Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

Talking To Students About Coronavirus

How to Talk to Kids About the Coronavirus

Children likely have questions, concerns, or fears about the coronavirus (COVID-19), and many experts and educators agree on the best ways to respond.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

East High School

New Beginnings for East High School: How a Local Partnership Led to Change

Learn how East High School in Rochester, New York, partnered with the University of Rochester on a plan that brought comprehensive, systemic changes to the school.

Jennifer Rees
Principal, East Lower and Upper Schools, Rochester City School District, New York

Coronavirus Precautions In Schools

3 Steps School and District Leaders Can Take to Combat the Coronavirus

School and district administrators should consider these three steps to address coronavirus in schools as they build an action plan.

Adam Drummond, EdD
Associate Partner, The Center for Model Schools and Author, Instructional Leadership

Keep Staff Motivated

How to Boost Staff Motivation as a School or District Administrator

How do education leaders best motivate those they serve? This former principal says to start by concentrating on three key actions.

Anthony Colannino
Senior Fellow, the Center for Model Schools; Leading & Teaching for Growth, LLC; Author of Leading with Head and Heart

Sense of belonging

Fostering a Sense of Belonging: A School Transformation Story

Learn how Chastain Road Elementary School implemented a strong behavioral and social-emotional learning program to dramatically decrease discipline referrals and improve school culture.

Jessica Patterson
Principal, Chastain Road Elementary School, South Carolina

Joy Ellison
Assistant Principal, Chastain Road Elementary School, South Carolina

Cellphones In Schools

4 Mistakes Educators Make Trying to Manage Cellphones in Schools

Explore suggestions for what you can do differently to achieve a better result when it comes to managing student use of cellphones in classrooms.

Weston Kieschnick
Associate Partner, ICLE

How To Create A Positive School Culture Plan

How to Create a Positive School Culture Plan as an Administrator

Answer five important questions as you build a positive school culture plan and create your administrator bucket list to bring change to your school or district.

Adam Drummond, EdD
Associate Partner, The Center for Model Schools and Author, Instructional Leadership

Bellview Santos Elementary

Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships: From F to the Brink of B in a Single Year

After attending the Model Schools Conference, Belleview-Santos Elementary School instilled a culture resulting in growth from a state grade of an F to almost a B.

Ashley Kemp
Former Principal, Belleview-Santos Elementary School; Current Principal, Evergreen Elementary School, Marion County Public Schools, Florida

Reading Conferring

The Challenges of Conferring With Our Strongest Readers: Part 1

Follow these tips as you try to confer with strong and prolific readers in your classroom who seem to have everything.

Kathy Collins
Literacy Consultant, Author, and Aspiring Educator

Myth Of Multitasking

Is It Possible to Multitask? Time Management Insights and Tips for Teachers

Answering a key question—"Is it possible to multitask?"—can help you better manage your time as a teacher. Dive into research and debunk the myth of multitasking.

Rachel L. Schechter, PhD
VP Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences and Research Advisory Board Chair

Summer School Growth Mindset

Summer School Through a Growth Mindset Lens

Dr. David Dockterman provides suggestions for leveraging learning mindsets to help students view summer school as a valuable opportunity for growth.

Dr. David Dockterman
Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Black History Month

5 Teaching Tools to Honor Black History Month in the Classroom

These tools can be used throughout the year—but especially during Black History Month—to promote lifelong learning.

Geraldine Stevens
Social Studies Content Expert

Learning Mindsets

Learning Mindsets: Growth Mindset is Essential, But There's More to Learning

Dr. David Dockterman, lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, explains how three learning mindsets drive the behavior that fuel performance.

Dr. David Dockterman
Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Hard To Reach Students 104B71Eb860De3Cd4Fcc287F64C7C979 V2

5 Tips for Connecting With Hard-to-Reach Students

If you find yourself pulling away from or avoiding connection with hard-to-reach students, try leaning in instead by following these five steps.

Janice Mace
Senior Counselor, National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland

The Importance Of Sel In Schools

Why is Social-Emotional Learning Important in Schools?

Why is SEL important? In an HMH survey, K-12 educators noted the high importance of social emotional learning in schools today.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

World Language Classroom

Building Up Students and Reducing Fear in the World Language Classroom

A Spanish teacher shares three ways to empower your students in your world language classroom and to help reduce their anxiety.

Karly Enright
Spanish Teacher

Using Social Media For Teacher Professional Development

Using Social Media for Teacher Professional Development

Start using social media for teacher professional development to network with other educators, follow trends, and share resources. The value of social media for professional growth should not be understated.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Instructional Coaching Listening Tour

Why a Listening Tour Is the First Step in Instructional Coaching

A good instructional coach understands that unlimited individual growth must be supported by school-wide change.

Sherry St. Clair
HMH Contributor

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.