Sometimes you nod in agreement with a writer until you reach a “Ya, but” point. Then your nod turns into a shake of the head. I read “Do Evaluations Penalize Teachers of Needy Students?” by Stephen Sawchuk (Education Week, August … Continue reading
Yes, But You Need to Move the Learning Needle Regardless
State Report Cards: How Good Is Good Enough When Good Enough Is Not Good?
If someone said “You are a good person,” what exactly are they saying about you? Would you feel good about it? Or, if they said, “You are a good enough person,” what are they really saying? We have lost our … Continue reading
Primary Education: All Children Ready to Learn Regardless
Teaching children in the primary grades presents two humongous challenges: close the background knowledge gaps that children bring to their school-based learning and create a foundation for life-long learning. These two goals do not have to be competitive or counter-productive, … Continue reading
Is Your District a Leader or a Laggard?
Reports galore. It is easy for a reader of educational literature to be swamped by the hundreds of reports that are published each year. Some should be scanned. Some should be shredded. Some should be taken to heart and used … Continue reading
Coaching: How to Effectively Increase Effectiveness
The world of the classroom teacher is not what it once was. Use all three tenses of the word change – past, present and future – and you are describing the status of a teacher in any classroom in the … Continue reading
Teaching The Contextual Requires Professional Caddies
Parent, have you ever wondered how it happens when you tell your three children to “straighten up their room” that they respond in completely different ways. One may get right to the task and not only pick up and put … Continue reading
Let Learning Unfold Naturally
As a golfer, I admired advice attributed to Tom Kite, outstanding PGA player and course architect. “Tee the ball as high as you can. Swing as hard as you can. Hit the ball as far as you can. We’ll fix … Continue reading
Teaching Profession: Align Educational Improvement with Professional Improvement
It is difficult to read educational literature nowadays without confronting an article regarding how to improve teaching. In fact, just Google “How to improve teaching” and you will receive 124,000 results. Add another word, like “instruction”, “quality”, “skills”, “practice”, “strategies”, … Continue reading
When In Motion, Make Only Small Changes in Direction
A school is a very complicated organization. Public schools, especially, are becoming ever more complicated with federal and state mandates trying to cooperate or maybe compete with local control. There are many interests each trying to influence the nature, purpose … Continue reading
To Begin Well Show Students The End First
It’s a new school year!!! How many times will the word “new” appear in any conversation or school publication prior to the first day of school? Welcome to new teachers and new students. Unwrapping new books and materials. Sitting at … Continue reading