Today at 9:30 a.m. the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is holding a hearing on state and federal recommendations for enhancing school safety against targeted violence. In the following letter to Committee Chairman Ron Johnson and top Democrat Gary Peters, Alliance for Excellent Education President Deb Delisle outlines our ideas to ensure that students and educators feel safe in schools and are safe in schools.

Memorizing facts doesn’t lead to great scientists. Bringing experiments and projects to life, on the other hand, will not only stick with students longer but ensure they have more fun learning.

Today’s digest highlights real-world application in science teaching, exploring the secret to great teaching, a new podcast on sports and social-emotional development, and how to encourage students to think about how they learn.

In the years after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, school districts turned to busing students to achieve racial diversity. Today, sixty-five years after the Brown decision, did busing work? What do research and advocates say about busing, its impact, and possible solutions for an education system in which many U.S. schools are more segregated today than they were decades ago?

Sports provide a place for young people to grow, learn, and enhance their physical skills, but, with the help of good coaches, they will learn more than how to throw a pitch or perfect a layup.

Building deeper learning in schools means tackling many levels—from classroom instruction, to curriculum, to professional development for educators and leaders.

Today’s digest highlights many approaches of bringing deeper learning to schools, including a charge in Massachusetts led by the state education commissioner, examining teacher preparation programs, what’s working (and not working) in schools across the country, a guide for discussing project-based learning, and more.

Is the Federal Communications Commission trying to limit Wi-Fi in schools? Some education advocates think so. Learn why in today’s Federal Flash.

Today’s Flash also covers new bills in Congress on dual enrollment, funding for the U.S. Department of Education, and new guidance from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos intended to provide flexibility to schools.

How can you develop a culturally responsive classroom environment and shape the lives of diverse learners?

Today’s digest highlights a strategy for culturally responsive pedagogy, a whole-child approach in Baltimore, a massive deeper learning conference in Kentucky, project-based learning in North Carolina, and more!

Will a recently passed bill in the House of Representatives provide hope for Dreamers and save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program?

This Federal Flash has some answers and also details a new bill to support middle schools and a new report questioning how—and if—states are identifying schools for support and improvement under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

When you step into your classroom each day, do you believe that all your students can succeed? Does this belief shape how you teach and engage your students in learning?

Summer is right around the corner. What better way to kick off the warm weather season than bringing science lessons outside?  

Today’s digest highlights an environmental project in Florida, how to maintain teacher authenticity in blended learning environments, a recent event on whole child investments, how teachers can support social emotional learning throughout the school day, and more!