updating what students should know in history class became especially charged in late 2021 and 2022.
Equity & Diversity
Educators' Opposition to Censorship Comes at a Big Personal Cost
A Tennessee teacher and a Louisiana librarian discuss their very public battles against book bans or restrictions on teaching about racism.
Social Studies
Writing Social Studies Standards: A (Dramatic) Year in Review
This year proved to be politically fraught for revising state social studies standards. Take a look back at some major developments.
School & District Management
How This Principal Uses TikTok and YouTube to Build School Culture
A Louisiana principal has found that short videos reinforce what’s happening in the classrooms.
Law & Courts
A School Librarian Pushes Back on Censorship and Gets Death Threats and Online Harassment
Amanda Jones lost her legal battle against online harassers this week but vows to continue to press her case.
School & District Management
Video
Climate Disasters: Hear From School Leaders Who Lived Through Them
Climate disasters continue to impact schools and their communities. Here is advice from school leaders on how to prepare for, and recover from, the destruction and disruption.
Future of Work
Want to Get Girls Interested in STEM Careers? Try Minecraft
Two teachers in Louisiana started an after-school club to get girls interested in STEM.
Social Studies
Opinion
Overhauling Social Studies in a Polarized Era. One State Chief Tells the Tale
One thing that helped Louisiana accomplish the politically charged task was acknowledging upfront the process would be confrontational.
States
Beyond 'Don't Say Gay': Other States Seek to Limit LGBTQ Youth, Teaching
Legislators want to ban lessons on LGBTQ communities and require teachers to tell parents when students want their pronouns changed.
Social Studies
Louisiana's History Standards Got a Closed-Door Rewrite. What's In and What's Out
Amid a volatile debate over how to teach about America's racist past, state officials fundamentally altered educators' proposed standards.
Social Studies
Authors of New Louisiana Social Studies Standards Disavow Revised Version
The nine dissenters said they were unfairly criticized for trying to inject a distorted version of the state's racial history.
Social Studies
Revising America's Racist Past
How the 'critical race theory' debate is crashing headlong into efforts to update social studies standards.