Category: Education

When looking into moving homes, we observe multiple aspects in choosing which neighborhood we want to move our families. There is price, distance, housing quality, and other characteristics that ultimately decide which place we are most comfortable in picking. But perhaps no factor is more important than the neighborhood’s school district.

There is ongoing change happening around our country, along with diversification programs that are thankfully gathering more momentum within multiple sectors. With the transformation of neighborhoods due to population growth, school district funding can change based on numerous local, state, and national factors.

However, planning out your family’s future school district isn’t as simple as statistics on a page.  You don’t have to be a school administrator or a real estate appraiser to educate yourself with this helpful information. Looking into both the way public school districts are funded and the particular school district you have in mind will help ensure that your children have successful educational futures.

Public School Districts

A properly funded and well maintained public school system is what to look for when examining your children’s future school district. First, we’ll be making a clear distinction between private and public schools and observing the latter when it comes to school districts. With private schools, a parent pays a clear tuition fee that the private school operator collects.

Public schools, by comparison, are regulated by local, state, and federal law. Thus, they are operated from a mixture of locally-, state-, and federally-collected and distributed funding. Less than ten percent of total funds come from the federal level (through Title I and other means), with the majority coming from locally- and state-collected funds. About half of these total funds come from local property taxes.

Funding must then be circulated into individual districts. They can then hire appropriate staff, purchase necessary equipment and supplies, and maintain their operating structure (and, if able within their funding, construct new additions to their schools). These days, choosing a new school for your kids has a lot to do with school funding is about distribution, and if a community is progressively or regressively allocating its funding to the students who need it the most.

Progressive School Funding

What does it mean, then, to classify a public school district as “progressive?” Well, there are a few indicating characteristics. An Urban Institute study in 2017 found that there are 35 states–70 percent of the country–that specifically target low-income students with public school funding. New Jersey and Connecticut are examples of states that have progressive funding systems in place at the state level–though this can sometimes result in problems at the local funding level regarding income disparity. When this occurs, states will attempt to correct public school funding that it believes is inequitable.

In particular, New Jersey makes up for this by balancing its local and state public school funding, making it progressive to the amount of $1,453 per student. States differ in terms of progressive vs. regressive public school funding due to economic disparity, as well as differences in legislation. No matter which area you’re moving to, it’s essential to be aware of how your school district is funded on the state and local levels.

Tips for Changing Your School District

We’ve examined the overall way that school districts are funded these days. Still, careful research into your move itself is vital to ensure a comfortable adjustment for your children. It’s essential first to look into a few tips crucial to making the moving process, and changing school districts, an easier one.

You’ll want to be aware of any waiting periods to enroll your child in a certain district’s public school. You’ll also need to ensure that you have your children’s immunization records and medical forms on file, which is more necessary these days than ever before. Look into extracurricular activities such as virtual creative groups, which will help your child expand their new community of friends.

Additionally, email your child’s future guidance counselor about this recent move, and how it (as well as changing schools) may be taking up a large degree of their mental space. This will inform them and make them aware of a possible situation where your child finds it difficult to adapt to the new experience.

But more than anything, it’s vital to take a look into the individual districts in terms of teaching, subject proficiency, transportation management, funding allocation, and other informational aspects to determine for yourself how you view its quality of schooling. We’ve discussed public school funding and its distribution, but that’s only part of the equation.

Schools may rank highly in math proficiency, for example, when compared to the state average. (New Jersey’s math proficiency is 42 percent, for example, while its top five schools in this category all rank at 95 percent or higher.) However, if your child has special needs or is seeking a program that focuses on foreign language immersion, these rankings may not be as useful to you.

Additional factors to consider during your future school district search

Take the time to ask yourself some questions:

What is this school district’s subject proficiency in the topics I want my child to excel in?

What is this school district’s graduation rate?

Which school districts per state have the highest spending per student, and how is it allocated?

Which school districts have the lowest teacher to student ratio?

As parents, we naturally want the best for our children. Moving is never easy and choosing the best neighborhood for our family can be a monumental task that takes dedicated planning. With knowledge of the public school system and having a few tips on hand for the move, you can do your part in researching the district of your future neighborhood and setting your child on the right path for their educational future.

About the Author
Jennifer Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beach goer operating out of Southern New Jersey.

KidzSearch Instant Answers is a new search feature specifically designed to help students find the information they need. It integrates many different sections of KidzSearch to help kids discover what they are searching for, including younger students who often have difficulties doing online searches to find relevant content.

Instant Answers

Instant Answers provides high quality reviewed information related to all searches next to the regular KidzSearch safe search results, such as the student encyclopedia with over 200,000 entries designed just for kids with simplified articles.

Another example of Instant Answers is for KidzTube, which contains over 50,000 handpicked high quality learning videos, as well as Wiki for Kids. Other items include educational games, related topics, AI tutoring, and more.

