Can Online Learning Level the AP Playing Field for Rural Students?
Why Even Young Students Benefit From Connecting Globally
What a School District Designed for Computational Thinking Looks Like
The Key to Boosting English Learners' Language Skills? Challenging Content
How to Grow a Classroom Culture That Supports Blended Learning
Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Blended Learning
How Two Struggling Schools Got Two Different Results With Ed Tech
Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning
How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation
Sponsored
window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={"attachmentsReducer":{"audio_0":{"type":"attachments","id":"audio_0","imgSizes":{"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"}}},"audio_1":{"type":"attachments","id":"audio_1","imgSizes":{"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"}}},"audio_2":{"type":"attachments","id":"audio_2","imgSizes":{"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"}}},"audio_3":{"type":"attachments","id":"audio_3","imgSizes":{"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"}}},"audio_4":{"type":"attachments","id":"audio_4","imgSizes":{"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"}}},"placeholder":{"type":"attachments","id":"placeholder","imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-160x96.jpg","width":160,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-800x478.jpg","width":800,"height":478,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-1020x610.jpg","width":1020,"height":610,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-lrg":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-1920x1148.jpg","width":1920,"height":1148,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-med":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-1180x705.jpg","width":1180,"height":705,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-960x574.jpg","width":960,"height":574,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-1038x576.jpg","width":1038,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xxsmall":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-240x143.jpg","width":240,"height":143,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xsmall":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-375x224.jpg","width":375,"height":224,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"small":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-520x311.jpg","width":520,"height":311,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xlarge":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-1180x705.jpg","width":1180,"height":705,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-1920x1148.jpg","width":1920,"height":1148,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-50x50.jpg","width":50,"height":50,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/GettyImages-896326950-e1514998105161.jpg","width":1920,"height":1148}}},"mindshift_50704":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_50704","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"50704","found":true},"title":"MaderMsRuralCourses3","publishDate":1520350828,"status":"inherit","parent":50701,"modified":1520351005,"caption":"Student Jaylen Dennis sets up an experiment to test one of Newton’s Laws. ","credit":"Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report","description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-160x107.jpg","width":160,"height":107,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-800x533.jpg","width":800,"height":533,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium_large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-768x512.jpg","width":768,"height":512,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-1020x680.jpg","width":1020,"height":680,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-med":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-1180x787.jpg","width":1180,"height":787,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-960x640.jpg","width":960,"height":640,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-1038x576.jpg","width":1038,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xxsmall":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-240x160.jpg","width":240,"height":160,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xsmall":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-375x250.jpg","width":375,"height":250,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"small":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-520x347.jpg","width":520,"height":347,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xlarge":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-1180x787.jpg","width":1180,"height":787,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-50x50.jpg","width":50,"height":50,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses3.jpg","width":1800,"height":1200}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_49424":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_49424","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"49424","found":true},"title":"8523054564_5864908067_k","publishDate":1507590475,"status":"inherit","parent":49391,"modified":1507590592,"caption":"One of Kathy Cassidy's students practices reading with the class Twitter page.","credit":"Courtesy \u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/\">Kathy Cassidy\u003c/a>","description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-160x120.jpg","width":160,"height":120,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-800x598.jpg","width":800,"height":598,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium_large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-768x574.jpg","width":768,"height":574,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-1020x762.jpg","width":1020,"height":762,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-lrg":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-1920x1434.jpg","width":1920,"height":1434,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-med":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-1180x882.jpg","width":1180,"height":882,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-960x717.jpg","width":960,"height":717,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-1038x576.jpg","width":1038,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xxsmall":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-240x179.jpg","width":240,"height":179,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xsmall":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-375x280.jpg","width":375,"height":280,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"small":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-520x388.jpg","width":520,"height":388,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"xlarge":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-1180x882.jpg","width":1180,"height":882,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-1920x1434.jpg","width":1920,"height":1434,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-50x50.jpg","width":50,"height":50,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8523054564_5864908067_k.jpg","width":2048,"height":1530}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_42890":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_42890","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"42890","found":true},"title":"Berdik 3","publishDate":1448348720,"status":"inherit","parent":42886,"modified":1448348747,"caption":"No single child designs the machine in this fifth-grade class; they work in collaboration. ","credit":"Chris Berdik","description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-400x300.jpg","width":400,"height":300,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-800x600.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-816x576.jpg","width":816,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"cat_post_thumb_sizecategory-posts-2":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-50x50.jpg","width":50,"height":50,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3-75x75.jpg","width":75,"height":75,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-3.jpg","width":816,"height":612}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_40421":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_40421","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"40421","found":true},"title":"MIL-ESL","publishDate":1430781708,"status":"inherit","parent":40232,"modified":1430781782,"caption":"ESL students can choose avatars to navigate them through certain sections of the course.","credit":"Middlebury Interactive Languages","description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-400x225.jpg","width":400,"height":225,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-800x450.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-1440x810.jpg","width":1440,"height":810,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-med":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-1180x664.jpg","width":1180,"height":664,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-960x540.jpg","width":960,"height":540,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-1038x576.jpg","width":1038,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"cat_post_thumb_sizecategory-posts-2":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-50x50.jpg","width":50,"height":50,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL-75x75.jpg","width":75,"height":75,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/04/MIL-ESL.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_39578":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_39578","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"39578","found":true},"title":"Pencil-tree","publishDate":1425565160,"status":"inherit","parent":39556,"modified":1425565160,"caption":null,"credit":null,"description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-400x267.jpg","width":400,"height":267,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-800x533.jpg","width":800,"height":533,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-1440x960.jpg","width":1440,"height":960,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-lrg":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-1180x787.jpg","width":1180,"height":787,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-med":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-768x512.jpg","width":768,"height":512,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-320x213.jpg","width":320,"height":213,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-1038x576.jpg","width":1038,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree.jpg","width":1440,"height":960}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_38958":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_38958","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"38958","found":true},"title":"A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City.","publishDate":1421069418,"status":"inherit","parent":38957,"modified":1421069721,"caption":"A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)","credit":null,"description":"A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City","imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-400x267.jpg","width":400,"height":267,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"medium":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-800x533.jpg","width":800,"height":533,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"large":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-1440x960.jpg","width":1440,"height":960,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-lrg":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-1180x787.jpg","width":1180,"height":787,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-med":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-768x512.jpg","width":768,"height":512,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-320x213.jpg","width":320,"height":213,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-672x372.jpg","width":672,"height":372,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"twentyfourteen-full-width":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-1038x576.jpg","width":1038,"height":576,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890-75x75.jpg","width":75,"height":75,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890.jpg","width":1440,"height":960}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_31999":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_31999","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"31999","found":true},"title":"line360","publishDate":1381363740,"status":"inherit","parent":31995,"modified":1381363740,"caption":null,"credit":null,"description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-400x225.jpg","width":400,"height":225,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-320x180.jpg","width":320,"height":180,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360-75x75.jpg","width":75,"height":75,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line360.jpg","width":640,"height":360}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_30805":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_30805","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"30805","found":true},"title":"IMG_8760","publishDate":1377108368,"status":"inherit","parent":30706,"modified":1377108368,"caption":null,"credit":null,"description":null,"imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-400x225.jpg","width":400,"height":225,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-320x180.jpg","width":320,"height":180,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-75x75.jpg","width":75,"height":75,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406.jpg","width":640,"height":360}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false},"mindshift_29202":{"type":"attachments","id":"mindshift_29202","meta":{"index":"attachments_1591205162","site":"mindshift","id":"29202","found":true},"title":"153681911 (1)","publishDate":1370540914,"status":"inherit","parent":28901,"modified":1370540914,"caption":null,"credit":null,"description":"Difference in the group","imgSizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-400x225.jpg","width":400,"height":225,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"fd-sm":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-320x180.jpg","width":320,"height":180,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-32x32.jpg","width":32,"height":32,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-64x64.jpg","width":64,"height":64,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-96x96.jpg","width":96,"height":96,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-128x128.jpg","width":128,"height":128,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"detail":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-75x75.jpg","width":75,"height":75,"mimeType":"image/jpeg"},"kqedFullSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1.jpg","width":640,"height":360}},"fetchFailed":false,"isLoading":false}},"audioPlayerReducer":{"postId":"stream_live"},"authorsReducer":{"byline_mindshift_50701":{"type":"authors","id":"byline_mindshift_50701","meta":{"override":true},"slug":"byline_mindshift_50701","name":"\u003ca href “http://hechingerreport.org/>Jackie Mader, The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>","isLoading":false},"byline_mindshift_42886":{"type":"authors","id":"byline_mindshift_42886","meta":{"override":true},"slug":"byline_mindshift_42886","name":"Chris Berdik, The Hechinger Report","isLoading":false},"byline_mindshift_38957":{"type":"authors","id":"byline_mindshift_38957","meta":{"override":true},"slug":"byline_mindshift_38957","name":"William Huntsberry","isLoading":false},"katrinaschwartz":{"type":"authors","id":"234","meta":{"index":"authors_1591205172","id":"234","found":true},"name":"Katrina Schwartz","firstName":"Katrina","lastName":"Schwartz","slug":"katrinaschwartz","email":"kschwartz@kqed.org","display_author_email":false,"staff_mastheads":["news"],"title":"Producer","bio":"Katrina Schwartz is a journalist based in San Francisco. She's worked at KPCC public radio in LA and has reported on air and online for KQED since 2010. She covered how teaching and learning is changing for MindShift between 2012 and 2020. She is the co-host of the MindShift podcast and now produces KQED's Bay Curious podcast.","avatar":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6a567574dafefa959593925eead665c?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twitter":"kschwart","facebook":null,"instagram":null,"linkedin":null,"sites":[{"site":"news","roles":["editor"]},{"site":"mindshift","roles":["administrator"]},{"site":"stateofhealth","roles":["author"]},{"site":"science","roles":["editor"]}],"headData":{"title":"Katrina Schwartz | KQED","description":"Producer","ogImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6a567574dafefa959593925eead665c?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6a567574dafefa959593925eead665c?s=600&d=blank&r=g"},"isLoading":false,"link":"/author/katrinaschwartz"},"mindshift":{"type":"authors","id":"4354","meta":{"index":"authors_1591205172","id":"4354","found":true},"name":"MindShift","firstName":"MindShift","lastName":null,"slug":"mindshift","email":"tina@barseghian.com","display_author_email":false,"staff_mastheads":[],"title":null,"bio":null,"avatar":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ae7f1f73a229130205aa5f57b55eaf16?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twitter":null,"facebook":null,"instagram":null,"linkedin":null,"sites":[{"site":"arts","roles":["author"]},{"site":"mindshift","roles":["editor"]}],"headData":{"title":"MindShift | KQED","description":null,"ogImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ae7f1f73a229130205aa5f57b55eaf16?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ae7f1f73a229130205aa5f57b55eaf16?s=600&d=blank&r=g"},"isLoading":false,"link":"/author/mindshift"}},"breakingNewsReducer":{},"campaignFinanceReducer":{},"firebase":{"requesting":{},"requested":{},"timestamps":{},"data":{},"ordered":{},"auth":{"isLoaded":false,"isEmpty":true},"authError":null,"profile":{"isLoaded":false,"isEmpty":true},"listeners":{"byId":{},"allIds":[]},"isInitializing":false,"errors":[]},"navBarReducer":{"navBarId":"home","fullView":true,"showPlayer":false},"navMenuReducer":{"menus":[{"key":"menu1","items":[{"name":"News","link":"/","type":"title"},{"name":"Politics","link":"/politics"},{"name":"Science","link":"/science"},{"name":"Education","link":"/educationnews"},{"name":"Housing","link":"/housing"},{"name":"Immigration","link":"/immigration"},{"name":"Criminal Justice","link":"/criminaljustice"},{"name":"Silicon Valley","link":"/siliconvalley"},{"name":"Forum","link":"/forum"},{"name":"The California Report","link":"/californiareport"}]},{"key":"menu2","items":[{"name":"Arts & Culture","link":"/arts","type":"title"},{"name":"Critics’ Picks","link":"/thedolist"},{"name":"Cultural Commentary","link":"/artscommentary"},{"name":"Food & Drink","link":"/food"},{"name":"Bay Area Hip-Hop","link":"/bayareahiphop"},{"name":"Rebel Girls","link":"/rebelgirls"},{"name":"Arts Video","link":"/artsvideos"}]},{"key":"menu3","items":[{"name":"Podcasts","link":"/podcasts","type":"title"},{"name":"Bay Curious","link":"/podcasts/baycurious"},{"name":"Rightnowish","link":"/podcasts/rightnowish"},{"name":"The Bay","link":"/podcasts/thebay"},{"name":"On Our Watch","link":"/podcasts/onourwatch"},{"name":"Mindshift","link":"/podcasts/mindshift"},{"name":"Consider This","link":"/podcasts/considerthis"},{"name":"Political Breakdown","link":"/podcasts/politicalbreakdown"}]},{"key":"menu4","items":[{"name":"Live Radio","link":"/radio","type":"title"},{"name":"TV","link":"/tv","type":"title"},{"name":"Events","link":"/events","type":"title"},{"name":"For Educators","link":"/education","type":"title"},{"name":"Support KQED","link":"/support","type":"title"},{"name":"About","link":"/about","type":"title"},{"name":"Help Center","link":"https://kqed-helpcenter.kqed.org/s","type":"title"}]}]},"pagesReducer":{},"postsReducer":{"stream_live":{"type":"live","id":"stream_live","audioUrl":"https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio","title":"Live Stream","excerpt":"Live Stream information currently unavailable.","link":"/radio","featImg":"","label":{"name":"KQED Live","link":"/"}},"stream_kqedNewscast":{"type":"posts","id":"stream_kqedNewscast","audioUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1","title":"KQED Newscast","featImg":"","label":{"name":"88.5 FM","link":"/"}},"mindshift_50701":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_50701","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"50701","score":null,"sort":[1520356085000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"can-online-learning-level-the-ap-playing-field-for-rural-students","title":"Can Online Learning Level the AP Playing Field for Rural Students?","publishDate":1520356085,"format":"standard","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cp>LEXINGTON, Miss. — Inside a rural high school, five Advanced Placement physics students furiously scribbled notes about a video of a Yale University professor speaking more than 1,200 miles away. With textbooks open, they watched a lecture about Newton’s Laws on a giant screen, while their classroom teacher simultaneously offered examples of those laws in action. When the lecture ended, they had yet another to chance to learn: A physics video chat with their tutor, a sophomore physics major at Yale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unconventional flurry of both in-person and virtual academics in a school that had never before offered AP physics is part of a broader experiment that experts say could herald the future of education, especially for rural schools. That experiment is starting with these high schoolers in the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest and most rural parts of the country. It’s too soon to know how well the free pilot program mixing online and in-person learning will work, but one thing is clear: Without it, said \u003ca href=\"http://www.holmes.k12.ms.us/superintendent-1\">Holmes County Superintendent Angel Meeks,\u003c/a> AP physics in this rural Mississippi district “would not exist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Students in Holmes County do not have the same benefits as students in more affluent areas,” Meeks said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide access and opportunity they might not otherwise have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Providing a rigorous pre-college curriculum has long been a struggle in many of the more than \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/tables/a.1.a.-1.asp\">7,100\u003c/a> U.S. rural school districts, where a lack of teachers, dwindling enrollment numbers and tight budgets make it difficult to offer electives, foreign languages and even basic classes that are a given in many suburban and urban schools. As a result, rural students often lag their peers in advanced courses, and also in college attendance and completion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1234&context=carsey\">2015 report\u003c/a> found that the lack of AP classes may increase the financial burden on college-bound rural students: Students who don’t take AP classes don’t earn college credit that could enable them to graduate more quickly, and such students are “more likely to pay for additional remedial coursework when beginning college.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why there’s considerable excitement about the free program bringing AP physics to Mississippi this school year, courtesy of the \u003ca href=\"http://globalteachingproject.com/\">Global Teaching Project\u003c/a>, a Washington D.C.-based education company that is part of a nonprofit consortium in the state. A few years ago, the Holmes County school district offered a few college-level AP courses at only one of its three high schools. After the three schools consolidated during the 2014-15 school year, the newly formed Holmes County Central High School was able to offer five classes, including AP calculus, English language and English literature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_50706\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-50706\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5.jpg 1800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-960x640.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-240x160.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-375x250.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A word wall of physics vocabulary terms in a classroom at Holmes County Central High School. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Holmes County, where \u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/97000US2801980-holmes-county-school-district-ms/\">half the students live below poverty level\u003c/a>, is following a national trend by using online resources to offer more advanced high school courses to its students. It’s a model that Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/08/education-betsy-devos-online-charter-schools-poor-results-243556\">called for\u003c/a>, claiming that virtual schools can offer “valuable options’’ in rural areas, where educators are eager to expand courses, as long as they don’t have to push already tight budgets or direct student funding away from schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, many rural districts have turned to online offerings as a fast way to increase college-level courses and either fill in for teachers they don’t have, or make better use of the teachers they do have. If a teacher is not fully qualified or certified to teach a course, some schools opt to have that teacher facilitate an online class for students, checking progress and answering student questions. Earlier this year, Illinois launched a self-directed online AP pilot program for \u003ca href=\"https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/rural-schools-in-illinois-online-ap-courses/\">75 students at 10 rural high schools\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.usnews.com/high-schools/blogs/high-school-notes/articles/2017-02-27/rural-high-schools-get-teens-into-advanced-placement-courses\">Maine\u003c/a>, students at rural schools can take courses through a state-funded online program, but must work with an adult mentor at school during the course. In Colorado, rural districts have worked together to offer more AP courses by creating video conference classrooms, where kids at \u003ca href=\"http://www.hcn.org/articles/how-one-tiny-high-school-hacked-advanced-placement-classes\">one high school can watch courses\u003c/a> taught by a teacher at a neighboring school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, as more rural schools look to virtual programs for help, there’s little evidence that online learning is equal to or can exceed outcomes from traditional in-person instruction, and some experts are urging caution — along with greater attention to quality. Some of the more time intensive virtual programs have shown poor outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Miron, an education professor specializing in evaluation, measurement, and research at Western Michigan University’s College of Education and Human Development, is concerned about the rate at which many states are adopting online learning programs, or even making participation in these programs a graduation requirement. “We’re getting legislation [about online learning] pushed in quickly and rolled out really rapidly, and we really still don’t have sufficient evidence,” Miron said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it’s not easy to track participation in online programs, a report by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.evergreenedgroup.com/\">Evergreen Education Group\u003c/a>, a leader in digital learning research, estimated that \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/online-classes-for-k-12-schools-what-you.html\">some 2.7 million students took about 4.5 million online courses\u003c/a> in 2014-15. That’s a sharp increase from the 2002-03 school year, when, according to the U.S. Department of Education, students took 317,000 online courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/online-learning-as-graduation-requirement.aspx\">five states\u003c/a> now require an online course as a graduation requirement, and many schools that turn to online learning find a growing number of programs available, all with varying degrees of depth and breadth. Some choose individual units or lessons within classrooms where students can move at their own pace, with a teacher serving as a facilitator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools can also choose programs developed by various organizations or colleges, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/07/22/the-new-frontier-for-advanced-placement-online-ap-lessons-for-free/?utm_term=.f2c08166f74b\">offering lessons intended to supplement teaching in difficult AP subjects\u003c/a>, rather than serving as the sole learning experience for students. They can also turn to organizations like \u003ca href=\"http://www.k12.com/virtual-school-offerings/free-online-public-schools/high-school-program-courses/ap-honors-course-list.html\">K12.com\u003c/a> for online Advanced Placement courses. K12.com says the courses “follow curriculum specified by the College Board.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the more extreme end of the spectrum, some high school students \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/online-classes-for-k-12-schools-what-you.html?r=1331048516&intc=EW-TC17-TOC\">enroll in virtual schools\u003c/a> for all or some classes, which may be run by states, nonprofits, universities, or private companies. Quality can vary greatly. Some states have embraced full-time virtual schools: In Pennsylvania \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/08/education-betsy-devos-online-charter-schools-poor-results-243556\">more than 30,000 students are enrolled in virtual charter schools that have a graduation rate of only 48 percent\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationally, some providers of online education have faced controversy, lawsuits, and even shutdowns for misleading students and failing to provide an education. In 2017, several companies opened so-called “online high schools” that turned out to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/02/operators-online-high-schools-settle-ftc-charges-they-misled-tens\">no more than diploma mills\u003c/a>. The businesses, charged with violations by the Federal Trade Commission, were later banned from operating in a settlement reached with the federal agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while outcomes for students studying in online schools are “\u003ca href=\"http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2016/04/virtual-schools-annual-2016\">consistently below traditional public schools\u003c/a>,” enrollment in full-time online and blended learning schools continues to increase, according to a 2016 report by the National Education Policy Center. The authors of the report called for more oversight of virtual and blended learning schools, and urged policymakers to slow or stop their growth until more research is done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_50705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-50705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4.jpg 1800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-960x640.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-240x160.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-375x250.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A stack of old physics textbooks sits in a classroom at Holmes County Central High School. The Global Teaching Project purchased new textbook for students taking AP physics this year. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Potential pathways, solutions\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other possible solutions for improving access to courses have been offered by rural school advocates, like Robert Mahaffey, executive director of the\u003ca href=\"http://www.ruraledu.org/\"> Rural School and Community Trust,\u003c/a> who proposes expanding courses in rural schools that invest more in their staff, as well as offering teachers more pathways towards credentials and certification\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want to lower the bar or water down that content,” Mahaffey said. “[T]teachers need to be in positions where they’re able to deliver content and not be restricted by particular credentials … how can we create professional pathways for teachers so they can get those certifications?” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miron of Western Michigan is fond of the idea of high schools joining forces to share teachers or using technology so students in one high school can take a class, and participate virtually, as it is taught in a neighboring school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Offering a course online is cheaper than hiring a full-time teacher for each school, but finding a way to offer online courses while still keeping “the ownership of curriculum and instruction local” is ideal, Miron said. By having some control over online learning programs, schools can keep tabs on quality and completion, which may be hard to do for online programs — especially if schools are paying other providers for classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miron is also skeptical whether students in high school or younger grades can direct their own learning to the extent that some online programs expect. “It’s naive to think these students can sit and master the curriculum on their own,” Miron said. Programs “may have wonderful technology … but what we strongly believe is kids at the primary and secondary level of education don’t have the metacognitive skills to be successful with online instruction as it’s being delivered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, if programs lack oversight, it can be hard for a school to know if a student is performing poorly, or has dropped out, until it’s too late. This is especially true for online programs that enroll high numbers of students, Miron said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2012 investigation by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and StateImpact Florida, for example, found student-teacher ratios at the online school \u003ca href=\"http://www.k12.com/k12-education.html\">K12.com\u003c/a>, which contracts with various Florida districts to provide online classes, were as high as \u003ca href=\"https://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2012/09/16/in-k12-courses-275-students-to-a-single-teacher/\">275 students to one teacher\u003c/a>. K12.com offered schools a smaller student-to-teacher ratio for an additional per-student fee. At the time of the reporting, the state’s maximum ratio for brick-and-mortar schools was 25 students to one teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why Mississippi?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mississippi, which has lagged the nation in high-speed internet access for students, some districts have cobbled together funds for laptops and other devices that assist students with learning, allowing individual teachers to structure classes with technology. The state also offers a \u003ca href=\"http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/PN/VPS\">free online virtual school\u003c/a> where students can take up to two units of classes each year to supplement in-person courses, but enrollment in that program is limited. The program is currently full and no additional state-funded courses are currently available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Global Teaching Project chose to pilot its program in 10 low-income high schools in Mississippi because the state is largely rural, lacks certified teachers, and because the “need was so great” said Matthew Dolan, chief executive of the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan, a Washington-based attorney, hopes the project will eventually be a solution for rural schools nationwide that want the best of both the online and brick-and-mortar education worlds: high-quality expert teachers, student support, resources, small class sizes and human interaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[We wanted] to try to come up with a solution for the overwhelming majority of rural schools … that frankly don’t have the teachers to take the lead,” he said. Dolan, who knew several Mississippi lawmakers from his tenure in Washington, was aware that Mississippi allows “consortiums,” or groups of organizations and school districts to band together, creating a vehicle for innovative programs. He relied on the advantages offered by this vehicle, and the Global Teaching Project launched the Mississippi Public School Consortium for Educational Access in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan also relied on connections from his alma maters, Yale and the University of Virginia, to recruit tutors for the non-profit consortium, funded partly by the \u003ca href=\"http://www.jkcf.org/\">Jack Kent Cooke Foundation\u003c/a> which is also among the various funders of \u003cem>The Hechinger Report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Global Teaching Project incorporates aspects of successful high-quality online programs, many recommended by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), which publishes \u003ca href=\"https://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/national-standards-for-quality-online-courses-v2.pdf\">standards for quality online learning programs\u003c/a>. These standards include elements like instructor-student and student-student interaction, the presence of frequent assessments, and content aligned with state standards or AP courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bruce Friend, chief operating officer for \u003ca href=\"https://www.inacol.org/about/\">iNACOL,\u003c/a> said teacher-student interaction is one of the most important aspects of any online course. “I’m not at all a fan of online learning programs where the teacher serves more as a tutor than the actual teacher,” Friend said. “There’s a difference between me really being your instructor who’s proactively making sure you understand the concepts and skills versus me saying ‘Hey…go through your online course. I’m here if you have any questions.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_50702\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-50702\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSRuralCourses1-e1520350918308.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iftikhar Azeem, a physics teacher at Holmes County Central High School, reviews a lesson with students. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How a ‘real-life’ teacher engages students\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Holmes Central High on a recent winter morning, physics teacher Iftikhar Azeem reviewed three of Newton’s Laws with his students, after watching Yale \u003ca href=\"https://physics.yale.edu/people/meg-urry\">Professor Meg Urry\u003c/a> on the screen set up at the front of the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you drop something on the floor, what happens?” Azeem asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It stops,” one student offered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why?” Azeem persisted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Friction,” another student answered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, is that good or bad?” Azeem asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because otherwise things just keep going and don’t stop!” a student exclaimed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rest of class contained a flurry of virtual and in-person activities. Azeem led students through a makeshift experiment involving eggs, cardboard rolls, and cups of water to demonstrate how potential energy transitions to kinetic energy. Students checked in with their Yale tutor via video chat. Later, they took out cell phones and texted answers to an online physics program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, Azeem’s students will take the AP physics exam, along with a handful of students from the other nine rural high schools participating in the program. Last year, 527 students in the state took the Physics I exam, and only 175 passed. In Mississippi, where \u003ca href=\"http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/WRM-2015-16.pdf\">44 percent of students\u003c/a> attend rural schools, performance on Advanced Placement exams has long lagged the national average. In 2017, the average score on all AP exams statewide was a 2.2, compared to a 2.84 nationwide. A 3 is the minimum score accepted by many schools to earn college credit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2015-16 school year, Mississippi rolled out an initiative to increase participation in AP exams, especially among low-income and minority students. That year, participation on AP exams increased 37.9 percent for minority students, according to the state’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/TD/news/2016/09/28/mississippi-students-increase-advanced-placement-participation-achievement\">Department of Education\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But access to such courses is still a problem. Many high schools in more rural parts of the state offer just a few, according to a review of College Board data. In many urban, more populated and affluent high schools, students have access to dozens; Oxford High School in Oxford, Mississippi offers 16 AP courses while Madison Central High School just outside of Jackson offers 23 courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Holmes County students are effusive in their praise of the program so far. They especially like the personalized video-conference tutoring from an undergraduate. “Having a tutor makes it easier,” said Jaylen Dennis, 17, who plans to major in electrical engineering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His classmate, Tamos Stevenson, who plans to study architecture, agreed. “He understands in the real world why we’re learning this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Senior Anna Martin, whose college plans include majoring in meteorology, doesn’t mind watching lectures on a video. “If we don’t understand the video, we have a teacher,” she said, motioning at Azeem, a certified physics teacher who knows the topic, but isn’t certified to teach Advanced Placement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azeem said the program is unique in offering multiple opportunities for students to get help, in person, online or via text. Still, the rural nature of the school creates limitations. Some students don’t have Internet access or computers at home. And the school does not have a physics lab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need equipment,” Azeem said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan of the Global Teaching Project said they are attempting to create a model that can be “scaled readily” and, right now, will cost nothing for school districts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the project is funded by grant money and donations that are made to the consortium, but Dolan eventually hopes to make a profit. The most expensive aspect of the course so far has been filming lectures and paying for post-production of videos, which have cost between $100,000 and $150,000. The program also pays college students from the University of Virginia and Yale who act as tutors and meet students in person during a two-week summer program in Mississippi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While staff at the Global Teaching Project would like to see students succeed on the AP exams, they also want to “build a community of achievement in rural Mississippi” that encourages students to “revise their notion of themselves and ambition for themselves.” Next year, the group hopes to offer additional AP courses to the participating schools in Mississippi, and is speaking with other districts around the country about expanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Holmes County Central High School principal Charles Lacy said the experience is teaching students that “it’s ok to be smart and work hard.” Lacy said he sees online and distance learning as the future when it comes to providing more opportunity for students in areas like Holmes, which doesn’t have certified AP teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It certainly is my hope that this is the pilot for what will be the model in years to come,” Lacy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Meeks said providing a high-quality option for students to take Advanced Placement classes could be a game-changer not just for schools in the Mississippi Delta, but for underprivileged schools nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it can succeed in Holmes County … it could succeed in any situation where children are in poverty and where [there is] a lack of resources,” Meeks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/c36ixT\">\u003cem>our newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Some schools are wading deeper into more immersive online ed, but experts urge caution.\r\n\r\n","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1520356085,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":59,"wordCount":3140},"headData":{"title":"Can Online Learning Level the AP Playing Field for Rural Students? | KQED","description":"Some schools are wading deeper into more immersive online ed, but experts urge caution.\r\n\r\n","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Can Online Learning Level the AP Playing Field for Rural Students?","datePublished":"2018-03-06T17:08:05.000Z","dateModified":"2018-03-06T17:08:05.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"50701 https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=50701","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2018/03/06/can-online-learning-level-the-ap-playing-field-for-rural-students/","disqusTitle":"Can Online Learning Level the AP Playing Field for Rural Students?","nprByline":"\u003ca href “http://hechingerreport.org/>Jackie Mader, The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>","path":"/mindshift/50701/can-online-learning-level-the-ap-playing-field-for-rural-students","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>LEXINGTON, Miss. — Inside a rural high school, five Advanced Placement physics students furiously scribbled notes about a video of a Yale University professor speaking more than 1,200 miles away. With textbooks open, they watched a lecture about Newton’s Laws on a giant screen, while their classroom teacher simultaneously offered examples of those laws in action. When the lecture ended, they had yet another to chance to learn: A physics video chat with their tutor, a sophomore physics major at Yale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unconventional flurry of both in-person and virtual academics in a school that had never before offered AP physics is part of a broader experiment that experts say could herald the future of education, especially for rural schools. That experiment is starting with these high schoolers in the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest and most rural parts of the country. It’s too soon to know how well the free pilot program mixing online and in-person learning will work, but one thing is clear: Without it, said \u003ca href=\"http://www.holmes.k12.ms.us/superintendent-1\">Holmes County Superintendent Angel Meeks,\u003c/a> AP physics in this rural Mississippi district “would not exist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Students in Holmes County do not have the same benefits as students in more affluent areas,” Meeks said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide access and opportunity they might not otherwise have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Providing a rigorous pre-college curriculum has long been a struggle in many of the more than \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/tables/a.1.a.-1.asp\">7,100\u003c/a> U.S. rural school districts, where a lack of teachers, dwindling enrollment numbers and tight budgets make it difficult to offer electives, foreign languages and even basic classes that are a given in many suburban and urban schools. As a result, rural students often lag their peers in advanced courses, and also in college attendance and completion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1234&context=carsey\">2015 report\u003c/a> found that the lack of AP classes may increase the financial burden on college-bound rural students: Students who don’t take AP classes don’t earn college credit that could enable them to graduate more quickly, and such students are “more likely to pay for additional remedial coursework when beginning college.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why there’s considerable excitement about the free program bringing AP physics to Mississippi this school year, courtesy of the \u003ca href=\"http://globalteachingproject.com/\">Global Teaching Project\u003c/a>, a Washington D.C.-based education company that is part of a nonprofit consortium in the state. A few years ago, the Holmes County school district offered a few college-level AP courses at only one of its three high schools. After the three schools consolidated during the 2014-15 school year, the newly formed Holmes County Central High School was able to offer five classes, including AP calculus, English language and English literature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_50706\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-50706\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5.jpg 1800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-960x640.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-240x160.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-375x250.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMsRuralCourses5-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A word wall of physics vocabulary terms in a classroom at Holmes County Central High School. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Holmes County, where \u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/97000US2801980-holmes-county-school-district-ms/\">half the students live below poverty level\u003c/a>, is following a national trend by using online resources to offer more advanced high school courses to its students. It’s a model that Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/08/education-betsy-devos-online-charter-schools-poor-results-243556\">called for\u003c/a>, claiming that virtual schools can offer “valuable options’’ in rural areas, where educators are eager to expand courses, as long as they don’t have to push already tight budgets or direct student funding away from schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, many rural districts have turned to online offerings as a fast way to increase college-level courses and either fill in for teachers they don’t have, or make better use of the teachers they do have. If a teacher is not fully qualified or certified to teach a course, some schools opt to have that teacher facilitate an online class for students, checking progress and answering student questions. Earlier this year, Illinois launched a self-directed online AP pilot program for \u003ca href=\"https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/rural-schools-in-illinois-online-ap-courses/\">75 students at 10 rural high schools\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.usnews.com/high-schools/blogs/high-school-notes/articles/2017-02-27/rural-high-schools-get-teens-into-advanced-placement-courses\">Maine\u003c/a>, students at rural schools can take courses through a state-funded online program, but must work with an adult mentor at school during the course. In Colorado, rural districts have worked together to offer more AP courses by creating video conference classrooms, where kids at \u003ca href=\"http://www.hcn.org/articles/how-one-tiny-high-school-hacked-advanced-placement-classes\">one high school can watch courses\u003c/a> taught by a teacher at a neighboring school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, as more rural schools look to virtual programs for help, there’s little evidence that online learning is equal to or can exceed outcomes from traditional in-person instruction, and some experts are urging caution — along with greater attention to quality. Some of the more time intensive virtual programs have shown poor outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Miron, an education professor specializing in evaluation, measurement, and research at Western Michigan University’s College of Education and Human Development, is concerned about the rate at which many states are adopting online learning programs, or even making participation in these programs a graduation requirement. “We’re getting legislation [about online learning] pushed in quickly and rolled out really rapidly, and we really still don’t have sufficient evidence,” Miron said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it’s not easy to track participation in online programs, a report by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.evergreenedgroup.com/\">Evergreen Education Group\u003c/a>, a leader in digital learning research, estimated that \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/online-classes-for-k-12-schools-what-you.html\">some 2.7 million students took about 4.5 million online courses\u003c/a> in 2014-15. That’s a sharp increase from the 2002-03 school year, when, according to the U.S. Department of Education, students took 317,000 online courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/online-learning-as-graduation-requirement.aspx\">five states\u003c/a> now require an online course as a graduation requirement, and many schools that turn to online learning find a growing number of programs available, all with varying degrees of depth and breadth. Some choose individual units or lessons within classrooms where students can move at their own pace, with a teacher serving as a facilitator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools can also choose programs developed by various organizations or colleges, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/07/22/the-new-frontier-for-advanced-placement-online-ap-lessons-for-free/?utm_term=.f2c08166f74b\">offering lessons intended to supplement teaching in difficult AP subjects\u003c/a>, rather than serving as the sole learning experience for students. They can also turn to organizations like \u003ca href=\"http://www.k12.com/virtual-school-offerings/free-online-public-schools/high-school-program-courses/ap-honors-course-list.html\">K12.com\u003c/a> for online Advanced Placement courses. K12.com says the courses “follow curriculum specified by the College Board.