This "Quick Fix" describes the author's use of a single-use "Life Happens Waiver" as a modification of an otherwise typical late work policy. The strategy is intended to empower students, to establish rapport, and to provide a combination of structure and flexibility that enables students to meet learning goals.

To encourage student empowerment, teachers must recognize and discuss the tension between their own instructional power and students' power and agency--especially in the fraught area of grading. To truly invest students with power in learning, educators must ask the tricky question of whether they are willing to give kids more ownership over the…

This "Equity Tool" is intended to facilitate use of the concepts and processes described in greater depth in the Equity by Design brief, "Promoting Socially Just Evidence-based Practice." We summarize the framework presented in this brief and offer guiding questions to support educators' preparation for and engagement in…

Agency and empowerment in the art classroom can exist at the epitome of how a student explores and defines her-/him-/themself, and then voices that recognition. Merriam-Webster ("Agency," n.d.) defines "agency" as "a person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved" (n.p.). Empowerment can be seen…

Psychologist Wendy Ostroff explains why using dialogue in learning with elementary-age students is a win for everyone, especially for learning. Young students are inventive questioners and naturally divergent thinkers, and they are engaged and empowered by exercising their voices. Teachers will benefit from Ostroff's guidance about fitting…

Discover a bold new vision for high school mathematics that empowers students through engaging, real-world learning. For decades, mathematics education has been guided by the visionary efforts of educators and leaders who recognized the importance of making math relevant, engaging, and accessible to all students. From the foundational principles…

This paper responds to the need to support complexities of literacy instruction by identifying and illustrating teaching strategies used by a practicing special education teacher rooted in a multi-theoretical approach to teaching literacy. We argue the importance of teaching from multiple theoretical standpoints and utilizing student-centered,…

In their bold vision Forward Framework, the Association for College Personnel Administrators (ACPA; 2018) has defined an explorative divesting of power from colonizers as decolonization. The definition of decolonization is "a long-term process of first recognizing and then divesting bureaucratic, cultural, linguistic, educational, and…

When we embark on a journey, every action revolves around the destination. Of course, not all trips are smooth sailing. We inevitably hit distractions, obstacles, and detours. These challenges threaten to blow us off course, but when we stay focused on the destination rather than the barriers, we can move forward. The same is true in education.…

Based on years of extensive research on teacher development, this book offers a practical introduction to the concept of teacher reflection, demonstrating how student teachers can engage with reflective learning from their teaching and classroom experiences in a systematic and inspiring way. Providing practical models and guidelines for use in the…

Using the techniques presented here, teachers can apply findings from neuroscience research to the classroom to support social-emotional learning.

For students to feel empowered in their learning, they must understand the language, purpose, and goals of assessment. Dueck argues that students need to understand what they are supposed to be learning and determine whether they actually learned it. Clear objectives and cooperative assessments can help with these objectives.

With increasing expectations on students regarding written communication, the promotion of student agency in writing is more important now than ever. Teachers must find ways to engage and empower all learners throughout the writing process so they can produce authentic and meaningful writing independently. To promote such agency, educators must…

The global COVID-19 pandemic pulled back the curtain on the growing need for greater student agency and student engagement. As we rethink the future of education in a post-pandemic world, learner agency must be at the center of learning designs and learning models so that we can support students anytime, anyplace, and at any pace. We must…

Research in the online learning environment supports a clear link between faculty engagement, learner engagement, and learning. While models and frameworks for understanding persistence in the face-to-face learning environment are well established, there is a need for establishing effective ways to monitor and evaluate online learning engagement…