Released last month, this action plan was created to transform the way educators teach literacy across New York State. In the words of New York State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa, “Schools across the state are experiencing unprecedented challenges teaching literacy to their students – challenges that are exacerbated by the pandemic and the recent arrival of students with little or no ability to read, write, or speak English. Fortunately, we’re much more fluent in the science of reading and the vital importance of integrating culturally responsive, evidence-based practices within literacy instruction. The Action Plan we’re announcing today will help prepare New York’s teachers to reach all of the students in their care.”

For a deeper look at the plan and it's six underlying initiatives, check out this article from New York State DOE.

Full implementation of New York State Computer Science & Digital Fluency Standards is underway. How is your school or district engaging students in topics like computational thinking and digital literacy? Whether you're implementing the standards across your core curriculum or as a standalone course, learn how you can engage learners and teachers in computer science during this on-demand info session.

With sessions, seminars, and swag galore, be sure to attend these upcoming conferences:

• New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education (NYSCATE) - Nov 24- 26th, Verona
• CSforNY - Nov 15th (Virtual) and Nov 24-26th at NYSCATE

"I love hands-on learning for complex topics in CS and other content areas. The students' familiarity with LEGO^® bricks and their simplicity and versatility for programming help make computational thinking concepts more tangible and lessons more engaging."


Sean Arnold
Director of School Pathways & LEGO^® Education Ambassador
NYC Public Schools

Four years after New York City revamped its free youth summer program, city lawmakers are reflecting on its efficacy. Is Summer Rising's hybrid model of academics the right approach to engage learners and improve academic outcomes? Learn more in this Chalkbeat article.

Students can experience phenomenon through 3-dimesional learning in various units and lessons included with LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ Essential. These learning experiences allow you to keep students engaged through tactile model building, while addressing NGSS standards.

Curious what this looks like? Explore the lessons associated with LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ Essential to learn more.

Voting is an important right and responsibility. It gives us a voice to speak on issues within our community, whether big or small. What are your students passionate about?

Whether it's pizza toppings, animals, or field trip destinations, create a question and poll your class. In this engineering challenge, students are tasked to develop a model that can track votes and display voting criteria. Encourage your students to take to the polls! Check out our latest design challenge.

Didn't get a chance to read last month's round up? Good thing we archived it for you!