Teachers are resilient and collaborative but face challenges such as student behavior and burnout, according to a Horace Mann survey. Teachers suggest improving school culture with strategies such as increasing planning time, offering financial wellness support and expanding staff recognition, while districts are responding with solutions such as hiring permanent substitutes and hosting financial education sessions.

Leaders may be tempted to judge others harshly in stressful situations, but true leadership requires assuming positive intent and practicing empathy even when it's difficult, management consultant Marc Cugnon writes. Leaders who view colleagues as adversaries can undermine morale and collaboration, while those who support rather than blame can help colleagues feel valued and trusted, leading to better personal and productivity outcomes, Cugnon notes.

After nearly two years, Henrico County Public Schools' Opportunity Schools initiative is showing progress, with most of the original nine schools reporting a decrease in teacher vacancies and student discipline referrals. Teacher support is central to the success of these schools, with measures like increasing annual bonuses for teachers to $3,500, adding teacher fellow positions to mentor and assist new and provisionally licensed teachers and offering extra professional learning opportunities.

Jeffrey Webb, who teaches eighth-grade state history in Belle, W.Va., has been chosen for the C-SPAN Teacher Fellowship Program. Webb is among five educators selected for the program, which involves creating video-based education content and expanding free digital resources for students.

School boards in Texas have about 90 days to adopt policies complying with the state's ban on cellphones and other personal communication devices, which requires either prohibiting or storing devices and outlining consequences for violations. The law allows health and safety exceptions, and follows similar actions in several Texas school districts and other state governments.

Sixty-two percent of teachers and superintendents are concerned about student mental health's effect on academic performance, with 71% of parents reporting their child missing school due to stress, a survey by Huddle Up finds. The report suggests interventions such as virtual therapy and social-emotional learning and urges policymakers to integrate mental health into education policy.

Expertise develops when students revisit and use learning in multiple ways and settings. Education researcher Bryan Goodwin demystifies expertise in the Summer digital issue of EL magazine.

In the new issue of Educational Leadership, Alexis Wiggins, director of teaching and learning at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas, shares three strategies that can make feedback and reflection an essential part of your students’ learning.