AdLit News Headlines

Across the country, educators are experimenting with a more tolerant grading system. “We’re aligning the letter grade with actual learning,” says Joshua Moreno, who works in the Alhambra Unified School District in Southern California. “It’s sad that it had to be for a worldwide pandemic to get people to look at this, but at the same time, it’s good that it’s happening. It had to.”

As the age-old quotation goes, “We read to know we are not alone.” For LGBTQ+ teens who aren’t necessarily surrounded by people like them, books can be an especially crucial resource. Luckily, the YA genre has taken major strides toward being more inclusive, and there are dozens of popular books starring queer characters or penned by queer authors.

Once looked down upon as “just comics,” graphic novels have evolved into a respected and dynamic platform for every genre in print. The graphic novels coming out this year for children and teens take this art form in new directions with compelling, multidimensional characters who are finding their identity and learning how to cope within a complex environment—conflicts that resonate especially with young readers.

Making lessons accessible to resistant readers can enhance the learning experience for everyone, including those who read the whole book.

Through a collaboration with the Friends of the Madison County Public Library, Foley Middle School students painted scenes from several popular novels or graphic novels on bookshelves that will be placed around the county and packed with free books to give away through the Need a Book, Read a Book program.

For adults looking for ways to support young people, the director of counseling at Brattleboro Union High School encourages patience, and remembering that there have been learning losses related to academics and social development. She emphasizes the importance of listening.

Peter Kahn, an English teacher at the Chicago-area Oak Park and River Forest High School, was terrified of teaching poetry. So he asked a former student of his for help, who suggested the idea of a poetry slam — a competition in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience.

That was 1999. Inspired by the club’s potential to engage students, Kahn created an after-school spoken word club at the high school. And for over 20 years, the club has created space for students to engage in storytelling.

Young children who struggle with insomnia face a very high risk for more of the same as young adults, a new study warns.

February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and local organizations are working together to educate teens and their parents about healthy relationships.

With mental illness being in the media more and more, not all representation is positive. These books feature relatable characters struggling with mental health problems that are treated with the love and compassion they deserve.

While the world strives to emerge from a devastating global pandemic, now is the time to provide middle grade readers with the knowledge they need to understand the history-making moment they are living through. 

Which are the most basic skills youths need to succeed – not just to avoid trouble as they grow up, but to really thrive? It turns out an organization called the Search Institute has been quietly doing research on this very subject for decades. 

Are you ready to feel old? 2012 was a good year for Young Adult (YA) books. A lot of iconic titles were released that year, so get ready as we go down memory lane with 10 YA books that are all turning 10 in 2022.

In 13 states, new laws or directives govern how race can be taught in schools, in some cases creating reporting systems for complaints. The result, teachers and principals say, is a climate of fear around how to comply with rules they often do not understand.

Encouraging students to write more frequently in science classes helps them become strong, versatile writers and deepens their scientific thinking.

YA Fantasy are my go-to type of books when I need a comfortable escape with a book, but they weren’t always my favorite. I hope you decide to give them a shot once you’ve read about my journey from apathy to excitement.

Giving high school students agency in open-ended dialogue encourages meaningful conversations involving every student.

Many college students lack the necessary support to finish college. For students who were in the foster care system, sometimes there’s no support at all. A bill in the Colorado legislature would waive college tuition and fees for students who were in foster care past the age of 13. 

The possibility of a more just future is at stake when young people are denied access to knowledge of the past.

While English learners often require years of support to thrive in school, unaccompanied minors have special challenges. They may have missed years of formal school in their home countries and arrive in the States multiple years behind. If they are teenagers, they have precious little time to catch up if they are to graduate.

English language arts teachers can borrow design thinking from STEM classes to support a deep understanding of literary characters.

Existing shortages of graduates with badly needed skills are about to get much worse. That’s a big problem for employers who need to fill jobs made even more essential by the pandemic, and in fields where there are already shortages. These include health care, cybersecurity, information technology, construction, manufacturing, transportation, law enforcement and utilities.

Yes, sibling relationships are complicated — some of the most complicated we will ever have. So I wanted to know how the pandemic might be affecting those bonds among younger sibs (and, conversely, how they shaped youths’ experience of the pandemic). I interviewed a few researchers who have begun to study just that. 

The current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature gives his take on how YA and Adult fiction differ.

During the pandemic, it’s been nearly impossible for kids to let loose at school and just be kids. While facing COVID-19 restrictions and dwelling on their own mortality, they have missed out on beloved traditions, such as field trips, dances, and athletics. An impromptu COVID-era dance party helped us look to the future with hope. 

Distance learning at the height of the pandemic took its toll on students academically and emotionally. Even though most students are back in class this year, things aren’t quite back to normal. Students continue to crave connection and higher levels of engagement. But how do we help students stay connected and engaged in deeper learning? Many educators are finding that project-based learning (PBL) provides a way forward by developing knowledge and skills through authentic learning experiences that generate student interest and enthusiasm.

Cue the applause! SLJ is teaming up with award-winning author and historian Steve Sheinkin and school librarian Stacey Rattner to stream their fun, fact-filled game show, Author-Fan Face-Off. In this brand-new episode, award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney squares off against a group of middle school superfans to answer 10 questions about Pinkney’s book She Persisted: Harriet Tubman, written with Chelsea Clinton. 

Over the last four years, Black girls have graduated from high school at a higher rate in Memphis-Shelby County Schools than any other demographic group on record, a reversal of traditional academic disparities where Black students lag behind their white peers.