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the more extreme end of the spectrum, some high school students \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/online-classes-for-k-12-schools-what-you.html?r=1331048516&intc=EW-TC17-TOC\">enroll in virtual schools\u003c/a> for all or some classes, which may be run by states, nonprofits, universities, or private companies. Quality can vary greatly. Some states have embraced full-time virtual schools: In Pennsylvania \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/08/education-betsy-devos-online-charter-schools-poor-results-243556\">more than 30,000 students are enrolled in virtual charter schools that have a graduation rate of only 48 percent\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationally, some providers of online education have faced controversy, lawsuits, and even shutdowns for misleading students and failing to provide an education. In 2017, several companies opened so-called “online high schools” that turned out to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/02/operators-online-high-schools-settle-ftc-charges-they-misled-tens\">no more than diploma mills\u003c/a>. The businesses, charged with violations by the Federal Trade Commission, were later banned from operating in a settlement reached with the federal agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while outcomes for students studying in online schools are “\u003ca href=\"http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2016/04/virtual-schools-annual-2016\">consistently below traditional public schools\u003c/a>,” enrollment in full-time online and blended learning schools continues to increase, according to a 2016 report by the National Education Policy Center. The authors of the report called for more oversight of virtual and blended learning schools, and urged policymakers to slow or stop their growth until more research is done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_50705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-50705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4.jpg 1800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-960x640.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-240x160.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-375x250.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSruralcourses4-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A stack of old physics textbooks sits in a classroom at Holmes County Central High School. The Global Teaching Project purchased new textbook for students taking AP physics this year. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Potential pathways, solutions\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other possible solutions for improving access to courses have been offered by rural school advocates, like Robert Mahaffey, executive director of the\u003ca href=\"http://www.ruraledu.org/\"> Rural School and Community Trust,\u003c/a> who proposes expanding courses in rural schools that invest more in their staff, as well as offering teachers more pathways towards credentials and certification\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want to lower the bar or water down that content,” Mahaffey said. “[T]teachers need to be in positions where they’re able to deliver content and not be restricted by particular credentials … how can we create professional pathways for teachers so they can get those certifications?” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miron of Western Michigan is fond of the idea of high schools joining forces to share teachers or using technology so students in one high school can take a class, and participate virtually, as it is taught in a neighboring school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Offering a course online is cheaper than hiring a full-time teacher for each school, but finding a way to offer online courses while still keeping “the ownership of curriculum and instruction local” is ideal, Miron said. By having some control over online learning programs, schools can keep tabs on quality and completion, which may be hard to do for online programs — especially if schools are paying other providers for classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miron is also skeptical whether students in high school or younger grades can direct their own learning to the extent that some online programs expect. “It’s naive to think these students can sit and master the curriculum on their own,” Miron said. Programs “may have wonderful technology … but what we strongly believe is kids at the primary and secondary level of education don’t have the metacognitive skills to be successful with online instruction as it’s being delivered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, if programs lack oversight, it can be hard for a school to know if a student is performing poorly, or has dropped out, until it’s too late. This is especially true for online programs that enroll high numbers of students, Miron said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2012 investigation by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and StateImpact Florida, for example, found student-teacher ratios at the online school \u003ca href=\"http://www.k12.com/k12-education.html\">K12.com\u003c/a>, which contracts with various Florida districts to provide online classes, were as high as \u003ca href=\"https://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2012/09/16/in-k12-courses-275-students-to-a-single-teacher/\">275 students to one teacher\u003c/a>. K12.com offered schools a smaller student-to-teacher ratio for an additional per-student fee. At the time of the reporting, the state’s maximum ratio for brick-and-mortar schools was 25 students to one teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why Mississippi?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mississippi, which has lagged the nation in high-speed internet access for students, some districts have cobbled together funds for laptops and other devices that assist students with learning, allowing individual teachers to structure classes with technology. The state also offers a \u003ca href=\"http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/PN/VPS\">free online virtual school\u003c/a> where students can take up to two units of classes each year to supplement in-person courses, but enrollment in that program is limited. The program is currently full and no additional state-funded courses are currently available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Global Teaching Project chose to pilot its program in 10 low-income high schools in Mississippi because the state is largely rural, lacks certified teachers, and because the “need was so great” said Matthew Dolan, chief executive of the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan, a Washington-based attorney, hopes the project will eventually be a solution for rural schools nationwide that want the best of both the online and brick-and-mortar education worlds: high-quality expert teachers, student support, resources, small class sizes and human interaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[We wanted] to try to come up with a solution for the overwhelming majority of rural schools … that frankly don’t have the teachers to take the lead,” he said. Dolan, who knew several Mississippi lawmakers from his tenure in Washington, was aware that Mississippi allows “consortiums,” or groups of organizations and school districts to band together, creating a vehicle for innovative programs. He relied on the advantages offered by this vehicle, and the Global Teaching Project launched the Mississippi Public School Consortium for Educational Access in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan also relied on connections from his alma maters, Yale and the University of Virginia, to recruit tutors for the non-profit consortium, funded partly by the \u003ca href=\"http://www.jkcf.org/\">Jack Kent Cooke Foundation\u003c/a> which is also among the various funders of \u003cem>The Hechinger Report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Global Teaching Project incorporates aspects of successful high-quality online programs, many recommended by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), which publishes \u003ca href=\"https://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/national-standards-for-quality-online-courses-v2.pdf\">standards for quality online learning programs\u003c/a>. These standards include elements like instructor-student and student-student interaction, the presence of frequent assessments, and content aligned with state standards or AP courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bruce Friend, chief operating officer for \u003ca href=\"https://www.inacol.org/about/\">iNACOL,\u003c/a> said teacher-student interaction is one of the most important aspects of any online course. “I’m not at all a fan of online learning programs where the teacher serves more as a tutor than the actual teacher,” Friend said. “There’s a difference between me really being your instructor who’s proactively making sure you understand the concepts and skills versus me saying ‘Hey…go through your online course. I’m here if you have any questions.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_50702\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-50702\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/03/MaderMSRuralCourses1-e1520350918308.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iftikhar Azeem, a physics teacher at Holmes County Central High School, reviews a lesson with students. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How a ‘real-life’ teacher engages students\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Holmes Central High on a recent winter morning, physics teacher Iftikhar Azeem reviewed three of Newton’s Laws with his students, after watching Yale \u003ca href=\"https://physics.yale.edu/people/meg-urry\">Professor Meg Urry\u003c/a> on the screen set up at the front of the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you drop something on the floor, what happens?” Azeem asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It stops,” one student offered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why?” Azeem persisted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Friction,” another student answered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, is that good or bad?” Azeem asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because otherwise things just keep going and don’t stop!” a student exclaimed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rest of class contained a flurry of virtual and in-person activities. Azeem led students through a makeshift experiment involving eggs, cardboard rolls, and cups of water to demonstrate how potential energy transitions to kinetic energy. Students checked in with their Yale tutor via video chat. Later, they took out cell phones and texted answers to an online physics program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, Azeem’s students will take the AP physics exam, along with a handful of students from the other nine rural high schools participating in the program. Last year, 527 students in the state took the Physics I exam, and only 175 passed. In Mississippi, where \u003ca href=\"http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/WRM-2015-16.pdf\">44 percent of students\u003c/a> attend rural schools, performance on Advanced Placement exams has long lagged the national average. In 2017, the average score on all AP exams statewide was a 2.2, compared to a 2.84 nationwide. A 3 is the minimum score accepted by many schools to earn college credit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2015-16 school year, Mississippi rolled out an initiative to increase participation in AP exams, especially among low-income and minority students. That year, participation on AP exams increased 37.9 percent for minority students, according to the state’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/TD/news/2016/09/28/mississippi-students-increase-advanced-placement-participation-achievement\">Department of Education\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But access to such courses is still a problem. Many high schools in more rural parts of the state offer just a few, according to a review of College Board data. In many urban, more populated and affluent high schools, students have access to dozens; Oxford High School in Oxford, Mississippi offers 16 AP courses while Madison Central High School just outside of Jackson offers 23 courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Holmes County students are effusive in their praise of the program so far. They especially like the personalized video-conference tutoring from an undergraduate. “Having a tutor makes it easier,” said Jaylen Dennis, 17, who plans to major in electrical engineering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His classmate, Tamos Stevenson, who plans to study architecture, agreed. “He understands in the real world why we’re learning this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Senior Anna Martin, whose college plans include majoring in meteorology, doesn’t mind watching lectures on a video. “If we don’t understand the video, we have a teacher,” she said, motioning at Azeem, a certified physics teacher who knows the topic, but isn’t certified to teach Advanced Placement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azeem said the program is unique in offering multiple opportunities for students to get help, in person, online or via text. Still, the rural nature of the school creates limitations. Some students don’t have Internet access or computers at home. And the school does not have a physics lab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need equipment,” Azeem said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan of the Global Teaching Project said they are attempting to create a model that can be “scaled readily” and, right now, will cost nothing for school districts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the project is funded by grant money and donations that are made to the consortium, but Dolan eventually hopes to make a profit. The most expensive aspect of the course so far has been filming lectures and paying for post-production of videos, which have cost between $100,000 and $150,000. The program also pays college students from the University of Virginia and Yale who act as tutors and meet students in person during a two-week summer program in Mississippi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While staff at the Global Teaching Project would like to see students succeed on the AP exams, they also want to “build a community of achievement in rural Mississippi” that encourages students to “revise their notion of themselves and ambition for themselves.” Next year, the group hopes to offer additional AP courses to the participating schools in Mississippi, and is speaking with other districts around the country about expanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Holmes County Central High School principal Charles Lacy said the experience is teaching students that “it’s ok to be smart and work hard.” Lacy said he sees online and distance learning as the future when it comes to providing more opportunity for students in areas like Holmes, which doesn’t have certified AP teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It certainly is my hope that this is the pilot for what will be the model in years to come,” Lacy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Meeks said providing a high-quality option for students to take Advanced Placement classes could be a game-changer not just for schools in the Mississippi Delta, but for underprivileged schools nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it can succeed in Holmes County … it could succeed in any situation where children are in poverty and where [there is] a lack of resources,” Meeks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/c36ixT\">\u003cem>our newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/50701/can-online-learning-level-the-ap-playing-field-for-rural-students","authors":["byline_mindshift_50701"],"categories":["mindshift_192","mindshift_20546","mindshift_195"],"tags":["mindshift_912","mindshift_20784","mindshift_1040","mindshift_384","mindshift_607","mindshift_20627"],"featImg":"mindshift_50704","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_49391":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_49391","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"49391","score":null,"sort":[1518418482000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"why-even-young-students-benefit-from-connecting-globally","title":"Why Even Young Students Benefit From Connecting Globally","publishDate":1518418482,"format":"standard","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cp>\u003cem>The excerpt below is from the book \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Connected-Start-Global-Learning-Primary-ebook/dp/B00V8T8Z1S\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“Connected From the Start: Global Learning In the Primary Grades,”\u003c/a> by Kathy Cassidy, published by \u003ca href=\"http://plpnetwork.com/connected-from-the-start-book/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Powerful Learning Press\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Kathy Cassidy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some teachers I talk to say they do not have time to connect with other classrooms because they are too busy covering their curriculum. In fact, connecting with others is not an addition to our curriculum. It is not something we do after we have finished our reading and math for the day. It is the way we do our curriculum. From practicing counting by fives or comparing similarities and differences via Skype, to writing for a worldwide audience, to making and sharing videos of social studies concepts on our blogs, we connect and invite the world to learn with us and to help us learn. Although learning from others is a key reason why I continue to connect my classroom online, there are many other reasons as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Our Students Will Be Part Of a Hyper-Connected World\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The world seems to shrink a bit more every day. This has been the pattern for many decades. As this trend continues, the world that my students will be part of in their adult lives will be incredibly connected. Twenty-five years ago, I spent some time living in Thailand. When my husband and I left Canada to move there, we knew that our only connection with our family and friends would be letters and an occasional (and expensive) telephone call. If we were to make that move now, there would be a multitude of ways we could connect with home, both synchronously and asynchronously, anytime we chose. Although having a computer or device with an internet connection in my students’ homes becomes a little more common every year, not every child in my class has this access. Sometimes these children and their parents are able to access the Internet from a relative’s home or from the public library. What is clear is that we are continually moving toward the point at which every family will be connected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These connections are not restricted to our private lives. Business is also becoming more globally connected. It is possible and perhaps even probable that our students will spend much of their working lives in some kind of virtual conversation with colleagues from around the world. If that is even a possibility, we owe it to them to begin to prepare them for that option. We want to get them ready for the world they will be part of, not the world that we lived in as children, or even the world we live in now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. A Global Perspective Increases Empathy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The enthusiasm of my students at the discovery of the volcano near the Voyagers’ school was tempered by the fact that they knew volcanoes could be extremely dangerous. Because of our online connection and conversations, they felt about the students in New Zealand the same way as they did about the students in the classroom next door. They were concerned for their safety, and it was important to them to find out if their friends were in danger in the event of a volcanic eruption. It is easy to brush off dangers or catastrophic events when they do not personally affect your life. Knowing others who may be affected by that danger takes something abstract and makes it personal. You begin to care. My students were relieved to discover that the volcano in New Zealand did not spew lava—only ash—and that the ash had never endangered any of the students at the school in Palmerston North.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From children in places far from where we live, my students have learned that not everyone has the same alphabet, that people speak other languages, that some areas do not have snow in the winter, that children everywhere learn to read and write, that school rules can be different, and that, yes, there are trees in Wisconsin. Without our online connections, these global understandings might not have been gained for many years, if ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. Kids Often Learn Best From Other Kids\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids can often learn better from a classmate or another child than they can from their teacher. If you are a teacher, I’m sure you’ve seen this in your own classroom. I certainly have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_49425\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-49425 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-1020x765.jpg\" alt=\"A student practices reading with his Skype partner.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student practices reading with a teacher-in-training on Skype. \u003ccite>(Kathy Cassidy/\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/\">Flickr\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I remember one of the moments that this was hammered home to me. One of the objectives in my curriculum at the time was learning the difference between needs and wants. I planned and taught a couple of what I thought were fabulous lessons about what each of these concepts was and the difference between the two. Then, I asked the students to make a Common Craft type of video to show what they had learned. If you are not familiar with Common Craft, they have a series of simple but brilliant videos explaining concepts such as Twitter, social media, RSS and wikis. The camera points at a table and films the narrator’s hands. As he talks, the narrator pulls pieces of paper with simple drawings or words in and out of the camera’s view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My students’ task was to create a similar video to show what they had learned about the difference between needs and wants. When the videos were completed, it was obvious that despite my brilliant teaching, three of the students still did not understand the difference between these two words. Instead of re-teaching, I took those three students aside and showed them videos created by students who obviously had a clear grasp of the concepts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was like the lights went on. After having seen what their peers had created, those three students all clearly understood the differences, and they were able to go on to create a new video showing this learning. You can probably think of similar things that have happened in your own classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, imagine those “aha” moments happening through a connection with a child in another place your students have never been and will probably never have a chance to visit. I could have simply told my students that there are volcanoes in New Zealand, or read a book about children who wear uniforms to school, or shown a video about children who live near the ocean. Would my teaching have provoked the same learning? I don’t think so. As we talked with our Kiwi friends below the equator, the children could ask questions and get answers. They could observe the learning of the other children in response to the answers we gave. My students could be part of the lives of people who lived on the other side of the world. This vivid personal connection both inspired their learning and made it more meaningful to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. We Learn about Online Etiquette and Safety\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people worry that young children should not be online because they cannot be safe. Instead, I worry that young children who are isolated from social technologies will not learn HOW to be safe online. In our increasingly connected world, it is important for even five and six-year-olds to begin to learn what is appropriate when using technology to connect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_49427\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/8522478858/in/photolist-dZ6W3E-4u1Qzg-6p7Ay8\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-49427 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-1020x966.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Cassidy with her student.\" width=\"640\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-1020x966.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-160x152.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-800x758.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-768x728.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-1180x1118.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-960x910.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-240x227.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-375x355.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-520x493.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Cassidy with her student. \u003ccite>(A student)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While I agree we need to take steps to protect children, I think it is equally important that we begin to teach them how to handle themselves in virtual settings. Having them create digital content and interact in a safe manner is essential learning for a child growing up in the Internet age. Unfortunately, we are not having many conversations about this at the level where decisions are made about education policy and practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost everyone knows the story of an adult who, because of something that was posted online, was denied a chance at a job, or lost their employment, or was censured in some way. I know of a young man who was denied a chance to compete for a coveted job in tourism because the sponsoring organization found a video of him online using profanity at a professional football game. Incidents such as this are happening more and more often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue of online bullying is also gaining worldwide media attention. Many children and adults do not realize that once something is online, it stays online. You may be able to delete it from your website or Facebook page, but you must assume there will always be a record of what you posted somewhere in cyberspace. As significant as this issue has become in our lives, it will become even more important in the future as our world continues to become more connected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even 10 years ago, we could never have predicted how important the Internet and the connections it allows would become. A positive digital footprint is on its way to becoming an essential part of all our lives. Even five and six year olds can begin to understand this concept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My curriculum asks me to teach the students how to recognize potential safety risks in play areas. To my students, the Internet is a play area. Online safety is just one of the forms of safety that they need to learn to be healthy and secure as they grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When my own children were too young to cross the street on their own, I took their hand and crossed with them. As they grew, I let go of their hand and walked beside them. When they were ready, I watched as they crossed the street on their own. Finally, they were ready to do it entirely without me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When my primary-aged students begin to interact online, I do not set them loose to explore on their own. I figuratively take their hand and we do things together. After much modeling, I let the students do it while I watch. When those habits are firmly established, I watch from afar while they do it without me. I do this to ensure that they interact online in a safe and appropriate way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. I Place a High Value on Serendipity\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Time and again, our classroom interactions with students far away have resulted in unforeseen learning. When we began connecting with the classroom in New Zealand, I had no idea that they lived near the ocean or that they had a volcano nearby. Those unexpected realities led to serendipitous learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the years, we have “accidentally” discovered that some schools have no girls, that some people go swimming on Christmas Day and that some schools have no school buses. We’ve learned what it looks like to have a tornado drill in a classroom. Year after year, I have let the students “discover” for themselves that when we chat with students in Australia or New Zealand, it is already the next day there. The learning is much stickier when they suddenly perceive that the kids down under are having summer when we are having winter and that not everyone wears snow clothes for four months of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day my class received a package in the mail from New Zealand. It contained some wonderful treasures such as kina and paua shells and ash from a “real” volcano. This led to more wonderful questions about why the pumice was so light and how the paua shell got to be blue inside, and why anyone would think to eat the spiky kina shellfish! More serendipity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These kinds of connections bring something to the classroom that nothing else can. Connecting globally has changed my classroom and my teaching practice in such a profound way that I feel almost claustrophobic thinking about old-style instruction. Maybe you already enjoy this same sense of freedom to connect. If not, let me introduce you to the tools I use to lower our classroom walls and welcome the world in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kathycassidy?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kathy Cassidy\u003c/a> is a Grade One teacher for Prairie South Schools in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada, and an Apple Distinguished Educator. Since 2005, she has been integrating various technologies into her teaching practice to help “connect” her primary-grades students so they can become global learners. In addition to her widely followed \u003ca href=\"http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">classroom blog\u003c/a>, she writes about her professional work at \u003ca href=\"http://kathycassidy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Primary Preoccupation\u003c/a> and for the \u003ca href=\"http://plpnetwork.com/category/voices/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Voices from the Learning Revolution\u003c/a> group blog.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"First grade teacher Kathy Cassidy shares why she believes it's important to connect her young students with learners around the world.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1518418482,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":32,"wordCount":2093},"headData":{"title":"Why Even Young Students Benefit From Connecting Globally | KQED","description":"First grade teacher Kathy Cassidy shares why she believes it's important to connect her young students with learners around the world.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Why Even Young Students Benefit From Connecting Globally","datePublished":"2018-02-12T06:54:42.000Z","dateModified":"2018-02-12T06:54:42.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"49391 https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=49391","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2018/02/11/why-even-young-students-benefit-from-connecting-globally/","disqusTitle":"Why Even Young Students Benefit From Connecting Globally","path":"/mindshift/49391/why-even-young-students-benefit-from-connecting-globally","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>The excerpt below is from the book \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Connected-Start-Global-Learning-Primary-ebook/dp/B00V8T8Z1S\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“Connected From the Start: Global Learning In the Primary Grades,”\u003c/a> by Kathy Cassidy, published by \u003ca href=\"http://plpnetwork.com/connected-from-the-start-book/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Powerful Learning Press\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Kathy Cassidy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some teachers I talk to say they do not have time to connect with other classrooms because they are too busy covering their curriculum. In fact, connecting with others is not an addition to our curriculum. It is not something we do after we have finished our reading and math for the day. It is the way we do our curriculum. From practicing counting by fives or comparing similarities and differences via Skype, to writing for a worldwide audience, to making and sharing videos of social studies concepts on our blogs, we connect and invite the world to learn with us and to help us learn. Although learning from others is a key reason why I continue to connect my classroom online, there are many other reasons as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Our Students Will Be Part Of a Hyper-Connected World\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The world seems to shrink a bit more every day. This has been the pattern for many decades. As this trend continues, the world that my students will be part of in their adult lives will be incredibly connected. Twenty-five years ago, I spent some time living in Thailand. When my husband and I left Canada to move there, we knew that our only connection with our family and friends would be letters and an occasional (and expensive) telephone call. If we were to make that move now, there would be a multitude of ways we could connect with home, both synchronously and asynchronously, anytime we chose. Although having a computer or device with an internet connection in my students’ homes becomes a little more common every year, not every child in my class has this access. Sometimes these children and their parents are able to access the Internet from a relative’s home or from the public library. What is clear is that we are continually moving toward the point at which every family will be connected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These connections are not restricted to our private lives. Business is also becoming more globally connected. It is possible and perhaps even probable that our students will spend much of their working lives in some kind of virtual conversation with colleagues from around the world. If that is even a possibility, we owe it to them to begin to prepare them for that option. We want to get them ready for the world they will be part of, not the world that we lived in as children, or even the world we live in now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. A Global Perspective Increases Empathy\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The enthusiasm of my students at the discovery of the volcano near the Voyagers’ school was tempered by the fact that they knew volcanoes could be extremely dangerous. Because of our online connection and conversations, they felt about the students in New Zealand the same way as they did about the students in the classroom next door. They were concerned for their safety, and it was important to them to find out if their friends were in danger in the event of a volcanic eruption. It is easy to brush off dangers or catastrophic events when they do not personally affect your life. Knowing others who may be affected by that danger takes something abstract and makes it personal. You begin to care. My students were relieved to discover that the volcano in New Zealand did not spew lava—only ash—and that the ash had never endangered any of the students at the school in Palmerston North.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From children in places far from where we live, my students have learned that not everyone has the same alphabet, that people speak other languages, that some areas do not have snow in the winter, that children everywhere learn to read and write, that school rules can be different, and that, yes, there are trees in Wisconsin. Without our online connections, these global understandings might not have been gained for many years, if ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. Kids Often Learn Best From Other Kids\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids can often learn better from a classmate or another child than they can from their teacher. If you are a teacher, I’m sure you’ve seen this in your own classroom. I certainly have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_49425\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-49425 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-1020x765.jpg\" alt=\"A student practices reading with his Skype partner.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/6910692050_bd5bd10c8d_k-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student practices reading with a teacher-in-training on Skype. \u003ccite>(Kathy Cassidy/\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/\">Flickr\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I remember one of the moments that this was hammered home to me. One of the objectives in my curriculum at the time was learning the difference between needs and wants. I planned and taught a couple of what I thought were fabulous lessons about what each of these concepts was and the difference between the two. Then, I asked the students to make a Common Craft type of video to show what they had learned. If you are not familiar with Common Craft, they have a series of simple but brilliant videos explaining concepts such as Twitter, social media, RSS and wikis. The camera points at a table and films the narrator’s hands. As he talks, the narrator pulls pieces of paper with simple drawings or words in and out of the camera’s view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My students’ task was to create a similar video to show what they had learned about the difference between needs and wants. When the videos were completed, it was obvious that despite my brilliant teaching, three of the students still did not understand the difference between these two words. Instead of re-teaching, I took those three students aside and showed them videos created by students who obviously had a clear grasp of the concepts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was like the lights went on. After having seen what their peers had created, those three students all clearly understood the differences, and they were able to go on to create a new video showing this learning. You can probably think of similar things that have happened in your own classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, imagine those “aha” moments happening through a connection with a child in another place your students have never been and will probably never have a chance to visit. I could have simply told my students that there are volcanoes in New Zealand, or read a book about children who wear uniforms to school, or shown a video about children who live near the ocean. Would my teaching have provoked the same learning? I don’t think so. As we talked with our Kiwi friends below the equator, the children could ask questions and get answers. They could observe the learning of the other children in response to the answers we gave. My students could be part of the lives of people who lived on the other side of the world. This vivid personal connection both inspired their learning and made it more meaningful to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. We Learn about Online Etiquette and Safety\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people worry that young children should not be online because they cannot be safe. Instead, I worry that young children who are isolated from social technologies will not learn HOW to be safe online. In our increasingly connected world, it is important for even five and six-year-olds to begin to learn what is appropriate when using technology to connect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_49427\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/8522478858/in/photolist-dZ6W3E-4u1Qzg-6p7Ay8\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-49427 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-1020x966.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Cassidy with her student.\" width=\"640\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-1020x966.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-160x152.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-800x758.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-768x728.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-1180x1118.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-960x910.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-240x227.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-375x355.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h-520x493.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2017/10/8522478858_21951c49c8_h.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Cassidy with her student. \u003ccite>(A student)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While I agree we need to take steps to protect children, I think it is equally important that we begin to teach them how to handle themselves in virtual settings. Having them create digital content and interact in a safe manner is essential learning for a child growing up in the Internet age. Unfortunately, we are not having many conversations about this at the level where decisions are made about education policy and practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost everyone knows the story of an adult who, because of something that was posted online, was denied a chance at a job, or lost their employment, or was censured in some way. I know of a young man who was denied a chance to compete for a coveted job in tourism because the sponsoring organization found a video of him online using profanity at a professional football game. Incidents such as this are happening more and more often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue of online bullying is also gaining worldwide media attention. Many children and adults do not realize that once something is online, it stays online. You may be able to delete it from your website or Facebook page, but you must assume there will always be a record of what you posted somewhere in cyberspace. As significant as this issue has become in our lives, it will become even more important in the future as our world continues to become more connected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even 10 years ago, we could never have predicted how important the Internet and the connections it allows would become. A positive digital footprint is on its way to becoming an essential part of all our lives. Even five and six year olds can begin to understand this concept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My curriculum asks me to teach the students how to recognize potential safety risks in play areas. To my students, the Internet is a play area. Online safety is just one of the forms of safety that they need to learn to be healthy and secure as they grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When my own children were too young to cross the street on their own, I took their hand and crossed with them. As they grew, I let go of their hand and walked beside them. When they were ready, I watched as they crossed the street on their own. Finally, they were ready to do it entirely without me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When my primary-aged students begin to interact online, I do not set them loose to explore on their own. I figuratively take their hand and we do things together. After much modeling, I let the students do it while I watch. When those habits are firmly established, I watch from afar while they do it without me. I do this to ensure that they interact online in a safe and appropriate way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. I Place a High Value on Serendipity\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Time and again, our classroom interactions with students far away have resulted in unforeseen learning. When we began connecting with the classroom in New Zealand, I had no idea that they lived near the ocean or that they had a volcano nearby. Those unexpected realities led to serendipitous learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the years, we have “accidentally” discovered that some schools have no girls, that some people go swimming on Christmas Day and that some schools have no school buses. We’ve learned what it looks like to have a tornado drill in a classroom. Year after year, I have let the students “discover” for themselves that when we chat with students in Australia or New Zealand, it is already the next day there. The learning is much stickier when they suddenly perceive that the kids down under are having summer when we are having winter and that not everyone wears snow clothes for four months of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day my class received a package in the mail from New Zealand. It contained some wonderful treasures such as kina and paua shells and ash from a “real” volcano. This led to more wonderful questions about why the pumice was so light and how the paua shell got to be blue inside, and why anyone would think to eat the spiky kina shellfish! More serendipity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These kinds of connections bring something to the classroom that nothing else can. Connecting globally has changed my classroom and my teaching practice in such a profound way that I feel almost claustrophobic thinking about old-style instruction. Maybe you already enjoy this same sense of freedom to connect. If not, let me introduce you to the tools I use to lower our classroom walls and welcome the world in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kathycassidy?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kathy Cassidy\u003c/a> is a Grade One teacher for Prairie South Schools in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada, and an Apple Distinguished Educator. Since 2005, she has been integrating various technologies into her teaching practice to help “connect” her primary-grades students so they can become global learners. In addition to her widely followed \u003ca href=\"http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">classroom blog\u003c/a>, she writes about her professional work at \u003ca href=\"http://kathycassidy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Primary Preoccupation\u003c/a> and for the \u003ca href=\"http://plpnetwork.com/category/voices/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Voices from the Learning Revolution\u003c/a> group blog.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/49391/why-even-young-students-benefit-from-connecting-globally","authors":["4354"],"categories":["mindshift_20546","mindshift_195","mindshift_193"],"tags":["mindshift_1015","mindshift_20678","mindshift_21101","mindshift_20784","mindshift_1040","mindshift_85","mindshift_30"],"featImg":"mindshift_49424","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_42886":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_42886","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"42886","score":null,"sort":[1448352038000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"what-a-school-district-designed-for-computational-thinking-looks-like","title":"What a School District Designed for Computational Thinking Looks Like","publishDate":1448352038,"format":"standard","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cp>SOUTH FAYETTE, PA. — Diagrams of simple machines — a pulley, an inclined plane, a lever — appeared on the massive whiteboard of a school STEAM lab (STEM subjects plus Art) in South Fayette, a fast-growing suburb of Pittsburgh. Two dozen fifth graders, split into teams of four, busily sketched designs for “Rube Goldberg machines” that would turn on and off lights or feed the lab’s pet fish. No single child designed a complete machine. Instead, each team member spent a few minutes sketching out how one part — a marble run, say, or a Lego Robotics kicking foot — would operate within the machine. Then they switched papers and the next person added onto the design with another part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two other STEAM labs in this school for third, fourth and fifth graders, which South Fayette opened in 2013. They’re in the center of each floor, with regular classrooms on either side, a layout that reflects a philosophy transforming the entire district. In the past five years, South Fayette has leveraged grant funding, new-school construction and creative scheduling to give nearly 3,000 kids, from kindergarten through 12th grade, dedicated spaces for hands-on projects — coding, 3-D printing, computer-aided design and robotics — as part of their regular curriculum. The STEAM labs, STEAM coordinators and technology education teachers are part of a district-wide embrace of “computational thinking.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Computational thinking is intimately related to computer coding, which every kid in South Fayette starts learning in first grade. But they are not one and the same. At its core, computational thinking means breaking complex challenges into smaller questions that can be solved with a computer’s number crunching, data compiling and sorting capabilities. Proponents say it’s a problem-solving approach that works in any field, noting that computer modeling, big data and simulations are used in everything from textual analysis to medical research and environmental protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last few years, many schools and enterprising teachers have tried to infuse coding and computational thinking into a wide range of classes, including arts and humanities courses. What makes South Fayette unique is that computational thinking is now at the heart of everything they do — from students’ first day of kindergarten until they graduate from high school. Could it be a model for taking ed-tech full throttle?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Fayette’s four schools all sit on a single campus overlooking a rolling green expanse of farmland that will soon be gobbled up by housing developments. The population in this region around Pittsburgh is surging, thanks to a thriving medical and technology economy and a natural gas-fracking boom. South Fayette’s high-performing schools make it attractive for newcomers with kids, and it’s among the fastest-growing districts in Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The South Fayette school district’s transformation began on a rainy October afternoon in 2010 when Aileen Owens, the district’s newly hired director of technology and innovation, got a call from Frank Kruth, a middle school science teacher. Kruth ran an after-school STEAM club for girls, and the rain had dashed their hopes of launching rockets. He needed a plan B. So he asked Owens if she could swing by and teach the girls Scratch, a “block-based” computer programming language in which students program computers by stacking color-coded digital blocks of plain English commands rather than keying in the precise syntax of a text-based coding language such as Java.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went in, and the girls were so enamored with coding that they asked me back the next week,” Owens recalled. The girls quickly moved well beyond the tutorials and started experimenting and coding little animations related to topics they were studying in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The STEAM club success gave Owens and like-minded teachers such as Kruth, who is now the middle school STEAM coordinator, a model they would use to remake the entire district over the next five years. They started incubating coding, robotics and other computational project classes in after-school programs and summer clubs. Then they would show off the students’ projects and enthusiasm to teachers, who would soon ask for help incorporating the technology into their classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We started being invited into classrooms,” said Owens. “We might go to a third-grade teacher or the middle school art teacher and say, ‘What do you think about using Scratch?’ Then we would go in and co-teach a class with them and help them fit it into their lesson plans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_42891\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 816px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-42891\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4.jpg\" alt=\"Children in fifth grade at South Fayette elementary school collaborate to make their Rube Goldberg machines do what they wish. \" width=\"816\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4.jpg 816w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children in fifth grade at South Fayette elementary school collaborate to make their Rube Goldberg machines do what they wish. \u003ccite>(Chris Berdik)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Owen’s first STEAM assistant, Melissa Unger, now teaches the elementary school STEAM lab, which is filled with bins of age-appropriate supplies—markers, clay, straws, motors, pipe cleaners, bottle caps, sensors, felt and wires. On multicolored posters, kids have translated lines of Scratch into English: “Start flag. Go forward five. Go right two. Wait two seconds. Spin around three times. Repeat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Classroom teachers take kids through Unger’s lab for one period, three days in a row, followed by six days off. To make a little extra room in the schedule, on lab days the teachers also dispense with the morning “seat time” of class announcements and discussion. And the STEAM projects mingle with their regular lesson plans. For instance, one class of second-graders recently learned how to use simple circuits to make a game in which the correct answer to a double-digit math problem would light up a little bulb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Last year, we did a digital storytelling project in here using stop-motion photography,” Unger said. “It was spring, and the kids were learning about the life cycle of a butterfly in their regular classroom. So the teachers took that technology piece out of here and back to their classrooms, where students created animations of the life cycle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In elementary school, students learn the foundations of computational thinking, such as collaborative problem-solving and trial and error. For example, Unger made sure the kids tested every circuit they made for their math game before moving on to the next one. If one didn’t work, they needed to figure out why and fix it. That required persistence and good communication with fellow students, two of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.chsvt.org/wdp/Habits_of_Mind.pdf\">“habits of mind”\u003c/a> prominently displayed and reinforced in South Fayette classrooms as critical supports for successful computational problem-solving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not just South Fayette’s students who must master this type of self-directed, collaborative, project-based learning. Classroom teachers admit that it took some time to adjust to the new focus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At first, it scared me to death,” said fourth-grade teacher Samantha Bozzer. “If you give them a challenge, and no hands shoot up with the answer, your first thought is, ‘I must be a terrible teacher.’ You have to get comfortable watching them struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her third year at South Fayette, Bozzer said she’s still getting used to it: “There are times when they’re just looking at me like, ‘help!’ And I want to help. But when I tell them to turn to each other, use prior knowledge, explore and work through it, that’s when some of the best, deepest learning happens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_42889\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 816px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-42889\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren Damico, a fifth grader, draws her contribution to the design of her class’s Rube Goldberg machine. \" width=\"816\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2.jpg 816w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lauren Damico, a fifth grader, draws her contribution to the design of her class’s Rube Goldberg machine. \u003ccite>(Aileen Owens)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Three new 3-D printers hummed quietly in Anthony Mannarino’s seventh-grade technology education class. A large display window allowed passersby in the hallway to watch the printer platforms pivot and gyrate as various student projects gradually took shape in orange plastic. Students have created everything from model planes to gears to more ergonomic handles for pots and pans, all designed on the computer and printed out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whatever you design, there’s a lot of math,” one student said. And there’s plenty of trial and error. “I printed a case for my phone, and the first time, it was a couple millimeters off,” the student explained. “So I had to fix it and print it again. You have to keep trying until you get the result that you want.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An after-school club of middle school girls assembled and programmed these printers with grant-purchased kits from the Ohio-based education technology company INVENTORCloud. According to Owens, a couple of girls from that group let slip that they couldn’t wait for a printer malfunction so they could show off their technical chops and fix it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middle school in South Fayette starts the transition to specific technology skill courses, such as mobile app development. Also, a STEAM coordinator works with subject teachers to weave the technologies into their lesson plans. Students have made apps to help learn foreign languages. They have parlayed a science lesson on energy into the building of tiny, electrified, energy-efficient houses. They’ve used Scratch to animate their writings from English class and mixed music lessons with coding to build digital bands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mannarino’s classroom, the 3-D printer hum was soon drowned out by the excited chatter of kids taking their seats at computer workstations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ok guys, let’s settle down! Now, go ahead and open up App Inventor,” Mannarino called out, referring to another block-based coding language, developed at MIT for making mobile apps. The class was finishing a tutorial begun the day before: how to build a simple app in which a button with a cat picture meowed when tapped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to go over a few little things that I saw some people were having trouble with,” Mannarino said. He walked them through the steps for adding and subtracting components, such as sounds and buttons, and for changing the properties of those components. Within minutes, a chorus of meows filled the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students’ next app project was a “magic 8 ball” that generated answers to questions when somebody shook the phone. The app used a sensor hardwired into smartphones called an accelerometer, which detects physical movement. It’s what triggers the display to shift from vertical to horizontal when a phone flips. After some initial instructions, Mannarino stepped away from his computer monitor’s projection at the front of the room, and his students set to work on the app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In every class, I have a few students who go above and beyond, and go home to teach themselves and create their own apps that they bring into to show me,” Mannarino said. He showed off a few student-created games on his tablet — one with a Pong-like bouncing ball and another in which a basket caught falling apples while avoiding falling bombs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Fayette teachers and administrators recruit such self-motivated students for more practical challenges in after-school and summer workshops. For instance, last year, Owen asked Parv Shrivastava, who was then in seventh grade and had taught himself Java and C++, to help a team of high school coders. The team was making an app that could use radio-frequency tags to keep track of students getting on or off school buses. This year, an after-school group is working on an app linked to moisture sensors in the school’s outdoor “Discovery Garden” that will send alerts when the plants need water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mannarino’s next class, students used a Scratch-like code to program robots for a simulated search-and-rescue mission. The kids had three classes to get their robot through the floor plan of a building where the first room had a “fire” that the robot had to extinguish; the next room was cluttered with debris that the robot had to navigate; the third room had to be searched and signaled “all clear,” and the fourth room had a box of “explosives” that the robot needed to pick up and carry to a safe area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the first class, I told them to break it down into four smaller codes, because if they try to program everything at once, there’s just going to be a ton of issues,” Mannarino explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_42888\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 816px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-42888\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fifth graders at work on their Rube Goldberg machine in the STEAM Lab in South Fayette intermediate school. \" width=\"816\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1.jpg 816w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fifth graders at work on their Rube Goldberg machine in the STEAM Lab in South Fayette intermediate school. \u003ccite>(Chris Berdik)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Admittedly, South Fayette is a relatively affluent district. Only about 12 percent of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, according to district administrators, compared to the state average of 40 percent, and it has a higher median household income than 85 percent of Pennsylvania districts, according to the most recent Census data. Computing devices and broadband Internet are abundant both inside and outside of school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the district’s leaders insist that their model isn’t just for wealthy schools. Since 2013, South Fayette has partnered on grants with less-advantaged districts to help their schools upgrade devices and jumpstart their own STEAM labs and after-school technology pilots. The districts include the inner city Manchester Academic Charter School in Pittsburgh and nearby Fort Cherry, where farms still dominate the landscape. South Fayette has hosted students from these neighboring schools for coding and robotics workshops, and its STEAM coordinators have given the schools classroom support and professional development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Fort Cherry’s curriculum director, Trisha Craig, before her district’s partnerships with South Fayette began, their technology programs “were sporadic” rather than aligned. “We had good technology initiatives here,” said Craig, “but we didn’t have the K-12 comprehensive program, and that’s what we really wanted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in South Fayette, they aren’t finished building. Plans for a major expansion of the high school include a “fab lab” filled with 3-D printers and other computer-guided fabrication machinery. Technology integration in the high school is similar to the middle school, but more advanced and more elective — students can take courses in technology entrepreneurship and human-centered design, as well as the usual Advanced Placement programming classes. Several of South Fayette’s high school students have printed up business cards declaring themselves “computational thinking consultants,” and they have competed and won a number of statewide and national STEM innovation challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last April, for example, a team of South Fayette high school coders presented their customizable flashcard application called MyEduDecks at an education technology workshop hosted by Microsoft in Seattle. Another South Fayette team won an award for engineering a new geriatric walker that deploys an extra stabilizer when helping someone get up from a chair and sounds an alarm when the walker is tipped beyond its center of gravity, among other features.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked if there are aspects of education in which computational thinking is extraneous, or if a school might risk losing something by focusing too much on computational learning, South Fayette superintendent Bille Rondinelli demurred.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not out to create an army of coders; we want to create students who will be successful in the world,” Rondinelli said. “It’s not that we’ve veered away from traditional education. But we’ve built in a research and development space with these labs and STEAM coordinators that allows us to change and adapt as the world changes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"article-quote new-pullquote is-double-quote\">\u003c/aside>\n\u003caside class=\"article-quote new-pullquote is-double-quote\">South Fayette’s assistant superintendent, Michael Loughead, noted that the district’s already impressive statewide assessment scores have increased in tandem with the computational-thinking initiatives. In 2015, South Fayette was number one in the \u003cem>Pittsburgh Business Times\u003c/em> annual rankings of western Pennsylvania school districts, completing a steady climb from number 15 in 2007. “Some districts feel that the only way to raise test scores is to focus on the test,” Loughead said. “But when we have engaged students who understand concepts deeply, we don’t need to sacrifice one thing for the other.”When pressed, a few high school students admitted to one or two classes in which technology or a computational project didn’t seem to add much value. But the dominant sentiment from interviews with these students was that they wished they’d gotten in on the ground floor of the district’s computational overhaul.In his elementary and middle school years, junior Nick Wilke, a member of the MyEduDecks team, considered coding to be “black magic.” His computer, he said, “was this magic box that I played games on. Actually making my own games for it seemed unattainable, really.”Indeed, the real value of South Fayette’s initiative will only be evident when today’s first-graders are high school seniors, said Brian Garlick, the high school industrial technology teacher. Last summer, Garlick agreed to lead a 3-D printing workshop for a group of fourth- through seventh-graders.\n\u003cp>“I’ve been a high school teacher my whole career, and I’ve had some pretty bright kids. But these kids are going to blow them away,” said Garlick. “They were able to do the sequential steps of designing something on the computer without even thinking. They are so in tune with the tools at their discretion. Coding and 3-D printing is all second nature to them. I’m in the 27th year of my career, and I’m excited. I want to hang on for another ten years just to see what these kids can do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"http://www.hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cem>The Hechinger Report\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. This story also appeared in Slate. Read more about\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/blended-learning/\">\u003cem>Blended Learning\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/aside>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Through computational thinking, schools are developing ways to apply problem solving principles to everyday learning. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1448352038,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":39,"wordCount":3045},"headData":{"title":"What a School District Designed for Computational Thinking Looks Like | KQED","description":"Through computational thinking, schools are developing ways to apply problem solving principles to everyday learning. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"What a School District Designed for Computational Thinking Looks Like","datePublished":"2015-11-24T08:00:38.000Z","dateModified":"2015-11-24T08:00:38.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"42886 http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=42886","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/24/what-a-school-district-designed-for-computational-thinking-looks-like/","disqusTitle":"What a School District Designed for Computational Thinking Looks Like","nprByline":"Chris Berdik, The Hechinger Report","path":"/mindshift/42886/what-a-school-district-designed-for-computational-thinking-looks-like","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>SOUTH FAYETTE, PA. — Diagrams of simple machines — a pulley, an inclined plane, a lever — appeared on the massive whiteboard of a school STEAM lab (STEM subjects plus Art) in South Fayette, a fast-growing suburb of Pittsburgh. Two dozen fifth graders, split into teams of four, busily sketched designs for “Rube Goldberg machines” that would turn on and off lights or feed the lab’s pet fish. No single child designed a complete machine. Instead, each team member spent a few minutes sketching out how one part — a marble run, say, or a Lego Robotics kicking foot — would operate within the machine. Then they switched papers and the next person added onto the design with another part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two other STEAM labs in this school for third, fourth and fifth graders, which South Fayette opened in 2013. They’re in the center of each floor, with regular classrooms on either side, a layout that reflects a philosophy transforming the entire district. In the past five years, South Fayette has leveraged grant funding, new-school construction and creative scheduling to give nearly 3,000 kids, from kindergarten through 12th grade, dedicated spaces for hands-on projects — coding, 3-D printing, computer-aided design and robotics — as part of their regular curriculum. The STEAM labs, STEAM coordinators and technology education teachers are part of a district-wide embrace of “computational thinking.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Computational thinking is intimately related to computer coding, which every kid in South Fayette starts learning in first grade. But they are not one and the same. At its core, computational thinking means breaking complex challenges into smaller questions that can be solved with a computer’s number crunching, data compiling and sorting capabilities. Proponents say it’s a problem-solving approach that works in any field, noting that computer modeling, big data and simulations are used in everything from textual analysis to medical research and environmental protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last few years, many schools and enterprising teachers have tried to infuse coding and computational thinking into a wide range of classes, including arts and humanities courses. What makes South Fayette unique is that computational thinking is now at the heart of everything they do — from students’ first day of kindergarten until they graduate from high school. Could it be a model for taking ed-tech full throttle?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Fayette’s four schools all sit on a single campus overlooking a rolling green expanse of farmland that will soon be gobbled up by housing developments. The population in this region around Pittsburgh is surging, thanks to a thriving medical and technology economy and a natural gas-fracking boom. South Fayette’s high-performing schools make it attractive for newcomers with kids, and it’s among the fastest-growing districts in Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The South Fayette school district’s transformation began on a rainy October afternoon in 2010 when Aileen Owens, the district’s newly hired director of technology and innovation, got a call from Frank Kruth, a middle school science teacher. Kruth ran an after-school STEAM club for girls, and the rain had dashed their hopes of launching rockets. He needed a plan B. So he asked Owens if she could swing by and teach the girls Scratch, a “block-based” computer programming language in which students program computers by stacking color-coded digital blocks of plain English commands rather than keying in the precise syntax of a text-based coding language such as Java.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went in, and the girls were so enamored with coding that they asked me back the next week,” Owens recalled. The girls quickly moved well beyond the tutorials and started experimenting and coding little animations related to topics they were studying in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The STEAM club success gave Owens and like-minded teachers such as Kruth, who is now the middle school STEAM coordinator, a model they would use to remake the entire district over the next five years. They started incubating coding, robotics and other computational project classes in after-school programs and summer clubs. Then they would show off the students’ projects and enthusiasm to teachers, who would soon ask for help incorporating the technology into their classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We started being invited into classrooms,” said Owens. “We might go to a third-grade teacher or the middle school art teacher and say, ‘What do you think about using Scratch?’ Then we would go in and co-teach a class with them and help them fit it into their lesson plans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_42891\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 816px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-42891\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4.jpg\" alt=\"Children in fifth grade at South Fayette elementary school collaborate to make their Rube Goldberg machines do what they wish. \" width=\"816\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4.jpg 816w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-4-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children in fifth grade at South Fayette elementary school collaborate to make their Rube Goldberg machines do what they wish. \u003ccite>(Chris Berdik)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Owen’s first STEAM assistant, Melissa Unger, now teaches the elementary school STEAM lab, which is filled with bins of age-appropriate supplies—markers, clay, straws, motors, pipe cleaners, bottle caps, sensors, felt and wires. On multicolored posters, kids have translated lines of Scratch into English: “Start flag. Go forward five. Go right two. Wait two seconds. Spin around three times. Repeat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Classroom teachers take kids through Unger’s lab for one period, three days in a row, followed by six days off. To make a little extra room in the schedule, on lab days the teachers also dispense with the morning “seat time” of class announcements and discussion. And the STEAM projects mingle with their regular lesson plans. For instance, one class of second-graders recently learned how to use simple circuits to make a game in which the correct answer to a double-digit math problem would light up a little bulb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Last year, we did a digital storytelling project in here using stop-motion photography,” Unger said. “It was spring, and the kids were learning about the life cycle of a butterfly in their regular classroom. So the teachers took that technology piece out of here and back to their classrooms, where students created animations of the life cycle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In elementary school, students learn the foundations of computational thinking, such as collaborative problem-solving and trial and error. For example, Unger made sure the kids tested every circuit they made for their math game before moving on to the next one. If one didn’t work, they needed to figure out why and fix it. That required persistence and good communication with fellow students, two of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.chsvt.org/wdp/Habits_of_Mind.pdf\">“habits of mind”\u003c/a> prominently displayed and reinforced in South Fayette classrooms as critical supports for successful computational problem-solving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not just South Fayette’s students who must master this type of self-directed, collaborative, project-based learning. Classroom teachers admit that it took some time to adjust to the new focus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At first, it scared me to death,” said fourth-grade teacher Samantha Bozzer. “If you give them a challenge, and no hands shoot up with the answer, your first thought is, ‘I must be a terrible teacher.’ You have to get comfortable watching them struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her third year at South Fayette, Bozzer said she’s still getting used to it: “There are times when they’re just looking at me like, ‘help!’ And I want to help. But when I tell them to turn to each other, use prior knowledge, explore and work through it, that’s when some of the best, deepest learning happens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_42889\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 816px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-42889\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren Damico, a fifth grader, draws her contribution to the design of her class’s Rube Goldberg machine. \" width=\"816\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2.jpg 816w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-2-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lauren Damico, a fifth grader, draws her contribution to the design of her class’s Rube Goldberg machine. \u003ccite>(Aileen Owens)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Three new 3-D printers hummed quietly in Anthony Mannarino’s seventh-grade technology education class. A large display window allowed passersby in the hallway to watch the printer platforms pivot and gyrate as various student projects gradually took shape in orange plastic. Students have created everything from model planes to gears to more ergonomic handles for pots and pans, all designed on the computer and printed out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whatever you design, there’s a lot of math,” one student said. And there’s plenty of trial and error. “I printed a case for my phone, and the first time, it was a couple millimeters off,” the student explained. “So I had to fix it and print it again. You have to keep trying until you get the result that you want.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An after-school club of middle school girls assembled and programmed these printers with grant-purchased kits from the Ohio-based education technology company INVENTORCloud. According to Owens, a couple of girls from that group let slip that they couldn’t wait for a printer malfunction so they could show off their technical chops and fix it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middle school in South Fayette starts the transition to specific technology skill courses, such as mobile app development. Also, a STEAM coordinator works with subject teachers to weave the technologies into their lesson plans. Students have made apps to help learn foreign languages. They have parlayed a science lesson on energy into the building of tiny, electrified, energy-efficient houses. They’ve used Scratch to animate their writings from English class and mixed music lessons with coding to build digital bands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mannarino’s classroom, the 3-D printer hum was soon drowned out by the excited chatter of kids taking their seats at computer workstations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ok guys, let’s settle down! Now, go ahead and open up App Inventor,” Mannarino called out, referring to another block-based coding language, developed at MIT for making mobile apps. The class was finishing a tutorial begun the day before: how to build a simple app in which a button with a cat picture meowed when tapped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to go over a few little things that I saw some people were having trouble with,” Mannarino said. He walked them through the steps for adding and subtracting components, such as sounds and buttons, and for changing the properties of those components. Within minutes, a chorus of meows filled the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students’ next app project was a “magic 8 ball” that generated answers to questions when somebody shook the phone. The app used a sensor hardwired into smartphones called an accelerometer, which detects physical movement. It’s what triggers the display to shift from vertical to horizontal when a phone flips. After some initial instructions, Mannarino stepped away from his computer monitor’s projection at the front of the room, and his students set to work on the app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In every class, I have a few students who go above and beyond, and go home to teach themselves and create their own apps that they bring into to show me,” Mannarino said. He showed off a few student-created games on his tablet — one with a Pong-like bouncing ball and another in which a basket caught falling apples while avoiding falling bombs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Fayette teachers and administrators recruit such self-motivated students for more practical challenges in after-school and summer workshops. For instance, last year, Owen asked Parv Shrivastava, who was then in seventh grade and had taught himself Java and C++, to help a team of high school coders. The team was making an app that could use radio-frequency tags to keep track of students getting on or off school buses. This year, an after-school group is working on an app linked to moisture sensors in the school’s outdoor “Discovery Garden” that will send alerts when the plants need water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mannarino’s next class, students used a Scratch-like code to program robots for a simulated search-and-rescue mission. The kids had three classes to get their robot through the floor plan of a building where the first room had a “fire” that the robot had to extinguish; the next room was cluttered with debris that the robot had to navigate; the third room had to be searched and signaled “all clear,” and the fourth room had a box of “explosives” that the robot needed to pick up and carry to a safe area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the first class, I told them to break it down into four smaller codes, because if they try to program everything at once, there’s just going to be a ton of issues,” Mannarino explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_42888\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 816px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-42888\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fifth graders at work on their Rube Goldberg machine in the STEAM Lab in South Fayette intermediate school. \" width=\"816\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1.jpg 816w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2015/11/Berdik-1-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fifth graders at work on their Rube Goldberg machine in the STEAM Lab in South Fayette intermediate school. \u003ccite>(Chris Berdik)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Admittedly, South Fayette is a relatively affluent district. Only about 12 percent of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, according to district administrators, compared to the state average of 40 percent, and it has a higher median household income than 85 percent of Pennsylvania districts, according to the most recent Census data. Computing devices and broadband Internet are abundant both inside and outside of school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the district’s leaders insist that their model isn’t just for wealthy schools. Since 2013, South Fayette has partnered on grants with less-advantaged districts to help their schools upgrade devices and jumpstart their own STEAM labs and after-school technology pilots. The districts include the inner city Manchester Academic Charter School in Pittsburgh and nearby Fort Cherry, where farms still dominate the landscape. South Fayette has hosted students from these neighboring schools for coding and robotics workshops, and its STEAM coordinators have given the schools classroom support and professional development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Fort Cherry’s curriculum director, Trisha Craig, before her district’s partnerships with South Fayette began, their technology programs “were sporadic” rather than aligned. “We had good technology initiatives here,” said Craig, “but we didn’t have the K-12 comprehensive program, and that’s what we really wanted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in South Fayette, they aren’t finished building. Plans for a major expansion of the high school include a “fab lab” filled with 3-D printers and other computer-guided fabrication machinery. Technology integration in the high school is similar to the middle school, but more advanced and more elective — students can take courses in technology entrepreneurship and human-centered design, as well as the usual Advanced Placement programming classes. Several of South Fayette’s high school students have printed up business cards declaring themselves “computational thinking consultants,” and they have competed and won a number of statewide and national STEM innovation challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last April, for example, a team of South Fayette high school coders presented their customizable flashcard application called MyEduDecks at an education technology workshop hosted by Microsoft in Seattle. Another South Fayette team won an award for engineering a new geriatric walker that deploys an extra stabilizer when helping someone get up from a chair and sounds an alarm when the walker is tipped beyond its center of gravity, among other features.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked if there are aspects of education in which computational thinking is extraneous, or if a school might risk losing something by focusing too much on computational learning, South Fayette superintendent Bille Rondinelli demurred.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not out to create an army of coders; we want to create students who will be successful in the world,” Rondinelli said. “It’s not that we’ve veered away from traditional education. But we’ve built in a research and development space with these labs and STEAM coordinators that allows us to change and adapt as the world changes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"article-quote new-pullquote is-double-quote\">\u003c/aside>\n\u003caside class=\"article-quote new-pullquote is-double-quote\">South Fayette’s assistant superintendent, Michael Loughead, noted that the district’s already impressive statewide assessment scores have increased in tandem with the computational-thinking initiatives. In 2015, South Fayette was number one in the \u003cem>Pittsburgh Business Times\u003c/em> annual rankings of western Pennsylvania school districts, completing a steady climb from number 15 in 2007. “Some districts feel that the only way to raise test scores is to focus on the test,” Loughead said. “But when we have engaged students who understand concepts deeply, we don’t need to sacrifice one thing for the other.”When pressed, a few high school students admitted to one or two classes in which technology or a computational project didn’t seem to add much value. But the dominant sentiment from interviews with these students was that they wished they’d gotten in on the ground floor of the district’s computational overhaul.In his elementary and middle school years, junior Nick Wilke, a member of the MyEduDecks team, considered coding to be “black magic.” His computer, he said, “was this magic box that I played games on. Actually making my own games for it seemed unattainable, really.”Indeed, the real value of South Fayette’s initiative will only be evident when today’s first-graders are high school seniors, said Brian Garlick, the high school industrial technology teacher. Last summer, Garlick agreed to lead a 3-D printing workshop for a group of fourth- through seventh-graders.\n\u003cp>“I’ve been a high school teacher my whole career, and I’ve had some pretty bright kids. But these kids are going to blow them away,” said Garlick. “They were able to do the sequential steps of designing something on the computer without even thinking. They are so in tune with the tools at their discretion. Coding and 3-D printing is all second nature to them. I’m in the 27th year of my career, and I’m excited. I want to hang on for another ten years just to see what these kids can do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"http://www.hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cem>The Hechinger Report\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. This story also appeared in Slate. Read more about\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/blended-learning/\">\u003cem>Blended Learning\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/aside>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/42886/what-a-school-district-designed-for-computational-thinking-looks-like","authors":["byline_mindshift_42886"],"categories":["mindshift_20546"],"tags":["mindshift_20948","mindshift_20730","mindshift_20784","mindshift_1040","mindshift_256","mindshift_20947"],"featImg":"mindshift_42890","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_40232":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_40232","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"40232","score":null,"sort":[1436537185000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"the-key-to-boosting-english-learners-language-skills-challenging-content","title":"The Key to Boosting English Learners' Language Skills? Challenging Content","publishDate":1436537185,"format":"standard","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cp>The English language learner population in the United States is growing quickly, posing a challenge for cash-strapped schools struggling to balance the diverse needs of learners. And while technology is becoming a more ubiquitous part of the school experience, it hasn’t always been used effectively to improve the language skills of English learners. A new curriculum using both online modules and teacher-led instruction developed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.middleburyinteractive.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Middlebury Interactive Languages\u003c/a> in partnership with \u003ca href=\"http://www.hartfordschools.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Hartford Public Schools\u003c/a> is showing promise as an engaging way for students working on their English skills to also access challenging content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middlebury Interactive Languages is known for its online world languages program, but the partnership with Hartford marks the company’s entry into developing a blended-learning program meant for students learning English. Middlebury used research showing that English language learners need to develop academic English to succeed in school, as well as motivation to learn a new language through challenging and interesting work. To that end, the ESL curriculum uses content from science, math, social studies and English language arts curriculum as the basis for building up language skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\"None of the curricular components are watered down; we were able to take grade-level appropriate content and scaffold it so they can access it.\"\u003ccite>Monica Quinones, Hartford Public Schools director of English Language Learner Services\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“The whole process and developing these courses has been extremely collaborative with the real users,” said Aline Germain-Rutherford, chief academic officer for Middlebury Interactive Languages. “We take [the teacher and student] feedback and integrate that into our design.” For example, the Middlebury designers had little understanding of how much language a level one ELL student has. After looking at an initial prototype, Hartford educators came back to the company explaining areas that needed more background, context and clues to scaffold a student's understanding of texts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hartford educators have been pleased with the progress their 4th-8th grade students are making using the blended learning curriculum and with the collaboration generally. They are currently piloting the program in the eight schools with the highest population of English language learners. “The curriculum is not static,” said Mary-Beth Russo, a Hartford ELL coach about the program's flexibility. “It’s online, but you can take parts of it and build out, and it’s theme based.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before, Hartford used a typical model that included both helping English learners within their subject area classes and pulling them out to work on language specifically. If a class was reading \u003cem>The House on Mango Street\u003c/em>, the ELL teacher might try to front-load important vocabulary with students so they would have some idea of what was going on in the book, but often limited language skills still kept those students from participating in discussions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"vIvRpmNk8Nlb3210Hu6GtU4bJjGfYjn8\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In comparison, the Middlebury blended curriculum is grouped by overarching themes and subthemes. Each subtheme follows a predictable progression of modules that focus on vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students are working towards completing a project in each module. Since the curriculum is meant to be used as a supplement to in-person instruction, ESL teachers can build off the modules however they see fit, adding elements the connect explicitly back to curriculum in other classes or differentiating for individual students as they see fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>RIGOROUS CONTENT\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of the curricular components are watered down,” said Monica Quinones, director of English Language Learners Support Services for Hartford Public Schools. “That’s something we were very adamant about. We were able to take grade-level appropriate content and scaffold it so they can access it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a big leap for a group of students who are often thought to be less smart because they don’t understand English as well. A big part of helping those students access their content coursework is to help them develop the academic English they will be expected to use throughout their school careers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A piece that’s really different is the rigor of the content,” Russo said. “We worked hard to align it to the Common Core.” For example, in sixth grade, Common Core State Standards recommend reading work by Frederick Douglass. Helping a student who only knows a few words of English understand this difficult text requires lots of supports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program does this by helping the learner deconstruct the text. Difficult words have pop-up boxes with visual, audio and written definitions. Activities are built in to help learners identify key words that signal an idea is being introduced or an example given. They work on identifying word roots, common prefixes and suffixes that give clues about whether the word is a noun or a verb and families of words.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The activities also use the well-worn practice of modeling by offering students examples of the written or oral statement they have been asked to produce. “We expect that at first the learner will model his sentence on the model,” Germain-Rutherford said. “And bit by bit, he will become more independent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quinones and Russo said Hartford ESL teachers were wary of the pilot at first, believing the content would be too challenging for very new English speakers. “Now those teachers are coming back and saying they can’t believe the quality of work their students are producing,” Russo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>GOOD INITIAL RESULTS\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Hartford won’t have real data for several more years, Russo and Quinones say students in the pilot courses are accelerating their reading, writing and speaking skills more quickly than those not in the course. They’ve shown improvement on benchmark tests and seem more engaged in their work. Teachers are reporting better attendance and, interestingly, more engagement from parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A big part of the curriculum is recognizing that students come with a culture and a set of skills from their first language that they can use to learn English. Rather than suppressing the first language, the curriculum celebrates it. “Research really shows that the more you help the students develop a multicultural and multilingual identity….the more students are engaged and motivated,” Germain-Rutherford said. The projects included in each module always connect back to the student’s culture. Students are encouraged to talk about who they are and where they come from in English. This celebration has in turn made parents feel more welcome at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Students are] so invested in learning,” Quinones said. “The discussions they have amongst each other, even if they aren’t in agreement, these are things we haven’t seen before.” Students even feel empowered to give direct feedback on the program to Middlebury. One student wrote to the Middlebury Interactive Languages CEO, Jane Swift, with some recommendations about the user interface and a complaint that his country’s flag wasn’t represented on the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Districts have to know what the program is and understand that there’s no silver bullet that’s going to answer everybody’s needs to grow ELLs overnight,” Russo said. But, after 28 years as an ELL teacher and coach, she says the Middlebury program is the best technology tool she’s seen. It’s flexible enough for teachers to incorporate their own lessons, provides a predictable path for students and engages them in high level work. Russo says it takes five to seven years for a child to acquire language, but she’s hoping in a few years time, the bet her district made on Middlebury will pay off.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"A blended learning curriculum meant to help English Language Learners pick up the academic vocabulary they'll need to succeed has been created through a partnership between Middlebury Interactive Languages and Hartford Public Schools.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1436537185,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":21,"wordCount":1309},"headData":{"title":"The Key to Boosting English Learners' Language Skills? Challenging Content | KQED","description":"A blended learning curriculum meant to help English Language Learners pick up the academic vocabulary they'll need to succeed has been created through a partnership between Middlebury Interactive Languages and Hartford Public Schools.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"The Key to Boosting English Learners' Language Skills? Challenging Content","datePublished":"2015-07-10T14:06:25.000Z","dateModified":"2015-07-10T14:06:25.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"40232 http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=40232","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/07/10/the-key-to-boosting-english-learners-language-skills-challenging-content/","disqusTitle":"The Key to Boosting English Learners' Language Skills? Challenging Content","path":"/mindshift/40232/the-key-to-boosting-english-learners-language-skills-challenging-content","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The English language learner population in the United States is growing quickly, posing a challenge for cash-strapped schools struggling to balance the diverse needs of learners. And while technology is becoming a more ubiquitous part of the school experience, it hasn’t always been used effectively to improve the language skills of English learners. A new curriculum using both online modules and teacher-led instruction developed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.middleburyinteractive.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Middlebury Interactive Languages\u003c/a> in partnership with \u003ca href=\"http://www.hartfordschools.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Hartford Public Schools\u003c/a> is showing promise as an engaging way for students working on their English skills to also access challenging content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middlebury Interactive Languages is known for its online world languages program, but the partnership with Hartford marks the company’s entry into developing a blended-learning program meant for students learning English. Middlebury used research showing that English language learners need to develop academic English to succeed in school, as well as motivation to learn a new language through challenging and interesting work. To that end, the ESL curriculum uses content from science, math, social studies and English language arts curriculum as the basis for building up language skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\"None of the curricular components are watered down; we were able to take grade-level appropriate content and scaffold it so they can access it.\"\u003ccite>Monica Quinones, Hartford Public Schools director of English Language Learner Services\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“The whole process and developing these courses has been extremely collaborative with the real users,” said Aline Germain-Rutherford, chief academic officer for Middlebury Interactive Languages. “We take [the teacher and student] feedback and integrate that into our design.” For example, the Middlebury designers had little understanding of how much language a level one ELL student has. After looking at an initial prototype, Hartford educators came back to the company explaining areas that needed more background, context and clues to scaffold a student's understanding of texts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hartford educators have been pleased with the progress their 4th-8th grade students are making using the blended learning curriculum and with the collaboration generally. They are currently piloting the program in the eight schools with the highest population of English language learners. “The curriculum is not static,” said Mary-Beth Russo, a Hartford ELL coach about the program's flexibility. “It’s online, but you can take parts of it and build out, and it’s theme based.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before, Hartford used a typical model that included both helping English learners within their subject area classes and pulling them out to work on language specifically. If a class was reading \u003cem>The House on Mango Street\u003c/em>, the ELL teacher might try to front-load important vocabulary with students so they would have some idea of what was going on in the book, but often limited language skills still kept those students from participating in discussions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In comparison, the Middlebury blended curriculum is grouped by overarching themes and subthemes. Each subtheme follows a predictable progression of modules that focus on vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students are working towards completing a project in each module. Since the curriculum is meant to be used as a supplement to in-person instruction, ESL teachers can build off the modules however they see fit, adding elements the connect explicitly back to curriculum in other classes or differentiating for individual students as they see fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>RIGOROUS CONTENT\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of the curricular components are watered down,” said Monica Quinones, director of English Language Learners Support Services for Hartford Public Schools. “That’s something we were very adamant about. We were able to take grade-level appropriate content and scaffold it so they can access it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a big leap for a group of students who are often thought to be less smart because they don’t understand English as well. A big part of helping those students access their content coursework is to help them develop the academic English they will be expected to use throughout their school careers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A piece that’s really different is the rigor of the content,” Russo said. “We worked hard to align it to the Common Core.” For example, in sixth grade, Common Core State Standards recommend reading work by Frederick Douglass. Helping a student who only knows a few words of English understand this difficult text requires lots of supports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program does this by helping the learner deconstruct the text. Difficult words have pop-up boxes with visual, audio and written definitions. Activities are built in to help learners identify key words that signal an idea is being introduced or an example given. They work on identifying word roots, common prefixes and suffixes that give clues about whether the word is a noun or a verb and families of words.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The activities also use the well-worn practice of modeling by offering students examples of the written or oral statement they have been asked to produce. “We expect that at first the learner will model his sentence on the model,” Germain-Rutherford said. “And bit by bit, he will become more independent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quinones and Russo said Hartford ESL teachers were wary of the pilot at first, believing the content would be too challenging for very new English speakers. “Now those teachers are coming back and saying they can’t believe the quality of work their students are producing,” Russo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>GOOD INITIAL RESULTS\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Hartford won’t have real data for several more years, Russo and Quinones say students in the pilot courses are accelerating their reading, writing and speaking skills more quickly than those not in the course. They’ve shown improvement on benchmark tests and seem more engaged in their work. Teachers are reporting better attendance and, interestingly, more engagement from parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A big part of the curriculum is recognizing that students come with a culture and a set of skills from their first language that they can use to learn English. Rather than suppressing the first language, the curriculum celebrates it. “Research really shows that the more you help the students develop a multicultural and multilingual identity….the more students are engaged and motivated,” Germain-Rutherford said. The projects included in each module always connect back to the student’s culture. Students are encouraged to talk about who they are and where they come from in English. This celebration has in turn made parents feel more welcome at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Students are] so invested in learning,” Quinones said. “The discussions they have amongst each other, even if they aren’t in agreement, these are things we haven’t seen before.” Students even feel empowered to give direct feedback on the program to Middlebury. One student wrote to the Middlebury Interactive Languages CEO, Jane Swift, with some recommendations about the user interface and a complaint that his country’s flag wasn’t represented on the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Districts have to know what the program is and understand that there’s no silver bullet that’s going to answer everybody’s needs to grow ELLs overnight,” Russo said. But, after 28 years as an ELL teacher and coach, she says the Middlebury program is the best technology tool she’s seen. It’s flexible enough for teachers to incorporate their own lessons, provides a predictable path for students and engages them in high level work. Russo says it takes five to seven years for a child to acquire language, but she’s hoping in a few years time, the bet her district made on Middlebury will pay off.