Washington teachers enforce high standards

In an effort to better support its youngest learners, Mississippi implemented sweeping education reforms, including introducing a standardized “science of reading” curriculum, providing more teacher training and support with in-school literacy and math coaches, and holding back third-grade students who don’t meet their reading skills benchmarks. Over a decade, the number of students reading at grade level has climbed from 12 percent to 35 percent, and the state now ranks among the top ten nationally for fourth-grade reading scores.

At East End Community School, teachers and administrators work to combat chronic absenteeism by building a “culture of attendance,” with celebratory ceremonies for students with high attendance, monthly attendance reports for parents, community dinners, students raffles, and individualized, shame-free check-ins for families struggling to get their students to school. The school’s rate of chronic absenteeism has dropped from 25% to 13%.

One prong of Mississippi's approach to improving literacy has been to retain, or hold back, third-grade students who don't meet reading benchmarks on state language arts assessments. The state has seen scores improve among younger students, but experts caution that retention should be combined with other interventions, such as improving the reading curriculum and providing more literacy training for teachers, to truly have an impact.

In response to growing political polarization and controversial policies on local NYC school councils, grassroots community groups such as "the Aunties" have mobilized parent engagement through organized protests, canvassing and digital activism. Their efforts have notably raised community awareness, significantly increased parent participation at public council meetings, and compelled influential groups to reconsider key candidate endorsements.

Despite having less money and staff than similar districts, Steubenville schools excel at teaching youth to read, consistently getting 95% to 99% of its third graders over the proficiency level. The schools achieve this with various strategies, including offering subsidized preschool starting at age three, prioritizing reading time across all school subjects and allowing students to work with their peers to read aloud and practice their fluency skills.

The Wisdom Hub Nursery and Primary School enrolls students alongside those who are differently-abled, allowing them to learn in the classroom together. The combined classroom approach teaches students to embrace diversity, nurturing an inclusive educational environment where each child can thrive. The Wisdom Hub opened in 2013 and has since seen over 300 children with special needs cross into secondary school.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an approach to student behavior that focuses on how well students embody five standards — respect, responsibility, readiness, safety and pride — and awards points based on their behaviors that can be redeemed for rewards. PBIS offers an alternative to the “zero tolerance” student behavior policies that have been known to hurt academic achievement, particularly among students of color. Studies show that schools with a PBIS approach saw classroom removals decrease by 58% and out-of-school suspensions decreased by about half.

In Monte Vista, Colorado, an elementary and a high school are improving teacher retention by building an environment that makes them feel heard, appreciated, and supported. The administrators take time to build relationships with teachers and students, check in with teachers on a regular basis, allow teachers to have a say in decision-making, and create teacher revitalization rooms.

Schools in Mesa, Arizona, are using the team teaching model to boost teacher morale and fill gaps in staff. The model allows teachers to work together to teach a large group of students in one big classroom rotating between one-on-one instruction, small groups, and large-group lectures.

The Wonderland Gifted Girls Academy provides free education to girls in Oyo State, Nigeria, to increase educational opportunities for girls and give them a foundation to build their future on.