A thoroughly modern building sits on the very far corner of Arizona State University’s West campus in Glendale, Arizona. Its lush gardens provide an organic, welcoming feel and exist quite gracefully alongside the contemporary sharp angles that suggest innovation is thriving inside its walls.
The National Center for Education Statistics released results for its National Assessment of Educational Progress in April. Commonly referred to as “the nation’s report card,” NAEP is the largest continuing assessment of what America's students know and how they perform in various subject areas. Arizona’s most recent results for reading and math in grades 4 and 8 were virtually unchanged from the last NAEP in 2015.
Jeff Hall (MEd '10) says education has to change because the way kids are learning is changing. “This is not a popular thing to say, but there are a lot of educators who were great 10 years ago, but have a hard time connecting with kids today.” Hall is referencing technology. “Technology is second nature to kids,” he says. “Teachers were taught a certain way to teach and have been doing it that way, but now kids can go to YouTube and find a video of what was being taught in 45 minutes and learn it in three minutes. We have to reimagine the profession.”
Approximately 18 months ago, a couple of generous donors approached ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination (CSI), with an interest in creating a comic book for young people around sustainability and systems thinking. That idea became the science-based comic book, “Drawn Futures: Arizona 2045,” for fifth through eighth-grade students.
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Dean Carole Basile spoke with Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes of KTAR for their podcast series, “The changing face of the Arizona teacher.” Basile told them that, while the headlines are full of the challenges facing teachers in Arizona and nationwide, education majors are realistic about them and come to MLFTC ready to take on those challenges and improve education.
iTeachELLs is working to prepare all teachers to support and meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in their classrooms. The team believes that by supporting and developing specific language skills through project-based learning, every student's classroom experience has the potential to be enhanced.
Photo of Arizona teachers striking in April — AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Now that the spotlight is on her, Arizona State University student Victoria Hume wants to shift it in another direction.
As Miss Arizona United States 2018, Hume is using her platform as a goodwill ambassador to shine a light on education, specifically on reading proficiency.
Editor's note: This is part of a series investigating gun violence from many angles.
Guns — few issues evoke as much passion and raw emotion from almost all corners of society. No matter what your opinion of them is, they are a defining part of what it means to be an American. Whether you view guns as a public-safety issue, a constitutionally protected right or both, their place in our society provokes strong reaction and heated debate.