In 2019, families in the United States spent approximately $700 per child on school supplies for the school year, according to the National Retail Federation. The combination of backpacks, clothes, notebooks, and lunchboxes adds up, and many schools also ask parents to contribute as much as $100 per family to help cover the costs of classroom materials. Many military families find themselves hard-pressed to purchase school supplies on top of other child-care costs and household needs.

Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that has been supporting strong, stable military families since 2002, has taken on the challenge of getting military kids classroom-ready through its annual Back-to-School Brigade program, established in 2008.

This year, Hunt Heroes Foundation (HHF), a nonprofit organization founded by Hunt Military Communities (HMC), the nation's largest military housing owner, has announced its support of Operation Homefront and its Back-to-School Brigade. HHF will be delivering 1,850 backpacks filled with school supplies to HMC communities in the continental United States in advance of the 2020 school year.

"Operation Homefront is proud that Hunt Military Communities is helping bring our Back-to-School Brigade program to military families in their communities," says Robin Miller, senior director of Operation Homefront.

"With their support, we are able to distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to those who have given so much on behalf of all Americans and ensure that their children have the tools for a successful start to the school year," Ms. Miller emphasizes.

The event aims to ease some of the financial burdens of back-to-school costs for military families, and the backpacks are tailored to all ages and grade levels.

"We are honored to partner with Operation Homefront on an initiative that will support military families during this uniquely challenging back-to-school season," says John Ehle, president of Hunt Military Communities.

"It is our goal to make the process as seamless as possible for parents, and make sure that their children are prepared to start the new school year, whether virtually or in-person."

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's Back-to-School Brigade will be adjusted to adhere to federal, state, and local COVID-19 guidelines with features such as a drive-through format.

For more information or to support these organizations, visit OperationHomefront.org and huntmilitarycommunities.com.

However, school systems across the country are rising to the challenge and staying connected to their students with dynamic digital resources, such as those from Discovery Education.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, school systems across the country have invested in digital services like Discovery Education Experience because they support students' education at home, in the classroom or wherever learning is taking place.

Experience - Discovery Education's flexible K-12 learning platform - connects educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give educators everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.

"Discovery Education is committed to keeping students and teachers connected to learning at home or in school," says Scott Kinney, Discovery Education's president of K-12 Education.

"To accomplish that, we partner with school systems to provide students and teachers the digital resources - such as Discovery Education Experienc - they need for success during this school year and beyond."

In addition, to providing school systems digital resources Discovery Education provides teachers the professional development they need to use new technologies and maximize their school district's technology investment.

Discovery Education has a long history as a global leader in digital curricula that align with the current standards for K-12 education, and their products include digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and professional learning for educators.

Visit discoveryeducation.com for more information about the company's resources, and visit https://www.discoveryeducation.com/district-partners to determine whether your local school district is making Discovery Education materials available to their students for the upcoming school year.

Now, there is encouraging news about efforts to prepare more students --and a more diverse set of students -- for the next generation of computer science jobs. According to new College Board data, students from the class of 2019 who took Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) were three times more likely to declare a computer science major in college, compared to similar students who did not take AP CSP. Differences are similarly large for female, Black, Hispanic, and first-generation college students.

New research out today is good news for business leaders looking to hire the next generation of computer science workers. Students from the class of 2019 who took Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles were three times more likely to declare a computer science major in college, according to College Board data.

AP Computer Science Principles, or AP CSP, was designed by the College Board four years ago to change the invitation to computer science and address a shortage of young women and students of color entering the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), long dominated by young white and Asian men.

"Four years ago, we set out to change the invitation to computer science education," says College Board Global Policy Chief Stefanie Sanford. "This new research provides compelling evidence that AP CSP is doing exactly that."

"We are inspired to see how this course is playing a role in students' high school and college careers just four years after its launch. States, schools, and educators providing access to AP CSP are ensuring a more representative body of students will become our next generation of computer scientists, engineers, and technology leaders."

College freshmen who declare a computer science major take a critical step toward receiving the second-highest-paid college degree in the nation, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $88,240 in May 2019. And yet, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds women represent just 24 percent of the 5 million people in computing occupations, while 15 percent are Black or Hispanic.