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/40232/the-key-to-boosting-english-learners-language-skills-challenging-content","authors":["234"],"categories":["mindshift_20546","mindshift_195","mindshift_193"],"tags":["mindshift_399","mindshift_398","mindshift_20851","mindshift_20784","mindshift_1040","mindshift_287"],"featImg":"mindshift_40421","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_39556":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_39556","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"39556","score":null,"sort":[1425565919000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning","title":"How to Grow a Classroom Culture That Supports Blended Learning","publishDate":1425565919,"format":"aside","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/pencil-tree/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-39578\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree.jpg\" alt=\"Pencil-tree\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-39578\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The excerpt below is from the book “\u003ca href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Moonshots-Education-Launching-Learning-Classroom/dp/1934276200\">Moonshots in Education: Launching Blended Learning in the Classroom\u003c/a>,” by Esther Wojcicki, Lance Izumi and Alicia Chang. This excerpt is from the chapter entitled “Trick in the Blended Classroom,” written by Wojcicki.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">It all started in 1987, when I got a grant from the State of California. The state sent me eight Macintosh computers, never asking if I knew how to use them, and when they arrived I had no idea how to even turn them on. I realized then that I was going to fail if I didn’t get some help quickly. I looked around for colleagues who could help, but none of them had any idea. Our school had no IT department. So I took a leap of faith and confessed to my students that I had no idea how to use the new computers and that I needed help. This turned out to be a stroke of good luck, even though I did not see it that way at the time. It was the beginning of my new teaching methodology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students were absolutely thrilled to help me (can you imagine being asked to help a teacher?!), and that was the beginning of my collaborative teaching model. Only, at that point, it did not have a name, and in fact I had to hide it from other teachers who might have frowned on what I was doing. The students and I ended up spending hours after school and on weekends figuring out the computers and how to network them. I had never even heard the word “network” in a computer context. I was one of the first teachers in California to use computers in the classroom, and possibly the first in the nation to use computers in a journalism classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was soon sold on the idea of collaboration, respect, and trust in the classroom. And it turns out that building a culture of collaboration, respect, and trust is key to a successful blended classroom. The first action a teacher needs to take in the fall when school starts is to set up the culture. On the surface, this may sound like a waste of time, but in fact its importance cannot be overemphasized. Part of such a culture is understanding that the teacher is not the only expert in the room; in fact, students can know more than the teacher about some aspects of what they will be doing together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Computers, tablets, and other electronic devices alone are not going to change the classroom. It is the change in culture that will make the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help everyone remember what it takes to set up a culture that works, I have come up with an acronym, TRICK. Each letter stands for an important part of the culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>T = trust \u003cbr>\nR = respect\u003cbr>\n I = independence\u003cbr>\nC = collaboration\u003cbr>\nK = kindness\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe first thing to establish in the classroom is a culture of trust. That does not mean the students are given complete freedom to run wild and do what they want; it means the students trust each other to help in the learning process and the teacher trusts the students. The boundaries need to be established early in the semester. There are a variety of exercises to build trust that a teacher can use, ranging from the blind man’s game to walking into walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the teacher is the one in control, it is he or she who must take the initiative. Teachers need to put themselves into situations that require students to be trustworthy. Opportunities arise every day. For example, having students work in teams and be responsible to the team teaches trust. Creating a group blog or website gives students a natural way to develop trust in the team, and, if the teacher trusts the team, it builds a community of trust in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"UAYTedL6j1TwtBx1ziBdjUJipSmnwzQO\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the key to building trust is to actually trust the students. While that may seem counterintuitive to many teachers, it is really the only way to effectively build trust. For example, in my advanced journalism class, the students each have an individual story assignment, so no two students are doing the same thing. Some of the stories are particularly sensitive about issues in the school, the district, or the city. It takes a leap of faith on my part to trust students to get the information right and to write it up in an objective way. We publish the results online— typically garnering thousands of views—and in hard copy for three thousand local residents. Students have told me that trusting them to write the stories is significant in building their self-esteem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students also put out a newspaper or magazine. The newspaper class has an enrollment of seventy students, who work in teams on the paper. Six editors-in-chief are in charge of the class, giving the students critical leadership experience and a sense of control over the publication. The magazine classes have an enrollment of thirty-five and an editorial board of three editors. Each student in each class has a title that correlates to his or her responsibilities. Examples are news editor, editorial-page editor, feature-page editor, or reporter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides having the students produce actual publications, a second suggestion is to allow the students to teach the class on a regular basis. For example, the teacher can designate one day a week when the kids take over the class for an hour or so. Having kids teach each other in small groups on a regular basis also creates a sense of trust in the class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also encourage the students to help with the technological side of the program. I use Google Docs to create documents and Adobe software to publish. New products come out daily, and many of those might be useful for me, but I have little time to investigate them. Thus, I ask my students to watch out for new software that might be useful for the program, tell me about it, and, if it seems appropriate, learn how to use it. They then share it with the rest of the class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third suggestion to enhance trust is to give students your home phone number, cell number, and e-mail and tell them to contact you when they have problems, but not later than a specified time in the evening. Just giving out that information provides for a culture of trust and caring. All students also have the same contact information for all other students including home phones, cell phones and addresses as well as my contact information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A fourth suggestion is for the teacher to laugh at his or her own mistakes on a regular basis. We all make mistakes, and teaching students that mistakes are part of life is an important lesson in helping them accept themselves. I do that every day in class, and the mistakes are not difficult to find: Every day there is something that does not go as planned. Teachers who are willing to show that they are not perfect, don’t know everything, and can laugh at themselves can more easily develop trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, and perhaps most important, is to put students in situations requiring them to think for themselves. They may stumble and have difficulties, but the key is to support them in their efforts while letting them solve the problem themselves. This builds trust in themselves, in the class as a whole, and between teacher and students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Respect\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nTeachers need to have sincere respect for their students, especially in today’s world, where the members of a class may come from very different backgrounds and experiences. But each one has unique gifts even if he or she also has unique problems. As a teacher I know how difficult it can be to respect students who create problems in the classroom, but it is up to the teacher to show respect. It goes a long way in making the student feel better about themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Respect is part of trust. I trust the kids and respect them, and in turn they trust and respect me. Someone has to start the process, and it cannot be the students, since the teacher is in charge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Giving students respect does not mean letting go of expectations. In fact, it means the opposite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_39560\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/esther-wojcicki-joi-ito/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-39560\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Esther-Wojcicki-Joi-Ito-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Esther Wojcicki (Credit: Joi Ito/Flickr)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-39560\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Esther Wojcicki (Credit: \u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/2593396471/in/photolist-anWWLG-aoRV5G-aoRUpE-cv31m1-4XaQqg-4X97qF-7X231d-anLvZq-q6QteJ-iw3kqX-6Fg42Y-cveWoU-anXjzj-5CEgTq-inW4pR-4Xehjt-inW2Zh-5CEfH3-5CzY3i\">Joi Ito/Flickr\u003c/a>)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Teachers need to respect them as individuals and expect them to achieve at a high level. My expectations are high and I encourage my students to reach those standards by giving them the opportunity to revise their work on a regular basis. I use the mastery system model (which means students work on a skill until they master it) and grade only when students have finally mastered the standard. An innovative internet company called MasteryConnect.com has software that sup- ports this pedagogy. Grades can be very discouraging for kids but if teachers return an assignment with suggestions on how to improve or correct the errors and kids understand it is part of the process of learning, they will still be excited to learn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Famed psychologists Albert Bandura talks about the power of self-efficacy and how a student’s self image determines how they feel about themselves. He defines self-efficacy as a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations and says that self efficacy plays a major role in how people (especially students) approaches goals, tasks, and challenges. According to Bandura’s theory, people with high self-efficacy—that is, those who believe they can perform well—are more likely to view difficult tasks as something to be mastered rather than something to be avoided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bandura\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Kelley, CEO of IDEO and head of Stanford University’s d.school, has a similar philosophy which he calls Creative Confidence. He says the key to being creative and achieving is “believing in your ability to create change in the world around you. It is the conviction that you can achieve what you set out to do. We think this self-assurance, this belief in your creative capacity, lies at the heart of innovation. Creative confidence is like a muscle--it can be strengthened and nurtured through effort and experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M._Kelley\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carol Dweck, social psychologist from Stanford University, talks about the power of “mindset” and how if people think their intelligence is flexible and can grow, they will achieve, but if they think it is fixed and there is nothing they can do about it, they tend to be afraid to try. People with a growth mindset understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They think that if they persevere, (mastery learning concept) they will succeed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Dweck\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is nothing new, but it is harder to do than to say. Students will rise to meet the expectations of their teachers and parents. By giving students the respect and having the expectation, teachers will be empowering kids. In my experience, students will achieve at levels far beyond what is expected if you give them the opportunity. Just believing in them helps them believe in themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Independence\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We all like independence; it is the foundation of our nation. For most children it starts when they are two years old and want to do everything themselves—to the chagrin of their parents. In elementary school, students want to be independent too, but as they progress through the system, they become more dependent on the teacher. By the time they are in high school—if they have been taught according to the old model—they are waiting to be told what to do. However, high school is a time when the students’ drive for independence should be at its peak. One way teachers can encourage this drive is to give students an opportunity to come up with their own projects within defined guidelines. For example, students could have a writing assignment, but one in which they pick the topic. It could be a restaurant review, with each student reviewing a restaurant of his or her choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/moonshots-cover/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-39581\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/moonshots-cover-300x368.png\" alt=\"moonshots cover\" width=\"300\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-39581\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Collaboration\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Collaboration is an important part of the culture of the blended classroom. Students love to work with their peers, especially if they are working on a project they selected themselves. In fact, the main attraction of school for most students is being with their peers. So if teachers can make the environment a friendly, collaborative work space in which students feel comfortable, more learning will take place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This type of learning is important for several reasons: 1) most workplaces today require collaboration and students need to practice those skills at school 2) students learn more when they are responsible for another students work 3) collaboration increases student interest in learning especially if it is on a common project such as a newspaper, magazine, video, or website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kindness\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kindness is self-evident. If students feel that the teacher is kind, they want to learn. I can remember many instances of being kind to students who had made mistakes. It paid off a hundred times, because the students were so grateful, it made them feel relaxed and accepted. Being kind not only in school, but in life in general, makes the difference. As the American religious leader William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962) put it: “Your greatness is measured by your kindness; your education and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices, and your real caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Wojcicki\">Esther Wojcicki\u003c/a> teaches journalism and English at Palo Alto High School in California. She served as Chair of Creative Commons and is currently a vice-chair of Creative Commons and an advisor to The University of the People, a global online non-profit free university. You can follower her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/estherwojcicki\">@EstherWojcicki\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Palo Alto High School teacher Esther Wojcicki shares her guidelines on creating a culture of trust, respect and independence for blended learning. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1425565922,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":35,"wordCount":2372},"headData":{"title":"How to Grow a Classroom Culture That Supports Blended Learning | KQED","description":"Palo Alto High School teacher Esther Wojcicki shares her guidelines on creating a culture of trust, respect and independence for blended learning. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"How to Grow a Classroom Culture That Supports Blended Learning","datePublished":"2015-03-05T14:31:59.000Z","dateModified":"2015-03-05T14:32:02.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"39556 http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=39556","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/05/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/","disqusTitle":"How to Grow a Classroom Culture That Supports Blended Learning","path":"/mindshift/39556/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/pencil-tree/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-39578\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Pencil-tree.jpg\" alt=\"Pencil-tree\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-39578\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The excerpt below is from the book “\u003ca href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Moonshots-Education-Launching-Learning-Classroom/dp/1934276200\">Moonshots in Education: Launching Blended Learning in the Classroom\u003c/a>,” by Esther Wojcicki, Lance Izumi and Alicia Chang. This excerpt is from the chapter entitled “Trick in the Blended Classroom,” written by Wojcicki.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">It all started in 1987, when I got a grant from the State of California. The state sent me eight Macintosh computers, never asking if I knew how to use them, and when they arrived I had no idea how to even turn them on. I realized then that I was going to fail if I didn’t get some help quickly. I looked around for colleagues who could help, but none of them had any idea. Our school had no IT department. So I took a leap of faith and confessed to my students that I had no idea how to use the new computers and that I needed help. This turned out to be a stroke of good luck, even though I did not see it that way at the time. It was the beginning of my new teaching methodology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students were absolutely thrilled to help me (can you imagine being asked to help a teacher?!), and that was the beginning of my collaborative teaching model. Only, at that point, it did not have a name, and in fact I had to hide it from other teachers who might have frowned on what I was doing. The students and I ended up spending hours after school and on weekends figuring out the computers and how to network them. I had never even heard the word “network” in a computer context. I was one of the first teachers in California to use computers in the classroom, and possibly the first in the nation to use computers in a journalism classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was soon sold on the idea of collaboration, respect, and trust in the classroom. And it turns out that building a culture of collaboration, respect, and trust is key to a successful blended classroom. The first action a teacher needs to take in the fall when school starts is to set up the culture. On the surface, this may sound like a waste of time, but in fact its importance cannot be overemphasized. Part of such a culture is understanding that the teacher is not the only expert in the room; in fact, students can know more than the teacher about some aspects of what they will be doing together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Computers, tablets, and other electronic devices alone are not going to change the classroom. It is the change in culture that will make the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help everyone remember what it takes to set up a culture that works, I have come up with an acronym, TRICK. Each letter stands for an important part of the culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>T = trust \u003cbr>\nR = respect\u003cbr>\n I = independence\u003cbr>\nC = collaboration\u003cbr>\nK = kindness\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe first thing to establish in the classroom is a culture of trust. That does not mean the students are given complete freedom to run wild and do what they want; it means the students trust each other to help in the learning process and the teacher trusts the students. The boundaries need to be established early in the semester. There are a variety of exercises to build trust that a teacher can use, ranging from the blind man’s game to walking into walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the teacher is the one in control, it is he or she who must take the initiative. Teachers need to put themselves into situations that require students to be trustworthy. Opportunities arise every day. For example, having students work in teams and be responsible to the team teaches trust. Creating a group blog or website gives students a natural way to develop trust in the team, and, if the teacher trusts the team, it builds a community of trust in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the key to building trust is to actually trust the students. While that may seem counterintuitive to many teachers, it is really the only way to effectively build trust. For example, in my advanced journalism class, the students each have an individual story assignment, so no two students are doing the same thing. Some of the stories are particularly sensitive about issues in the school, the district, or the city. It takes a leap of faith on my part to trust students to get the information right and to write it up in an objective way. We publish the results online— typically garnering thousands of views—and in hard copy for three thousand local residents. Students have told me that trusting them to write the stories is significant in building their self-esteem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students also put out a newspaper or magazine. The newspaper class has an enrollment of seventy students, who work in teams on the paper. Six editors-in-chief are in charge of the class, giving the students critical leadership experience and a sense of control over the publication. The magazine classes have an enrollment of thirty-five and an editorial board of three editors. Each student in each class has a title that correlates to his or her responsibilities. Examples are news editor, editorial-page editor, feature-page editor, or reporter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides having the students produce actual publications, a second suggestion is to allow the students to teach the class on a regular basis. For example, the teacher can designate one day a week when the kids take over the class for an hour or so. Having kids teach each other in small groups on a regular basis also creates a sense of trust in the class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also encourage the students to help with the technological side of the program. I use Google Docs to create documents and Adobe software to publish. New products come out daily, and many of those might be useful for me, but I have little time to investigate them. Thus, I ask my students to watch out for new software that might be useful for the program, tell me about it, and, if it seems appropriate, learn how to use it. They then share it with the rest of the class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third suggestion to enhance trust is to give students your home phone number, cell number, and e-mail and tell them to contact you when they have problems, but not later than a specified time in the evening. Just giving out that information provides for a culture of trust and caring. All students also have the same contact information for all other students including home phones, cell phones and addresses as well as my contact information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A fourth suggestion is for the teacher to laugh at his or her own mistakes on a regular basis. We all make mistakes, and teaching students that mistakes are part of life is an important lesson in helping them accept themselves. I do that every day in class, and the mistakes are not difficult to find: Every day there is something that does not go as planned. Teachers who are willing to show that they are not perfect, don’t know everything, and can laugh at themselves can more easily develop trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, and perhaps most important, is to put students in situations requiring them to think for themselves. They may stumble and have difficulties, but the key is to support them in their efforts while letting them solve the problem themselves. This builds trust in themselves, in the class as a whole, and between teacher and students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Respect\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nTeachers need to have sincere respect for their students, especially in today’s world, where the members of a class may come from very different backgrounds and experiences. But each one has unique gifts even if he or she also has unique problems. As a teacher I know how difficult it can be to respect students who create problems in the classroom, but it is up to the teacher to show respect. It goes a long way in making the student feel better about themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Respect is part of trust. I trust the kids and respect them, and in turn they trust and respect me. Someone has to start the process, and it cannot be the students, since the teacher is in charge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Giving students respect does not mean letting go of expectations. In fact, it means the opposite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_39560\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/esther-wojcicki-joi-ito/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-39560\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/Esther-Wojcicki-Joi-Ito-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Esther Wojcicki (Credit: Joi Ito/Flickr)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-39560\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Esther Wojcicki (Credit: \u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/2593396471/in/photolist-anWWLG-aoRV5G-aoRUpE-cv31m1-4XaQqg-4X97qF-7X231d-anLvZq-q6QteJ-iw3kqX-6Fg42Y-cveWoU-anXjzj-5CEgTq-inW4pR-4Xehjt-inW2Zh-5CEfH3-5CzY3i\">Joi Ito/Flickr\u003c/a>)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Teachers need to respect them as individuals and expect them to achieve at a high level. My expectations are high and I encourage my students to reach those standards by giving them the opportunity to revise their work on a regular basis. I use the mastery system model (which means students work on a skill until they master it) and grade only when students have finally mastered the standard. An innovative internet company called MasteryConnect.com has software that sup- ports this pedagogy. Grades can be very discouraging for kids but if teachers return an assignment with suggestions on how to improve or correct the errors and kids understand it is part of the process of learning, they will still be excited to learn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Famed psychologists Albert Bandura talks about the power of self-efficacy and how a student’s self image determines how they feel about themselves. He defines self-efficacy as a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations and says that self efficacy plays a major role in how people (especially students) approaches goals, tasks, and challenges. According to Bandura’s theory, people with high self-efficacy—that is, those who believe they can perform well—are more likely to view difficult tasks as something to be mastered rather than something to be avoided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bandura\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Kelley, CEO of IDEO and head of Stanford University’s d.school, has a similar philosophy which he calls Creative Confidence. He says the key to being creative and achieving is “believing in your ability to create change in the world around you. It is the conviction that you can achieve what you set out to do. We think this self-assurance, this belief in your creative capacity, lies at the heart of innovation. Creative confidence is like a muscle--it can be strengthened and nurtured through effort and experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M._Kelley\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carol Dweck, social psychologist from Stanford University, talks about the power of “mindset” and how if people think their intelligence is flexible and can grow, they will achieve, but if they think it is fixed and there is nothing they can do about it, they tend to be afraid to try. People with a growth mindset understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They think that if they persevere, (mastery learning concept) they will succeed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Dweck\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is nothing new, but it is harder to do than to say. Students will rise to meet the expectations of their teachers and parents. By giving students the respect and having the expectation, teachers will be empowering kids. In my experience, students will achieve at levels far beyond what is expected if you give them the opportunity. Just believing in them helps them believe in themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Independence\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We all like independence; it is the foundation of our nation. For most children it starts when they are two years old and want to do everything themselves—to the chagrin of their parents. In elementary school, students want to be independent too, but as they progress through the system, they become more dependent on the teacher. By the time they are in high school—if they have been taught according to the old model—they are waiting to be told what to do. However, high school is a time when the students’ drive for independence should be at its peak. One way teachers can encourage this drive is to give students an opportunity to come up with their own projects within defined guidelines. For example, students could have a writing assignment, but one in which they pick the topic. It could be a restaurant review, with each student reviewing a restaurant of his or her choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning/moonshots-cover/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-39581\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/03/moonshots-cover-300x368.png\" alt=\"moonshots cover\" width=\"300\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-39581\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Collaboration\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Collaboration is an important part of the culture of the blended classroom. Students love to work with their peers, especially if they are working on a project they selected themselves. In fact, the main attraction of school for most students is being with their peers. So if teachers can make the environment a friendly, collaborative work space in which students feel comfortable, more learning will take place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This type of learning is important for several reasons: 1) most workplaces today require collaboration and students need to practice those skills at school 2) students learn more when they are responsible for another students work 3) collaboration increases student interest in learning especially if it is on a common project such as a newspaper, magazine, video, or website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kindness\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kindness is self-evident. If students feel that the teacher is kind, they want to learn. I can remember many instances of being kind to students who had made mistakes. It paid off a hundred times, because the students were so grateful, it made them feel relaxed and accepted. Being kind not only in school, but in life in general, makes the difference. As the American religious leader William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962) put it: “Your greatness is measured by your kindness; your education and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices, and your real caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Wojcicki\">Esther Wojcicki\u003c/a> teaches journalism and English at Palo Alto High School in California. She served as Chair of Creative Commons and is currently a vice-chair of Creative Commons and an advisor to The University of the People, a global online non-profit free university. You can follower her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/estherwojcicki\">@EstherWojcicki\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/39556/how-to-grow-a-classroom-culture-that-supports-blended-learning","authors":["4354"],"categories":["mindshift_192","mindshift_20546"],"tags":["mindshift_399","mindshift_20784","mindshift_1040"],"featImg":"mindshift_39578","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_38957":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_38957","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"38957","score":null,"sort":[1421071585000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"some-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-blended-learning","title":"Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Blended Learning","publishDate":1421071585,"format":"aside","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_38958\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-38958\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890.jpg\" alt=\"A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By William Huntsberry, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/01/12/370966699/meet-the-classroom-of-the-future\">NPR\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>(This post has been corrected by NPR. To see the corrections and updates, please see the \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/01/12/370966699/meet-the-classroom-of-the-future\">original story\u003c/a>.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The classroom of the future probably won't be led by a robot with arms and legs\u003cem>,\u003c/em> but it may be guided by a digital brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It may look like this: one room, about the size of a basketball court; more than 100 students, all plugged into a laptop; and 15 teachers and teaching assistants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This isn't just the future, it's the sixth grade math class at David Boody Jr. High School in Brooklyn, near Coney Island. Beneath all the human buzz, something other than humans is running the show: algorithms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kind of complex computer calculations that drive our Google searches or select what we see on our Facebook pages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Algorithms choose which students sit together. Algorithms measure what the children know and how well they know it. They choose what problems the children should work on and provide teachers with the next lesson to teach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This combination of human capital and technology is called \"blended learning.\" And regardless of whether it makes you uneasy, the program, \u003ca href=\"http://www.newclassrooms.org/reimagine.html\">Teach to One\u003c/a>, seems to be serving Boody Jr. High well. \u003ca href=\"http://www.newclassrooms.org/resources/Teach-to-One_Report_2013-14.pdf\">A recent study\u003c/a> of the 15 schools using Teach to One, had mixed results, but showed they are outperforming their peers nationally on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It can be used as an effective tool, but so far it has had moderate and unstable effects on student performance,\" said Justin Reich, a researcher at Harvard who has reviewed the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He believes Teach to One can mechanize some of the more mundane parts of teaching, like grading and assessing whether a student has mastered a topic. But, he added, it also ends up teaching to standardized tests and doesn't work better than some non-digital interventions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, how does it work?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"mu4mgUEBd1ElScc5E8tFJmYkfZbRxBb1\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When these sixth graders get to class, they either log onto their laptop or check a monitor at the front of the room. It tells each student where to go — the room is quasi-divided by book shelves and small dividers into 10 sections, with names like \"Botanical Gardens\" and \"Brighton Beach.\" The computer also tells them what kind of lesson they'll do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, most students in the large room are engaged in individual work on their laptops, lessons called \"Virtual Instruction\" and \"Virtual Reinforcement.\" Still others are engaged in group work, being led by a teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \"Kew Gardens,\" Devon Myers, who has taught for seven years, is conducting what Teach to One calls a \"live investigation.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He stands silently next to a smart board and clicks a mouse. A tinny voice, a cousin of iPhone's Siri perhaps, begins the lesson. \"\u003cem>How do you say two-point-zero-five-three? To read this, break it into two parts\u003c/em>,\" commands the disembodied voice from a computer's speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Myers assists: \"Does anybody know how you say this?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sabrina Giagrande, a girl who has already answered several questions, reaches her arm into the sky, like it's being pulled on and shaken by an invisible force. Myers pushes his disinterested class of 20, urging someone else to answer, but ultimately defers to Sabrina: \"Two and fifty-three thousandths.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That's right,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\"In this lesson you've learned to name decimal numbers through the thousandths by using place value\u003c/em>,\" the algorithm's voice informs the class in a matter-of-fact tone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether they've gotten it or not, the algorithm will ultimately find out. At the end of class the kids do a short quiz called an \"exit slip,\" which the algorithm uses to gauge what they've learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In five questions, this exit slip gives the algorithm the information it uses to decide which students will be grouped together the next day, and what work each of them will do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sixth-grade class, in theory, students might be working on everything from 4th grade level math to 8th grade level math. Around 5 p.m. every day, teachers get an alert telling them how students will be grouped and what lessons they'll need to teach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many teachers I talked with gave the program cautious praise. Aaron Kaswell, who uses Teach to One at M.S. 33, another middle school in Brooklyn, says all this sorting frees him up to be a better teacher. But he adds that helping his students learn is no easier than it was before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since he only gets his material 12 hours in advance, that means he has to be ready to create lessons on the fly and make a plan for students who need additional help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You still have to make the teaching your own,\" he said. But not everyone does that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A lot of people just take what's given to them [from the program] and do what they're told: 'This is my script, these are my kids who are here.'\" When used that way, Teach to One won't work, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Myers' lesson at Boody Jr. High, some students seem engaged, others appear distracted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christien Williams, a smartly-dressed sixth grader with corn rows, stabs his pen into the rubbery flesh of an eraser with a level of satisfaction and obsession one might get from popping bubble wrap. He went over the material earlier in the period and says he's bored at the thought of doing it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The class is divided into two 25 minute periods and during the first Christien did a \"virtual instruction\" tutorial. With headphones in, he went through a series of fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\"In this lesson you'll learn how to identify decimals to the hundredths and thousandths\u003c/em>,\" an upbeat voice says into his headphones, while a pulsing '80s synth beat plays in the background. If he answers a question correctly, it lets him move on. If he doesn't, the computer attempts to tell him where he went wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\"Sorry that is incorrect\u003c/em>,\" the voice says. \"\u003cem>You want to write the decimal in forty and fifty-three thousandths in standard form. We will use a place value chart to answer the problem.\"\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_38961\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8483_slide-7b50b0e2b4bfbdf6ace20766a846feebe40fffe0-e1421071267525.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-38961\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8483_slide-7b50b0e2b4bfbdf6ace20766a846feebe40fffe0-e1421071267525.jpg\" alt=\"Students engaged in group work, being led by a teacher. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students engaged in group work, being led by a teacher. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The problem with algorithms, critics have argued, is that they make it easier to teach to standardized tests and ultimately detract from enriching teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Computers, for instance, are good at measuring the simplistic, computational tasks required by a standardized test, but not critical thinking, argues Reich, the Harvard researcher. He argues that has implications for the students later on: Math jobs that require a human generally involve higher-order thinking, whereas computational math jobs are already being done by computers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you care about children having full lives in the world of mathematics in the future, then this is a terrible system,\" he said. \"But these high-stakes tests matter. If I were a principal and had kids on the proficiency border, I would use these programs to move them across the line.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Poor test scores, in fact, were Boody Jr. High's main impetus for signing onto the program. \"We hadn't made math gains in a long time. Why not try something new?\" said Principal Dominick D'Angelo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the success, argues D'Angelo, comes from Teach to One acting as a robotic enforcer. He knows exactly what lesson plans his teachers are going over every day and whether they got through them or not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Go to a school on the Monday after Thanksgiving. You show me how many teachers were doing some powerful instruction,\" he said. \"The design of this program forces the issue.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the sense that Teach to One is \"adaptive\" and \"self-improving,\" it's a form of artificial intelligence, which is important because schools performed much better in the second year of the study. They performed 47 percent better on average than their peers nationally, in fact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company's co-founder, Joel Rose, credits that to the algorithm's ability to improve itself, but also to second-year schools becoming more acclimated with the program and learning how to train teachers to better use the software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You gotta build the plane while you're flying,\" Rose said of blended learning. \"Luckily, we've worked with good schools that have understood that.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not all partner schools have understood. Improvements were mediocre at some schools and grades actually dropped at others. Of three New York schools, \u003ca href=\"http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/nyc-chancellor-joel-klein-highly-touted-school-math-project-dropped-2-3-schools-pilot-program-article-1.1152131\">two dropped out.\u003c/a> (Neither of those schools returned our request for comment.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city had managed to raise $9 million in outside funds for the pilot program, which was set to last three years, raising another important question: Is, as many of its proponents contend, blended learning actually cheaper than traditional teaching? \u003ca href=\"http://www.wnyc.org/story/is-digital-learning-more-cost-effective-maybe-not/\">A recent study\u003c/a> found, among successful programs, it isn't.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, blended learning costs more, agrees Rose, but he does think that once the programs get better and schools have invested in hardware, it could become cheaper one day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from the money issue, the big question is this: Do kids actually learn more?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Algorithms may be better task managers than people\u003cem>. \u003c/em>It's likely they can reduce a great amount of a teacher's workload when grading assignments and tracking student progress. They can more easily keep pace with the changes in a standardized test.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What remains unclear is the point at which standardization could begins to take away from those other educational hallmarks: creativity and critical thinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Meet+The+Classroom+Of+The+Future+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" alt=\"\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003c/div>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"When a computer runs a classroom, is it more efficient? Do kids learn more? A middle school in New York is finding out.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1422974774,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":49,"wordCount":1630},"headData":{"title":"Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Blended Learning | KQED","description":"When a computer runs a classroom, is it more efficient? Do kids learn more? A middle school in New York is finding out.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Blended Learning","datePublished":"2015-01-12T14:06:25.000Z","dateModified":"2015-02-03T14:46:14.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"38957 http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=38957","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/01/12/some-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-blended-learning/","disqusTitle":"Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Blended Learning","nprByline":"William Huntsberry","nprStoryId":"370966699","nprApiLink":"http://api.npr.org/query?id=370966699&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004","nprHtmlLink":"http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/01/12/370966699/meet-the-classroom-of-the-future?ft=3&f=370966699","nprRetrievedStory":"1","nprPubDate":"Mon, 12 Jan 2015 07:28:00 -0500","nprStoryDate":"Mon, 12 Jan 2015 07:28:13 -0500","nprLastModifiedDate":"Mon, 12 Jan 2015 07:28:13 -0500","path":"/mindshift/38957/some-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-blended-learning","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_38958\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-38958\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8444_slide-37da08449a23f5b17613cd4f4fd2bc415b882eb3-e1421069729890.jpg\" alt=\"A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A blended learning classroom at David Boody Jr. High School in New York City. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By William Huntsberry, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/01/12/370966699/meet-the-classroom-of-the-future\">NPR\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>(This post has been corrected by NPR. To see the corrections and updates, please see the \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/01/12/370966699/meet-the-classroom-of-the-future\">original story\u003c/a>.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The classroom of the future probably won't be led by a robot with arms and legs\u003cem>,\u003c/em> but it may be guided by a digital brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It may look like this: one room, about the size of a basketball court; more than 100 students, all plugged into a laptop; and 15 teachers and teaching assistants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This isn't just the future, it's the sixth grade math class at David Boody Jr. High School in Brooklyn, near Coney Island. Beneath all the human buzz, something other than humans is running the show: algorithms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kind of complex computer calculations that drive our Google searches or select what we see on our Facebook pages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Algorithms choose which students sit together. Algorithms measure what the children know and how well they know it. They choose what problems the children should work on and provide teachers with the next lesson to teach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This combination of human capital and technology is called \"blended learning.\" And regardless of whether it makes you uneasy, the program, \u003ca href=\"http://www.newclassrooms.org/reimagine.html\">Teach to One\u003c/a>, seems to be serving Boody Jr. High well. \u003ca href=\"http://www.newclassrooms.org/resources/Teach-to-One_Report_2013-14.pdf\">A recent study\u003c/a> of the 15 schools using Teach to One, had mixed results, but showed they are outperforming their peers nationally on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It can be used as an effective tool, but so far it has had moderate and unstable effects on student performance,\" said Justin Reich, a researcher at Harvard who has reviewed the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He believes Teach to One can mechanize some of the more mundane parts of teaching, like grading and assessing whether a student has mastered a topic. But, he added, it also ends up teaching to standardized tests and doesn't work better than some non-digital interventions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, how does it work?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When these sixth graders get to class, they either log onto their laptop or check a monitor at the front of the room. It tells each student where to go — the room is quasi-divided by book shelves and small dividers into 10 sections, with names like \"Botanical Gardens\" and \"Brighton Beach.\" The computer also tells them what kind of lesson they'll do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, most students in the large room are engaged in individual work on their laptops, lessons called \"Virtual Instruction\" and \"Virtual Reinforcement.\" Still others are engaged in group work, being led by a teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \"Kew Gardens,\" Devon Myers, who has taught for seven years, is conducting what Teach to One calls a \"live investigation.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He stands silently next to a smart board and clicks a mouse. A tinny voice, a cousin of iPhone's Siri perhaps, begins the lesson. \"\u003cem>How do you say two-point-zero-five-three? To read this, break it into two parts\u003c/em>,\" commands the disembodied voice from a computer's speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Myers assists: \"Does anybody know how you say this?