Supportive classrooms and attentive teachers of color who can relate to their students are certainly a large part of the equation to Black girls’ academic success. But Memphis-Shelby County Schools graduates and soon-to-be graduates agree that behind the trend is a personal determination to excel in spite of the double burden of racism and sexism that Black girls often face.

Through stories, students are able to create an understanding of the materials presented in class. However, when tasked with sharing stories that relate to what they’ve learned, students aren’t always as forthcoming with the material. Thankfully, due to modern technology, there are many options beyond the traditional classroom share-out for students to show their understanding. 

Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech and other schools across the country are under pressure to end entrance exams. Students have complicated feelings about that.

Having a teen who gets angry easily can make you feel like you have to tiptoe around issues to avoid conflict—but that’s not a healthy way of relating to one another. Read for tips on how to ward off and diffuse teen anger.

Online sales of Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel “Maus” are skyrocketing, and multiple bookstores are giving away free copies to students after a Tennessee school district banned it.

For the next few days in the DeKalb, GA students and staff will have talks about racial disparities and celebrate the accomplishments of Black community members. It’s part of the annual Black Lives Matter “week of action.”

Some of these might already be on your radar as overtly friendship stories, while some of these books are less obvious with their friendship themes — but still worth picking up! They cover everything from the painful process of making new friends, navigating complicated friend groups and dynamics, being lonely and discovering a new friend, friendship break ups, and friendships that evolve into something more! 

A Tennessee school board’s decision to remove the graphic novel Maus from the curriculum has sparked international condemnation. But the incident has its roots in the state’s efforts to improve school curricula—and controversies like this one shouldn’t be allowed to prevent that.

Listen as Secretary Cardona lays out his priorities for the coming year. He notes that striving to keep schools open is no longer enough; expanding tutoring and mental health counseling must happen as we focus on closing achievement gaps that have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.

Have your students been enchanted by Disney’s story of a Colombian girl who discovers her family’s magic is starting to fail and she must figure out how to save the Family Madrigal and bring magic back to their casa? If so, they might also be captivated by these four read-alikes.

For many new teachers, classroom management can be one of the biggest obstacles to achieving success. These visual and audio cues can help middle and high school teachers quickly get students back on track.

As students, teachers and parents across the U.S. seek to find some sense of normalcy or stability two years into a global pandemic, the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs investigates how they are doing so in “Our New Normal: How Teens Are Redefining School Life.”

Secretary Miguel Cardona also challenged schools to offer intensive tutoring to help students catch up.

Bringing access and opportunity to the classroom and beyond, read more about Forbes 10th annual list of 30 under 30 up-and-coming superstars in Education.

Emphasizing relationships with students and teacher self-care, along with showing love are some pieces of advice from veterans.

Top books, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults announced at ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference. 

One in five young adults being treated for alcohol or drug use may have undiagnosed traits characteristic of autism-spectrum disorder, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital report.

Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León recently said “students are exhibiting behaviors unlike ever before,” which he said called for increased mental health support.

Scaffolding such as visual guides and templates can make it easier for ELLs to grasp material in courses with complicated vocabulary.

Harvard language expert explores how the brain tries to make sense of those pesky missing tiles in popular word puzzle.

Writing has a healing power. Listen as author Dave Eggers discusses how fiction can serve as a window into multiple realities—to imagine different futures or understand our own past. 

Overhaul comes amid mounting challenges to the relevance of standardized testing in college admissions.

Higuera’s story of a 12-year-old Mexican American girl who uses memories of her family’s stories and a copy of Yuyi Morales’ Dreamers to try to save others from a dystopian society turned out to be a pretty good one. Higuera is still “a deer in the headlights” over her 2022 Newbery Medal, truly stunned by the recognition of her novel. 

Oregon leaders have been trying for years to raise the state’s high school graduation rate, which has consistently ranked among the lowest in the nation. Yet, students at Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, OR school have boasted high graduation rates since before the pandemic and continue to shine in 2021 despite COVID challenges. 

Saying students have returned from nearly a year of virtual learning more hooked to their cell phones than ever, high school principals are trying to find solutions to getting teens to focus on their teacher. Chicopee High School is considering hiring a California-based company called Yondr that provides schools with special pouches for phones that are then locked with a high-powered magnet. Students keep their phones with them and at the end of the day they are unlocked with the same device.

90 years after its closure, a former New York Times printing plant now provides space for a new generation of journalists.

Amazon Prime ensemble series “As We See It” debuts Friday. The show follows a trio of young people on the autism spectrum as they negotiate daily life. As Albert Rutecki, who plays one of the three main characters, states, “I see it mainly as a coming-of-age or coming-to-adulthood of several 20-something characters. It has three main characters who are on the spectrum, but I think it could definitely be relatable to a lot of people more than just those who are autistic.” 

An Indiana school wants middle schoolers to start considering career choices now, but is the timing right?

As we reflect on the King holiday and national day of service, we asked some readers to share their thoughts on King’s early perspective on education and if education in 2022 is fulfilling its purpose. 

Digital tools such as Google Classroom and Canvas are still used during in-person school; tracking online assignments is a chore, and many parents wish schools would go back to pencil and paper

If you happen to get into a conversation about American history with Prasidha Padmanabhan, you will have to keep reminding yourself of this: She is only 16. Prasidha has not only spent the last few years learning about the historic and too-often unseen roles of women, and in particular women of color, but also has worked to make sure students in one of the country’s largest school systems have a chance to learn about them.

New Mexico lawmakers may soon weigh permitting 16-year-olds to vote in local elections. 

Los Angeles Times High School Insider is a community of young readers, thinkers and storytellers. This week Jenny Tran from Fountain Valley High School discusses the trekking through the endless, beautiful world of books at your own pace after you work around the obstacles that come with reading more.