The College Board study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP Computer Science A (AP CSA) -- a more computer-programming-focused course -- compared to similar students who did not take CSP. Black students who take AP CSP are three times more likely to also take AP CSA. Notably, that's virtually the same share as Asian CSP students, who have long led AP CSA participation.

Business leaders such as Shanika Hope, head of the U.S. division of Amazon Future Engineer, are enthusiastic about AP Computer Science Principles and its future economic impact. "At Amazon, we know a high-quality computer science education is key to helping students build their best and brightest future, especially those from underserved and underrepresented communities. We're excited that today's research shows further evidence that courses like AP CSP -- which we provide for thousands of our Amazon Future Engineer schools across the U.S. -- are preparing a more diverse group of students to enter the 21st century workforce."

The first year of AP Computer Science Principles in 2016-17 attracted more students than any other AP course debut, and participation is on the rise. Still, not all students have access to high-quality computer science education. Currently, less than half of the nation's high schools teach foundational computer science. States are working to broaden participation in computer science by passing policies to make computer science a fundamental part of the K-technology12 education system. Students interested in AP CSP can learn more at collegeboard.org/csp.

These children, who are not attending preschool, will enter kindergarten next year without the benefits of a formal education experience and lacking the foundational skills that promote success in school. In Texas, for example, data show that pre-kindergarten enrollment is down by 8 to 12 percent, according to an October 5, 2020, article in the Dallas Morning News. It's a trend in many school districts around the country. An Education Week Research Center survey of nearly 500 district leaders and principals found more than half are seeing a decline in kindergarten enrollment.

The changing school environment has led to a re-assessment of how to provide essential early childhood education.

Learning Without Tears, an EdTech company that has provided pre-K writing and educational materials to parents and teachers for more than 30 years, has developed "Get Set for School" (GSS), an award-winning complete pre-kindergarten curriculum, to meet the needs of preschoolers in home-based, hybrid, and in-school learning environments.

The dual language English-Spanish program is designed to help preschool-aged children reach their important early learning milestones, while keeping them engaged and having fun. The program combines purposeful play, multimodal-multisensory activities, and digital apps and teaching tools.

"Pre-K should be fun and joyful while full of learning that results in children feeling confident about themselves and their abilities," says Dr. Elizabeth DeWitt, an early childhood expert at the center of GSS.

Get Set for School stands out from other preschool programs in part because it is truly age-appropriate, says Dr. DeWitt. "GSS is unique because we go beyond other Pre-K curricula with our research-based focus on the fine motor development of young children," she explains.

"The children build and form letters based on the development of writing strokes and use a different manipulative daily while learning each letter as they progress from building to writing before they are expected or asked to write on paper." Readiness & Writing, an element of GSS, addresses any weakness in writing letters and numbers, alphabet knowledge, as well as connecting printed numbers to quantities.

In addition, the program's interactive Sound Around Letters app allows children to identify, match, and say capital and lowercase letters and receive instant feedback to promote progress and boost confidence. Multi-modality resources allow children with different learning styles to use an engaging animated touch screen to learn number and letter formations.

"We are more committed than ever to ensuring that children are learning whether they are in the classroom or at home," Dr. DeWitt emphasizes. "To equip and support parents and teachers, we have added more videos and distance learning resources to assist with using our unique and exclusive materials in any setting.

Visit LWTears.com for more information about Get Set for School and Readiness & Writing.

(Carrie Goux, EVP, GreatSchools) - Looking for good news about the state of your child’s education? It’s hard to find these days, but parents need hope now more than ever. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education released new data showing that two decades of progress in math and reading were erased. Two decades.     

Families need to know how schools are addressing this lost learning and preparing students for the future. They need good information and ways to support their child because they are not giving up the front-row seat to their child’s education that came with the pandemic.     Data offer an important way for families to understand how schools are supporting students. For over 20 years, GreatSchools.org has translated education data into actionable information for parents nationwide. We collect and analyze data from every state department of education and the federal government to support parents pursuing a great education for their child, schools striving for excellence, and communities working to diminish inequities in education.     

Parents often ask us what to look for in a school and how to know if it’s the right one for their child. Since no two children (or schools) are alike, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. When looking at data and information, there’s hope and opportunity that can point you in directions you may not have seen before. For example:     

1. College preparedness: For 5 years, GreatSchools has celebrated schools with the College Success Award recognizing public high schools that excel at preparing students for college. With this data-driven award, we have been able to connect high school and college success to award high schools doing a great job at preparing all students to walk out the door on graduation day ready to take on higher learning. This year, we are celebrating 1,742 high schools from 25 states -- each of which earn a special badge on their GreatSchools profile to easily identify winning schools.     

