In DeVos' model, parents should be able to choose if a child attending a 'failing' school can allow the child to attend a religious school or a private school. But what if the parent has a gender questioning child or a developmentally challenged child and the schools available either reject them or do not serve them because they don't have to. This is not a new issue but it is still a problematic one. Choice for all children really belongs only to some.   …

Guest blogger J.M. Myers, M.D. writes:

How ironic that during this month, May, Mental Health Month, we have seen videos of torture, murder, rape, and threats widely distributed on social media. In fact, these Internet sites had previously publicized that they wanted live action.

All this though represents only the most extreme actions of a few who have posted this material. I would maintain that day to day less publicized but very insidious cybermedia postings have introduced…

In the frenzy of the day, with a 'the buck stops here' attitude, leaders can be caught in the 'solutions trap'.  There is graffiti in a bathroom so lock the bathroom. There are students who leave the building during the day so lock the doors preventing them from re-entering without being found out. There are too many students arriving late to class so place more adults in the hall to hurry the students along. There are growing numbers of students being disrespectful so write a new code…

May is mental health month.There is an intersection of mental health for children with their experience in the educational system.  Now it would be easy enough to explore the issues for the 14% of children who have definable mental health diagnoses and are significantly symptomatic. Their school function is impacted at the cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral levels. However, I thought we might turn to educational changes that have massively impacted the mental health of…

Now is a good time to think about how people are addressed and included when decisions are being made. How many decisions are made that leave dissenters behind? Think it takes too much time and energy to pay attention to those who are not supportive of you or your decisions?  How much time does it take to deal with the aftermath when their dissatisfaction translates into behaviors?  In a faculty when a change is made and not everyone was on board, doesn't it take time and energy to…

There are common advantages to having a leader who has been in a district for decades and bringing in someone new. There are common challenges as well. Why might some districts hold on to their leaders for the long run and others feel the need to reach out to new ones with regularity?  Do causes lie within the leader or the district or the board?…

 Student discipline is defined in Codes of Conduct and lives within schools' culture. School leaders and boards of education with input from school attorneys and others develop Codes of Conduct. They reveal and inform the belief system of the adults responsible for supporting appropriate conduct of the students each and every day. Discipline begins in classrooms and, if necessary, progresses outward. In most districts, the discipline buck stops in the principal's or the assistant…

The political atmosphere in which we are leading reinforces a destructive belief... that there is one truth or alternative truths but there is no such thing a truth. How can that be? As sides polarize, heels are dug in, differences are heightened, and common ground becomes the treacherous ground that causes everyone to lose identity. As this occurs, belief in the honesty of the 'other' diminishes. For the work of educators in some areas there are absolute truths, in mathematics and…

Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin made it a hit. Everyone could sing it and spell it...R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Baby boomers learned about it from their parents and in churches and schools. They were taught to respect their elders. Respect the flag.  Respect the uniform. Respect authority. We were raised to think there were consequences to not showing appropriate respect.

Respect for settings and environments was reflected in how one dressed. It was translated into professionalism and to…

Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin made it a hit. Everyone could sing it and spell it...R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Baby boomers learned about it from their parents and in churches and schools. They were taught to respect their elders. Respect the flag.  Respect the uniform. Respect authority. We were raised to think there were consequences to not showing appropriate respect.

Respect for settings and environments was reflected in how one dressed. It was translated into professionalism and to…

Educational leaders find themselves in an interesting position. After years of public criticism of public education from one faction or another, we are, with health care and defense, at center stage nationally. On that stage with us are those in powerful policy positions who are advocates of vouchers and charters to fix a broken system. Ironically, we do not see it as broken, though we agree it may need some work. So, we enter the drama in the role of the resistance. And, we know that, in…

Could we, like sunshine, invite delight into our schools? Currently, I am exploring the paradox of responsibility and delight.  As educators, we hold one in each hand.  I wonder how we can balance both the responsibility with the delight? I was wet behind the ears when I was hired as a Principal. In my early thirties, I had lots to learn.  I was very responsible.  But, I needed to grow in how to delight in my work. I can pinpoint the year when I learned the importance of morning…