Claire McDaniel, an 18-year-old from Farmington, New Mexico, launched the "Love Is Literacy" YouTube channel as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Inspired by her experiences in her mother's first-grade classroom, McDaniel aimed to make literacy resources accessible to children, families, and English-language learners worldwide. Shifting from distributing physical materials to creating engaging phonics-based videos, she leveraged digital platforms to reach a broader audience and make reading fun and approachable for learners of all ages.

Students at Birdwell Dual Language Immersion School in Tyler, Texas, launched Hispanic Heritage Month with a performance of the traditional Mexican folk dance "La Raspa," wearing festive attire such as mariachi outfits and traditional Mexican dresses. Principal Mina Naranjo highlights the school's pride in celebrating culture daily through music and dance, while student Everett Hainlen emphasizes the educational aspect of learning about various Spanish-speaking countries.

Classrooms should be designed around students' thinking and engagement, rather than just curriculum compliance, writes Kathleen Palmieri, a fifth-grade teacher in New York. Palmieri emphasizes the importance of fostering curiosity, deep questioning and a culture of thinkers to create an environment where learning is owned by students.

R U OK? Day, a national day of action in Australia, encourages people to check in with others about their mental health. Hannah Brown, education and young people manager at R U OK?, highlights the importance of regular conversations to improve wellbeing.

The global number of 5- to 19-year-olds who are clinically obese has exceeded the number who are underweight for the first time ever, a UNICEF Child Nutrition Report warns. "When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell says. "Obesity is a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children."

The number of English-medium international schools has surpassed 15,000, according to the Global Market Overview 2025 from ISC Research, with 7.6 million students educated at such schools and generating $69.3 billion in fee income. The report shows China leads with 1,117 schools, followed by India, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Creating a school culture of belonging is important for the emotional and intellectual well-being of our students, but it can be hard to do well -- and can even come across as inauthentic -- if we only rely on occasional assemblies or school slogans. Columnist Michael Hernandez shares five easy ways to strengthen belonging organically through assignments and classroom workflow in the latest issue of EL.

To find apps that truly support student learning, use these research-backed criteria on the ASCD Blog from Liz Kolb, clinical professor at the University of Michigan School of Education.