2. Advanced course offerings: Access to advanced academic courses in high school provide an opportunity for students to earn free college credits while gaining exposure to the intense academics they will experience in college. Parents can now view Advanced Placement (AP) course lists on GreatSchools.org school profiles and, in turn, support their child to take advantage of this rigorous academic program.     

3. Community perspectives: Who better to tell you about a school than your fellow community members with firsthand experience? The Community Reviews section of our GreatSchools.org school profiles allows parents and community members to share their school experiences regarding school safety, learning, social-emotional well-being and more. This is an excellent way for families to see how a school has supported students like their own.     

These are just a few of the ways GreatSchools is providing parents a richer picture of school quality. As parents evaluate what they’ve learned through pandemic learning -- what does (and does not) work best for their child -- these new data can highlight schools likely to meet their child’s needs.     

Learn more at GreatSchools.org.

Goux is the executive vice president of strategy and external affairs at GreatSchools.

(NewsUSA) - (NewsUSA) - By Carrie Goux For NewsUSA, With the final bell of the 2021-2022 school year fast approaching, now is the time for families to reflect upon their child's year. Whether it be the formation of new friendships, celebrating academic breakthroughs, or navigating the emotions of another pandemic year, no two families' experiences are the same.

That's why GreatSchools.org, the nation's leading provider of school information for K-12 families, wants to make sure your experience is captured -- in your own words. In only a few minutes, parents can leave an anonymous review on their school's GreatSchools profile to share their thoughts on family engagement, teachers, learning, physical and emotional safety, and more!

We know that parents wear many hats, and finding even just a few extra moments in the day can be challenging. But sharing your school experience matters, and can really make a difference for others in your community. Here's why:

1. Helps fellow parents

When you write a review of your child's school, you're offering other parents something that numbers alone can't provide: your personal experience as a member of a community. When Ronnie Hines, a Black mother in Los Angeles, was searching for a middle school for her daughter in a community where few others looked like her, she wanted to find a school climate that would be welcoming. Reading reviews from parents of shared identities helped Ronnie visualize what peer-to-peer and parent-to-staff interactions might be like at different schools, and whether those environments would help her daughter succeed.

2. Elevates your voice

Your experience can be powerful -- if given the right opportunity to share it. Leaving a review provides a platform to share your thoughts with the K-12 schools, K-12, in a respectful way. Does the school's curriculum affirm your child's culture and identity? Are your child's special education needs being met? Are you a military family that has attended many different schools across the country? Your unique story could be the catalyst for improvements that will benefit other students for years to come.

3. Fosters trust between home and school

Principals and administrators use their GreatSchools.org profiles to share details about their school culture, programs, and policies. The reviews section is an important part of the overall story of the school, offering a safe, trusted way for parents to anonymously share feedback with the school. Whether it's highlighting an experience with caring, hard-working teachers or providing honest feedback that will help make the school better for all children, reviews foster a deeper home-school connection as leaders can incorporate key learnings into their school celebrations and improvement plans.

According to the National PTA and Learning Heroes, 67 percent of parents feel more connected to their child's day-to-day education than ever before. Now is the perfect time to leverage that connection and share your experience with others in your community. We've compiled some of our best tips to support you in writing a review that is honest, transparent, and thorough. Make your voice heard today!

Carrie Goux is the Executive Vice President, Strategy and External Affairs at GreatSchools.org.

(NewsUSA) - The ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to keep many children out of preschool nationwide, due to school closures or to parents' concerns about sending their children to the in-person learning options that are available.

These children, who are not attending preschool, will enter kindergarten next year without the benefits of a formal education experience and lacking the foundational skills that promote success in school. In Texas, for example, data show that pre-kindergarten enrollment is down by 8 to 12 percent, according to an October 5, 2020, article in the Dallas Morning News. It's a trend in many school districts around the country. An Education Week Research Center survey of nearly 500 district leaders and principals found more than half are seeing a decline in kindergarten enrollment.

The changing school environment has led to a re-assessment of how to provide essential early childhood education.

