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female high school student doing homework

How teachers can confront student’s pandemic-era excuses for not getting work done

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“The Cloud Ate My Homework” . . .

There was a time when students could sometimes get out of doing their assignments by telling their teachers excuses like these . . .

  • “My dog ate my homework.” We’re not sure if any student ever used this excuse, but it is now considered a classic for not turning in assignments.
  • “My grandfather died.” Poor old grandpa died repeatedly in some families, just to give kids an excuse to stay home.
  • “I’m sick.” Of course, students do get ill. But many more of them claim to be sick when they aren’t. It’s probably the most common way of getting excused from going to school.

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First Lady Jill Biden

Why Having a Teacher as First Lady Is Bound to Help Education in America

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Welcome, Jill Biden . . .

First Lady Jill Biden is clearly smart, resourceful, warm, courageous, and highly supportive of her husband. But she has something else going for her . . .

Jill Biden is a teacher Read more

Books in a high school library

A Pandemic Reading List for High School Students

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If you teach high school students and would like them to develop a historical perspective on the great plagues and pandemics in history, we would like to suggest you let them know about the books on the list that we have compiled below.

One reassuring lesson these books teach is that the current Covid-19 pandemic, horrible as it is, might not be the most frightening or devastating world health disaster in history. Plus, these books contain a varied and useful selection of topics for students to research and explore. What public health initiatives were used to combat these prior pandemics, for example? What countermeasures did people use to combat them, and are there lessons we can learn? How was society changed, and what changes are still visible today? Read more

Books and Mental Health Resources for Teachers

Mental Health Resources for Teachers During Covid-19

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Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions. But we also know that during the current pandemic, teaching has become one of the most challenging.

If you are a teacher and you are becoming discouraged, you are certainly not alone. Read more

US Flag being raised at a school

Teaching Citizenship Skills to Future American Leaders

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Calls to boost civic education are growing, and teachers need help answering that call. The RAND Corporation finds only 1 in 5 social studies teachers nationwide feels well-prepared to support their students’ citizenship education. Consistent with our commitment at the Student Research Foundation (SRF) to support teachers in preparing students for life after high school, we want to share two resources that may help all educators – and particularly those who feel caught between community pressures and lack of resources. Read more

Two teachers wearing masks talking in a classroom

Teachers Face a Barrage of Unfair Treatment During the Pandemic

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“That’s not fair!” is a complaint that teachers are accustomed to hearing from younger students.

Today, during the pandemic, those same teachers have had to face the fact that they themselves are voicing that same complaint. This is simply a time when teachers are not being treated fairly by the institutions where they work. And interestingly, there seem to be more complaints of unfair treatment in schools where some students have physically returned to their classrooms. Read more

High School Classroom during the pandemic

Teaching in a Pandemic: 3 Resources for Surviving and Thriving

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As teachers persevere bravely through the resurgence of COVID-19, it is easy to forget that they walk a fine line between helping students and avoiding burnout. At the Student Research Foundation (SRF), we are committed to magnifying the voices of teachers and their students to strengthen education. We have found several articles to encourage you during the final months of the pandemic. Read more

Teachers Face Harder Decisions about Returning to School - Student Research Foundation

America’s Teachers Face Harder Decisions about Returning to School

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As many American schools plan to resume classes soon, teachers are trying to decide whether or not to return to classrooms. That implies that there are only two groups of teachers regarding this issue – those who will go back, and those who will not. But in reality, a number of factors are at play as American schools reorganize in new ways. Read more

Teacher Communities - Student Research Foundation

Teachers, Why Not Make Facebook and LinkedIn Groups Your New Way to Connect?

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When I was going to high school, there was a special dining room reserved for teachers. It was in a corner of our cafeteria and I remember seeing teachers heading back there carrying brown lunch bags and cafeteria trays. I have no idea what they talked about behind closed doors, but I assume they were happy to be away from students like me and my friends, at least for the duration of a lunch period.

Today, teachers’ lounges can be found in many schools. They, like that dining room I remember, are places where teachers can connect to each other, discuss current challenges and ideas, and enjoy being part of a teachers’ community. Read more

Resistance to Returning to Public Schools this Fall Is Running High - Student Research Foundation

Resistance to Returning to Public Schools this Fall Is Running High

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Even though the Trump Administration is exerting pressure on American school systems to reopen this fall, new polls have found that neither parents nor teachers are eager to return to classrooms. Read more