The information presented via KidzSearch Instant Answers is visual with large safe images and simplified summaries. It also has links to get more details. This can help students get a general feel about a topic.  While it might directly answer their question, it can also help a student do a more refined search, or to expand their search in areas they were not aware of before seeing the topic information.

AI Search Results

The search results use artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced algorithms to provide a virtual tutoring experience while they do their online research. The AI system might show them the answer to a math question and offer step-by-step tutoring on how it was solved or give a related student-focused article. It is like having a virtual tutor with them when they do their online research.

Performance is very important. With each search, multiple technologies go to work in the background to integrate content in fractions of a second. The entire system has taken years to develop and will keep improving as the company moves towards adding AI tutoring to the online student search experience in a seamless manner.

Try Instant Answers for Students

Students often have a lot of quality educational resources, but they may not know where to start. KidzSearch Instant Answers provides a solution to this problem by moving high quality reviewed resources to them. An API is also being developed that can allow companies to tap into these features to help power their educational applications.

Whether you are a student, or a parent committed to staying informed about internet safety technology, the safe search tools we provide in partnership with KidzSearch is our highest priority.  Safe research resources allow anyone of any age to seek out the information they need with a much lower risk of being exposed to harmful content.

A Brief History of Google SafeSearch

Google is over 20 years old.  On November 11, 2009, a few years after becoming the world’s most popular search engine, Google introduced the ability for users too lock safe search settings for the very basic level Google’s web and image searches.

On December 12, 2012, Google removed the option to turn off the filter entirely, requiring users to enter more specific search queries to access inappropriate content.  However, the safe search filtering was and remains to be a basic level of filtering.

Safe Search Kids was founded on July 16, 2009 to provide Google basic filtering from our website, but it was only in recent years that we partnered with KidzSearch to use their strict filtering API to block bad search terms and spelling variations that are likely to lead to bad websites.

In addition, 1000’s of website domains are blocked from appearing in the results that many other free parental control filters allow.  In addition, the whole search experience, with kid-focused meta-content/results and a more visual experience is improved with a search designed for them.

We encourage schools and parents at home to use us as a one stop gateway to safe search tools for the safe surfing the web, images, wiki for kids, and safe videos.

There has been a major shift in the world towards distance learning. The discussion of how much time kids can safely spend looking at screens has only become more vital.  Whether it be on smartphone, tablet or laptop, parents have usually been concerned with the time kids spend playing games, interacting on social media, or watching TV shows and movies.

Even in a normal world you would also need to add the screen time spent on school computers used for a variety of purposes. These activities include searching Google and doing research. All of these online activities add up to a staggering number of hours per day looking at screens. And now we must also take into account the time spent doing online school.

85% of parents worry about the amount of time their kids are spending online these days.

Recommended Screen Times

The WHO & CDC both recommend no more than 2 hours of screen time for children under 18.  Finding further specifics, The American Academy for Pediatrics urges a 1-hour screen time maximum for children under 6 years old. 

Furthermore, it has been found that children under 2, who regularly watch at least 1 hour of television on a daily basis, may face an increased risk of cognitive, language, and motor delays.

Blue Light Affects

An interesting consideration about screens, in particular, is their emission of what’s referred to as “blue light”. Blue light is particularly influential because it blocks a hormone that your body makes called melatonin. When you are exposed to blue light waves, especially in the evening, melatonin is not produced, so your body isn’t getting that vital message about slowing down and getting ready for sleep. If your child continues surfing the ‘net on a tablet or smartphone after getting into bed, they could be telling their body to rise and shine, rather than slow down and rest.

Luckily, if you’re concerned about the impact additional screen time may be having on your child, there are steps in preparation for bedtime you can take to help limit your child’s blue light exposure.

Home Learning Challenges

With home learning comes more indoor time. However, this makes it especially easy to develop a screen addiction. Did you know excessive screen time can be toxic to our mental health? 56% of teens feel anxious or lonely without their phone.

Yet, distance learning sessions last more than our government recommends we spend on screens altogether – even with compelling data proving its potential to be mentally and physically dangerous.  The problem is only exasperated when you consider that students use screens to access other content as well, such as entertainment and social media.

Ask Yourself How Your Kids are Doing:

• How often are your kids exercising, whether indoors or out?
• How social have they been since distance learning began?

The value of education should never be downplayed, but please double check to ensure distance learning isn’t taking a toll on your little ones.

In the meantime, check out the infographic below. It may help you shape a better understanding of how much screen time is too much for your children. 

Screen Time Infographic

This infographic explores the good, the bad, and necessary use on screens due to online learning.  It explores the risk associated with screen time use in spite of the need for them for the distant learner.

It also offers tips on how to get the best out of the necessary hours needed to be in front of a screen so that the time online can be reduced.

Finally, the infographic shows ways to protect kids against harmful content while on the internet.

Tips for Managing Screen Time in a Balance Manner

Set clear boundaries: Establish designated screen-free times during the day to rest your eyes and mind.

Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from the screen at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.

