Close Achievement Gaps Before They Gape

What does it take to cause all children to achieve grade level reading proficiency? “Whatever it takes” is the correct and only answer. The problem is that public education has not done a satisfactory job of causing all children to … Continue reading

The Key To “What If” Is “Whatever It Takes”

What if? We all ponder our “what ifs”, those long shot wishes that it would be great to realize, yet we know that long shots are more wish than possibility. Half of pondering is considering “what it would take” to … Continue reading

Stop Being Too Little and Too Late

“Closing the barn door after the horse has bolted,” was a favorite idiom of years gone by to tell someone that they are making a large to do after the fact. Some might have added “Too little, too late!” Each … Continue reading

Mandates to Close Achievement Gaps May Show Gap in Reasoning

It’s like a math story problem that plagues every sixth grader. “If Student A’s achievement at the end of third grade is more than a full school year ahead of Student B’s achievement and Student B’s learning is expanding by … Continue reading

Teach Children What “Done” Means

After 30 minutes of practice at her piano my granddaughter asks, “Can I be done?” After ten minutes with a reading assignment I hear the same question, “Can I be done?” Later, when she is completing her math homework I … Continue reading