Author: studyblog

Key points: Our schools face a paradoxical challenge: chronic absenteeism, which is being treated as an attendance problem, actually isn’t. Nationally, roughly 22–24 percent of students are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10 percent or more of the school year. That is well above pre-pandemic levels, which hovered around 15 percent, and in many urban districts the rate still exceeds 30 percent. Schools have responded by tightening attendance monitoring, sending home-visit teams, and deploying automated messaging systems. Those responses are reasonable. But they arrive too late for too many students, and we need to look well upstream in their lives…

Key points: Schools today are navigating an unprecedented convergence of academic gaps, behavioral challenges, chronic absenteeism and rising student mental health needs. As of Spring 2024, the average U.S. student still remained nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic achievement in math and reading, while nearly one-quarter of students were reported as chronically absent during the 2024-2025 school year. Compounding these challenges, schools are chronically understaffed with regard to support resources. Nationally, there is one school psychologist for every 1,071 students, more than twice the recommended ratio.  At the same time, the Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) – once viewed primarily as a compliance requirement…

Key points: It is an odd thing to hear from someone who builds education technology for a living, but the most important tool in an elementary classroom is still a pencil. The learning science says so. So does the pile of paper that good teaching produces–the pile that buries the teacher who produced it. The real question is whether technology can lift that weight without putting one more kid in front of one more screen. I taught math in a New York City public high school in 2009, before I ever read a single study about how children learn. I…

Key points: In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and an unprecedented explosion of information, public education stands at a pivotal and exciting crossroads. As Superintendent of the Van Buren School District, I have the profound privilege of leading educators who are reimagining what is possible for our students every single day. After more than a decade in this role and a career spanning teaching, principalship, and central office leadership, I am more convinced than ever: This is the best time in history to be a teacher. For generations, dedicated educators have poured their hearts into meeting the individual…

Cardiovascular July 14, 2026 After years of testing performed at multiple hospitals that could not explain his intense, and sometimes painful, symptoms, long-distance runner Mike Singh found answers through an athlete-specific approach at Mayo Clinic, helping him adapt his routine and continue running.  A marathon moment that raised questions  In November 2018, long-distance runner Mike Singh was competing in a marathon when he suddenly felt that something was not quite right.  “I was on mile 22 or 23,” Mike remembers. “All of a sudden, I felt sort of out of breath, lightheaded. I thought I was having a heart attack.” …

Key points: As the Director of Maintenance and Operations for 42 campuses across our district, my work is never small. From managing facilities and construction to navigating procurement and public sector regulations, the responsibility can feel like a heavy lift. But leading a team of people who make that work possible has taught me that leadership is about far more than logistics. Every success I’ve had in this role comes down to one thing: the people. Over the years, I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about managing systems — it’s about empowering our team.  Admiral William H. McRaven once wrote that…

Medical Innovation July 15, 2026 Deployment across Mayo Clinic pathology practices integrates AI-enabled digital pathology with historical pathology images and clinical data in a unified workflow. ROCHESTER, Minn., and OREM, Utah — Mayo Clinic and Techcyte today announced the implementation of Anatomic Pathology (AP) technology, a next-generation digital pathology platform developed through a co-development and intellectual property licensing agreement between the two organizations. This collaboration expands adoption of Mayo Clinic Digital Pathology innovations while advancing development of a next-generation digital pathology platform through a connected artificial intelligence (AI)-driven ecosystem. Techcyte Fusion AP is a digital pathology solution that unifies whole-slide…

Key points: “Over the last 5 days, you made the following numbers of sales calls: 8, 7, 9, 5, and 7. On average, how many calls did you make each day?”  Take a moment to consider what grade level a student might reasonably be in when they first learn to calculate single digit simple averages like this.  If you said fourth or fifth grade, you’d be on the right track.  This question, however, is from ACT WorkKeys, given to high school juniors to determine workforce readiness. Some states are requesting it be used in place of more rigorous exams like the ACT itself.  School accountability systems measure whether students…

Key points: When I taught Spanish, students would often ask, “Why do I need to learn this?” Many thought that learning a new language would only be useful if they wanted to become interpreters or work abroad. In reality, language skills open doors to career opportunities across a wide range of industries, and job demand is growing. A report from the ACTFL found that 90 percent of U.S. employers rely on U.S.-based employees with language skills other than English. Yet, one-third report that their employees are unable to meet their multilingual needs. World language education can help fill this gap…

The realization rarely comes during the fight itself. It comes later, on the drive home, after the door has closed, when you find yourself building the defense for a conversation you did not start and somehow seem to have lost. You go back over it. You were calm, or you meant to be. The apology on the table is yours again. Somewhere in that loop, a great many people open a search bar and type how to deal with a narcissist. The word is worth slowing down on. Narcissistic personality disorder is a clinical diagnosis a clinician makes against specific…