Break up study sessions: Divide study sessions into manageable chunks with breaks in between to prevent mental fatigue.

Utilize offline resources: Balance screen time by using physical books, printed materials, or offline activities for learning whenever possible.

Prioritize quality over quantity: Focus on productive screen time activities such as attending live classes, participating in discussions, and completing assignments rather than aimless browsing.

Engage in physical activities: Incorporate regular exercise or outdoor activities into your schedule to counterbalance sedentary screen time.

Monitor and adjust: Pay attention to how much time you spend on screens daily and make adjustments as needed to maintain a healthy balance between screen time and other activities.

Additional Reading:

• Read about the effects that media consumption and screen time have on children.
• Can excessive screen time fuel compulsive behaviors and addictive patterns?

Growth is part of life, emotionally, physically, and academically. Education experts recommend regular measuring of students’ growth and success in the classroom as a way of helping teachers know if their students are growing at the right place and in the right direction. On the student’s part, having a growth mindset is critical to academic and lifelong success.

Besides providing your students with standardized testing after every semester or at the end of every school year, what else can you do as a teacher to aid your learners’ growth in and outside the classroom? That is the question that this article seeks to answer.

Measuring Student Growth

Student growth is when learners can increase their intelligence levels, discover and grow their talents, and learn new skills and abilities consistently. It also means instilling a growth mindset so that they start believing in their abilities, rather than doubting their chances of developing over time. You will know that your students are growing in the right way when they start showing signs of being thirsty for new information. They will also start seeking out opportunities to tackle challenges and grow their skills.

Here are 5 ways through which you can inspire growth in your students:

1. Create Communities

Communities can be within a classroom, across grades, or between students who share common interests, such as a sports lover community. Educators can foster a community of equality that allows students to work together for a purpose bigger than their selfish interests. It gives kids a chance to belong and to have their voices heard. This will allow educators to monitor how students in the same community look after one another, how they appreciate the individual and collective effort, and how they create a conducive environment for sharing ideas. When that happens, the kids get smarter together and grow together and educators can know that they did a good job.

2. Instead of Praising Intelligence, Encourage Effort

Educators should encourage effort made and not the brilliance or intelligence of a student. Of course, some kids are born intelligent and will perform well in the classroom even when they behave badly and keep bad company. Praising them when they outscore everyone else can easily discourage their growth. Educators need to start complimenting students who outperform their previous attempts.

If a kid was struggling with a math concept last semester but has since improved, encourage them to keep pushing. That way, they will learn hard work and resilience, two important skills that will come in handy later in life. Also, remember not to dwell too much on past glory. Teach the learners to focus on their next step because that is the surest way of making progress.

3. Spend Purposeful Time Outside the Classroom

To ensure the physical and cognitive growth of your students, it is important that educators also insist on spending a purposeful time outside the classroom. This can be through fun outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, going on biking expeditions, or learning how to put together a camping tent. All of these activities can stimulate teamwork, a needed recreational time, and also gives your students the sense that their growth and learning is not tied down to the classroom as a physical object.

4. Encourage Time Management and Organization

Teach your students about the importance of prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively. Kids are easily distracted by peer pressure, TV, among others, but that will not be the case if they have a timetable to follow. Help them to organize their school work, how to spare time for homework or work out, and how to revise their notes. These organizational and time management skills will help them grow into responsible adults and great corporate managers.

4. Inspirational Posters

Anchor charts around the classroom as reminders of the importance of authentic learning and the need for developing a growth mindset. The charts should feature images, words, and phrases that inspire the kids to grow. Think of quotes from successful business leaders, stories of popular athletes, and even former students who overcame the same challenges your students are going through now. Let the kids know that in spite of the initial failures and struggles that many successful people have had to go through, they still made it in life thanks to their growth mindset and determination for a bigger change.

5. Encourage Curiosity

Being curious about something is what drives learners to find clarity and urgency in different aspects of life. Without it, it can never be created. It is through encouraging kids to ask you thought-provoking questions and allowing them to experiment on different hypotheses that they will get the motivation and purpose for designing something. A study suggests that students maintaining their curiosity is how they truly immerse themselves in their studies, and that’s how growth happens.

You can encourage curiosity in the simplest ways possible. For instance, you can introduce the concept of seed germination and growth through a small indoor garnered project. Planting the seeds, taking care of them, and anticipating the moment they bloom can greatly encourage their curiosity. If your classroom doesn’t get enough sunlight, you can ask your school to invest in some grow lights, that will not only compensate for the lack of natural light but will also speed up the entire process. This can make the curiosity-filled learning effective and time-efficient.

Conclusion: Aiding Student Growth

There are tons of inherent benefits of developing a growth mindset, both for kids and adults. As a teacher, you will only succeed in aiding your learners to grow by encouraging them to push through their comfort zones to grasp new concepts regardless of how tough they could be. Patient with them because effective learning is the key to learning and student growth that otherwise doesn’t happen instantaneously.