Group Collaboration Produces Surprising Sources

Students Draw on Pop Culture to Analyze Literature

by Linda Odette

Thornapple Kellogg Schools — When innovation, collaboration, reading, language and writing all can be taught in a single project, it's a win-win for both teachers and students. That's what "A Raisin in the Sun" and Jimmy Kimmel helped teach a team of students in Molly Stabler's honors English class recently. "We ended up somewhere between the TV show 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader' and Kimmel's show," Katie Dinkel said of her group's final project...

Knowing Students Comes First for Teacher of the Year by Erin Albanese

Kentwood Public Schools — If you want to do the straightforward math, East Kentwood High School teacher Luke Wilcox can help. If you want to understand all those other factors, just watch him teach. Wilcox was named Michigan Teacher of the Year by the state Department...

School Spirit Personified: ‘He Never Has a Bad Day’ by Charles Honey

Kenowa Hills Public Schools — Jared Scheidel ambles onto the ballfield and members of the Knights varsity baseball team greet him as they get ready for practice. “What’s up, coach Schy?” one player says, using his nickname. “Hi guys!” Jared calls back. “You ready?”...

Soldier’s Letters Bring Civil War Close to Home by Morgan Jarema

Grandville Public Schools — Eighth-grader Nevin Hooper says learning about a local Civil War soldier was "way more cool" than learning about the bloodiest war in U.S. history from a textbook. Libby "Fred" Rozema and Riordan McPhail agree...

Thank You!

A Special Chair for a Special Child, Designed with Love

Featured Briefs

A Letter to Leo Wins Library of Congress Award

School, Community Ties Lead to Sprucing

Tree Houses Can Too Have Alligators and Fireplaces

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Grads with Grit

A series about students who have had to overcome unusual challenges and hardships to graduate this spring.
Making Math Add Up

A series on the difficulties students have learning math, and what methods some schools and teachers are using with success.
Stories About Educating Migrant Children

A series about the migrant student population and how teachers and administrators work together to serve them. The series focuses on Kent City Community Schools and Kenowa Hills Public Schools.
The Burden of Poverty: A Backpack of Heartache

A series on poverty in the schools and how it affects students’ learning. We examine the problems poverty creates for students and their families and the schools and strategies that are helping disadvantaged students succeed.
Student Leaders

A series dedicated to students that go above and beyond to serve their school, peers and community.
The Road to Reading

A series exploring some of the many reading activities you'll find in our schools, difficulties students may face while learning to read, as well as early childhood ties to literacy and new initiatives to help all children read.
Hidden Pain

This series focuses on students' mental health, the sources of their distress, and how schools and communities can help.
Reaching Every Child: What’s New in Special Education

A series on special education in Kent County. School News Network will take readers into classrooms around the area to shine a light on new approaches to teaching students with physical and mental disabilities.
Places of Refuge

This series focuses on refugee students and their journeys, their new lives and hopes for a future in West Michigan, and the many ways schools and community organizations are working to meet their needs.
Rockstar Teachers

There's just something about certain teachers that draws students to them in droves and keeps them checking in years, even decades later. Here, we highlight some of these rockstars of the classroom.
State of the Arts

Educators have long recognized the value of music, art, drama and writing for students' creative development and academic success. Yet the arts remain squeezed by tight budgets and test-driven performance standards.