This article summarizes 4 key education trends for 2018: 1. Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) remains uncertain due to delays from the new administration and ongoing debates around accountability standards. 2. Schools are incorporating more mindfulness techniques and exercise into the classroom to improve student focus and learning. 3. Personalized and cooperative learning approaches are becoming more popular to engage students through real-world examples and collaborative work. 4. "Restorative practices" are being adopted to reform school discipline through conflict resolution rather than punitive suspensions.

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4 Education Trends for 2018
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Home › Blog › 4 Education Trends for 2018
Jan 25, 2018 by Carrie Gajowski, MA
2017 was an eventful year in many areas, and the world of education policy was no exception. With a new
administration in the White House, there were many questions about whether previous federal initiatives would
be continued, expanded, or abandoned, and how this might impact the classroom. While the full impact of many
proposed changes remains to be seen, here is a look at where things stand and what can be expected in the next
year.
1. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

2. 4/10/2018 4 Education Trends for 2018 | The Science of Learning
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This was originally supposed to be the first school year that 2015’s
Every Student Succeeds Act would take effect, replacing the No
Child Left Behind Act’s federal accountability mandates with state-
developed proposals that would be approved by the Department of
Education. However, several factors have delayed the law’s full
implementation. Immediately upon inauguration in January,
President Trump announced a regulatory freeze that included major
parts of ESSA. Then, in March, the Senate voted to repeal
regulations passed by the Obama administration that had set
ground rules for state accountability standards. This left individual
states largely on their own in interpreting the law and crafting their
proposals – a process that has been hampered by staffing and
budget cuts in state education departments. As of now, at least 14
states’ proposals have been approved, but Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos’s recent decision to undertake another review of
ESSA’s Title I accountability rules, as well as Florida’s battle over
the law’s requirements for accommodating English Language Learners, mean that implementation may drag
well into 2018.
Some of the main uncertainties going forward revolve around state achievement targets for special education. As
mandated by ESSA, states must now separately track the performance of students with disabilities and develop
plans for improving it. But based on what has been seen so far, there are concerns that many state proposals are
either too vague, unrealistic, or lacking in provisions to address issues such as bullying.
Continued involvement from parents and advocacy groups will be critical in ensuring that these issues are
addressed as the remaining state proposals take shape. Fortunately, as awareness of these issues has grown,
parents of special needs children are already becoming more involved in special education advocacy by setting
long-term goals for their children’s development and engaging with school and education officials to ensure that
these are being worked towards.
2. Mindfulness and Exercise in the Classroom
Apart from government policy, we are seeing the emergence of several new classroom approaches that could
improve learning environments for special needs and typically developing students alike. And as we learn more
about how the brain functions as part of the body, there has been more focus on strengthening non-cognitive
aspects of educational performance. Some schools have incorporated morning exercise as a way of increasing
blood flow to the brain while providing an outlet for students’ excess energy. Perhaps even more promising is
the classroom use of mindfulness techniques adapted from yoga to improve student focus. Through becoming
aware of their bodies, their environment, and what they are feeling and experiencing at the moment, students
learn to self-regulate their attention and emotional states.
3. Personalized and Cooperative Learning
Rather than dictating a single one-size-fits all lesson plan to a passive student body, teachers are finding more
creative ways to engage students. Where possible, relating reading, writing, and math assignments to students’
real-world experiences and giving them a range of structured choices in their activities has the potential to
promote autonomy and keep students invested in learning. Relatedly, collaborative projects with clearly defined
goals and small groups of no more than five can be a great way to teach cooperation and interpersonal skills
while maintaining individual accountability, by assigning every student a clear and substantial role in
completing the group task and evaluating students separately based on both individual and group performance.
4. Restorative Practices

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The concept of restorative justice has featured heavily in discussions of reforming the criminal justice system,
and now it has found its way into school disciplinary approaches. Traditional school punishments like
suspension have increasingly come under fire as not only ineffective but inequitable – disadvantaged students
are both more likely to be referred for suspension in the first place, and more negatively affected by it.
Restorative justice, on the other hand, focuses on reintegrating the student into the school community. By
allowing all affected parties, including the offender, to safely voice their feelings and concerns, then agreeing on
a plan for how the situation can be remedied moving forward, many common disciplinary problems can be
resolved without recourse to exclusion while building empathy and interpersonal skills in the process.
All in all, 2018 will be a crucial year in education on both the local and national levels. It will be very important
for parents, educators, and advocates alike to remain engaged with the latest developments and how they will
affect our children’s future.
As in years past, there's an emphasis on increased accountability for students who struggle the most. Fast
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