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sabrina Giagrande, a girl who has already answered several questions, reaches her arm into the sky, like it's being pulled on and shaken by an invisible force. Myers pushes his disinterested class of 20, urging someone else to answer, but ultimately defers to Sabrina: \"Two and fifty-three thousandths.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That's right,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\"In this lesson you've learned to name decimal numbers through the thousandths by using place value\u003c/em>,\" the algorithm's voice informs the class in a matter-of-fact tone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether they've gotten it or not, the algorithm will ultimately find out. At the end of class the kids do a short quiz called an \"exit slip,\" which the algorithm uses to gauge what they've learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In five questions, this exit slip gives the algorithm the information it uses to decide which students will be grouped together the next day, and what work each of them will do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sixth-grade class, in theory, students might be working on everything from 4th grade level math to 8th grade level math. Around 5 p.m. every day, teachers get an alert telling them how students will be grouped and what lessons they'll need to teach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many teachers I talked with gave the program cautious praise. Aaron Kaswell, who uses Teach to One at M.S. 33, another middle school in Brooklyn, says all this sorting frees him up to be a better teacher. But he adds that helping his students learn is no easier than it was before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since he only gets his material 12 hours in advance, that means he has to be ready to create lessons on the fly and make a plan for students who need additional help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You still have to make the teaching your own,\" he said. But not everyone does that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A lot of people just take what's given to them [from the program] and do what they're told: 'This is my script, these are my kids who are here.'\" When used that way, Teach to One won't work, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Myers' lesson at Boody Jr. High, some students seem engaged, others appear distracted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christien Williams, a smartly-dressed sixth grader with corn rows, stabs his pen into the rubbery flesh of an eraser with a level of satisfaction and obsession one might get from popping bubble wrap. He went over the material earlier in the period and says he's bored at the thought of doing it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The class is divided into two 25 minute periods and during the first Christien did a \"virtual instruction\" tutorial. With headphones in, he went through a series of fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\"In this lesson you'll learn how to identify decimals to the hundredths and thousandths\u003c/em>,\" an upbeat voice says into his headphones, while a pulsing '80s synth beat plays in the background. If he answers a question correctly, it lets him move on. If he doesn't, the computer attempts to tell him where he went wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\"Sorry that is incorrect\u003c/em>,\" the voice says. \"\u003cem>You want to write the decimal in forty and fifty-three thousandths in standard form. We will use a place value chart to answer the problem.\"\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_38961\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8483_slide-7b50b0e2b4bfbdf6ace20766a846feebe40fffe0-e1421071267525.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-38961\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2015/01/img_8483_slide-7b50b0e2b4bfbdf6ace20766a846feebe40fffe0-e1421071267525.jpg\" alt=\"Students engaged in group work, being led by a teacher. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students engaged in group work, being led by a teacher. (Courtesy of New Classrooms)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The problem with algorithms, critics have argued, is that they make it easier to teach to standardized tests and ultimately detract from enriching teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Computers, for instance, are good at measuring the simplistic, computational tasks required by a standardized test, but not critical thinking, argues Reich, the Harvard researcher. He argues that has implications for the students later on: Math jobs that require a human generally involve higher-order thinking, whereas computational math jobs are already being done by computers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you care about children having full lives in the world of mathematics in the future, then this is a terrible system,\" he said. \"But these high-stakes tests matter. If I were a principal and had kids on the proficiency border, I would use these programs to move them across the line.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Poor test scores, in fact, were Boody Jr. High's main impetus for signing onto the program. \"We hadn't made math gains in a long time. Why not try something new?\" said Principal Dominick D'Angelo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the success, argues D'Angelo, comes from Teach to One acting as a robotic enforcer. He knows exactly what lesson plans his teachers are going over every day and whether they got through them or not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Go to a school on the Monday after Thanksgiving. You show me how many teachers were doing some powerful instruction,\" he said. \"The design of this program forces the issue.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the sense that Teach to One is \"adaptive\" and \"self-improving,\" it's a form of artificial intelligence, which is important because schools performed much better in the second year of the study. They performed 47 percent better on average than their peers nationally, in fact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company's co-founder, Joel Rose, credits that to the algorithm's ability to improve itself, but also to second-year schools becoming more acclimated with the program and learning how to train teachers to better use the software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You gotta build the plane while you're flying,\" Rose said of blended learning. \"Luckily, we've worked with good schools that have understood that.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not all partner schools have understood. Improvements were mediocre at some schools and grades actually dropped at others. Of three New York schools, \u003ca href=\"http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/nyc-chancellor-joel-klein-highly-touted-school-math-project-dropped-2-3-schools-pilot-program-article-1.1152131\">two dropped out.\u003c/a> (Neither of those schools returned our request for comment.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city had managed to raise $9 million in outside funds for the pilot program, which was set to last three years, raising another important question: Is, as many of its proponents contend, blended learning actually cheaper than traditional teaching? \u003ca href=\"http://www.wnyc.org/story/is-digital-learning-more-cost-effective-maybe-not/\">A recent study\u003c/a> found, among successful programs, it isn't.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, blended learning costs more, agrees Rose, but he does think that once the programs get better and schools have invested in hardware, it could become cheaper one day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from the money issue, the big question is this: Do kids actually learn more?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Algorithms may be better task managers than people\u003cem>. \u003c/em>It's likely they can reduce a great amount of a teacher's workload when grading assignments and tracking student progress. They can more easily keep pace with the changes in a standardized test.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What remains unclear is the point at which standardization could begins to take away from those other educational hallmarks: creativity and critical thinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Meet+The+Classroom+Of+The+Future+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" alt=\"\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/38957/some-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-blended-learning","authors":["byline_mindshift_38957"],"categories":["mindshift_20546"],"tags":["mindshift_108","mindshift_399","mindshift_20784","mindshift_1040"],"featImg":"mindshift_38958","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_31995":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_31995","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"31995","score":null,"sort":[1381420818000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"lessons-learned-how-two-urban-schools-handled-tech-problems","title":"How Two Struggling Schools Got Two Different Results With Ed Tech","publishDate":1381420818,"format":"aside","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_31998\" class=\"wp-caption center\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-31998\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300.jpg\" alt=\"Encompass Academy students stand in a line as they practice moving between classrooms.\" width=\"640\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300-400x188.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300-320x150.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Encompass Academy students.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">By now, many educators understand that technology has the potential of transforming teaching and learning. But the term \"technology\" covers vast territory, and there are many different layers of tech and ways of integrating it from school to school. At times, where one kind of technology is appropriate and helpful in one school, the same tech can cause big problems for another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take \u003ca href=\"http://www.ousd.k12.ca.us/elmhurst\">Elmhurst Community Prep,\u003c/a> a Title I middle school in East Oakland. It’s a tough neighborhood where kids walk by police busts on their way to school, all kids receive free and reduced lunch and 15 percent of entering sixth graders can’t read. Second-year principal Kilian Betlach hoped that bringing a student data system and learning software into Elmhurst classrooms would help boost student achievement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted classroom instruction to be better; I wanted kids to learn more; I wanted teachers to have their time freed up to do better work,” Betlach said. With money from the \u003ca href=\"http://rogersfoundation.org/about-us/oakland-education-strategy\">Rogers Family Foundation\u003c/a>, Betlach contracted with a start-up consulting company called \u003ca href=\"http://junyo.com/\">Junyo\u003c/a> to help guide him as he launched a school wide \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/blended-learning/\">blended learning\u003c/a> program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Junyo also promised to build a system that could bring student data from various places together in one dashboard. So, for example, a student's attendance record could be compared to his homework completion rate. Betlach was hoping to learn a lot more about when and why students start disengaging with school. With the dashboard, he could have more information coming from learning software programs that would ideally help pinpoint where teachers should intervene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know if the time a kid spends on one of these online providers is the thing that makes the difference,” Betlach said. “But when I think about an instructional model where kids are spending time getting differentiated practice, so practice right where they need it, and simultaneously their teacher is able to pull a small group…it’s almost like one of those two things is going to have a big effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">“We threw a lot of money down the drain; and it’s embarrassing and it’s sad and it feels gross.” \u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Elmhurst’s special education teachers were some of the first to embrace the idea of using such a system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the beginning it was great,” said Cori Schneider, one of Elmhurst’s special education teachers, who has a case load of 28 students who need extra help for reasons ranging from specific learning disabilities to emotional disturbances. \"We had a great culture in the classroom of the kids coming in and getting straight to work. The kids were into it and they were seeing their success that was then translating into a higher SRI [Scholastic Reading Inventory] reading score.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when more classrooms and other teachers began using the online programs simultaneously, the network failed them. The wireless signal wasn’t strong enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080\">[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/08/four-essential-principles-of-blended-learning/\">Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning\u003c/a>]\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, here they’re bought into something that’s meeting their needs and then they can’t use it,” Schneider said. “Then everything that I had planned had to get scrapped. We had to recreate entire units on how to meet students' needs without the technology.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Betlach calls that first year of implementing blended learning “the great lost year of technological development at Elmhurst.” The troubles hurt teacher morale, leaving many wary of trying again. And it was expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_32004\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-32004\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/welcome-back360-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"welcome-back360\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"> \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We threw a lot of money down the drain,” Betlach said. “And it’s embarrassing and it’s sad and it feels gross.” He bemoans not just the money, but the time that teachers could have been working one-on-one with students instead of trying to figure out the technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Betlach blames Junyo. “Their advice turned out to be pretty poor,” he said. “Their analysis of our network was wrong. We didn’t have anywhere near the network capacity we needed.” They also didn't build the dashboards Betlach had been so excited about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steve Schoettler, CEO of Junyo, says the company quickly realized that its school partners were constantly tweaking their technology plans and the company couldn't keep up with each school's changes. They needed a much bigger staff to work closely with schools and meet their individual needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The company] wasn’t going to grow quickly enough in the path we had,” said Schoettler. “And ultimately what that would mean for our schools is we wouldn’t be as good at doing what we wanted to be doing.” When Schoettler and his team realized their business model wasn’t working six months into the partnership,\u003ca href=\"https://www.edsurge.com/n/shift-happens-junyo-changes-course\"> they pulled out\u003c/a>. In an effort to be fair to schools, they did offer continued technical support through the academic year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Betlach felt he was left alone to figure out his problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I made a mistake in going with someone who made some promises,” he said. “As a school we can’t invest in promises. We have to invest in people with a track record of delivering. A school can’t be an angel investor for a start-up. It’s a bad relationship. It’s a bad way to go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Betlach feels the company that claimed to offer expert advice pushed him into expensive programs that his students didn’t need. He’s now approaching blended learning much more cautiously and slowly, using free \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/what-online-tools-work-for-language-arts/\">web 2.0 tools \u003c/a>and starting out with just the eighth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080\">[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/06/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation/\">How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation\u003c/a>]\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/09/are-teachers-and-ed-tech-businesses-working-towards-the-same-goal/\">relationship between schools and ed-tech companies can be fraught\u003c/a>. More schools across the country are using technology to help measure student learning in real time, so teachers can target individual knowledge gaps. And tech companies are eager to help them, constantly pitching their products to schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some schools are learning from the process of working with tech companies -- even if it's a rocky path. Less than two miles from Elmhurst, an Oakland elementary school called \u003ca href=\"http://encompass.ousd.k12.ca.us/index.php\">Encompass Academy\u003c/a> also worked with Junyo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of Encompass’ students and families are English language learners, a factor \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/09/10-essential-tips-for-meeting-tech-needs-of-low-income-schools/\">Principal Minh-Tram Nguyen\u003c/a> is always considering, especially as she invests in technology. She loved working with Junyo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I guess I was just so grateful by the tremendous learning and partnership that I had,” Nguyen said. “And part of what was compelling was that they were a start-up so they were hungry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen says Junyo helped her make crucial decisions about how to roll out technology school-wide and what kind of professional development to offer teachers. The company also alerted her to programs that didn’t require English skills to improve learning. When Junyo terminated their contract, Encompass went ahead and blended computer time with traditional instruction as planned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen says their math software, \u003ca href=\"http://web.stmath.com/\">ST Math\u003c/a>, has helped students think about concepts, not just computation, a big part of the Common Core State Standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Through the year we saw our children who were using ST Math doing better and feeling more confident in the problem solving approach,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen is still tweaking her blended learning strategy, but she’s got a running start. She says schools have to choose tech partners carefully. She’s looking for companies that respect the difficult work teachers do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Businesses designing programs should listen to school, to have an ethos of being responsive to school,” Nguyen said. “You want to have technical expertise, but you should have some openness to believing in the capacity of teachers and educators.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen knows it’s not easy for start-ups. Every school is different, making it hard for a company to perfect one product for all. But she says it’s the job of the principal to weather the inevitable changes brought by each new reform and to have a clear vision of the school’s mission and purpose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen to the KQED Radio story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F114730533\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"By now, many educators understand that technology has the potential of transforming teaching and learning. But the term \"technology\" covers vast territory, and there are many different layers of tech and ways of integrating it from school to school. At times, where one kind of technology is appropriate and helpful in one school, the same tech can cause big problems for another.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1381427189,"stats":{"hasAudio":true,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":true,"iframeSrcs":["https://w.soundcloud.com/player/"],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":30,"wordCount":1395},"headData":{"title":"How Two Struggling Schools Got Two Different Results With Ed Tech | KQED","description":"By now, many educators understand that technology has the potential of transforming teaching and learning. But the term "technology" covers vast territory, and there are many different layers of tech and ways of integrating it from school to school. At times, where one kind of technology is appropriate and helpful in one school, the same tech can cause big problems for another.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"How Two Struggling Schools Got Two Different Results With Ed Tech","datePublished":"2013-10-10T16:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2013-10-10T17:46:29.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"31995 http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=31995","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/10/10/lessons-learned-how-two-urban-schools-handled-tech-problems/","disqusTitle":"How Two Struggling Schools Got Two Different Results With Ed Tech","path":"/mindshift/31995/lessons-learned-how-two-urban-schools-handled-tech-problems","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_31998\" class=\"wp-caption center\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-31998\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300.jpg\" alt=\"Encompass Academy students stand in a line as they practice moving between classrooms.\" width=\"640\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300-400x188.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/line300-320x150.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Encompass Academy students.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">By now, many educators understand that technology has the potential of transforming teaching and learning. But the term \"technology\" covers vast territory, and there are many different layers of tech and ways of integrating it from school to school. At times, where one kind of technology is appropriate and helpful in one school, the same tech can cause big problems for another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take \u003ca href=\"http://www.ousd.k12.ca.us/elmhurst\">Elmhurst Community Prep,\u003c/a> a Title I middle school in East Oakland. It’s a tough neighborhood where kids walk by police busts on their way to school, all kids receive free and reduced lunch and 15 percent of entering sixth graders can’t read. Second-year principal Kilian Betlach hoped that bringing a student data system and learning software into Elmhurst classrooms would help boost student achievement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted classroom instruction to be better; I wanted kids to learn more; I wanted teachers to have their time freed up to do better work,” Betlach said. With money from the \u003ca href=\"http://rogersfoundation.org/about-us/oakland-education-strategy\">Rogers Family Foundation\u003c/a>, Betlach contracted with a start-up consulting company called \u003ca href=\"http://junyo.com/\">Junyo\u003c/a> to help guide him as he launched a school wide \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/blended-learning/\">blended learning\u003c/a> program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Junyo also promised to build a system that could bring student data from various places together in one dashboard. So, for example, a student's attendance record could be compared to his homework completion rate. Betlach was hoping to learn a lot more about when and why students start disengaging with school. With the dashboard, he could have more information coming from learning software programs that would ideally help pinpoint where teachers should intervene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know if the time a kid spends on one of these online providers is the thing that makes the difference,” Betlach said. “But when I think about an instructional model where kids are spending time getting differentiated practice, so practice right where they need it, and simultaneously their teacher is able to pull a small group…it’s almost like one of those two things is going to have a big effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">“We threw a lot of money down the drain; and it’s embarrassing and it’s sad and it feels gross.” \u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Elmhurst’s special education teachers were some of the first to embrace the idea of using such a system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the beginning it was great,” said Cori Schneider, one of Elmhurst’s special education teachers, who has a case load of 28 students who need extra help for reasons ranging from specific learning disabilities to emotional disturbances. \"We had a great culture in the classroom of the kids coming in and getting straight to work. The kids were into it and they were seeing their success that was then translating into a higher SRI [Scholastic Reading Inventory] reading score.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when more classrooms and other teachers began using the online programs simultaneously, the network failed them. The wireless signal wasn’t strong enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080\">[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/08/four-essential-principles-of-blended-learning/\">Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning\u003c/a>]\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, here they’re bought into something that’s meeting their needs and then they can’t use it,” Schneider said. “Then everything that I had planned had to get scrapped. We had to recreate entire units on how to meet students' needs without the technology.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Betlach calls that first year of implementing blended learning “the great lost year of technological development at Elmhurst.” The troubles hurt teacher morale, leaving many wary of trying again. And it was expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_32004\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-32004\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/10/welcome-back360-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"welcome-back360\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"> \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We threw a lot of money down the drain,” Betlach said. “And it’s embarrassing and it’s sad and it feels gross.” He bemoans not just the money, but the time that teachers could have been working one-on-one with students instead of trying to figure out the technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Betlach blames Junyo. “Their advice turned out to be pretty poor,” he said. “Their analysis of our network was wrong. We didn’t have anywhere near the network capacity we needed.” They also didn't build the dashboards Betlach had been so excited about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steve Schoettler, CEO of Junyo, says the company quickly realized that its school partners were constantly tweaking their technology plans and the company couldn't keep up with each school's changes. They needed a much bigger staff to work closely with schools and meet their individual needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The company] wasn’t going to grow quickly enough in the path we had,” said Schoettler. “And ultimately what that would mean for our schools is we wouldn’t be as good at doing what we wanted to be doing.” When Schoettler and his team realized their business model wasn’t working six months into the partnership,\u003ca href=\"https://www.edsurge.com/n/shift-happens-junyo-changes-course\"> they pulled out\u003c/a>. In an effort to be fair to schools, they did offer continued technical support through the academic year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Betlach felt he was left alone to figure out his problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I made a mistake in going with someone who made some promises,” he said. “As a school we can’t invest in promises. We have to invest in people with a track record of delivering. A school can’t be an angel investor for a start-up. It’s a bad relationship. It’s a bad way to go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Betlach feels the company that claimed to offer expert advice pushed him into expensive programs that his students didn’t need. He’s now approaching blended learning much more cautiously and slowly, using free \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/what-online-tools-work-for-language-arts/\">web 2.0 tools \u003c/a>and starting out with just the eighth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080\">[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/06/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation/\">How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation\u003c/a>]\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/09/are-teachers-and-ed-tech-businesses-working-towards-the-same-goal/\">relationship between schools and ed-tech companies can be fraught\u003c/a>. More schools across the country are using technology to help measure student learning in real time, so teachers can target individual knowledge gaps. And tech companies are eager to help them, constantly pitching their products to schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some schools are learning from the process of working with tech companies -- even if it's a rocky path. Less than two miles from Elmhurst, an Oakland elementary school called \u003ca href=\"http://encompass.ousd.k12.ca.us/index.php\">Encompass Academy\u003c/a> also worked with Junyo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of Encompass’ students and families are English language learners, a factor \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/09/10-essential-tips-for-meeting-tech-needs-of-low-income-schools/\">Principal Minh-Tram Nguyen\u003c/a> is always considering, especially as she invests in technology. She loved working with Junyo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I guess I was just so grateful by the tremendous learning and partnership that I had,” Nguyen said. “And part of what was compelling was that they were a start-up so they were hungry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen says Junyo helped her make crucial decisions about how to roll out technology school-wide and what kind of professional development to offer teachers. The company also alerted her to programs that didn’t require English skills to improve learning. When Junyo terminated their contract, Encompass went ahead and blended computer time with traditional instruction as planned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen says their math software, \u003ca href=\"http://web.stmath.com/\">ST Math\u003c/a>, has helped students think about concepts, not just computation, a big part of the Common Core State Standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Through the year we saw our children who were using ST Math doing better and feeling more confident in the problem solving approach,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen is still tweaking her blended learning strategy, but she’s got a running start. She says schools have to choose tech partners carefully. She’s looking for companies that respect the difficult work teachers do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Businesses designing programs should listen to school, to have an ethos of being responsive to school,” Nguyen said. “You want to have technical expertise, but you should have some openness to believing in the capacity of teachers and educators.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen knows it’s not easy for start-ups. Every school is different, making it hard for a company to perfect one product for all. But she says it’s the job of the principal to weather the inevitable changes brought by each new reform and to have a clear vision of the school’s mission and purpose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen to the KQED Radio story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F114730533\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/31995/lessons-learned-how-two-urban-schools-handled-tech-problems","authors":["234"],"categories":["mindshift_20546"],"tags":["mindshift_652","mindshift_1040","mindshift_65"],"featImg":"mindshift_31999","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_30706":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_30706","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"30706","score":null,"sort":[1377109858000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"four-essential-principles-of-blended-learning","title":"Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning","publishDate":1377109858,"format":"aside","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_30805\" class=\"wp-caption center\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-30805\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_8760\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-320x180.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"> \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">As schools become more savvy about \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/blended-learning/\">blended-learning tactics\u003c/a>– the practice of mixing online and in-person instruction -- guidelines and best practices are emerging from lessons learned. Here are four crucial factors to keep in mind as schools plunge in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. EVERY SCHOOL NEEDS A VISION.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The single biggest piece of advice offered by most blended learning pioneers is to have a cohesive vision for how the technology will enhance specific learning goals, how it will ease the burden on teachers, and how it can make both teachers and students more creative learners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A big part of creating that vision is having \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/06/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation/\">strong leadership at all levels\u003c/a>. A district superintendent who sees the value in a model will help remove old policies that inhibit the work. A strong leader will remove barriers, support professional development for teachers, celebrate successes and help move past challenges. And that person will value the student experience most. “We put students behind the wheel with our guidance, recognizing they will make mistakes, but we’ll be there to get them back on track,” said Eric Williams, Superintendent of York County School Division in Virginia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equally important is to have that same kind of visionary leadership from principals and teachers willing to lead by example in the classroom. A shared vision means each tier of a school’s hierarchy must work towards the same goals. Teachers and principals must be \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/experimenting-and-innovating-finding-the-best-tools-and-tactics/\">given room to try new things, fail, innovate and evolve\u003c/a> until they find the right balance. That requires a lot of flexibility, another important feature of implementing this new style of learning that will seem foreign to many parents, students and teachers. Moving to a blended learning model won’t work perfectly just because it’s being done on a tablet or through a new learning management system.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> “Shifting some work online to complement traditional classrooms creates much needed time and space in the classroom.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Part of the overall vision needs to include considering how to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/how-can-teachers-prepare-kids-for-a-connected-world/\">give students more agency \u003c/a>over their learning. If the technology is canned content meant to turn out strong test takers who can’t apply the knowledge they’ve learned, is it meeting the broader learning goals? Similarly, how can the technology help teachers become the most inspired, passionate and creative classroom facilitators possible? How can it encourage them to stay in the profession and offer creative outlets for their passions?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no one best way to integrate digital learning into a classroom. If the vision, goals and desired outcomes are clear, there’s lots of room to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/11/whats-the-best-way-of-using-computers-in-schools/\">experiment with what works best\u003c/a>. It will depend on the student population and needs; some schools are dealing with vastly different kinds of student populations, while others may be trying to transition to a project-based learning model. Nothing is mutually exclusive, but needs are different and will determine the learning goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"lcp_catlist aside half left cats-by-2\">\n\u003ch2 class=\"feat-title\">Guide to Blended Learning\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>[catlist categorypage=\"yes\" numberposts=\"5\" thumbnail=\"yes\" excludeposts=\"this\" class=\"\" title_tag=\"h3\" title_class=\"post-title\" thumbnail_class=\"thumbnail\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Blended learning also works differently for a variety of subjects. Overall, software developers have had more luck helping students to learn math concepts through a program than they have had with Language Arts, which \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/what-online-tools-work-for-language-arts/\">requires many skills at once that are not easily parsed\u003c/a>. “The biggest issue I still see is that people are still trying to break it down when it needs to be combined,” said Chris Liang-Vergara, director of instructional technology for personalized learning at Firstline, a public charter school company in New Orleans. Firstline depends on software to help its students catch up, but hasn’t found any really satisfactory software for Language Arts. This might be a subject where a patchwork of free or inexpensive web tools can better fill the need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. DON’T LET SOFTWARE DICTATE LEARNING GOALS.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As illustrated by Frontline’s frustrating experience finding Language Arts software that could help students with reading comprehension, writing, synthesis, and vocabulary at the same time, software isn’t always the answer. The tools are slowly improving, but they aren’t infallible and many are directed at a specific problem and don’t offer a cohesive learning strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>A program like ALEKS or Khan Academy videos might help student understand how to do certain math problems, but will they have the opportunity to show whether they can apply the knowledge in real-life scenarios? The flood of data from software can be helpful, if applied to agreed-upon learning outcomes, but that data might not be able to measure those outcomes.\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. SUPPORT TEACHERS AND INCLUDE THEM IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers will always be the heart and soul of a classroom, and they should be considered a critical factor in deciding on what blended tactics to use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter what kind of technology is being used, classrooms are full of rambunctious kids who need a teacher with strong\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/what-works-in-tech-tools-spotlight-on-classdojo/\"> classroom management\u003c/a> skills and the ability to set a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/09/teaching-social-and-emotional-skills-in-schools/\">positive classroom culture\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most common arguments in favor of blended learning center on its ability to help schools tailor learning to the individual learner. The potential for that kind of differentiation is there, but it’s up to the teacher to find challenging learning opportunities for a kid ready to zoom ahead or to spend a little extra time with a struggling student. Not only does the teacher need to keep track of where each student is, but he or she also need to help each learner feel valued and connected to the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest takeaway about implementing a blended learning program is that it won’t be easier. Some functions might be automated, like quiz grading, but only an energetic and passionate teacher can make the most of that new-found time. It’s unrealistic to plop a kid down at a computer and expect him to learn. In a blended classroom the teacher is constantly there providing support, helping students access new tools, pushing for more depth of understanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators are paying attention all the time and they are using the data they can get from software or other tools to help direct their energies. \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/are-teachers-of-tomorrow-prepared-to-use-innovative-tech/\">Teachers of the future\u003c/a> are going to need stronger data analyzing skills, but they will also need to pull their heads out of the spreadsheet and recognize the social and emotional needs of their students, a function that only a real live teacher can offer.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"As schools become more savvy about blended-learning tactics– the practice of mixing online and in-person instruction -- guidelines and best practices are emerging from lessons learned. Here are four crucial factors to keep in mind as schools plunge in.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1377190980,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":19,"wordCount":1109},"headData":{"title":"Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning | KQED","description":"As schools become more savvy about blended-learning tactics– the practice of mixing online and in-person instruction -- guidelines and best practices are emerging from lessons learned. Here are four crucial factors to keep in mind as schools plunge in.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning","datePublished":"2013-08-21T18:30:58.000Z","dateModified":"2013-08-22T17:03:00.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"30706 http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=30706","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/08/21/four-essential-principles-of-blended-learning/","disqusTitle":"Four Essential Principles of Blended Learning","path":"/mindshift/30706/four-essential-principles-of-blended-learning","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_30805\" class=\"wp-caption center\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-30805\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_8760\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/08/IMG_8760-e1377108401406-320x180.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"> \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">As schools become more savvy about \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/blended-learning/\">blended-learning tactics\u003c/a>– the practice of mixing online and in-person instruction -- guidelines and best practices are emerging from lessons learned. Here are four crucial factors to keep in mind as schools plunge in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. EVERY SCHOOL NEEDS A VISION.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The single biggest piece of advice offered by most blended learning pioneers is to have a cohesive vision for how the technology will enhance specific learning goals, how it will ease the burden on teachers, and how it can make both teachers and students more creative learners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A big part of creating that vision is having \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/06/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation/\">strong leadership at all levels\u003c/a>. A district superintendent who sees the value in a model will help remove old policies that inhibit the work. A strong leader will remove barriers, support professional development for teachers, celebrate successes and help move past challenges. And that person will value the student experience most. “We put students behind the wheel with our guidance, recognizing they will make mistakes, but we’ll be there to get them back on track,” said Eric Williams, Superintendent of York County School Division in Virginia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Equally important is to have that same kind of visionary leadership from principals and teachers willing to lead by example in the classroom. A shared vision means each tier of a school’s hierarchy must work towards the same goals. Teachers and principals must be \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/experimenting-and-innovating-finding-the-best-tools-and-tactics/\">given room to try new things, fail, innovate and evolve\u003c/a> until they find the right balance. That requires a lot of flexibility, another important feature of implementing this new style of learning that will seem foreign to many parents, students and teachers. Moving to a blended learning model won’t work perfectly just because it’s being done on a tablet or through a new learning management system.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> “Shifting some work online to complement traditional classrooms creates much needed time and space in the classroom.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Part of the overall vision needs to include considering how to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/how-can-teachers-prepare-kids-for-a-connected-world/\">give students more agency \u003c/a>over their learning. If the technology is canned content meant to turn out strong test takers who can’t apply the knowledge they’ve learned, is it meeting the broader learning goals? Similarly, how can the technology help teachers become the most inspired, passionate and creative classroom facilitators possible? How can it encourage them to stay in the profession and offer creative outlets for their passions?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no one best way to integrate digital learning into a classroom. If the vision, goals and desired outcomes are clear, there’s lots of room to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/11/whats-the-best-way-of-using-computers-in-schools/\">experiment with what works best\u003c/a>. It will depend on the student population and needs; some schools are dealing with vastly different kinds of student populations, while others may be trying to transition to a project-based learning model. Nothing is mutually exclusive, but needs are different and will determine the learning goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"lcp_catlist aside half left cats-by-2\">\n\u003ch2 class=\"feat-title\">Guide to Blended Learning\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>[catlist categorypage=\"yes\" numberposts=\"5\" thumbnail=\"yes\" excludeposts=\"this\" class=\"\" title_tag=\"h3\" title_class=\"post-title\" thumbnail_class=\"thumbnail\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Blended learning also works differently for a variety of subjects. Overall, software developers have had more luck helping students to learn math concepts through a program than they have had with Language Arts, which \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/what-online-tools-work-for-language-arts/\">requires many skills at once that are not easily parsed\u003c/a>. “The biggest issue I still see is that people are still trying to break it down when it needs to be combined,” said Chris Liang-Vergara, director of instructional technology for personalized learning at Firstline, a public charter school company in New Orleans. Firstline depends on software to help its students catch up, but hasn’t found any really satisfactory software for Language Arts. This might be a subject where a patchwork of free or inexpensive web tools can better fill the need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. DON’T LET SOFTWARE DICTATE LEARNING GOALS.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As illustrated by Frontline’s frustrating experience finding Language Arts software that could help students with reading comprehension, writing, synthesis, and vocabulary at the same time, software isn’t always the answer. The tools are slowly improving, but they aren’t infallible and many are directed at a specific problem and don’t offer a cohesive learning strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>A program like ALEKS or Khan Academy videos might help student understand how to do certain math problems, but will they have the opportunity to show whether they can apply the knowledge in real-life scenarios? The flood of data from software can be helpful, if applied to agreed-upon learning outcomes, but that data might not be able to measure those outcomes.\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. SUPPORT TEACHERS AND INCLUDE THEM IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers will always be the heart and soul of a classroom, and they should be considered a critical factor in deciding on what blended tactics to use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter what kind of technology is being used, classrooms are full of rambunctious kids who need a teacher with strong\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/what-works-in-tech-tools-spotlight-on-classdojo/\"> classroom management\u003c/a> skills and the ability to set a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/09/teaching-social-and-emotional-skills-in-schools/\">positive classroom culture\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most common arguments in favor of blended learning center on its ability to help schools tailor learning to the individual learner. The potential for that kind of differentiation is there, but it’s up to the teacher to find challenging learning opportunities for a kid ready to zoom ahead or to spend a little extra time with a struggling student. Not only does the teacher need to keep track of where each student is, but he or she also need to help each learner feel valued and connected to the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest takeaway about implementing a blended learning program is that it won’t be easier. Some functions might be automated, like quiz grading, but only an energetic and passionate teacher can make the most of that new-found time. It’s unrealistic to plop a kid down at a computer and expect him to learn. In a blended classroom the teacher is constantly there providing support, helping students access new tools, pushing for more depth of understanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators are paying attention all the time and they are using the data they can get from software or other tools to help direct their energies. \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/are-teachers-of-tomorrow-prepared-to-use-innovative-tech/\">Teachers of the future\u003c/a> are going to need stronger data analyzing skills, but they will also need to pull their heads out of the spreadsheet and recognize the social and emotional needs of their students, a function that only a real live teacher can offer.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/30706/four-essential-principles-of-blended-learning","authors":["234"],"categories":["mindshift_20546"],"tags":["mindshift_399","mindshift_1040"],"featImg":"mindshift_30805","label":"mindshift"},"mindshift_28901":{"type":"posts","id":"mindshift_28901","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"mindshift","id":"28901","score":null,"sort":[1370541071000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation","title":"How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation","publishDate":1370541071,"format":"aside","headTitle":"MindShift | KQED News","labelTerm":{"site":"mindshift"},"content":"\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29202\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1.jpg\" alt=\"153681911 (1)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-320x180.