Learning Without Tears, an EdTech company that has provided pre-K writing and educational materials to parents and teachers for more than 30 years, has developed "Get Set for School" (GSS), an award-winning complete pre-kindergarten curriculum, to meet the needs of preschoolers in home-based, hybrid, and in-school learning environments.

The dual language English-Spanish program is designed to help preschool-aged children reach their important early learning milestones, while keeping them engaged and having fun. The program combines purposeful play, multimodal-multisensory activities, and digital apps and teaching tools.

"Pre-K should be fun and joyful while full of learning that results in children feeling confident about themselves and their abilities," says Dr. Elizabeth DeWitt, an early childhood expert at the center of GSS.

Get Set for School stands out from other preschool programs in part because it is truly age-appropriate, says Dr. DeWitt. "GSS is unique because we go beyond other Pre-K curricula with our research-based focus on the fine motor development of young children," she explains.

"The children build and form letters based on the development of writing strokes and use a different manipulative daily while learning each letter as they progress from building to writing before they are expected or asked to write on paper." Readiness & Writing, an element of GSS, addresses any weakness in writing letters and numbers, alphabet knowledge, as well as connecting printed numbers to quantities.

In addition, the program's interactive Sound Around Letters app allows children to identify, match, and say capital and lowercase letters and receive instant feedback to promote progress and boost confidence. Multi-modality resources allow children with different learning styles to use an engaging animated touch screen to learn number and letter formations.

"We are more committed than ever to ensuring that children are learning whether they are in the classroom or at home," Dr. DeWitt emphasizes. "To equip and support parents and teachers, we have added more videos and distance learning resources to assist with using our unique and exclusive materials in any setting.

Visit LWTears.com for more information about Get Set for School and Readiness & Writing.

(NewsUSA) - The heroic efforts of frontline health care workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic merit ongoing recognition and gratitude. Nurse educators also continue to play a key role by supporting and promoting the work of nurses, who deliver everything from lifesaving emergency services to end-of-life care.

To recognize and celebrate the essential role of nursing education during the pandemic and beyond, the National League for Nursing has declared 2022 as the Year of the Nurse Educator.

Throughout the year, the League will spotlight nurse educators teaching in academic and clinical settings and showcase their contributions to innovative primary and preventive care models in underserved communities.

For example, the #BeyondANurseEducator social media campaign promotes the vital role of nursing education in advancing the nursing profession and patient care. This campaign runs through September and will include monthly recognition of nurse educators based on nominations from students and academic leadership.

The pandemic highlighted the shortage of nurses, but the key to reversing this shortage is to increase the numbers of nurse educators -- those who teach nursing students how to become nurses.

Encouraging more nurses to consider career shifts into nursing education is the best way to ensure a consistent flow of qualified nurses into the health care system. As a result of the pandemic, many nursing education programs moved to online platforms, which expanded the options for nurses who want to pursue careers as nurse educators.

Nurses are now able to earn their master's in nursing or education online, which helps prevent loss of income from taking time off to take classes, and also reduces the need for student loans or moving to attend classes at a distant campus. Nurses can then become Certified Nurse Educators, the badge of expertise in this advanced specialty area of practice.

The demand for nurses, and therefore for nurse educators, is likely to remain high. Nurse educators are in a unique position to make an impact by inspiring nurses in training and by promoting public health through work in schools, businesses, hospitals and community agencies.

Other reasons to become a nurse educator include the intellectual stimulation of knowing the latest research in the field, greater autonomy and flexible schedules, including options for remote teaching, and the sense of purpose that comes with advancing the next generation of nurses and making a difference in the future of nursing.

For more information, visit NLN.org.

(NewsUSA) - By Carrie Goux For NewsUSA, With the final bell of the 2021-2022 school year fast approaching, now is the time for families to reflect upon their child's year. Whether it be the formation of new friendships, celebrating academic breakthroughs, or navigating the emotions of another pandemic year, no two families' experiences are the same.

That's why GreatSchools.org, the nation's leading provider of school information for K-12 families, wants to make sure your experience is captured -- in your own words. In only a few minutes, parents can leave an anonymous review on their school's GreatSchools profile to share their thoughts on family engagement, teachers, learning, physical and emotional safety, and more!

