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RAFT Helps Educators Prevent Summer Learning Loss with Over 700 Idea Sheets
RAFT provides educators with engaging and affordable learning activities for summer. On average, students lose two months of academic skills over the summer, and studies show that teachers spend large amounts of time re-teaching material once students go back to school. To curb this decline in education advancement, some school districts are investing in structured…
Read MoreRAFT Celebrates National Week of Making (June 17-23)
In 2015, President Barack Obama proclaimed the National Week of Making to help fortify a country of makers inspired to pursue their passions of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This year, Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) supports the National Week of Making by partnering with local schools to install hands-on Makerspaces. Educational makerspaces, sometimes…
Read MoreAssistive Technology for all Learners
By Courtney Hunter, Resource Specialist Three percent of students in every classroom need some accommodations or assistance to achieve proficiency in academic subject areas. Not only are students not getting accommodations, many aren’t making significant progress either. Using minor technology devices in the classroom can help students meet their needs. In addition, the assistive technology…
Read MoreRAFT’s Summer of Fun Includes Camps for Teachers & Kids!
Want to stoke the creative innovator in you and your students? Ever wonder what it takes to design an engaging project or design challenge? Interested in generating your own project based learning experiences but don’t know where to start? What does it mean to empower students? Ever think of letting students use power tools? Then…
Read MoreRAFT and the Community Support 10,000 Student Learning Experiences
Together with help from the Santa Clara community, RAFT and Intel created 10,000 student experiences using hands-on learning kits. Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT), Intel, and the Santa Clara community came together to build 1,000 educational kits to help support hands-on learning. The kits will support 10,000 student learning experiences and were donated to 18…
Read MoreStudent Coaching Works
By Elisha Burns, RAFT Fellow Older students helping the younger ones garden To increase student engagement, I say let the students take the lead. I have found that my students do their best work when they are put into a position of leadership. My students that are normally reluctant learners suddenly are engaged and willing…
Read MoreRAFT Thanks Teachers During Teacher Appreciation Week
The week of May 2nd, educators all over the country are thanked for their efforts in teaching. When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership (Teachers Matter: Understanding Teachers’…
Read MoreDoing Laundry in Pre-K
By Ashley Estes, RAFT Fellow RAFT is one of the best places to find some amazing premade kits and learning tools. These kits are great and can be used across many grade levels. As a 1st grade teacher, I use them weekly in my classroom. In this article, I would love to explain one kit…
Read MoreAffordable Repurposing Supports Education
Guest post by Brittany Coleman, Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) Instead of turning to affordable repurposing, many teachers and after-school providers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money each month on school supplies and activities for learning. But little do they know that the average person generates 4.3 pounds of…
Read MoreResource Area for Teaching Celebrates Earth Day by Collecting 700 Cubic Feet of Donated Material Every Day
For the past year, RAFT has collected and diverted 700 cubic feet of material every day. Earth Day is a beloved national holiday celebrated on April 22nd. This year Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) joins the celebration by collecting and diverting 700 cubic feet of donations from businesses located in and around San Jose and…
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