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How Native Communities are Harnessing the Internet to Share Traditional and Contemporary Knowledge with Students

Mandy Smoker Broaddus | May 12, 2020

From Indigenous language lessons streamed on Facebook Live to American Indian history lessons and oral traditions uploaded to YouTube, Native communities have been finding creative ways to engage learners during the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, they are sending an important message to Indigenous youth: We are here for you. Your languages and culture are here for you. In times of crisis, your identity matters and can be a sustaining force. In our latest blog post, Mandy Smoker Broaddus takes a deeper dive into some of these innovative educational strategies.

Looking Ahead: Future Proofing the U.S. Education System

Steve Klein and Richard Kincaid | April 23, 2020

The U.S. educational system is now experiencing a test run for the future. COVID-19 has demonstrated that despite the widespread use of online learning in many educational settings, we are still woefully unprepared to meet the needs of all students in such an environment. When students do return to the physical classroom, educators will likely face additional challenges-both academic and psychological-that go well beyond the normal. As with technology, our ability to meet these immediate challenges will require a clear-eyed look at our current capacity and a well-coordinated effort to address our shortcomings. What we do now-and what we learn from our mistakes-will help us prepare for a better future.

Three Ways Teachers Can Help Students Strengthen Their Writing Remotely

Helping students write well is especially important now; with less opportunity for verbal and face-to-face interactions due to COVID-19, students will more often need to demonstrate their knowledge in writing. How can all teachers-not just those who teach writing-help students strengthen their writing remotely?

Education Northwest offers three approaches in a new blog post.

How to Engage Your Students in an Online Writing Contest

Join us for our latest 6+1 Trait^? Writing workshop, How to Organize Online Classroom or Schoolwide Writing Contests, at 1 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, April 21. We'll discuss how to develop a strong prompt, select scoring criteria connected to your curriculum, and provide students with student-friendly rubrics and the skills to accurately score their peers' writing.

Register to learn how to engage your students in an online writing contest.

Let us know how we can help you meet your needs during this unprecedented time. Take our survey today.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

Looking Ahead: Future Proofing the U.S. Education System

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Education Northwest a five-year grant to serve Idaho and Montana as the Mountain West Comprehensive Center. In this role we provide high-impact training and technical assistance to state and local education agencies and schools-building their capacity to improve educational outcomes, close achievement gaps, and enhance the quality of instruction. Initial areas of need identified by stakeholders include serving rural schools and recruiting and retaining effective educators.

What we do now will help us prepare for a better future >

DISTANCE LEARNING

Switching Gears: Ways to Optimize an Unplanned Shift to Online Teaching

Teachers did not anticipate having to provide their instructional expertise almost solely through online teaching. This unplanned pivot doesn't come without challenges, but it also offers opportunities for ingenuity and creativity. Educators may be further ahead than they realize because they have already built relationships with their students.

Explore tools and resources to build upon that foundation >

6+1 TRAITS WRITING

Bridging the Distance: Three Ways Teachers Can Help Students Strengthen Their Writing Remotely

Helping students write well is especially important in this remote learning reality; with less opportunity for verbal and face-to-face interactions, students will more often need to demonstrate their knowledge in writing. All teachers-not just those who teach writing-can use these three approaches to strengthen student writing online.

Help your students strengthen their writing with these strategies >

NATIVE EDUCATION

Distance Learning Could Deepen Inequality Between Wyoming Schools

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to close and shift to online learning. Education Northwest's Mandy Smoker Broaddus talks to Wyoming Public Media about how this move may affect Native students.

Read the article >