Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Hastings in Perfect Harmony: How an education consortium is building a stronger future—together

Hastings in Perfect Harmony: How an education consortium is building a stronger future—together

November 3, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Education is a pillar in the Hastings community, that much is undeniably true. If you need proof, just take a drive around the city of 25,000 Nebraskans that gifted us Kool-Aid and the greatest college football coach of all time. Hastings Public Schools has eight buildings scattered across the community. Hastings Catholic Schools has St. Michael’s Elementary and St. Cecilia...Read More

The Footprints of Fort Robinson: Crawford's curriculum journey turns local history into living lessons

The Footprints of Fort Robinson: Crawford's curriculum journey turns local history into living lessons

October 9, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren The wind howls on top of the hill overlooking the White River where the Red Cloud Agency was established more than 150 years ago, almost like it’s trying to tell a story. If it is, students at Crawford Public Schools are there to listen. When Crawford began overhauling its curriculum through work with the Curriculum Leadership Institute five years ago, under then-superintendent...Read More

Bridging the Gap: Seeing ESU 15’s Plan to Elevate Literacy in Action

Bridging the Gap: Seeing ESU 15’s Plan to Elevate Literacy in Action

October 7, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren For decades, studies have shown that the Science of Reading works for the majority of students. And yet, there has been an ongoing and concerning dip in reading proficiency scores across the country. It’s a conundrum, one the Nebraska Department of Education zoned in on remedying when it released the Nebraska Literacy Project last year. One of the primary goals of the project,...Read More

Making a Mentor: Get SET Nebraska serves up support for Special Education teachers

Making a Mentor: Get SET Nebraska serves up support for Special Education teachers

October 1, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Special Education teachers are, by nature, a passionate bunch. The job isn’t always a cake walk, but it can be tremendously rewarding, and they’re not in this profession by mistake. “They come into this field, almost one hundred percent of the time, to make a difference,” said Dr. Pam Brezenski. “They are amazing teachers and they have so many great ideas.” Before she joined the...Read More

From Vacant Call Center to Community Treasure: Scottsbluff Public Schools transforms empty halls and oceans of cubicles into an Early Childhood epicenter

From Vacant Call Center to Community Treasure: Scottsbluff Public Schools transforms empty halls and oceans of cubicles into an Early Childhood epicenter

September 19, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Part One: A Total Game Changer You can’t miss the building. You just might not believe you’re in the right place. Highway 26 runs along the north side of Scottsbluff, offering scenic views of the Scotts Bluff National Monument to the south and the serene vastness of the Great Plains to the north. The Scottsbluff Public Schools Education Center stands in the space between, a 177,...Read More

Planting the Path for Tomorrow’s Teachers: Grow Your Own program goes statewide

Planting the Path for Tomorrow’s Teachers: Grow Your Own program goes statewide

September 15, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren ESU 9 administrator Drew Harris sat in his office while the Grow Your Own Student Kick-Off event rolled along in the conference room down the hall and issued a forewarning of what we were about to walk into. “You’ll feel it when you walk in that room,” Harris said. “We have some high-energy people leading things, and they’re just having a lot of fun.” Then we saw Dr. Katie Soto...Read More

GUEST SPOTLIGHT! ‘Dogged Determination’: From Workforce Prep to Project SEARCH and Beyond

GUEST SPOTLIGHT! ‘Dogged Determination’: From Workforce Prep to Project SEARCH and Beyond

August 25, 2025
By Kelli Mayhew, Grand Island Public Schools Even when he’s not reading a book or reviewing material, Aaron Andersen studies. “I would be running the floor scrubber in the cafeteria, and Aaron used to watch me every day and just study how I was doing things,” said Roger Fisher, custodian at Starr Elementary. After days of studying how Roger used the floor scrubber, Aaron mustered the confidence...Read More

Loomis Illuminated: Wolves welcomed back to school with big, bright bash

Loomis Illuminated: Wolves welcomed back to school with big, bright bash

August 22, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren The gymnasium lights cut to black when the clock struck 1:30 last Wednesday afternoon, prompting 270 glowstick-wielding Loomis Wolves to fall silent–at least for a moment. Then the music piped in, and the students erupted. They danced and laughed their way through a couple of songs, ringing in the new school year the only way Loomis Wolves know how. “We want them to feel like...Read More

How Paras Change The World: ESU 16’s Para Impact Conference celebrates the unsung heroes of a school

How Paras Change The World: ESU 16’s Para Impact Conference celebrates the unsung heroes of a school

August 20, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Class is in session across Nebraska, and behind the scenes of every school day, the unsung heroes of education are doing what they do best—a little bit of everything. Ask any principal, superintendent or teacher, and they’ll answer in agreement. Paraprofessionals are paramount to student success, swiss army knives whose obligations come without parameters nor much of the...Read More

A Prime Day for Collaboration: 120 math teachers converge in Fremont for ESU 2’s Math is Power event

A Prime Day for Collaboration: 120 math teachers converge in Fremont for ESU 2’s Math is Power event

August 14, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren It didn’t take long for the teachers at ESU 2’s first-ever Math is Power event to find a common denominator. With the 2025/26 school year just around the corner, they came to Fremont for some end-of-the-summer professional development. That’s exactly what the 120 attendees received. “I’m always trying to find new ideas that will make me a better teacher and positively affect how...Read More

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