Over 600 nominations describing amazing teachers poured in, and thousands of votes were cast. Now, the time has come to reveal the winners of our 10th Annual Crystal Apple Awards. Every year, School Specialty invites educators and school communities to nominate deserving teachers who embody our key contest criteria of inspiration, leadership, and passion. This year’s nominees were all truly inspiring and deserving of this honor! We selected 10 finalists and invited you to vote for the top 3 winners. Thank you to everyone who sent in nominations and voted. More importantly, thank you to all th ..read more

In the 20th episode of The Schoolyard Podcast, host Nancy Chung welcomes guests Soo Goda and Nicole Hill to discuss student intervention strategies in education. Soo Goda is the District Coordinator of Expanded Learning for grades TK-6 at Saddleback Valley Unified School District. She has over 30 years of experience in education as a multilingual teacher, instructional coach, and champion of equitable access to education. Nicole Hill is the Subject Matter Expert for Instructional Solutions at School Specialty. Her experience includes teaching and administration from early childhood to grade ..read more

This month on It’s Time for Science, it’s time to talk about social and emotional learning (SEL)! Host Tom Racine interviews Dr. Kenneth Wesson, a consultant on the science of education, learning, and the brain, and Ilyse Opas, Independent Educational Consultant specializing in SEL. Table of Contents Episode Summary Episode Guests Dr. Kenneth Wesson Ilyse Opas Contact Us Episode Summary Tom begins by discussing with Dr. Wesson what SEL is and what it isn’t. Dr. Wesson highlights the need to make space for SEL in science classrooms and ways to integrate it into instruction. They also no ..read more

Social emotional learning, or SEL, is an important concept that embraces the emotions of students as a tool in their learning. It has broad implications in a variety of academic subjects, but more importantly, it leads students to develop healthier identities and manage their emotions. That foundation is critical for academic success in everything from math to PE, but the way to approach SEL can differ from subject to subject. So how can teachers implement SEL practices in science? How Emotions Impact Learning The underlying reason for the success of SEL in schools is that learning is more ea ..read more

Strong school-family-community partnerships bring exceptional value to children’s education. A recent book by Karen L. Mapp, a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and four other co-collaborators synthesizes the available research to explain who benefits from these partnerships and the many advantages of family and community engagement. Everyone Wins! The Evidence for Family-School Partnerships & Implications for Practice (Scholastic, 2022) cites various research to demonstrate how family-community-school partnerships benefit all stakeholder groups when they’re app ..read more

School Specialty® and the College Football Playoff Foundation® (CFPF) share a common goal to improve educator resources and provide children with better learning opportunities. Both organizations support this mission through CFPF’s Extra Yard for Teachers® program. Recently, we headed to Haddon Avenue STEAM Academy & Magnet in Pacoima, California with tools and supplies to create a new mariachi room! Learn More: School Specialty and CFP Foundation Makeovers The Haddon Avenue STEAM Academy & Magnet is an ETK-5 elementary school in the Los Angeles Unifi ..read more

In the 18th episode of The Schoolyard Podcast, host Nancy Chung (@fancynancyin5th) speaks with the Top Floor Teachers, Joe McCormick and Quyen Nicol, to discuss the balance between engagement and academic rigor in the classroom. Joe and Quyen, who teach fifth grade in Southern California, share their journey of becoming educators and how they started their Instagram account, @topfloorteachers. Through their social media platforms, they emphasize the importance of hands-on learning and interactive lessons to keep students engaged and absorbing information like sponges. The group discusses inc ..read more

Modern, versatile classroom furniture instills pride and helps improve student outcomes at Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center Equipping classrooms and other school spaces with comfortable and flexible furnishings doesn’t just open up new possibilities for instruction. It can also boost the engagement and morale of both students and staff. With the help of grant funding, the St. Ann’s School campus of Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center (SRCC) in Erie, Pennsylvania, furnished nine classrooms, a faculty lounge, a board room, multiple offices, and a library space. Modern new furniture was provided by S ..read more

This month on It’s Time for Science, it’s time to talk about community engagement and citizen scientists! Host Tom Racine talks with Dr. Mwenda KudumuBiggs from the Fleet Science Center and Emma Giles from SciStarter. Table of Contents Episode Summary Episode Guests Dr. Mwenda KudumuBiggs Emma Giles Contact Us Episode Summary In this episode, Tom speaks with Dr. KudumuBiggs about her position at the Fleet Science Center, why it’s so important to connect people and families to science, and the power of kids seeing their families involved with science. They also discuss why science is at ..read more

One Million Acts of Science for Citizen Science Month Have you ever dreamed of making a great scientific discovery that makes the world a better place? We all grew up learning how scientists throughout history found ways to study and understand everything from the smallest atom to the widest galaxy. The parts that don’t make the history books, however, include many long hours of research, study, and dedication that go into some of the most significant discoveries. Very often, those hours are performed by selfless background researchers who know they may not be written about for their efforts ..read more