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">The leaders of a school or school district play a big role in setting the culture and work environment for teachers. And when it comes to trying new things, the attitude of principals and superintendents can sometimes make or break a teacher’s willingness and ability to weave new ideas and methods into the teaching practice. In most schools, strong, effective leaders can make all the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>LEADING FROM THE TOP\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to setting the tone for nimble and progressive teaching that's geared towards what students need most, school leaders can also find ways to integrate technology in smart ways that work on the same goals. And they can help to remove roadblocks when necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A key leadership role is to try to build a shared vision for blended learning,” said \u003ca href=\"http://yorkcountyschools.org/aboutUs/administration/superintendentCabinet.aspx\">Eric Williams\u003c/a>, Superintendent York County School Division in Virginia. One way he does that is by celebrating effective practices publicly. Principals are encouraged to share what’s working at their schools with their district colleagues. Williams also likes to highlight good teaching at school board meetings, all with the goal of building a shared idea of what everyone is working towards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams also tries to model blended learning for his staff, to help them get acclimated to an idea that didn't exist throughout most of their careers. “We have professional development activities that could be categorized as blended learning,” Williams said. In addition to face-to-face time, every week teachers can participate in an optional professional development session through\u003ca href=\"http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/\"> Collaborize Classroom\u003c/a>. Similarly, when Williams needed to give principals an update on the budget, he didn't call a meeting that would require each principal to spend half a day getting to and from the central office -- he held a video conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most important thing Williams does as a forward-thinking superintendent is to support principal and teacher innovation. Rather than saying no when an idea conflicts with district policy, he works to change the policy. He’s found that working that way removes most of the barriers people cite as obstacles to fully integrating technology into classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams has worked to set policies that allow for new approaches. Websites like YouTube, Facebook and other social media are \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/what-to-do-if-your-school-bans-a-useful-website/\">no longer blocked\u003c/a> in the district and the middle and high schools have been had a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/09/how-to-launch-a-successful-byod-program/\">Bring Your Own Device \u003c/a>policy for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a student-driven perspective,” Williams said. “We put students behind the wheel with our guidance, recognizing they will make mistakes, but we’ll be there to get them back on track.” Letting students direct their own learning is at the heart of many policies Williams endorses. He knows that some kids will use their devices for non-academic purposes, or will check Facebook, but the benefits of \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/08/facebook-and-youtube-offer-guidelines-to-help-schools-and-parents/\">allowing those tools\u003c/a> in the classroom outweigh the few bad actors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/parents-want-kids-to-use-mobile-devices-in-schools/\">Parents Want Kids to Use Mobile Devices in Schools\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s his approach to everything in the technology space. If there are permission issues with sharing student work online, he works to change the policy, believing that a global audience for student work is engaging. And he’s been strategic about how to spend limited public funds. The York County Schools Division has decided it doesn't have enough money to invest in devices for each student; it invests in infrastructure, like adequate bandwidth, and in-school devices instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\u003cstrong>“We put students behind the wheel with our guidance, recognizing they will make mistakes, but we’ll be there to get them back on track.”\u003c/strong>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>York County schools didn't implement these changes all at once; they moved slowly and ushered teachers, parents, and students along with them. Some teachers had concerns about the relaxed rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very practical legitimate concerns that come from the classroom level,” Williams said. “A teacher may say that if we let students bring cell phones to school they're going to use it to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/03/teaching-and-modeling-good-digital-citizenship/\">cheat or bully one another\u003c/a>.” Williams’ response? Kids are going to bring devices whether they are allowed to or not, and if it’s allowed teachers can guide them. Classroom management problems are always going to exist, so let's not blame that on the devices, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams has also been sure to provide a lot of professional development around technology so that teachers feel comfortable using the unfamiliar tools. The district also created a private \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/06/games-gadgets-and-the-cloud-coming-soon-to-a-school-near-you/\">cloud-based network\u003c/a> for staff and students to access from both home and school. “This is huge because it really is an example of breaking down barriers of space and time to access learning,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>STUCK IN THE MIDDLE\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most influential leader in any single school is the principal, but that person often gets caught between higher level policies and the needs of his or her school. To be a strong supporter of blended learning practices in the classroom, a strong principal has to be willing to take criticism from superiors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get why people wouldn't do it,” said Chrystina Russell, principal of \u003ca href=\"http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/04/M406/default.htm\">Global Tech Preparatory \u003c/a>a \u003ca href=\"http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/izone/default.htm\">New York City iZone\u003c/a> school. “You have to take a lot of heat.” \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/experimenting-and-innovating-finding-the-best-tools-and-tactics/\">New York’s iZone\u003c/a> is a part of the Department of Education that supports innovative teaching practices. The iZone helps fund some initiatives and provides a space for teachers throughout the city to share best practices and lessons learned. It would be easy to assume that iZone schools are free to innovate -- after all, that’s why the office exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“I try not to transfer that top down test-intensive energy to the teachers, and instead make the teachers feel like they can take risks and offer them support.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>“Being an iZone principal is like living in two different worlds,” Russell said. On the one hand she and her staff are trying different strategies to reach their high needs students. One the other hand, she grapples with district rules requiring high-stakes testing and annual reviews based on strict criteria that don’t take into account what it’s like to be a school experimenting with new practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The most challenging, but sometimes most empowering part of [being] principal is really that mezzo-level where all the higher up stuff is going to collide on the ground,” Russell said. She’s trying to create an environment where teachers feel they can try new things and even fail, as long as they report out what worked and what didn't. She doesn't let money stand in the way of good ideas; she organizes fundraising instead. Keeping the pressure she feels away from the teachers is where she feels squeezed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I try not to transfer that top down test-intensive energy to the teachers, and instead make the teachers feel like they can take risks and offer them support,” Russell said. But that doesn't help her when New York’s Department of Education sends a reviewer to the school. That person has a checklist of things that the school is supposed to be doing well, but he may or may not have any understanding of the iZone or that innovation can take time to implement well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/03/new-york-city-schools-blended-learning-experiment/\">New York City Schools' Experiment in Blended Learning\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Russell is clearly frustrated with the rigidity of the review process. “You can’t do everything traditionally well and innovate well at the same time,” she said. “The quality review can penalize schools for not having traditional indicators.” For example, Global Tech Prep worked with a consultant from \u003ca href=\"http://www.teachingmatters.org/\">Teaching Matters\u003c/a> to try out and vet English Language Arts software and teaching approaches. In their annual review, they were criticized for not having enough in-house expertise. Russell believes her school is on the cutting edge of figuring out what works and what doesn't, an on-going, iterative process that is necessarily collaborative since it’s so new. In one instance, she said, her reviewer said the DOE gave explicit instructions \u003cem>not\u003c/em> to give value to iZone innovations on the evaluations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s an office of innovation, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the system is aware of it, nor does it mean that they honor it,” Russell said. She feels that ultimately the disjointed approach hurts teachers and students. “When you are doing this work with teachers, for everything you put on their plate you need to take something off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Russell says it’s her job to bring the fun back to teaching for her staff, not to pile on more responsibilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Giving teachers more control over what they do makes them want to come to work,” she said. And she’s found that the middle school students she works with respond to working with tech, although she’s clear that the technology is one more tool, not a substitute for good teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/whats-worth-investing-in-criteria-for-choosing-technology-for-learning/\">What's Worth Investing In? How to Decide What Technology You Need\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Russell is clear that her school needs time to see which innovations really work. She’s skeptical of fad initiatives that never have time to take root. “We don’t know if innovation works, but we know that the traditional ways of schooling are not working for our kids,” Russell said. “If we know that doesn't work, then there’s really no other option if we are really thinking about the kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her job as principal, she says, is to be the connector. She provides cover to her teachers so they can practice their craft most of the year, then six weeks before the standardized tests they start prepping. Russell said she has to make sure the school meets traditional standards of measurement so it can stay open, while ensuring that real learning is also taking place. “You have to embrace being the rebel for the sake of kids and know that if you get push back you are doing something that makes change,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>IN THE CLASSROOM\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers are often the first adopters of technology and the most eager innovators. Most teachers are looking for ways to connect students with content, anything to help them “get it.” But without support from school and district leaders it can be hard for a creative teacher to find resources or share what he's learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">“I miss having colleagues who are practicing this because I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off. My practice would get better if I had more people to collaborate with.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/11/the-power-of-one-teachers-vision/\">Ananth Pai\u003c/a> was at the cutting edge of using technology and especially games for learning in his classroom. “There wasn't even the word gamification, yet,” Pai said. “I was just doing stuff that worked.” Pai raised money to buy computers and hand held games for his classroom after his principal refused to let him use funds meant for a smartboard that he didn't want. “All of a sudden the engagement was just night and day, so I thought, there’s something here,” Pai said. He found he had more time to focus on conceptual ideas and he could clear up misperceptions in the moment as he moved around the classroom checking on his student’s work. And his student’s test scores improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of leveraging Pai’s success, his superiors tried to ignore him and occasionally reprimanded him by reminding him to stick to school board approved curriculum. “As it is our job is a lonely one, but if my professional practice is so different from my colleagues there isn’t that much that I can share with them,” Pai said. “I miss having colleagues who are practicing this because I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off. My practice would get better if I had more people to collaborate with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/money-time-and-tactics-can-games-be-effective-in-schools/\">Money, Time and Tactics: Can Games Be Effective in Schools?\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While his district hasn't shut him down, they haven’t been supportive with resources or support. And that has embittered Pai. “This business is so stuck with calcified brains,” Pai said. Before becoming a teacher Pai worked in the corporate world of desktop publishing. He’s used to either innovating or getting passed over. “I come from having survived the business world in India, Singapore and the U.S. and if you didn't do stuff that advances the company, you are fired,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Pai has washed his hands of the system. He doesn't try to get money for instructional technology anymore and he’s upset there’s no way for him to give feedback to his superiors. Pai is an example of what can happen to innovative teachers struggling alone in the classroom without institutional support. Rather than applauding his initiative, his results and his commitment to his students, his superiors ignored him and they may soon lose him altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"School and district leadership plays a big role in setting the culture and work environment for teachers. And when it comes to trying new things, the attitude of principals and superintendents can make or break a teacher’s willingness and ability to weave new ideas and methods into her teaching practice. In schools that are trying to integrate technology into the classroom, strong effective leaders can make all the difference.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1429122101,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":35,"wordCount":2244},"headData":{"title":"How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation | KQED","description":"School and district leadership plays a big role in setting the culture and work environment for teachers. And when it comes to trying new things, the attitude of principals and superintendents can make or break a teacher’s willingness and ability to weave new ideas and methods into her teaching practice. In schools that are trying to integrate technology into the classroom, strong effective leaders can make all the difference.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation","datePublished":"2013-06-06T17:51:11.000Z","dateModified":"2015-04-15T18:21:41.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"28901 http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/?p=28901","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/06/06/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation/","disqusTitle":"How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation","path":"/mindshift/28901/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29202\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1.jpg\" alt=\"153681911 (1)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2013/06/153681911-1-320x180.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"dropcap-serif\">The leaders of a school or school district play a big role in setting the culture and work environment for teachers. And when it comes to trying new things, the attitude of principals and superintendents can sometimes make or break a teacher’s willingness and ability to weave new ideas and methods into the teaching practice. In most schools, strong, effective leaders can make all the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>LEADING FROM THE TOP\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to setting the tone for nimble and progressive teaching that's geared towards what students need most, school leaders can also find ways to integrate technology in smart ways that work on the same goals. And they can help to remove roadblocks when necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A key leadership role is to try to build a shared vision for blended learning,” said \u003ca href=\"http://yorkcountyschools.org/aboutUs/administration/superintendentCabinet.aspx\">Eric Williams\u003c/a>, Superintendent York County School Division in Virginia. One way he does that is by celebrating effective practices publicly. Principals are encouraged to share what’s working at their schools with their district colleagues. Williams also likes to highlight good teaching at school board meetings, all with the goal of building a shared idea of what everyone is working towards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams also tries to model blended learning for his staff, to help them get acclimated to an idea that didn't exist throughout most of their careers. “We have professional development activities that could be categorized as blended learning,” Williams said. In addition to face-to-face time, every week teachers can participate in an optional professional development session through\u003ca href=\"http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/\"> Collaborize Classroom\u003c/a>. Similarly, when Williams needed to give principals an update on the budget, he didn't call a meeting that would require each principal to spend half a day getting to and from the central office -- he held a video conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most important thing Williams does as a forward-thinking superintendent is to support principal and teacher innovation. Rather than saying no when an idea conflicts with district policy, he works to change the policy. He’s found that working that way removes most of the barriers people cite as obstacles to fully integrating technology into classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams has worked to set policies that allow for new approaches. Websites like YouTube, Facebook and other social media are \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/what-to-do-if-your-school-bans-a-useful-website/\">no longer blocked\u003c/a> in the district and the middle and high schools have been had a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/09/how-to-launch-a-successful-byod-program/\">Bring Your Own Device \u003c/a>policy for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a student-driven perspective,” Williams said. “We put students behind the wheel with our guidance, recognizing they will make mistakes, but we’ll be there to get them back on track.” Letting students direct their own learning is at the heart of many policies Williams endorses. He knows that some kids will use their devices for non-academic purposes, or will check Facebook, but the benefits of \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/08/facebook-and-youtube-offer-guidelines-to-help-schools-and-parents/\">allowing those tools\u003c/a> in the classroom outweigh the few bad actors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/parents-want-kids-to-use-mobile-devices-in-schools/\">Parents Want Kids to Use Mobile Devices in Schools\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s his approach to everything in the technology space. If there are permission issues with sharing student work online, he works to change the policy, believing that a global audience for student work is engaging. And he’s been strategic about how to spend limited public funds. The York County Schools Division has decided it doesn't have enough money to invest in devices for each student; it invests in infrastructure, like adequate bandwidth, and in-school devices instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\u003cstrong>“We put students behind the wheel with our guidance, recognizing they will make mistakes, but we’ll be there to get them back on track.”\u003c/strong>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>York County schools didn't implement these changes all at once; they moved slowly and ushered teachers, parents, and students along with them. Some teachers had concerns about the relaxed rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very practical legitimate concerns that come from the classroom level,” Williams said. “A teacher may say that if we let students bring cell phones to school they're going to use it to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/03/teaching-and-modeling-good-digital-citizenship/\">cheat or bully one another\u003c/a>.” Williams’ response? Kids are going to bring devices whether they are allowed to or not, and if it’s allowed teachers can guide them. Classroom management problems are always going to exist, so let's not blame that on the devices, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams has also been sure to provide a lot of professional development around technology so that teachers feel comfortable using the unfamiliar tools. The district also created a private \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/06/games-gadgets-and-the-cloud-coming-soon-to-a-school-near-you/\">cloud-based network\u003c/a> for staff and students to access from both home and school. “This is huge because it really is an example of breaking down barriers of space and time to access learning,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>STUCK IN THE MIDDLE\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most influential leader in any single school is the principal, but that person often gets caught between higher level policies and the needs of his or her school. To be a strong supporter of blended learning practices in the classroom, a strong principal has to be willing to take criticism from superiors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get why people wouldn't do it,” said Chrystina Russell, principal of \u003ca href=\"http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/04/M406/default.htm\">Global Tech Preparatory \u003c/a>a \u003ca href=\"http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/izone/default.htm\">New York City iZone\u003c/a> school. “You have to take a lot of heat.” \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/experimenting-and-innovating-finding-the-best-tools-and-tactics/\">New York’s iZone\u003c/a> is a part of the Department of Education that supports innovative teaching practices. The iZone helps fund some initiatives and provides a space for teachers throughout the city to share best practices and lessons learned. It would be easy to assume that iZone schools are free to innovate -- after all, that’s why the office exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“I try not to transfer that top down test-intensive energy to the teachers, and instead make the teachers feel like they can take risks and offer them support.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>“Being an iZone principal is like living in two different worlds,” Russell said. On the one hand she and her staff are trying different strategies to reach their high needs students. One the other hand, she grapples with district rules requiring high-stakes testing and annual reviews based on strict criteria that don’t take into account what it’s like to be a school experimenting with new practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The most challenging, but sometimes most empowering part of [being] principal is really that mezzo-level where all the higher up stuff is going to collide on the ground,” Russell said. She’s trying to create an environment where teachers feel they can try new things and even fail, as long as they report out what worked and what didn't. She doesn't let money stand in the way of good ideas; she organizes fundraising instead. Keeping the pressure she feels away from the teachers is where she feels squeezed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I try not to transfer that top down test-intensive energy to the teachers, and instead make the teachers feel like they can take risks and offer them support,” Russell said. But that doesn't help her when New York’s Department of Education sends a reviewer to the school. That person has a checklist of things that the school is supposed to be doing well, but he may or may not have any understanding of the iZone or that innovation can take time to implement well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/03/new-york-city-schools-blended-learning-experiment/\">New York City Schools' Experiment in Blended Learning\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Russell is clearly frustrated with the rigidity of the review process. “You can’t do everything traditionally well and innovate well at the same time,” she said. “The quality review can penalize schools for not having traditional indicators.” For example, Global Tech Prep worked with a consultant from \u003ca href=\"http://www.teachingmatters.org/\">Teaching Matters\u003c/a> to try out and vet English Language Arts software and teaching approaches. In their annual review, they were criticized for not having enough in-house expertise. Russell believes her school is on the cutting edge of figuring out what works and what doesn't, an on-going, iterative process that is necessarily collaborative since it’s so new. In one instance, she said, her reviewer said the DOE gave explicit instructions \u003cem>not\u003c/em> to give value to iZone innovations on the evaluations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s an office of innovation, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the system is aware of it, nor does it mean that they honor it,” Russell said. She feels that ultimately the disjointed approach hurts teachers and students. “When you are doing this work with teachers, for everything you put on their plate you need to take something off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Russell says it’s her job to bring the fun back to teaching for her staff, not to pile on more responsibilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Giving teachers more control over what they do makes them want to come to work,” she said. And she’s found that the middle school students she works with respond to working with tech, although she’s clear that the technology is one more tool, not a substitute for good teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/whats-worth-investing-in-criteria-for-choosing-technology-for-learning/\">What's Worth Investing In? How to Decide What Technology You Need\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Russell is clear that her school needs time to see which innovations really work. She’s skeptical of fad initiatives that never have time to take root. “We don’t know if innovation works, but we know that the traditional ways of schooling are not working for our kids,” Russell said. “If we know that doesn't work, then there’s really no other option if we are really thinking about the kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her job as principal, she says, is to be the connector. She provides cover to her teachers so they can practice their craft most of the year, then six weeks before the standardized tests they start prepping. Russell said she has to make sure the school meets traditional standards of measurement so it can stay open, while ensuring that real learning is also taking place. “You have to embrace being the rebel for the sake of kids and know that if you get push back you are doing something that makes change,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>IN THE CLASSROOM\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers are often the first adopters of technology and the most eager innovators. Most teachers are looking for ways to connect students with content, anything to help them “get it.” But without support from school and district leaders it can be hard for a creative teacher to find resources or share what he's learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">“I miss having colleagues who are practicing this because I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off. My practice would get better if I had more people to collaborate with.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/11/the-power-of-one-teachers-vision/\">Ananth Pai\u003c/a> was at the cutting edge of using technology and especially games for learning in his classroom. “There wasn't even the word gamification, yet,” Pai said. “I was just doing stuff that worked.” Pai raised money to buy computers and hand held games for his classroom after his principal refused to let him use funds meant for a smartboard that he didn't want. “All of a sudden the engagement was just night and day, so I thought, there’s something here,” Pai said. He found he had more time to focus on conceptual ideas and he could clear up misperceptions in the moment as he moved around the classroom checking on his student’s work. And his student’s test scores improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of leveraging Pai’s success, his superiors tried to ignore him and occasionally reprimanded him by reminding him to stick to school board approved curriculum. “As it is our job is a lonely one, but if my professional practice is so different from my colleagues there isn’t that much that I can share with them,” Pai said. “I miss having colleagues who are practicing this because I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off. My practice would get better if I had more people to collaborate with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cstrong>[RELATED READING: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/money-time-and-tactics-can-games-be-effective-in-schools/\">Money, Time and Tactics: Can Games Be Effective in Schools?\u003c/a>]\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While his district hasn't shut him down, they haven’t been supportive with resources or support. And that has embittered Pai. “This business is so stuck with calcified brains,” Pai said. Before becoming a teacher Pai worked in the corporate world of desktop publishing. He’s used to either innovating or getting passed over. “I come from having survived the business world in India, Singapore and the U.S. and if you didn't do stuff that advances the company, you are fired,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Pai has washed his hands of the system. He doesn't try to get money for instructional technology anymore and he’s upset there’s no way for him to give feedback to his superiors. Pai is an example of what can happen to innovative teachers struggling alone in the classroom without institutional support. Rather than applauding his initiative, his results and his commitment to his students, his superiors ignored him and they may soon lose him altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/mindshift/28901/how-leadership-can-make-or-break-classroom-innovation","authors":["234"],"categories":["mindshift_20546"],"tags":["mindshift_966","mindshift_399","mindshift_1040","mindshift_326","mindshift_1041"],"featImg":"mindshift_29202","label":"mindshift"}},"programsReducer":{"possible":{"id":"possible","title":"Possible","info":"Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.","airtime":"SUN 2pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.possible.fm/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"Possible"},"link":"/radio/program/possible","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"}},"1a":{"id":"1a","title":"1A","info":"1A is home to the national conversation. 1A brings on great guests and frames the best debate in ways that make you think, share and engage.","airtime":"MON-THU 11pm-12am","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/1a.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://the1a.org/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/1a","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=1188724250&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/1A-p947376/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510316/podcast.xml"}},"all-things-considered":{"id":"all-things-considered","title":"All Things Considered","info":"Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.","airtime":"MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/all-things-considered"},"american-suburb-podcast":{"id":"american-suburb-podcast","title":"American Suburb: The Podcast","tagline":"The flip side of gentrification, told through one town","info":"Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"/news/series/american-suburb-podcast","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"13"},"link":"/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"}},"baycurious":{"id":"baycurious","title":"Bay Curious","tagline":"Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time","info":"KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"\"KQED Bay Curious","officialWebsiteLink":"/news/series/baycurious","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"4"},"link":"/podcasts/baycurious","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9jYXRlZ29yeS9iYXktY3VyaW91cy1wb2RjYXN0L2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"}},"bbc-world-service":{"id":"bbc-world-service","title":"BBC World Service","info":"The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.","airtime":"MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service","meta":{"site":"news","source":"BBC World Service"},"link":"/radio/program/bbc-world-service","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/","rss":"https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"}},"code-switch-life-kit":{"id":"code-switch-life-kit","title":"Code Switch / Life Kit","info":"\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />","airtime":"SUN 9pm-10pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"}},"commonwealth-club":{"id":"commonwealth-club","title":"Commonwealth Club of California Podcast","info":"The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.","airtime":"THU 10pm, FRI 1am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts","meta":{"site":"news","source":"Commonwealth Club of California"},"link":"/radio/program/commonwealth-club","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"}},"considerthis":{"id":"considerthis","title":"Consider This","tagline":"Make sense of the day","info":"Make sense of the day. Every weekday afternoon, Consider This helps you consider the major stories of the day in less than 15 minutes, featuring the reporting and storytelling resources of NPR. Plus, KQED’s Bianca Taylor brings you the local KQED news you need to know.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Consider-This-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"Consider This from NPR and KQED","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/considerthis","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"7"},"link":"/podcasts/considerthis","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1503226625?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/coronavirusdaily","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM1NS9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbA","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z6JdCS2d0eFEpXHKI6WqH"}},"forum":{"id":"forum","title":"Forum","tagline":"The conversation starts here","info":"KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.","airtime":"MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal","officialWebsiteLink":"/forum","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"8"},"link":"/forum","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast","rss":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"}},"freakonomics-radio":{"id":"freakonomics-radio","title":"Freakonomics Radio","info":"Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png","officialWebsiteLink":"http://freakonomics.com/","airtime":"SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"WNYC"},"link":"/radio/program/freakonomics-radio","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/","rss":"https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"}},"fresh-air":{"id":"fresh-air","title":"Fresh Air","info":"Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.","airtime":"MON-FRI 7pm-8pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/fresh-air","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"}},"here-and-now":{"id":"here-and-now","title":"Here & Now","info":"A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.","airtime":"MON-THU 11am-12pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/here-and-now","subsdcribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"}},"how-i-built-this":{"id":"how-i-built-this","title":"How I Built This with Guy Raz","info":"Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this","airtime":"SUN 7:30pm-8pm","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/how-i-built-this","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"}},"inside-europe":{"id":"inside-europe","title":"Inside Europe","info":"Inside Europe, a one-hour weekly news magazine hosted by Helen Seeney and Keith Walker, explores the topical issues shaping the continent. No other part of the globe has experienced such dynamic political and social change in recent years.","airtime":"SAT 3am-4am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Inside-Europe-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg","meta":{"site":"news","source":"Deutsche Welle"},"link":"/radio/program/inside-europe","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-europe/id80106806?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Inside-Europe-p731/","rss":"https://partner.dw.com/xml/podcast_inside-europe"}},"latino-usa":{"id":"latino-usa","title":"Latino USA","airtime":"MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm","info":"Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"http://latinousa.org/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/latino-usa","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"}},"live-from-here-highlights":{"id":"live-from-here-highlights","title":"Live from Here Highlights","info":"Chris Thile steps to the mic as the host of Live from Here (formerly A Prairie Home Companion), a live public radio variety show. Download Chris’s Song of the Week plus other highlights from the broadcast. Produced by American Public Media.","airtime":"SAT 6pm-8pm, SUN 11am-1pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Live-From-Here-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.livefromhere.org/","meta":{"site":"arts","source":"american public media"},"link":"/radio/program/live-from-here-highlights","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1167173941","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Live-from-Here-Highlights-p921744/","rss":"https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/a-prairie-home-companion-highlights/rss/rss"}},"marketplace":{"id":"marketplace","title":"Marketplace","info":"Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.","airtime":"MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.marketplace.org/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"American Public Media"},"link":"/radio/program/marketplace","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/","rss":"https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"}},"mindshift":{"id":"mindshift","title":"MindShift","tagline":"A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids","info":"The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn","officialWebsiteLink":"/mindshift/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"2"},"link":"/podcasts/mindshift","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"}},"morning-edition":{"id":"morning-edition","title":"Morning Edition","info":"\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.","airtime":"MON-FRI 3am-9am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/morning-edition"},"onourwatch":{"id":"onourwatch","title":"On Our Watch","tagline":"Police secrets, unsealed","info":"For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"On Our Watch from NPR and KQED","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/onourwatch","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"1"},"link":"/podcasts/onourwatch","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw","npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"}},"on-the-media":{"id":"on-the-media","title":"On The Media","info":"Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us","airtime":"SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm","meta":{"site":"news","source":"wnyc"},"link":"/radio/program/on-the-media","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/","rss":"http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"}},"our-body-politic":{"id":"our-body-politic","title":"Our Body Politic","info":"Presented by KQED, KCRW and KPCC, and created and hosted by award-winning journalist Farai Chideya, Our Body Politic is unapologetically centered on reporting on not just how women of color experience the major political events of today, but how they’re impacting those very issues.","airtime":"SAT 6pm-7pm, SUN 1am-2am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Our-Body-Politic-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://our-body-politic.simplecast.com/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kcrw"},"link":"/radio/program/our-body-politic","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-body-politic/id1533069868","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9feGFQaHMxcw","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/4ApAiLT1kV153TttWAmqmc","rss":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/_xaPhs1s","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/Our-Body-Politic-p1369211/"}},"pbs-newshour":{"id":"pbs-newshour","title":"PBS NewsHour","info":"Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.","airtime":"MON-FRI 3pm-4pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"pbs"},"link":"/radio/program/pbs-newshour","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/","rss":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"}},"perspectives":{"id":"perspectives","title":"Perspectives","tagline":"KQED's series of of daily listener commentaries since 1991","info":"KQED's series of of daily listener commentaries since 1991.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Perspectives-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"/perspectives/","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"kqed","order":"15"},"link":"/perspectives","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"}},"planet-money":{"id":"planet-money","title":"Planet Money","info":"The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.","airtime":"SUN 3pm-4pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/sections/money/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/planet-money","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"}},"politicalbreakdown":{"id":"politicalbreakdown","title":"Political Breakdown","tagline":"Politics from a personal perspective","info":"Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.","airtime":"THU 6:30pm-7pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED Political Breakdown","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/politicalbreakdown","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"kqed","order":"11"},"link":"/podcasts/politicalbreakdown","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5Nzk2MzI2MTEx","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"}},"pri-the-world":{"id":"pri-the-world","title":"PRI's The World: Latest Edition","info":"Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.","airtime":"MON-FRI 2pm-3pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world","meta":{"site":"news","source":"PRI"},"link":"/radio/program/pri-the-world","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/","rss":"http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"}},"radiolab":{"id":"radiolab","title":"Radiolab","info":"A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.","airtime":"SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/","meta":{"site":"science","source":"WNYC"},"link":"/radio/program/radiolab","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/","rss":"https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"}},"reveal":{"id":"reveal","title":"Reveal","info":"Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.","airtime":"SAT 4pm-5pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/reveal","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/","rss":"http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"}},"says-you":{"id":"says-you","title":"Says You!","info":"Public radio's game show of bluff and bluster, words and whimsy. The warmest, wittiest cocktail party - it's spirited and civil, brainy and boisterous, peppered with musical interludes. Fast paced and playful, it's the most fun you can have with language without getting your mouth washed out with soap. Our motto: It's not important to know the answers, it's important to like the answers!","airtime":"SUN 4pm-5pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Says-You-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"http://www.saysyouradio.com/","meta":{"site":"comedy","source":"Pipit and Finch"},"link":"/radio/program/says-you","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/says-you!/id1050199826","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Says-You-p480/","rss":"https://saysyou.libsyn.com/rss"}},"science-friday":{"id":"science-friday","title":"Science Friday","info":"Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.","airtime":"FRI 11am-1pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/science-friday","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/","rss":"http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"}},"science-podcast":{"id":"science-podcast","title":"KQED Science News","tagline":"From the lab, to your ears","info":"KQED Science explores science and environment news, trends, and events from the Bay Area and beyond.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-News-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/category/science-podcast/","meta":{"site":"science","source":"kqed","order":"17"},"link":"/science/category/science-podcast","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqed-science-news/id214663465","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2Jsb2dzLmtxZWQub3JnL3NjaWVuY2UvZmVlZC8","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed-science-news","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/category/science-podcast/feed/podcast"}},"selected-shorts":{"id":"selected-shorts","title":"Selected Shorts","info":"Spellbinding short stories by established and emerging writers take on a new life when they are performed by stars of the stage and screen.","airtime":"SAT 8pm-9pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Selected-Shorts-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.pri.org/programs/selected-shorts","meta":{"site":"arts","source":"pri"},"link":"/radio/program/selected-shorts","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=253191824&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Selected-Shorts-p31792/","rss":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/selectedshorts"}},"snap-judgment":{"id":"snap-judgment","title":"Snap Judgment","info":"Snap Judgment (Storytelling, with a BEAT) mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic, kick-ass radio. Snap’s raw, musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. WNYC studios is the producer of leading podcasts including Radiolab, Freakonomics Radio, Note To Self, Here’s The Thing With Alec Baldwin, and more.","airtime":"SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/snapJudgement.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://snapjudgment.org","meta":{"site":"arts","source":"WNYC"},"link":"/radio/program/snap-judgment","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=283657561&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Snap-Judgment-p243817/","rss":"https://feeds.feedburner.com/snapjudgment-wnyc"}},"soldout":{"id":"soldout","title":"SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America","tagline":"A new future for housing","info":"Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/soldout","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":3},"link":"/podcasts/soldout","subscribe":{"npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing","apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937","rss":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america","tunein":"https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vc29sZG91dA"}},"ted-radio-hour":{"id":"ted-radio-hour","title":"TED Radio Hour","info":"The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.","airtime":"SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/ted-radio-hour","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"}},"tech-nation":{"id":"tech-nation","title":"Tech Nation Radio Podcast","info":"Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.","airtime":"FRI 10pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"http://technation.podomatic.com/","meta":{"site":"science","source":"Tech Nation Media"},"link":"/radio/program/tech-nation","subscribe":{"rss":"https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"}},"thebay":{"id":"thebay","title":"The Bay","tagline":"Local news to keep you rooted","info":"Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"\"KQED The Bay","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/thebay","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"kqed","order":"6"},"link":"/podcasts/thebay","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM4MjU5Nzg2MzI3","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ","rss":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"}},"californiareport":{"id":"californiareport","title":"The California Report","tagline":"California, day by day","info":"KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED The California Report","officialWebsiteLink":"/californiareport","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"9"},"link":"/californiareport","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1MDAyODE4NTgz","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"}},"californiareportmagazine":{"id":"californiareportmagazine","title":"The California Report Magazine","tagline":"Your state, your stories","info":"Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.","airtime":"FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"/californiareportmagazine","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"10"},"link":"/californiareportmagazine","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"}},"theleap":{"id":"theleap","title":"The Leap","tagline":"What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?","info":"Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED The Leap","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/theleap","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"14"},"link":"/podcasts/theleap","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM0NTcwODQ2MjY2","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"}},"masters-of-scale":{"id":"masters-of-scale","title":"Masters of Scale","info":"Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.","airtime":"Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://mastersofscale.com/","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"WaitWhat"},"link":"/radio/program/masters-of-scale","subscribe":{"apple":"http://mastersofscale.app.link/","rss":"https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"}},"the-moth-radio-hour":{"id":"the-moth-radio-hour","title":"The Moth Radio Hour","info":"Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.","airtime":"SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://themoth.org/","meta":{"site":"arts","source":"prx"},"link":"/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/","rss":"http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"}},"the-new-yorker-radio-hour":{"id":"the-new-yorker-radio-hour","title":"The New Yorker Radio Hour","info":"The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.","airtime":"SAT 10am-11am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour","meta":{"site":"arts","source":"WNYC"},"link":"/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/","rss":"https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"}},"the-takeaway":{"id":"the-takeaway","title":"The Takeaway","info":"The Takeaway is produced in partnership with its national audience. It delivers perspective and analysis to help us better understand the day’s news. Be a part of the American conversation on-air and online.","airtime":"MON-THU 12pm-1pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Takeaway-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/takeaway","meta":{"site":"news","source":"WNYC"},"link":"/radio/program/the-takeaway","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-takeaway/id363143310?mt=2","tuneIn":"http://tunein.com/radio/The-Takeaway-p150731/","rss":"https://feeds.feedburner.com/takeawaypodcast"}},"this-american-life":{"id":"this-american-life","title":"This American Life","info":"This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.","airtime":"SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.thisamericanlife.org/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"wbez"},"link":"/radio/program/this-american-life","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","rss":"https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"}},"truthbetold":{"id":"truthbetold","title":"Truth Be Told","tagline":"Advice by and for people of color","info":"We’re the friend you call after a long day, the one who gets it. Through wisdom from some of the greatest thinkers of our time, host Tonya Mosley explores what it means to grow and thrive as a Black person in America, while discovering new ways of being that serve as a portal to more love, more healing, and more joy.","airtime":"","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Truth-Be-Told-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.kqed.ord/podcasts/truthbetold","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr","order":"12"},"link":"/podcasts/truthbetold","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-be-told/id1462216572","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9jYXRlZ29yeS90cnV0aC1iZS10b2xkLXBvZGNhc3QvZmVlZA","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/719210818/truth-be-told","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=398170&refid=stpr","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/587DhwTBxke6uvfwDfaV5N"}},"wait-wait-dont-tell-me":{"id":"wait-wait-dont-tell-me","title":"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!","info":"Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.","airtime":"SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"}},"washington-week":{"id":"washington-week","title":"Washington Week","info":"For 50 years, Washington Week has been the most intelligent and up to date conversation about the most important news stories of the week. Washington Week is the longest-running news and public affairs program on PBS and features journalists -- not pundits -- lending insight and perspective to the week's important news stories.","airtime":"SAT 1:30am-2am","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/washington-week.