Author: studyblog

Key points: It’s truly incredible how much new technology has made its way into the classroom. Where once teaching consisted primarily of whiteboards and textbooks, you can now find tablets, smart screens, AI assistants, and a trove of learning apps designed to foster inquiry and maximize student growth. While these new tools are certainly helpful, the flood of options means that educators can struggle to discern truly useful resources from one-time gimmicks. As a result, some of the best tools for sparking curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking often go overlooked. Personally, I believe 3D printing is one such tool that…

Key points: Our students are coming of age in a world that demands global competency. From economic interdependence to the accelerating effects of climate change and mass migration, students need to develop the knowledge and skills to engage and succeed in this diverse and interconnected world. Consequently, the need for global competency education is more important than ever. “Being born into a global world does not make people global citizens,” Andreas Schleicher of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said. “We must deliberately and systematically educate our children in global competence.”  Here at Global Cities, we regularly talk with educators…

Key points: Imagine students who understand how government works and who see themselves as vital contributors to their communities. That’s what happens when students are given opportunities to play a role in their school, district, and community. In my work as a teacher librarian, I have learned that even the youngest voices can be powerful, and that students embrace civic responsibility and education when history is taught in a way that’s relevant and meaningful.  Now is the moment to build momentum and move our curriculum forward. It’s time to break past classroom walls and unite schools and communities. As our…

Key points: As a former admissions officer and now an independent education consultant, I’ve read thousands of college essays. The ones that earn students admission to their dream schools aren’t necessarily the most polished. They’re the ones that sound like the student and express that student’s personality and experience. Within a few minutes of reading a file, I could distinguish between an applicant who had checked all the boxes and a real person I could imagine. As I tell my students, “Colleges are admitting you, not your essay.” Writing that kind of essay starts with what I call the 3…

Editor’s note: This piece originally ran on the Clayton Christensen Institute’s blog and is republished here with permission. Picture someone sitting at a kitchen table after the kids are finally in bed, laptop open, half-drunk mug of herbal tea nearby. For years, she has had a vague idea for a business–custom curriculum design for small learning pods, for example, or a micro-studio creating bespoke art for local nonprofits. She never moved on it. Too many barriers: no time to figure out incorporation, no budget for a web developer, no clue how to do marketing or bookkeeping, no appetite for the…

Key points: During a school emergency, every minute that passes is crucial, but in those moments, a reliable connection can mean the difference between confusion and coordinated response. Yet, across the country, there is an unseen danger confronting school staff, students, and emergency personnel. This is inadequate communication connectivity within school buildings. For years, schools have implemented fortified doors, cameras, and lockdown exercises. This is because communication is the unseen link that connects each safety measure. However, communication can weaken once someone enters a structure composed of concrete, steel, and reinforced glass. This is unacceptable during a time when almost every…

Key points: AI has crossed a threshold. In 2026, it is no longer a pilot category or a differentiator you add on. It is part of the operating fabric of education, embedded in how learning experiences are created, how learners practice, how educators respond, and how outcomes are measured. That reality changes the product design standard. The strategic question is not, “Do we have AI embedded in the learning product design or delivery?” It is, “Can we prove AI is improving outcomes reliably, safely, and at scale?” That proof now matters to everyone. Education leaders face accountability pressure. Institutions balance…

Key points: Imagine trying to teach a student how to navigate the city of New York in 2026 using a map from 1950. The streets have changed names, new bridges have been built, and the traffic patterns have completely changed and are unrecognizable. The student fails not because they lack intelligence, but because the data provided is obsolete. Sadly, that’s exactly how we teach kids about money in American high schools today. In high schools across the country, we give students older resources like textbooks printed three years ago or PDFs from 2022, and we expect them to navigate a…

Key points: Sixty-five percent of educators use AI to bridge resource gaps, even as platform fatigue and a lack of system integration threaten productivity, according to Jotform‘s EdTech Trends 2026 report. Based on a survey of 50 K-12 and higher education professionals, the report reveals a resilient workforce looking for ways to combat the effects of significant budget cuts and burnout. The respondents were teachers, instructors, and professors split about equally between higher education and K-12. While 56 percent of educators are “very concerned” over recent cuts to U.S. education infrastructure, 65 percent are now actively using AI. Of those using AI,…

Key points: Remember the early 2000s, back when high-speed internet felt like a luxury reserved for the tech elite and the lucky few with deep pockets? We called it the Broadband Gap or Equity of Access, and it influenced who got ahead and who got left behind. Fast forward to 2026, and we’re staring down the barrel of a new divide: the AI Equity Crisis. Students and schools are running to catch a speeding train. Just as broadband became the essential utility for the 21st century, AI is fast becoming the engine of modern productivity. But there’s a catch. High-performance…