This week in education news, across the board teachers feel disrespected; University of Utah professors and local teachers are developing high school curriculum about opioids; Arizona State Board of Education approved revised science standards; new study finds 55 percent of university STEM classroom interactions consist mostly of conventional lecturing; Nintendo is giving elementary school students across the country Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Switch systems; new report details four key elements for successful high school redesigns; the teaching force has continued to grow larger, less experienced, and more racially diverse; and a University of Alabama researcher says educators must give students a motive to learn science.

We Followed 15 Of America’s Teachers On A Single Day. This Is What We Learned

A teacher whose income was so low, her child qualified for reduced-price lunch. A teacher whose school was so short on staff, he had to fill a shift as a security guard. A teacher who made meals for other teachers to pay for her grocery bill. We thought we knew teachers, until we followed 15 of them on a single day in September. What we learned: No matter their pay, teachers share in a feeling of disrespect. Read the article featured in USA Today.

High School Science Could Include Opioid Education With New Program

A first-of-its-kind program at the University of Utah is bringing together teachers and professors to create high school curriculum about opioids. Read the article featured on KUER.org.

New Arizona K-12 Science Standards Recognize Evolution

The Arizona State Board of Education approved revised science and history standards, shrugging off outgoing State Superintendent Diane Douglas’ suggestion to replace all the standards with a set from a conservative college in Michigan. Read the article featured on AZcentral.com.

Want To Keep Students Engaged? Ask, Don’t Tell

Quick: Think about something new you learned in the last year. It could be anything – an improved swing, a management technique, a coding language, a recipe. How did you learn it? New research suggests it wasn’t through a lecture. Maybe a teacher asked you a great question that made you articulate something for the first time. Maybe you took something you learned, rolled up your sleeves, and used it to solve a different challenge. The essence, according to new research, is that you need to use learning for it to stick. Read the article featured in Forbes.

Issues Arise In Teaching New Science Standards

Advocates of a set of science standards for public schools cheered when the state Public Education Department agreed after some contention and debate to initiate those recommendations starting this year. But the harsh reality of adopting the standards seemed to set in this week when the Legislative Education Study Committee heard from a trio of experts concerned about the speed in which educators must move on the curriculum. Those three science standards proponents painted a picture of too much work without enough time or money to do it correctly. Read the article featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

How About Swapping That Science Book For A Nintendo Switch?

Nintendo is giving elementary school students across the country the opportunity to tinker and game while learning the basics of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The company plans to deliver Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Switch systems to elementary classrooms nationwide, with the goal of reaching around 2,000 students ages 8 to 11 this school year. Read the article featured in PC Magazine.

Student Engagement, Supports Among Key Elements Of Successful School Redesign

A new report released this week by the Center for American Progress (CAP) details four key elements for successful high school redesigns: student engagement, career and college ready coursework, student supports and a tracking system for student success. More specifically, the report recommends career and technology classes, dual-enrollment college programs, project-based learning, social-emotional learning and grading systems that accurately gauge student success. Read the article featured in Education DIVE.

State Exam Report Card Is Out: Science Results Show Improvement But Math Continues To Be A Struggle

The focus on science education seems to be paying off for Pennsylvania’s public school students based on their performance on state exams. Statewide results on the 2018 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and Keystone Exams released on Tuesday show that the percentage of students achieving passing scores (either proficient or advanced) on those exams improved at least slightly over the prior year in every grade level of students tested. Read the article featured on Pennlive.com.

5 Things To Know About Today’s Teaching Force

The teaching force has continued to grow larger, less experienced, and more racially diverse. And the high numbers of teacher turnover have continued, especially among inexperienced and nonwhite teachers, a new analysis shows. Read the article featured in Education Week.

STEM Dual Enrollment: Model Policy Components

A new report from the Education Commission of the States outlines state-level policy components that help ensure dual enrollment programs in science, technology, engineering and math are broadly accessible, particularly to students traditionally underrepresented in STEM courses. Read the report.

Why Students Should Read Scientific Literature

A University of Alabama researcher says educators must give students a motive to learn science by teaching them to reason. Read the commentary featured in Education DIVE.

Imagine A World Without Facts

To avoid sliding further into a world without facts, we must articulate and defend the processes of evidence generation, evaluation, and integration. This includes not only clear statements of conclusions, but also clear understanding of the underlying evidence with recognition that some propositions have been well established, whereas others are associated with substantial remaining uncertainty. Read the article featured in Science.

Meet The AP Biology Teacher Who Could Flip The New York Senate

John Mannion wants to shift the balance of power at the statehouse in Albany. But before he could even try, he had to get approved for leave from teaching four periods of high school biology ― and buy three reasonably priced suits for the campaign trail. Read the article featured in The Huffington Post.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

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