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"pbs"},"link":"/radio/program/washington-week","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/washington-week-audio-pbs/id83324702?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Current-Affairs/Washington-Week-p693/","rss":"http://feeds.pbs.org/pbs/weta/washingtonweek-audio"}},"weekend-edition-saturday":{"id":"weekend-edition-saturday","title":"Weekend Edition Saturday","info":"Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.","airtime":"SAT 5am-10am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"},"weekend-edition-sunday":{"id":"weekend-edition-sunday","title":"Weekend Edition Sunday","info":"Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.","airtime":"SUN 5am-10am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"},"world-affairs":{"id":"world-affairs","title":"World Affairs","info":"The world as we knew it is undergoing a rapid transformation…so what's next? Welcome to WorldAffairs, your guide to a changing world. We give you the context you need to navigate across borders and ideologies. Through sound-rich stories and in-depth interviews, we break down what it means to be a global citizen on a hot, crowded planet. Our hosts, Ray Suarez, Teresa Cotsirilos and Philip Yun help you make sense of an uncertain world, one story at a time.","airtime":"MON 10pm, TUE 1am, SAT 3am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/World-Affairs-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg ","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.worldaffairs.org/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"World Affairs"},"link":"/radio/program/world-affairs","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/world-affairs/id101215657?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/WorldAffairs-p1665/","rss":"https://worldaffairs.libsyn.com/rss"}},"on-shifting-ground":{"id":"on-shifting-ground","title":"On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez","info":"Geopolitical turmoil. A warming planet. Authoritarians on the rise. We live in a chaotic world that’s rapidly shifting around us. “On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez” explores international fault lines and how they impact us all. Each week, NPR veteran Ray Suarez hosts conversations with journalists, leaders and policy experts to help us read between the headlines – and give us hope for human resilience.","airtime":"MON 10pm, TUE 1am, SAT 3am","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2022/12/onshiftingground-600x600-1.png","officialWebsiteLink":"https://worldaffairs.org/radio-podcast/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"On Shifting Ground"},"link":"/radio/program/on-shifting-ground","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/on-shifting-ground/id101215657","rss":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/36668/rss"}},"hidden-brain":{"id":"hidden-brain","title":"Hidden Brain","info":"Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain","airtime":"SUN 7pm-8pm","meta":{"site":"news","source":"NPR"},"link":"/radio/program/hidden-brain","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"}},"city-arts":{"id":"city-arts","title":"City Arts & Lectures","info":"A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.cityarts.net/","airtime":"SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am","meta":{"site":"news","source":"City Arts & Lectures"},"link":"https://www.cityarts.net","subscribe":{"tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/","rss":"https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"}},"white-lies":{"id":"white-lies","title":"White Lies","info":"In 1965, Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/White-Lies-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510343/white-lies","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/white-lies","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/whitelies","apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1462650519?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM0My9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbA","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/12yZ2j8vxqhc0QZyRES3ft?si=LfWYEK6URA63hueKVxRLAw","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510343/podcast.xml"}},"rightnowish":{"id":"rightnowish","title":"Rightnowish","tagline":"Art is where you find it","info":"Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/rightnowish","meta":{"site":"arts","source":"kqed","order":"5"},"link":"/podcasts/rightnowish","subscribe":{"npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast","apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"}},"jerrybrown":{"id":"jerrybrown","title":"The Political Mind of Jerry Brown","tagline":"Lessons from a lifetime in politics","info":"The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/jerrybrown","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"16"},"link":"/podcasts/jerrybrown","subscribe":{"npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/","tuneIn":"http://tun.in/pjGcK","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9zZXJpZXMvamVycnlicm93bi9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qv"}},"the-splendid-table":{"id":"the-splendid-table","title":"The Splendid Table","info":"\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.splendidtable.org/","airtime":"SUN 10-11 pm","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/the-splendid-table"}},"racesReducer":{"5921":{"id":"5921","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 7","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":158422,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.97,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Doris Matsui","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":89456,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Tom Silva","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":48920,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"David Mandel","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":20046,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-09T01:00:38.194Z"},"5922":{"id":"5922","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 8","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Rudy Recile","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"John Garamendi","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"5924":{"id":"5924","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 10","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":185034,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.07,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mark DeSaulnier","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":121265,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Katherine Piccinini","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":34883,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Nolan Chen","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":19459,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Joe Sweeney","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":7606,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Mohamed Elsherbini","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":1821,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-09T01:02:32.415Z"},"5926":{"id":"5926","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 12","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":153801,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.88,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 20, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:41 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Lateefah Simon","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":85905,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Jennifer Tran","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":22964,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Tony Daysog","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":17197,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Stephen Slauson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":9699,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Glenn Kaplan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":6785,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Eric Wilson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":4243,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Abdur Sikder","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":2847,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ned Nuerge","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":2532,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Andre Todd","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":1629,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-16T00:22:36.062Z"},"5928":{"id":"5928","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 14","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":125831,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.14,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 20, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:41 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Eric Swalwell","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":83989,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Vin Kruttiventi","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":22106,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Alison Hayden","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":11928,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Luis Reynoso","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":7808,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:51:36.366Z"},"5930":{"id":"5930","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 16","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":182135,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.91,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","timeUpdated":"3:04 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Sam Liccardo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":38489,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Evan Low","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":30249,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Joe Simitian","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":30249,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Peter Ohtaki","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":23275,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Peter Dixon","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":14673,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Rishi Kumar","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":12377,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Karl Ryan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":11557,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Julie Lythcott-Haims","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":11383,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ahmed Mostafa","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":5811,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Greg Tanaka","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":2421,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Joby Bernstein","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":1651,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:32:05.002Z"},"5931":{"id":"5931","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 17","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":117534,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.92,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Ro Khanna","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":73941,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Anita Chen","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":31539,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Ritesh Tandon","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":5728,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Mario Ramirez","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":4491,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Joe Dehn","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"Lib","voteCount":1835,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-08T01:50:53.956Z"},"5932":{"id":"5932","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 18","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":96302,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.93,"eevp":98.83,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Zoe Lofgren","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":49323,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Peter Hernandez","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":31622,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Charlene Nijmeh","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":10614,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Lawrence Milan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":2712,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Luele Kifle","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":2031,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:26:02.706Z"},"5963":{"id":"5963","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 2","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":139085,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.62,"eevp":98.6,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Michael Greer","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":38079,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Chris Rogers","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":27126,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Rusty Hicks","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":25615,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ariel Kelley","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":19483,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Frankie Myers","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":17694,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ted Williams","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":9550,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Cynthia Click","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":1538,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-22T21:38:36.711Z"},"5972":{"id":"5972","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 11","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":99775,"precinctsReportPercentage":99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Lori Wilson","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":50085,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Dave Ennis","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":26074,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Wanda Wallis","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":14638,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jeffrey Flack","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":8978,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-08T02:01:24.524Z"},"5973":{"id":"5973","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 12","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":143532,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.19,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:38 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Damon Connolly","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":111275,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Andy Podshadley","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":17240,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Eryn Cervantes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":15017,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-21T00:25:32.262Z"},"5975":{"id":"5975","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 14","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":106997,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.06,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Buffy Wicks","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":78678,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Margot Smith","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":18251,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Utkarsh Jain","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":10068,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-15T01:30:34.539Z"},"5976":{"id":"5976","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 15","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":97144,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.98,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Sonia Ledo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":30946,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Anamarie Farias","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":29512,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Monica Wilson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":24775,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Karen Mitchoff","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":11911,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-14T00:19:38.858Z"},"5977":{"id":"5977","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 16","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Joseph Rubay","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Rebecca Bauer-Kahan","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"5978":{"id":"5978","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 17","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":111003,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"8:25 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Matt Haney","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":90915,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Manuel Noris-Barrera","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":13843,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Otto Duke","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":6245,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:36:19.697Z"},"5979":{"id":"5979","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 18","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":86008,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.1,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 20, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:41 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mia Bonta","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":73040,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Andre Sandford","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"AIP","voteCount":4575,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Mindy Pechenuk","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":4389,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Cheyenne Kenney","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":4004,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T08:03:23.729Z"},"5980":{"id":"5980","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 19","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":113959,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.8,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Catherine Stefani","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":64960,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"David Lee","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":33035,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Nadia Flamenco","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":8335,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Arjun Sodhani","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":7629,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-11T23:50:23.109Z"},"5981":{"id":"5981","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 20","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 20, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:36 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Liz Ortega","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"5982":{"id":"5982","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 21","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mark Gilham","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Diane Papan","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"5984":{"id":"5984","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 23","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":116963,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.91,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Marc Berman","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":67106,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Lydia Kou","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":23699,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Gus Mattammal","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":13277,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Allan Marson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":12881,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T01:13:06.280Z"},"5987":{"id":"5987","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 26","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":72753,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.19,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Patrick Ahrens","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":25036,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Tara Sreekrishnan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":19600,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Sophie Song","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":15954,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Omar Din","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":8772,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Bob Goodwyn","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"Lib","voteCount":2170,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ashish Garg","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":1221,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-13T21:06:29.070Z"},"5989":{"id":"5989","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 28","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:10 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Gail Pellerin","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Liz Lawler","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6010":{"id":"6010","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 49","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:36 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mike Fong","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Long Liu","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6018":{"id":"6018","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 2","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":229348,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.05,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:38 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jared Huffman","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":169005,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Chris Coulombe","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":37372,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Tief Gibbs","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":18437,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jolian Kangas","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":3166,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jason Brisendine","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":1368,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:46:10.103Z"},"6020":{"id":"6020","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 4","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":187640,"precinctsReportPercentage":96.32,"eevp":96.36,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mike Thompson","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":118147,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"John Munn","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":56232,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Andrew Engdahl","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":11202,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Niket Patwardhan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":2059,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-07T00:30:57.980Z"},"6025":{"id":"6025","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 9","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":121271,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.17,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:10 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Josh Harder","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":60396,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Kevin Lincoln","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":36346,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"John McBride","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":15525,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Khalid Jafri","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":9004,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:49:44.113Z"},"6031":{"id":"6031","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 15","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Anna Kramer","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Kevin Mullin","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6035":{"id":"6035","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 19","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":203670,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.11,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jimmy Panetta","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":132540,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Jason Anderson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":58120,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Sean Dougherty","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"Grn","voteCount":13010,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-07T00:23:46.779Z"},"6066":{"id":"6066","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 3","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:10 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jamie Gallagher","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Aaron Draper","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6067":{"id":"6067","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 4","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Cecilia Aguiar-Curry","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6087":{"id":"6087","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 24","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":66643,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.19,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Alex Lee","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":45544,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Bob Brunton","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":14951,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Marti Souza","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":6148,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-14T23:23:49.770Z"},"6088":{"id":"6088","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 25","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":69560,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.31,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Ash Kalra","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":35821,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Ted Stroll","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":18255,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Lan Ngo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":15484,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-14T02:40:57.200Z"},"6092":{"id":"6092","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State House, District 29","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Robert Rivas","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"J.W. Paine","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6223":{"id":"6223","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 46","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:16 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Lou Correa","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"David Pan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6530":{"id":"6530","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 3","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":222193,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Thom Bogue","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":61776,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Christopher Cabaldon","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":59041,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Rozzana Verder-Aliga","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":45546,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jackie Elward","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":41127,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jimih Jones","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":14703,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-15T01:24:31.539Z"},"6531":{"id":"6531","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 5","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":171623,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.09,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:10 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jim Shoemaker","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":74935,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Jerry McNerney","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":57040,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Carlos Villapudua","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":39648,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-13T20:07:46.382Z"},"6532":{"id":"6532","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 7","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":192446,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.72,"eevp":98.78,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:48 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jesse Arreguín","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":61837,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Jovanka Beckles","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":34025,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Dan Kalb","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":28842,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Kathryn Lybarger","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":28041,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Sandre Swanson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":22862,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jeanne Solnordal","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":16839,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-16T00:58:11.533Z"},"6533":{"id":"6533","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 9","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Tim Grayson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Marisol Rubio","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6534":{"id":"6534","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 11","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":228260,"precinctsReportPercentage":99.09,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Scott Wiener","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":166592,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Yvette Corkrean","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":34438,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Cynthia Cravens","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":18513,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jing Xiong","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":8717,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T02:01:51.597Z"},"6535":{"id":"6535","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 13","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":227191,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.88,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Josh Becker","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":167127,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Alexander Glew","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":42788,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Christina Laskowski","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":17276,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T01:56:24.964Z"},"6536":{"id":"6536","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 15","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":180231,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.81,"eevp":98.95,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:20 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Dave Cortese","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":124440,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Robert Howell","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":34173,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Tony Loaiza","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":21618,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-13T01:15:45.365Z"},"6548":{"id":"6548","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"State Senate, District 39","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":0,"uncontested":true,"precinctsReportPercentage":0,"eevp":0,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 20, 2024","timeUpdated":"4:55 PM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Akilah Weber","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Bob Divine","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":0,"isWinner":true}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:00:30.000Z"},"6611":{"id":"6611","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 11","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":188732,"precinctsReportPercentage":98.89,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 22, 2024","timeUpdated":"8:25 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Nancy Pelosi","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":138285,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Bruce Lou","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":16285,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Marjorie Mikels","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":9363,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Bianca Von Krieg","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":7634,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jason Zeng","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":6607,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jason Boyce","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":4325,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Larry Nichelson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":3482,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Eve Del Castello","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":2751,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-12T00:31:55.445Z"},"8589":{"id":"8589","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. Senate, Class I","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":7276537,"precinctsReportPercentage":99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Adam Schiff","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":2299507,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Steve Garvey","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":2292414,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Katie Porter","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":1115606,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Barbara Lee","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":714408,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Eric Early","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":240723,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"James Bradley","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":98180,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Christina Pascucci","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":61755,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Sharleta Bassett","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":54422,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Sarah Liew","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":38483,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Laura Garza ","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":34320,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Jonathan Reiss","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":34283,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Sepi Gilani","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":34056,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Gail Lightfoot","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"Lib","voteCount":33046,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Denice Gary-Pandol","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":25494,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"James Macauley","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":23168,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Harmesh Kumar","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":21522,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"David Peterson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":21076,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Douglas Pierce","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":19371,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Major Singh","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":16965,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"John Rose","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":14577,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Perry Pound","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":14134,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Raji Rab","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":13558,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Mark Ruzon","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":13429,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Forrest Jones","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"AIP","voteCount":13027,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Stefan Simchowitz","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":12717,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Martin Veprauskas","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":9714,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Don Grundmann","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"NPP","voteCount":6582,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T05:01:46.589Z"},"8686":{"id":"8686","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"President,","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top1","totalVotes":3589127,"precinctsReportPercentage":99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:48 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Joe Biden","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":3200188,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Marianne Williamson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":145690,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Dean Phillips","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":99981,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Armando Perez-Serrato","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":42925,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Gabriel Cornejo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":41261,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"President Boddie","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":25373,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Stephen Lyons","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":21008,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Eban Cambridge","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":12701,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:12:27.559Z"},"8688":{"id":"8688","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"President,","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top1","totalVotes":2466569,"precinctsReportPercentage":99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Donald Trump","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":1953947,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Nikki Haley","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":430792,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ron DeSantis","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":35581,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Chris Christie","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":20164,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Vivek Ramaswamy","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":11069,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Rachel Swift","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":4231,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"David Stuckenberg","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":3895,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Ryan Binkley","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":3563,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Asa Hutchinson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":3327,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:13:19.766Z"},"81993":{"id":"81993","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"U.S. Senate, Class I Unexpired Term","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top2","totalVotes":7358837,"precinctsReportPercentage":99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Steve Garvey","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":2444940,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Adam Schiff","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":2155146,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"Katie Porter","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":1269194,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Barbara Lee","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":863278,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Eric Early","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"R","voteCount":448788,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Christina Pascucci","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":109421,"isWinner":false},{"candidateName":"Sepi Gilani","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"D","voteCount":68070,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-06T04:31:08.186Z"},"82014":{"id":"82014","type":"apRace","location":"State of California","raceName":"Proposition, 1 - Behavioral Health Services Program","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceType":"top1","totalVotes":7221972,"precinctsReportPercentage":99,"eevp":99,"tabulationStatus":"Tabulation Paused","dateUpdated":"March 25, 2024","timeUpdated":"5:47 AM","source":"AP","candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":null,"voteCount":3624998,"isWinner":true},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":null,"voteCount":3596974,"isWinner":false}],"winnerDateTime":"2024-03-21T00:11:06.265Z"},"timeLoaded":"April 19, 2024 10:59 PM","nationalRacesLoaded":true,"localRacesLoaded":true,"overrides":[{"id":"5921","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 7","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5922","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 8","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5924","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 10","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5926","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 12","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/congress-12th-district"},{"id":"5928","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 14","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5930","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 16","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/congress-16th-district"},{"id":"5931","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 17","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5932","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 18","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5963","raceName":"State Assembly, District 2","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5972","raceName":"State Assembly, District 11","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5973","raceName":"State Assembly, District 12","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5975","raceName":"State Assembly, District 14","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5976","raceName":"State Assembly, District 15","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/contracosta/state-assembly"},{"id":"5977","raceName":"State Assembly, District 16","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5978","raceName":"State Assembly, District 17","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5979","raceName":"State Assembly, District 18","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5980","raceName":"State Assembly, District 19","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5981","raceName":"State Assembly, District 20","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5982","raceName":"State Assembly, District 21","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"5984","raceName":"State Assembly, District 23","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/state-assembly-23rd-district"},{"id":"5987","raceName":"State Assembly, District 26","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/santaclara/state-assembly-26th-district"},{"id":"5989","raceName":"State Assembly, District 28","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6010","raceName":"State Assembly, District 4","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6018","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 2","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6020","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 4","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6025","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 9","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6031","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 15","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6035","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 19","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6067","raceName":"State Assembly, District 4","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6087","raceName":"State Assembly, District 24","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6088","raceName":"State Assembly, District 25","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6092","raceName":"State Assembly, District 29","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6223","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 4","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6530","raceName":"State Senate, District 3","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/state-senate-3rd-district"},{"id":"6531","raceName":"State Senate, District 5","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6532","raceName":"State Senate, District 7","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/state-senate-7th-district"},{"id":"6533","raceName":"State Senate, District 9","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6534","raceName":"State Senate, District 11","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6535","raceName":"State Senate, District 13","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6536","raceName":"State Senate, District 15","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"6611","raceName":"U.S. House of Representatives, District 11","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":""},{"id":"8589","raceName":"U.S. Senate (Full Term)","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/senator"},{"id":"8686","raceName":"California Democratic Presidential Primary","raceDescription":"Candidates are competing for 496 delegates.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/president/democrat"},{"id":"8688","raceName":"California Republican Presidential Primary","raceDescription":"Candidates are competing for 169 delegates.","raceReadTheStory":"https://kqed.org/elections/results/president/republican"},{"id":"81993","raceName":"U.S. Senate (Partial/Unexpired Term)","raceDescription":"Top two candidates advance to general election."},{"id":"82014","raceName":"Proposition 1","raceDescription":"Bond and mental health reforms. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-1"}],"AlamedaJudge5":{"id":"AlamedaJudge5","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 5","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":200601,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Terry Wiley","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":200601}]},"AlamedaJudge12":{"id":"AlamedaJudge12","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 12","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":240853,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mark Fickes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":133009},{"candidateName":"Michael P. Johnson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":107844}]},"AlamedaBoard2":{"id":"AlamedaBoard2","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Education, Trustee Area 2","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":33580,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"John Lewis","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6943},{"candidateName":"Angela Normand","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":26637}]},"AlamedaBoard5":{"id":"AlamedaBoard5","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Education, Trustee Area 5","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":26072,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Guadalupe \"Lupe\" Angulo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7521},{"candidateName":"Janevette Cole","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":13338},{"candidateName":"Joe Orlando Ramos","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5213}]},"AlamedaBoard6":{"id":"AlamedaBoard6","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Education, Trustee Area 6","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":30864,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"John Guerrero","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":9989},{"candidateName":"Eileen McDonald","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":20875}]},"AlamedaSup1":{"id":"AlamedaSup1","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 1","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":41038,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"David Haubert","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":41038}]},"AlamedaSup2":{"id":"AlamedaSup2","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":31034,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Elisa Márquez","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":31034}]},"AlamedaSup4":{"id":"AlamedaSup4","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/supervisor-4th-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":57007,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jennifer Esteen","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":22400},{"candidateName":"Nate Miley","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":34607}]},"AlamedaSup5":{"id":"AlamedaSup5","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/supervisor-5th-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":81059,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Ben Bartlett","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":13518},{"candidateName":"Nikki Fortunato Bas","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":27597},{"candidateName":"John J. Bauters","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":16783},{"candidateName":"Ken Berrick","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7520},{"candidateName":"Omar Farmer","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1240},{"candidateName":"Gregory Hodge","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3419},{"candidateName":"Chris Moore","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7428},{"candidateName":"Gerald Pechenuk","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":305},{"candidateName":"Lorrel Plimier","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3249}]},"AlamedaBoard7":{"id":"AlamedaBoard7","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Flood Control & Water Conservation District Director, Zone 7, Full Term","raceDescription":"Top three candidates win seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top3","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":134340,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Alan Burnham","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":15723},{"candidateName":"Sandy Figuers","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":22454},{"candidateName":"Laurene K. Green","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":30343},{"candidateName":"Kathy Narum","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":23833},{"candidateName":"Seema Badar","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7468},{"candidateName":"Catherine Brown","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":34519}]},"AlamedaAuditor":{"id":"AlamedaAuditor","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Oakland Auditor","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":59227,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Michael Houston","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":59227}]},"AlamedaMeasureA":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureA","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure A","raceDescription":"Alameda County. Civil service. