Educators across West Virginia are continuing to face challenges surrounding the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on education. The biggest challenges are addressing the unfinished learning that occurred as a result of the school closures while also ensuring that students are mastering current grade-level skills and standards. When we pair these two challenges with additional obstacles such as changes in the instructional environment, social distancing measures, and the more traditional provocations that educators face, it is easy to conclude how overwhelming it is for educators to find a starting place and begin developing a plan to aid in tackling each of these challenges. How do you know where your students are academically? When should you assess? What exactly is acceleration, and how can you use it in your classroom?

Today, I am talking with Christy Schwartz to discuss the answers to these questions and more regarding the importance of student acceleration in the classroom.

We navigate our world through communication.  Our lives are largely impacted by our ability to effectively communicate with others both locally and globally. With advancements in technology, we find ourselves redefining and refining what it means to effectively communicate. With a heavy emphasis on communication world-wide, effective communication skills are even more important for our students to develop now than ever before.

Today, Sara Hutchinson and I are going to conclude our four-part miniseries on 21st-century skills by taking a close look at communication and how educators can help to develop effective communication skills in the classroom.

The world around us is currently enveloped in innovation. Everyday modern technologies, medical advancements, and improvements are being developed at a rapid pace. The individuals behind these innovations are undoubtedly creative likely because they were taught and actively encouraged to approach problems with their different perspectives How can educators ensure that they are helping their students develop this creative mindset?

Today, Sara Hutchinson and I are joined with Lene Jensby Lange, an educational consultant from Denmark, to continue our conversation surrounding 21st-century skills by taking a close look at creativity and how teachers can stimulate creative, innovative thinking in the classroom.

Currently, our world is grounded in innovation which has created a workforce that is team-oriented. This has made collaboration a desired skill for employers to seek out in potential employees, which in turn makes it a critical skill for our students to develop for the future.

Today, Sara Hutchinson and I are joined with Lene Jensby Lange, an educational consultant from Denmark, to continue our conversation surrounding 21st century skills by taking a close look at collaboration and how teachers can nurture collaboration in the classroom.

In recent years, our workforce has changed at a rapid pace. In order to adapt to these changes, the world has realized that our students need to be prepared for the careers of tomorrow. The focus in education has adapted to reflect this realization and out of this, the 21st Century Skills were identified. What exactly are these skills? What makes them so crucial for future careers? How can we address these skills within a COVID-conscious learning environment?

Today, I am talking with Sara Hutchinson, the K-5 English Language Arts Coordinator in the Office of Early and Elementary Learning at the West Virginia Department of Education, to discuss these questions regarding 21st Century Skills and to begin examining the 21st Century Skills that are known as the 4 C’s.

Cultural responsiveness is a critical component to achieving educational equity and it is easily left out of many conversations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges faced by marginalized students have intensified, making it even more prudent to address this inequity now. Developing cultural awareness is the first step that we can take to ensure that we are providing all students with challenging and empowering learning experiences in this ever-changing landscape.

Today, Brittany Fike and I sit down with John Lydon, Director of Academics at Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, to continue our discussion on equity and culturally responsive education.

Right now, our world is full of contrasting realities and those differences will be evident in classrooms across West Virginia this fall. In order to improve the way in which we do “school” and to counterbalance these vastly different realities, educators can begin building their knowledge base about the educational inequities that students face. Today, Brittany Fike and I have a conversation centered around culturally responsive education and what educators can do to address educational inequities.

Today Brandie Turner and I are talking with Bailey Cato Czupryk and Kate Glover from the non-profit organization TNTP, about Summer Learning Loss and the projected effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on those losses.

Today I am talking with my colleague and fellow State Early Literacy Specialist, Brandie Turner, about Summer Learning Loss and the projected effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on those losses.

Interactive read alouds are one of the most powerful practices that both educators and parents have to increase children's vocabulary and knowledge about the world. Today, I sit down with Read Aloud West Virginia's Executive Director, Dawn Miller, to discuss how this organization is spreading the practice, power and magic of interactive read alouds across West Virginia.