We know that parents wear many hats, and finding even just a few extra moments in the day can be challenging. But sharing your school experience matters, and can really make a difference for others in your community. Here's why:

1. Helps fellow parents

When you write a review of your child's school, you're offering other parents something that numbers alone can't provide: your personal experience as a member of a community. When Ronnie Hines, a Black mother in Los Angeles, was searching for a middle school for her daughter in a community where few others looked like her, she wanted to find a school climate that would be welcoming. Reading reviews from parents of shared identities helped Ronnie visualize what peer-to-peer and parent-to-staff interactions might be like at different schools, and whether those environments would help her daughter succeed.

2. Elevates your voice

Your experience can be powerful -- if given the right opportunity to share it. Leaving a review provides a platform to share your thoughts with the K-12 schools, K-12, in a respectful way. Does the school's curriculum affirm your child's culture and identity? Are your child's special education needs being met? Are you a military family that has attended many different schools across the country? Your unique story could be the catalyst for improvements that will benefit other students for years to come.

3. Fosters trust between home and school

Principals and administrators use their GreatSchools.org profiles to share details about their school culture, programs, and policies. The reviews section is an important part of the overall story of the school, offering a safe, trusted way for parents to anonymously share feedback with the school. Whether it's highlighting an experience with caring, hard-working teachers or providing honest feedback that will help make the school better for all children, reviews foster a deeper home-school connection as leaders can incorporate key learnings into their school celebrations and improvement plans.

According to the National PTA and Learning Heroes, 67 percent of parents feel more connected to their child's day-to-day education than ever before. Now is the perfect time to leverage that connection and share your experience with others in your community. We've compiled some of our best tips to support you in writing a review that is honest, transparent, and thorough. Make your voice heard today!

Carrie Goux is the Executive Vice President, Strategy and External Affairs at GreatSchools.org.

(NewsUSA) - Had you tried to devise a situation that would bring our public schools to the brink, you couldn't have done better than imagining what happened in the spring of 2020. It happened so fast. Suddenly schools had to figure out how to teach students from afar, without the aid of summer planning or extra training.

High schools navigated a doubly difficult challenge: balancing teaching teens in the moment while also ensuring they remained on track for the future amid rising anxiety, stress, and depression.

Experts warned that the pandemic would have a dire impact on generation COVID and early data suggests they may be right. Since the pandemic struck, more than a quarter-million fewer seniors completed financial aid forms that support affordable college enrollment. The greatest declines came from the students who likely need aid the most -- students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

Even against this bleak backdrop, some high schools managed to shine. The College Success Award identifies high schools that support student college enrollment and success in 25 states.

This year GreatSchools reached out to the most exceptional of these winning schools to learn about how they had navigated pandemic education. Not only did they meet the moment head on, but they devised solutions that worked so well they made them permanent even after schools returned in the fall. Here's what they discovered:

Meeting families where they are. With buildings closed, schools had to get creative about engaging families. El Paso's Valle Verde Early College High School, for example, took its monthly parent forums online and discovered what happens when you remove barriers to family engagement. At the first meeting, instead of 50 parents, over 300 showed up and crashed the system. "[W]e see people making dinner, doing laundry, but listening and asking questions. They're taking care of life responsibilities," says recently-retired Principal Paul Covey. With the simple click of a button, hundreds of multitasking parents were given the opportunity to participate in school activities without having to find childcare, leave work early, or take public transportation.

Meeting alumni where they are. Florida's Mater Performing Arts Academy had always invited alumni to visit the school to share their experiences, but once school was online, they discovered that they could access alumni all over the country. "We're doing a lot of presentations with our alumni who… are in Boston, or in… San Francisco," says college counseling lead Silvino Macho. By leveraging the power of video conferencing, the school engaged its alumni community to share their college and career lessons and mentor students.

Meeting teens where they are. As schools went virtual, teacher Scott Frank took it as a chance to speak teens' language.

He created online videos of core topics in his history classes at IDEA Frontier College Prep in Brownsville, TX. Frank's YouTube channel became an evergreen bank students could reference while studying or doing homework. His biology counterpart made short videos on TikTok and awarded bonus points to students that watched.

For these teachers, the language of social media became a friend request they gladly accepted.

To explore more best practices and see the complete list of 2021 College Success Award-winners, visit www.greatschools.org/gk/csa-winners/.

Carol Lloyd is the vice president, editorial director at GreatSchools.