The final session of our 2026 Engage K–12 Webinar Series introduced Social Studies Essentials, our brand new elementary program. Jennifer Elliot, Senior Director of Product at 51̽��, noted that the program helps educators “spark curiosity, build civic awareness, and strengthen literacy” as they use ready-to-teach, inquiry-based lessons made to fit their schedules. This is part of our mission to power progress in every classroom by supporting learning that sticks, instructional excellence, and intentional innovation.

Ben Keller, Product Manager for Social Studies Essentials, shared some background on why 51̽�� developed a new social studies program for K–5. First, educators and leaders have said that they are actively looking for social studies instruction to fit their classrooms, schools, and districts. A good reason for this is that elementary social studies can build background knowledge, academic vocabulary, and speaking and listening skills—all of which contribute to strong reading comprehension. With Social Studies Essentials, students work on asking good questions, analyzing evidence, and communicating their thoughts as they conduct age-appropriate inquiry, examine primary and secondary sources, and enjoy multimodal experiences.

Second, district leaders have said they need consistent Tier 1 routines and time-saving materials that not only work in short blocks but also support all learners. That’s why Social Studies Essentials is built around flexible, ready-to-teach lessons with embedded teacher supports, assessments, and clear learning progressions across K–5.

Time: 10–15 minutes

How it helps:
AI can help you think through systems you may want to implement in your classroom. It can use context from your prompts and chats to suggest routines and expectations based on your descriptions of your students’ needs. Used well, AI can feel like a personal assistant, but keep in mind that it does not remember everything perfectly, so it helps to restate important details as you go.

How to do it:
Stay organized. If you are using ChatGPT, consider creating one dedicated project or workspace for a class, such as “3rd Grade 2026–27,” so you can keep your planning in one place. Start by sharing broad classroom context, such as grade level, class size, language needs, and learning supports, without including private student information. That context can help AI generate routines, supports, and lesson ideas that are more relevant to your classroom.

Responsible Use Guide:
When using AI in the classroom, be mindful of what works best for your students, but don’t share specific personal student data. Keep in mind that AI tools may retain or process the information you enter, so it’s important to follow your district’s policies before using them in the classroom. Also, remember AI is not a tool to use in isolation. You know your students best, and not every AI-generated idea will work given your students’ needs or strategies you have already tried. Reflection and adjustment are key to strong teaching.

Teacher evaluations are the steps taken within a formal process to assess a teacher’s skills and abilities. The elements within an evaluation vary, but they usually focus on a teacher’s pedagogical knowledge, classroom practices, communication, professionalism, and ability to maintain a safe learning environment. The ultimate purpose of any evaluation is to improve classroom instruction. This is not possible if the entire process is one annual observation with limited feedback. Teacher evaluations should be a complete system built to work in tandem with professional development within a school culture of trust.��

Similar to an evaluation in any line of work, a teacher evaluation includes an observation(s) of a teacher by a school leader with a formal outcome. In some cases, the outcome is numerical or a categorical label (i.e., 1-4 or Emerging-Proficient-Distinguished). Effective systems will rely on multiple points of data, which might include classroom observations, participation on leadership teams, collaboration with colleagues, or adherence to professional ethics. A school leader will share the process with a teacher, ensure the required elements are completed, and provide feedback to finalize the evaluation. There is a wide range of evaluation systems within the United States, and each has its own level of effectiveness.

The fourth session of our Engage K–12 webinar series introduced the brand new Science Techbook, which is due to launch in the 2026–2027 school year! It’s a three-dimensional elementary science curriculum that engages students through phenomena-driven inquiry and incorporates literacy and math instruction as well. Lance Rougeux, SVP Curriculum Instruction & Student Engagement at 51̽��, explained that educator and leader input on their must-haves helped shape its development. Requests included:

• Alignment to standards based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education
• Helping students do real science in hands-on experiences
• Embedded teacher guidance
• Connections across disciplines that don’t require extra work from teachers

While the US Department of Education reports that chronic absenteeism rates are slowly improving following a post-pandemic surge, schools continue to face significant challenges with poor attendance. High absenteeism rates, low academic achievement, social disengagement, and high dropout rates are often so intertwined that it can be difficult to determine which is actually the root cause, leaving school leaders searching for strategies to improve school attendance.

Knowing where to start is a challenge in itself. Improving academic achievement depends on consistent attendance, while social-emotional interventions can take years to show results. Research and resources from K-12 online learning platforms confirm that student engagement is central to student success. Studies show that strategies focused on personal engagement — such as mentoring and building strong home-school connections — have immediate positive effects on student outcomes. For this reason, efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism may work best when schools start with a deliberate focus on strengthening students’ sense of belonging, purpose, and connection.

In the United States, are provided at the state or local district. Historically, federal financial support has focused on at-risk or low-income students. These funds are regulated by the title under which they were created, i.e., Title II or Title IX.�� Each state department of education has its own formula for funding districts; these formulas use different data points to determine how much per-student funding a local board of education can expect to receive.��

The remaining funding is determined at the local level and is based on taxes. This can be a combination of property and sales taxes. At the district level, the largest expenditures are payroll (salaries and benefits), instructional materials (curriculum and technology), and operational costs (building maintenance and transportation). Each school district will then allot a certain amount of money to an individual school.��

At the local school level, funds received will be used to support instruction. This could include areas such as professional learning, classroom supplies, supplemental curriculum materials, field trips, and staff morale. Individual schools can also supplement their budget with support from a parent-teacher organization, fundraising, business partners, or community donations.��

Each school year, there will be numerous requests for financial support. The most important question for each expenditure should be: “Does it support a specific goal of the school?” If the answer is no, the request should be at least postponed, if not outright denied. If the answer is yes, the request should be considered. A fair consideration should include a comparison with other possible solutions.��

School leaders will be tasked with making budget decisions ahead of the school year. Working closely with a bookkeeper, the principal or administrative team will create line items in as many categories as necessary. It is a sound practice to create items with specific purposes to avoid spending money that is actually designated for a particular use.

51̽�� is constantly working to improve our programs so that teachers can be even more effective and students can make greater progress. Science Techbook is no exception! During the 2026–2027 school year, we’re launching a brand new program based on feedback from educators and leaders like you. We’ve heard that you want:

• Ways to engage and motivate students each day
• Help building foundational math and literacy skills
• Reduced teacher workload and more instructional impact

How will the new Science Techbook address these priorities? Let’s look at three areas we’re especially excited about: motivating students with approachable Tier 1 instruction, strengthening critical-thinking and core skills, and empowering every educator.

Session three of 51̽��’s K–12 Series of webinars focused on DreamBox Math. Travis Barrs, Chief Strategy and Information Officer at 51̽��, identified three themes that characterize how 51̽�� helps educators take the great work that they’re already doing to new heights:

• Filling gaps for districts and delivering positive learning outcomes
• Promoting student thinking through engaging and meaningful learning experiences
• Adding efficiency and recouping teachers’ time so they can deepen connections with students

Mr. Barrs noted that the latest updates to DreamBox Math all relate to those themes and that this webinar will explain how DreamBox Math is the instructional partner that supports a cohesive curriculum and enables stronger connections with students.