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":282335,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":167903},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":114432}]},"AlamedaMeasureB":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"Alameda County. Recall rules. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/measure-b","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":282683,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":182200},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":100483}]},"AlamedaMeasureD":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureD","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure D","raceDescription":"Oakland. Appropriations limit. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":79797,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":59852},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":19945}]},"AlamedaMeasureE":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureE","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure E","raceDescription":"Alameda Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":22692,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":17280},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5412}]},"AlamedaMeasureF":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureF","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure F","raceDescription":"Piedmont. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":4855,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3673},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1182}]},"AlamedaMeasureG":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureG","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure G","raceDescription":"Albany Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote. ","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":5898,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4651},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1247}]},"AlamedaMeasureH":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureH","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure H","raceDescription":"Berkeley Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":33331,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":29418},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3913}]},"AlamedaMeasureI":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureI","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure I","raceDescription":"Hayward Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":21929,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":14151},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7778}]},"AlamedaMeasureJ":{"id":"AlamedaMeasureJ","type":"localRace","location":"Alameda","raceName":"Measure J","raceDescription":"San Leandro Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:02 PM","dateUpdated":"April 1, 2024","totalVotes":12338,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7784},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4554}]},"CCD2":{"id":"CCD2","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":45776,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Candace Andersen","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":45776}]},"CCD3":{"id":"CCD3","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 3","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":25120,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Diane Burgis","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":25120}]},"CCD5":{"id":"CCD5","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/contracosta/supervisor-5th-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":37045,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mike Barbanica","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":14338},{"candidateName":"Jelani Killings","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5683},{"candidateName":"Shanelle Scales-Preston","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":12993},{"candidateName":"Iztaccuauhtli Hector Gonzalez","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4031}]},"CCMeasureA":{"id":"CCMeasureA","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Measure A","raceDescription":"Martinez. Appoint City Clerk. Passes with a majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":11513,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7554},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3959}]},"CCMeasureB":{"id":"CCMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"Antioch Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":17971,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10397},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7574}]},"CCMeasureC":{"id":"CCMeasureC","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Measure C","raceDescription":"Martinez Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":9230,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6917},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2313}]},"CCMeasureD":{"id":"CCMeasureD","type":"localRace","location":"Contra Costa","raceName":"Measure D","raceDescription":"Moraga School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:45 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":6007,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4052},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1955}]},"MarinD2":{"id":"MarinD2","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/marin/supervisor-2nd-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":18466,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Brian Colbert","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7971},{"candidateName":"Heather McPhail Sridharan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4851},{"candidateName":"Ryan O'Neil","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2647},{"candidateName":"Gabe Paulson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2997}]},"MarinD3":{"id":"MarinD3","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 3","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":13274,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Stephanie Moulton-Peters","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":13274}]},"MarinD4":{"id":"MarinD4","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":12986,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Dennis Rodoni","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10086},{"candidateName":"Francis Drouillard","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2900}]},"MarinLarkspurCC":{"id":"MarinLarkspurCC","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Larkspur City Council (Short Term)","raceDescription":"Top candidate wins seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":4176,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Stephanie Andre","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2514},{"candidateName":"Claire Paquette","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1008},{"candidateName":"Lana Scott","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":654}]},"MarinRossCouncil":{"id":"MarinRossCouncil","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Ross Town Council","raceDescription":"Top three candidates win seat.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top3","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":1740,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Charles William \"Bill\" Kircher, Jr.","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":536},{"candidateName":"Mathew Salter","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":502},{"candidateName":"Shadi Aboukhater","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":187},{"candidateName":"Teri Dowling","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":515}]},"MarinMeasureA":{"id":"MarinMeasureA","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure A","raceDescription":"Tamalpais Union High School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":45345,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":24376},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":20969}]},"MarinMeasureB":{"id":"MarinMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"Petaluma Joint Union High School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":132,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":62},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":70}]},"MarinMeasureC":{"id":"MarinMeasureC","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure C","raceDescription":"Belvedere. Appropriation limit. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":870,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":679},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":191}]},"MarinMeasureD":{"id":"MarinMeasureD","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure D","raceDescription":"Larkspur. Rent stabilization. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/marin/measure-d","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":4955,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2573},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2382}]},"MarinMeasureE":{"id":"MarinMeasureE","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure E","raceDescription":"Ross. Special tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/marin/measure-e","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":874,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":683},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":191}]},"MarinMeasureF":{"id":"MarinMeasureF","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure F","raceDescription":"San Anselmo. Flood Control and Water Conservation District. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":5193,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3083},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2110}]},"MarinMeasureG":{"id":"MarinMeasureG","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure G","raceDescription":"Bel Marin Keys Community Services District. Special tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":830,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":661},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":169}]},"MarinMeasureH":{"id":"MarinMeasureH","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure H","raceDescription":"Marinwood Community Services District. Appropriations limit, fire protection. Passes with a majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":1738,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1369},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":369}]},"MarinMeasureI":{"id":"MarinMeasureI","type":"localRace","location":"Marin","raceName":"Measure I","raceDescription":"Marinwood Community Services District. Appropriations limit, parks. Passes with a majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:54 PM","dateUpdated":"March 27, 2024","totalVotes":1735,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1336},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":399}]},"NapaD2":{"id":"NapaD2","type":"localRace","location":"Napa","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","totalVotes":8351,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Liz Alessio","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6340},{"candidateName":"Doris Gentry","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2011}]},"NapaD4":{"id":"NapaD4","type":"localRace","location":"Napa","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/napa/supervisor-4th-district","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","totalVotes":7306,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Amber Manfree","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3913},{"candidateName":"Pete Mott","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3393}]},"NapaD5":{"id":"NapaD5","type":"localRace","location":"Napa","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/napa/supervisor-5th-district","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","totalVotes":5356,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mariam Aboudamous","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2379},{"candidateName":"Belia Ramos","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2977}]},"NapaMeasureD":{"id":"NapaMeasureD","type":"localRace","location":"Napa","raceName":"Measure D","raceDescription":"Howell Mountain Elementary School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","totalVotes":741,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":367},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":374}]},"NapaMeasureU":{"id":"NapaMeasureU","type":"localRace","location":"Napa","raceName":"Measure U","raceDescription":"Lake Berryessa Resort Improvement District. Appropriations limit. Passes with majority vote. ","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","totalVotes":86,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":63},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":23}]},"NapaMeasureU1":{"id":"NapaMeasureU1","type":"localRace","location":"Napa","raceName":"Measure U","raceDescription":"Yountville. Appropriations limit. Passes with majority vote. ","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"April 3, 2024","totalVotes":925,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":793},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":132}]},"SFJudge1":{"id":"SFJudge1","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Seat 1","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/superior-court-seat-1","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":202960,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Michael Begert","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":124943},{"candidateName":"Chip Zecher","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":78017}]},"SFJudge13":{"id":"SFJudge13","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Seat 13","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/superior-court-seat-13","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":202386,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jean Myungjin Roland","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":90012},{"candidateName":"Patrick S. Thompson","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":112374}]},"SFPropA":{"id":"SFPropA","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition A","raceDescription":"Housing bond. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/proposition-a","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":225187,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":158497},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":66690}]},"SFPropB":{"id":"SFPropB","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition B","raceDescription":"Police staffing. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":222954,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":61580},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":161374}]},"SFPropC":{"id":"SFPropC","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition C","raceDescription":"Transfer tax exemption. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":220349,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":116311},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":104038}]},"SFPropD":{"id":"SFPropD","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition D","raceDescription":"Ethics laws. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":222615,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":198584},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":24031}]},"SFPropE":{"id":"SFPropE","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition E","raceDescription":"Police policies. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/proposition-e","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":222817,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":120529},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":102288}]},"SFPropF":{"id":"SFPropF","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition F","raceDescription":"Drug screening. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/proposition-f","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":224004,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":130214},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":93790}]},"SFPropG":{"id":"SFPropG","type":"localRace","location":"San Francisco","raceName":"Proposition G","raceDescription":"Eighth-grade algebra. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:50 PM","dateUpdated":"March 21, 2024","totalVotes":222704,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":182066},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":40638}]},"SMJudge4":{"id":"SMJudge4","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":108919,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Sarah Burdick","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":108919}]},"SMD1":{"id":"SMD1","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 1","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanmateo/supervisor-1st-district","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":29650,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jackie Speier","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":20353},{"candidateName":"Ann Schneider","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":9297}]},"SMD4":{"id":"SMD4","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanmateo/supervisor-4th-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":22725,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Antonio Lopez","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5730},{"candidateName":"Lisa Gauthier","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10358},{"candidateName":"Celeste Brevard","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1268},{"candidateName":"Paul Bocanegra","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1909},{"candidateName":"Maggie Cornejo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3460}]},"SMD5":{"id":"SMD5","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":19937,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"David Canepa","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":19937}]},"SMMeasureB":{"id":"SMMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"County Service Area #1 (Highlands). Special tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":1549,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1360},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":189}]},"SMMeasureC":{"id":"SMMeasureC","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Measure C","raceDescription":"Jefferson Elementary School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":12234,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8543},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3691}]},"SMMeasureE":{"id":"SMMeasureE","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Measure E","raceDescription":"Woodside Elementary School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":1392,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":910},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":482}]},"SMMeasureG":{"id":"SMMeasureG","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Measure G","raceDescription":"Pacifica School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":11548,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7067},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4481}]},"SMMeasureH":{"id":"SMMeasureH","type":"localRace","location":"San Mateo","raceName":"Measure H","raceDescription":"San Carlos School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:56 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":9938,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6283},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3655}]},"SCJudge5":{"id":"SCJudge5","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":301953,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Jay Boyarsky","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":142549},{"candidateName":"Nicole M. Ford","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":52147},{"candidateName":"Johnene Linda Stebbins","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":107257}]},"SCD2":{"id":"SCD2","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/santaclara/supervisor-2nd-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":44059,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Corina Herrera-Loera","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10519},{"candidateName":"Jennifer Margaret Celaya","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2394},{"candidateName":"Madison Nguyen","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":12794},{"candidateName":"Betty Duong","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":14031},{"candidateName":"Nelson McElmurry","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4321}]},"SCD3":{"id":"SCD3","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 3","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":42549,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Otto Lee","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":42549}]},"SCD5":{"id":"SCD5","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/santaclara/supervisor-5th-district","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":88712,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Margaret Abe-Koga","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":37172},{"candidateName":"Sally J. Lieber","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":21962},{"candidateName":"Barry Chang","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6164},{"candidateName":"Peter C. Fung","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":17892},{"candidateName":"Sandy Sans","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5522}]},"SCSJMayor":{"id":"SCSJMayor","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"San José Mayor","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":167064,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Matt Mahan","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":144701},{"candidateName":"Tyrone Wade","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":22363}]},"SCSJD2":{"id":"SCSJD2","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"San José City Council, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":14131,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Joe Lopez","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4950},{"candidateName":"Pamela Campos","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3436},{"candidateName":"Vanessa Sandoval","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2719},{"candidateName":"Babu Prasad","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3026}]},"SCSJD4":{"id":"SCSJD4","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"San José City Council, District 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":14322,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Kansen Chu","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5931},{"candidateName":"David Cohen","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8391}]},"SCSJD6":{"id":"SCSJD6","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"San José City Council, District 6","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":25108,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"David Cohen","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":9875},{"candidateName":"Alex Shoor","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3850},{"candidateName":"Angelo \"A.J.\" Pasciuti","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2688},{"candidateName":"Michael Mulcahy","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8695}]},"SCSJD8":{"id":"SCSJD8","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"San José City Council, District 8","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":21462,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Tam Truong","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6982},{"candidateName":"Domingo Candelas","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8466},{"candidateName":"Sukhdev Singh Bainiwal","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5513},{"candidateName":"Surinder Kaur Dhaliwal","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":501}]},"SCSJD10":{"id":"SCSJD10","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"San José City Council, District 10","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top2","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":22799,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"George Casey","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8805},{"candidateName":"Arjun Batra","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8354},{"candidateName":"Lenka Wright","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5640}]},"SCMeasureA":{"id":"SCMeasureA","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Measure A","raceDescription":"Santa Clara. Appointed city clerk. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":20315,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6580},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":13735}]},"SCMeasureB":{"id":"SCMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"Santa Clara. Appointed police chief. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":20567,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5680},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":14887}]},"SCMeasureC":{"id":"SCMeasureC","type":"localRace","location":"Santa Clara","raceName":"Measure C","raceDescription":"Sunnyvale School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:05 PM","dateUpdated":"April 4, 2024","totalVotes":14656,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10261},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4395}]},"SolanoD15":{"id":"SolanoD15","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Department 15","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":81709,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mike Thompson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":36844},{"candidateName":"Bryan J. Kim","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":44865}]},"SolanoD1":{"id":"SolanoD1","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 1","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/solano/supervisor-1st-district","raceType":"","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":13786,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Michael Wilson","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6401},{"candidateName":"Cassandra James","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7385}]},"SolanoD2":{"id":"SolanoD2","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 2","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":19903,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Monica Brown","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10951},{"candidateName":"Nora Dizon","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3135},{"candidateName":"Rochelle Sherlock","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5817}]},"SolanoD5":{"id":"SolanoD5","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":17888,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Mitch Mashburn","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":11210},{"candidateName":"Chadwick J. Ledoux","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6678}]},"SolanoEducation":{"id":"SolanoEducation","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Sacramento County Board of Education","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":3650,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Heather Davis","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2960},{"candidateName":"Shazleen Khan","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":690}]},"SolanoMeasureA":{"id":"SolanoMeasureA","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Measure A","raceDescription":"Benicia. Hotel tax. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/solano/measure-a","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":10136,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7869},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2267}]},"SolanoMeasureB":{"id":"SolanoMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"Benicia. Sales tax. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/solano/measure-b","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":10164,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7335},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":2829}]},"SolanoMeasureC":{"id":"SolanoMeasureC","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Measure C","raceDescription":"Benicia Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":10112,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6316},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3796}]},"SolanoMeasureN":{"id":"SolanoMeasureN","type":"localRace","location":"Solano","raceName":"Measure N","raceDescription":"Davis Joint Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"7:08 PM","dateUpdated":"March 28, 2024","totalVotes":15,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10}]},"SonomaJudge3":{"id":"SonomaJudge3","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 3","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":115405,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Kristine M. Burk","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":79498},{"candidateName":"Beki Berrey","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":35907}]},"SonomaJudge4":{"id":"SonomaJudge4","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 4","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":86789,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Paul J. Lozada","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":86789}]},"SonomaJudge6":{"id":"SonomaJudge6","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Superior Court Judge, Office 6","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":117990,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Omar Figueroa","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":42236},{"candidateName":"Kenneth English","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":75754}]},"SonomaD1":{"id":"SonomaD1","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 1","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":30348,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Rebecca Hermosillo","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":23958},{"candidateName":"Jonathan Mathieu","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":6390}]},"SonomaD3":{"id":"SonomaD3","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 3","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sonoma/supervisor-3rd-district","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":16312,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Chris Coursey","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":11346},{"candidateName":"Omar Medina","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":4966}]},"SonomaD5":{"id":"SonomaD5","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Board of Supervisors, District 5","raceDescription":"Candidate with majority vote wins seat. If no candidate reaches majority, top two candidates advance to runoff in general election.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"top1","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":23356,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Lynda Hopkins","candidateIncumbent":true,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":23356}]},"SonomaMeasureA":{"id":"SonomaMeasureA","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure A","raceDescription":"Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":13756,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":10320},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3436}]},"SonomaMeasureB":{"id":"SonomaMeasureB","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure B","raceDescription":"Petaluma Joint Union High School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":24877,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":15795},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":9082}]},"SonomaMeasureC":{"id":"SonomaMeasureC","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure C","raceDescription":"Fort Ross School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":286,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":159},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":127}]},"SonomaMeasureD":{"id":"SonomaMeasureD","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure D","raceDescription":"Harmony Union School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":1925,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":1089},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":836}]},"SonomaMeasureE":{"id":"SonomaMeasureE","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure E","raceDescription":"Petaluma City (Elementary) School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":11133,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":7622},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":3511}]},"SonomaMeasureG":{"id":"SonomaMeasureG","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure G","raceDescription":"Rincon Valley Union School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.","raceReadTheStory":"","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":14577,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":8668},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":5909}]},"SonomaMeasureH":{"id":"SonomaMeasureH","type":"localRace","location":"Sonoma","raceName":"Measure H","raceDescription":"Sonoma County. Sales tax. Passes with majority vote.","raceReadTheStory":"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sonoma/measure-h","raceType":"yesNo","timeUpdated":"6:51 PM","dateUpdated":"March 29, 2024","totalVotes":145261,"candidates":[{"candidateName":"Yes","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":89646},{"candidateName":"No","candidateIncumbent":false,"candidateParty":"","voteCount":55615}]}},"radioSchedulesReducer":{},"listsReducer":{"posts/mindshift?category=blended-learning-2":{"isFetching":false,"latestQuery":{"from":0,"postsToRender":9},"tag":null,"vitalsOnly":true,"totalRequested":9,"isLoading":false,"isLoadingMore":true,"total":13,"items":["mindshift_50701","mindshift_49391","mindshift_42886","mindshift_40232","mindshift_39556","mindshift_38957","mindshift_31995","mindshift_30706","mindshift_28901"]}},"recallGuideReducer":{"intros":{},"policy":{},"candidates":{}},"savedPostsReducer":{},"pfsSessionReducer":{},"siteSettingsReducer":{},"subscriptionsReducer":{},"termsReducer":{"about":{"name":"About","type":"terms","id":"about","slug":"about","link":"/about","taxonomy":"site"},"arts":{"name":"Arts & Culture","grouping":["arts","pop","trulyca"],"description":"KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.","type":"terms","id":"arts","slug":"arts","link":"/arts","taxonomy":"site"},"artschool":{"name":"Art School","parent":"arts","type":"terms","id":"artschool","slug":"artschool","link":"/artschool","taxonomy":"site"},"bayareabites":{"name":"KQED food","grouping":["food","bayareabites","checkplease"],"parent":"food","type":"terms","id":"bayareabites","slug":"bayareabites","link":"/food","taxonomy":"site"},"bayareahiphop":{"name":"Bay Area Hiphop","type":"terms","id":"bayareahiphop","slug":"bayareahiphop","link":"/bayareahiphop","taxonomy":"site"},"campaign21":{"name":"Campaign 21","type":"terms","id":"campaign21","slug":"campaign21","link":"/campaign21","taxonomy":"site"},"checkplease":{"name":"KQED food","grouping":["food","bayareabites","checkplease"],"parent":"food","type":"terms","id":"checkplease","slug":"checkplease","link":"/food","taxonomy":"site"},"education":{"name":"Education","grouping":["education"],"type":"terms","id":"education","slug":"education","link":"/education","taxonomy":"site"},"elections":{"name":"Elections","type":"terms","id":"elections","slug":"elections","link":"/elections","taxonomy":"site"},"events":{"name":"Events","type":"terms","id":"events","slug":"events","link":"/events","taxonomy":"site"},"event":{"name":"Event","alias":"events","type":"terms","id":"event","slug":"event","link":"/event","taxonomy":"site"},"filmschoolshorts":{"name":"Film School Shorts","type":"terms","id":"filmschoolshorts","slug":"filmschoolshorts","link":"/filmschoolshorts","taxonomy":"site"},"food":{"name":"KQED food","grouping":["food","bayareabites","checkplease"],"type":"terms","id":"food","slug":"food","link":"/food","taxonomy":"site"},"forum":{"name":"Forum","relatedContentQuery":"posts/forum?","parent":"news","type":"terms","id":"forum","slug":"forum","link":"/forum","taxonomy":"site"},"futureofyou":{"name":"Future of You","grouping":["science","futureofyou"],"parent":"science","type":"terms","id":"futureofyou","slug":"futureofyou","link":"/futureofyou","taxonomy":"site"},"jpepinheart":{"name":"KQED food","relatedContentQuery":"trending/food,bayareabites,checkplease","parent":"food","type":"terms","id":"jpepinheart","slug":"jpepinheart","link":"/food","taxonomy":"site"},"liveblog":{"name":"Live Blog","type":"terms","id":"liveblog","slug":"liveblog","link":"/liveblog","taxonomy":"site"},"livetv":{"name":"Live TV","parent":"tv","type":"terms","id":"livetv","slug":"livetv","link":"/livetv","taxonomy":"site"},"lowdown":{"name":"The Lowdown","relatedContentQuery":"posts/lowdown?","parent":"news","type":"terms","id":"lowdown","slug":"lowdown","link":"/lowdown","taxonomy":"site"},"mindshift":{"name":"Mindshift","parent":"news","description":"MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.","type":"terms","id":"mindshift","slug":"mindshift","link":"/mindshift","taxonomy":"site"},"news":{"name":"News","grouping":["news","forum"],"type":"terms","id":"news","slug":"news","link":"/news","taxonomy":"site"},"perspectives":{"name":"Perspectives","parent":"radio","type":"terms","id":"perspectives","slug":"perspectives","link":"/perspectives","taxonomy":"site"},"podcasts":{"name":"Podcasts","type":"terms","id":"podcasts","slug":"podcasts","link":"/podcasts","taxonomy":"site"},"pop":{"name":"Pop","parent":"arts","type":"terms","id":"pop","slug":"pop","link":"/pop","taxonomy":"site"},"pressroom":{"name":"Pressroom","type":"terms","id":"pressroom","slug":"pressroom","link":"/pressroom","taxonomy":"site"},"quest":{"name":"Quest","parent":"science","type":"terms","id":"quest","slug":"quest","link":"/quest","taxonomy":"site"},"radio":{"name":"Radio","grouping":["forum","perspectives"],"description":"Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.","type":"terms","id":"radio","slug":"radio","link":"/radio","taxonomy":"site"},"root":{"name":"KQED","image":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","imageWidth":1200,"imageHeight":630,"headData":{"title":"KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California","description":"KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."},"type":"terms","id":"root","slug":"root","link":"/root","taxonomy":"site"},"science":{"name":"Science","grouping":["science","futureofyou"],"description":"KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.","type":"terms","id":"science","slug":"science","link":"/science","taxonomy":"site"},"stateofhealth":{"name":"State of Health","parent":"science","type":"terms","id":"stateofhealth","slug":"stateofhealth","link":"/stateofhealth","taxonomy":"site"},"support":{"name":"Support","type":"terms","id":"support","slug":"support","link":"/support","taxonomy":"site"},"thedolist":{"name":"The Do List","parent":"arts","type":"terms","id":"thedolist","slug":"thedolist","link":"/thedolist","taxonomy":"site"},"trulyca":{"name":"Truly CA","grouping":["arts","pop","trulyca"],"parent":"arts","type":"terms","id":"trulyca","slug":"trulyca","link":"/trulyca","taxonomy":"site"},"tv":{"name":"TV","type":"terms","id":"tv","slug":"tv","link":"/tv","taxonomy":"site"},"voterguide":{"name":"Voter Guide","parent":"elections","alias":"elections","type":"terms","id":"voterguide","slug":"voterguide","link":"/voterguide","taxonomy":"site"},"mindshift_20546":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20546","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20546","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Blended Learning","slug":"blended-learning-2","taxonomy":"category","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Blended Learning Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null,"imageData":{"ogImageSize":{"file":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","width":1200,"height":630},"twImageSize":{"file":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"},"twitterCard":"summary_large_image"}},"ttid":19823,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/category/blended-learning-2"},"mindshift_192":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_192","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"192","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Big Ideas","slug":"big-ideas","taxonomy":"category","description":"The latest findings from experts in the field related to the future of learning.","featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Big Ideas Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":"The latest findings from experts in the field related to the future of learning.","ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":192,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/category/big-ideas"},"mindshift_195":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_195","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"195","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Digital Tools","slug":"digital-tools","taxonomy":"category","description":"How devices, software, and the Internet are changing the classroom dynamic.","featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Digital Tools Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":"How devices, software, and the Internet are changing the classroom dynamic.","ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":195,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/category/digital-tools"},"mindshift_912":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_912","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"912","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Advanced Placement","slug":"advanced-placement","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Advanced Placement Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":916,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/advanced-placement"},"mindshift_20784":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20784","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20784","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"featured","slug":"featured","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"featured Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":20061,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/featured"},"mindshift_1040":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_1040","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"1040","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"full-image","slug":"full-image","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"full-image Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":1045,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/full-image"},"mindshift_384":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_384","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"384","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"online education","slug":"online-education","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"online education Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":385,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/online-education"},"mindshift_607":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_607","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"607","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"online mentoring","slug":"online-mentoring","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"online mentoring Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":610,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/online-mentoring"},"mindshift_20627":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20627","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20627","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"rural schools","slug":"rural-schools","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"rural schools Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":19904,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/rural-schools"},"mindshift_193":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_193","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"193","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Teaching Strategies","slug":"teaching-strategies","taxonomy":"category","description":"Innovative ideas - projects, processes, curricula, and more - that are transforming how we teach and learn.","featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Teaching Strategies Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":"Innovative ideas - projects, processes, curricula, and more - that are transforming how we teach and learn.","ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":193,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/category/teaching-strategies"},"mindshift_1015":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_1015","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"1015","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"connected learning","slug":"connected-learning","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"connected learning Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":1020,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/connected-learning"},"mindshift_20678":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20678","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20678","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"education technology","slug":"education-technology","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"education technology Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":19955,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/education-technology"},"mindshift_21101":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_21101","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"21101","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"elementary","slug":"elementary","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"elementary Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":20373,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/elementary"},"mindshift_85":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_85","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"85","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"global learning","slug":"global-learning","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"global learning Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":85,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/global-learning"},"mindshift_30":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_30","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"30","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Social Media","slug":"social-media","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Social Media Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":30,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/social-media"},"mindshift_20948":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20948","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20948","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"circuitry","slug":"circuitry","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"circuitry Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":20220,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/circuitry"},"mindshift_20730":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20730","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20730","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"computational thinking","slug":"computational-thinking","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"computational thinking Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":20007,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/computational-thinking"},"mindshift_256":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_256","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"256","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Project Based Learning","slug":"project-based-learning","taxonomy":"tag","description":"Educators use Project Based Learning to allow students to make projects as they learn certain subjects.","featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Project Based Learning Archives - KQED Mindshift","description":"Educators use Project Based Learning to allow students to make projects as they learn certain subjects.","ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":256,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/project-based-learning"},"mindshift_20947":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20947","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20947","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"STEAM","slug":"steam","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"STEAM Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":20219,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/steam"},"mindshift_399":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_399","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"399","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"blended learning","slug":"blended-learning","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"blended learning Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":400,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/blended-learning"},"mindshift_398":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_398","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"398","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"ELL","slug":"ell","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"ELL Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":399,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/ell"},"mindshift_20851":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_20851","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"20851","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"English Language Learners","slug":"english-language-learners","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"English Language Learners Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":20129,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/english-language-learners"},"mindshift_287":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_287","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"287","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"online educational resources","slug":"online-educational-resources","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"online educational resources Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":288,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/online-educational-resources"},"mindshift_108":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_108","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"108","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"assessment","slug":"assessments","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"assessment Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":108,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/assessments"},"mindshift_652":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_652","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"652","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Elmhurst Community Prep","slug":"elmhurst-community-prep","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Elmhurst Community Prep Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":655,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/elmhurst-community-prep"},"mindshift_65":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_65","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"65","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Technology in Schools","slug":"technology-in-schools","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Technology in Schools Archives - KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":65,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/technology-in-schools"},"mindshift_966":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_966","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"966","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"Ananth Pai","slug":"ananth-pai","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"Ananth Pai Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":971,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/ananth-pai"},"mindshift_326":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_326","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"326","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"iZone","slug":"izone","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"iZone Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":327,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/izone"},"mindshift_1041":{"type":"terms","id":"mindshift_1041","meta":{"index":"terms_1591234321","site":"mindshift","id":"1041","found":true},"relationships":{},"included":{},"name":"leadership","slug":"leadership","taxonomy":"tag","description":null,"featImg":null,"headData":{"title":"leadership Archives | KQED Mindshift","description":null,"ogTitle":null,"ogDescription":null,"ogImgId":null,"twTitle":null,"twDescription":null,"twImgId":null},"ttid":1046,"isLoading":false,"link":"/mindshift/tag/leadership"}},"userAgentReducer":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isBot":true},"userPermissionsReducer":{"wpLoggedIn":false},"localStorageReducer":{},"browserHistoryReducer":[],"eventsReducer":{},"fssReducer":{},"tvDailyScheduleReducer":{},"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer":{},"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer":{},"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer":{},"userAccountReducer":{"routeTo":"","showDeleteConfirmModal":false,"user":{"userId":"","isFound":false,"firstName":"","lastName":"","phoneNumber":"","email":"","articles":[]}},"youthMediaReducer":{},"checkPleaseReducer":{"filterData":{},"restaurantData":[]},"reframeReducer":{"attendee":null},"location":{"pathname":"/mindshift/category/blended-learning-2","previousPathname":"/"}}
