On September 8^th, we celebrated International Literacy Day. This day was founded in 1966 to keep the importance of literacy in the forefront of local communities. Tremendous progress has been made in the years since, however, illiteracy remains a world issue. This month serves as a reminder to encourage our youth to pick up a good book and explore new worlds.

Some easy ways to celebrate this day are:

• Donate books to local classrooms
• Gift a book to someone
• Start a community “Free Little Library”
• Check out these 27 Literacy Activities that work for K-12

Beginning September 15^th, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.  This month celebrates the achievements of famous Hispanic Americans, along with everyday people and families. It is an opportunity to celebrate Latino culture in school and at home.

• The Library of Congress has many resources that teachers can utilize in their classrooms.
• Expose students to all kinds of Spanish music by playing it over you PA system. Here’s a playlist for ideas.
• Decorate the hallways with flags from Hispanic countries.  Students can color their own here.
• Set up a Domino table in a common area with simple play instructions. Have fun!
• Explore the minds of famous Latinos by printing out their quotes and displaying at your school for all to see.

Have you heard about reimaginED?

Step Up for Students has a blog called reimaginED that examines and reports on how expanded education choice options are transforming K-12 education in Florida and the nation.

How many times have you wished for more adults in the classroom with you? Arizona State University’s new teacher education program is designed to do just that! It’s team teaching reinvented, and you can read about in on our reimaginED blog. Here’s a peek: “Each team shares about 150 students and is comprised of at least three certified teachers and a lead teacher, who both instructs and manages the classroom. Other educators join the core depending on students’ needs. Their roles include special educators, teachers of English language learners, teacher candidates who are completing residencies, and paraeducators… Instruction incorporates project- and inquiry-based learning to allow students to learn more deeply. Teachers are joined by community partners who also serve as team members. Gone is the traditional bell schedule.”

Scroll to the bottom of the article to subscribe to reimagiNATION and get our articles on how expanded education choice options are transforming K-12 education in Florida and beyond in your inbox every day!

To view more Educational Resources click here.

As the 2021-2022 school year comes to a close we hope you will take a moment to celebrate your successes! We’ve included a document to help you reflect on this year and begin thinking about the next school year. We also included some tips on increasing enrollment over the summer!

• Download and print our free “Year in Review” document to help you reflect on a wonderful school year!
• Click here for ideas on how to increase enrollment.
• Click here to explore tips to market your school using social media.
• Place a Step Up for Students banner outside the school to draw in families in the area, who might be looking for a school. Use SUFS marketing toolkit for Website banners, flyers, and social media posts. This will help schools connect with the community and promote the school. Click here to explore the Marketing Toolkit!

To view more Educational Resources click here.

This month we want to take a moment to say thank you for all the work you do all year long! We also hope to give you some ideas to show your teachers how much you appreciate the work that they do every day!

The Student Learning and Partner Success team is giving away five $50 Amazon gift cards and a gift basket filled with Step Up swag! Be sure to share this post with your teachers!

Click here to enter out Teacher Appreciation Giveaway!

Register for the Choice in Education Celebration Free Virtual Event

Have you heard about the Choice in Education Celebration? We are throwing a virtual party to close out the school year! This FREE event will be held virtually on May 26^th from 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. We will hear from Keynote Speaker Gerry Brooks, and giveaway fabulous prizes! Save your seat and REGISTER TODAY!

Teacher Appreciation Ideas

• Explore these ideas from Education World for celebrating teachers all month long!
• Check out these options from Edmentum for administrators to show appreciation throughout the year.
• Find the best teacher appreciation deals and giveaways from WeAreTeachers.

To view more Educational Resources click here.

As you celebrate Black History Month at your school, we hope you’ll also take a moment to reflect on your school environment. This month’s resources will help you examine current practices and think differently about discipline and mindfulness.

2022 Black History Month Educator Award Contest

• Governor Ron DeSantis’ and First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Black History Month Excellence in Education Award Contest is open to any full-time educator who works in an elementary, middle, or high school in Florida (including public, charter, private, home or virtual). Deadline to apply is Friday, 2/18, so nominate that exemplary educator today! Click here to nominate!

Take a Closer Look at Discipline Patterns

• Celebrate Black History Month by taking a close look at your discipline patterns. Have you examined your discipline referrals by race lately? Research by Skiba et al (2011) indicates that students from African American families are 2.19 (elementary) to 3.78 (middle) times as likely to be referred to the office for problem behavior as their White peers. In addition, the results indicate that students from African American and Latino families are more likely than their White peers to receive expulsion or out of school suspension as consequences for the same or similar problem behavior. Click here to learn more about the research.
• Check out the End Zero Tolerance Toolkit for resources on building a supportive school discipline system that does not rely on classroom removals, suspensions or expulsions.

The Mindful Reflection Protocol

• Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, recommends a technique called the Mindful Reflection Protocol for teachers to reflect on their reactions to student misbehavior. “The Mindful Reflection Protocol is process that can help a teacher see their implicit bias in action. This protocol was developed teacher educators, Barbara J. Dray and Debora Basler Wisneski. The protocol is simple. It asks teachers to look at an incident through three lenses: description, interpretation, and evaluation. Teachers are asked to just describe what is going on literally with no judgment. Then, they are asked to focus on interpreting the action. What does it mean to you when the child does that? Still with no judgment. Once you’ve interpreted, then try to reflect on how you judge the action or behavior – what value to you give to your interpretation. I’d also ask teachers to notice how they interpret the same behavior from two students from different racial backgrounds. This process allows teachers to create some distance from thinking and actions that are sometimes on autopilot because things are happening so fast in the classroom.” Click Here to Learn More About Mindful Reflection.

Examine Your Classrooms

• Are you unconsciously contributing to the achievement gap through your class assignments? According to The Education Trust’s December 2021 report, “Black and Latino students are not assigned to experienced and qualified teachers due to decisions school leaders make about which courses students have access to and which teachers teach those courses. In other words, even in schools that look like they have a relatively experienced and qualified workforce, Black and Latino students may still be disproportionately assigned to courses taught by novice educators.” Take a look at your class assignments: are your non-white students more likely to be in classes taught by a first or second-year teacher? Click here to learn more.

Resource Corner:

• Looking for high quality learning resources? We know that high quality learning resources are always on your mind. We have listed several opportunities below that may benefit your school. Click here for more information and a list of upcoming webinars!
• Podcast alert! Listen to Ronda Dry talking to two school leaders about their switch to content-rich curriculum and the impact it has made on their student achievement.

To view more Educational Resources click here.