Why should teaching the processes of learning be on the front burner this year in your classroom? I think this familiar proverb answers that question best, “If a man is hungry and you give him a fish, he will eat for a day; teach man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. These words (articulated pre climate change when people had no concept of disappearing water and wild life and pre women’s liberation when we lived in a one gender world) take on added significance now that any bit…

School leaders hold the key to the development or shift of culture within districts and schools. They share the responsibility of cultural development and integrity with the faculty, staff, students, and parents. With the leaders' responsibilities increasing, their own well-being and life balance are essential for the success of the organization and of the others within it.  What is missing in k-12 education leadership preparation is a focused attention on well-being.      …

Back-To-School Backpack: Think About Assessment…

August 2015

Volume XII Issue VIII

Bruce facilitating a Leading the Learning^® workshop

There is never a…

3 lessons for teachers from Grant Wiggins 

The start of the school year offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on the life and work of Grant Wiggins, an extraordinary educator and author who died unexpectedly at the end of last school year. In this Inservice blog post, Wiggins' longtime collaborator, co-author, and friend Jay McTighe shares three of Grant's lessons for teachers to use in 2015-16. This advice is offered so…

The Common Core assessment strategy was designed to compare student success across the nation in relation to the acquisition of knowledge and skills in the Common Core Standards. Tests were designed, purportedly, to reflect where the students (and teachers) stand and to allow valid comparisons. The results are in and the lower than usual results were no surprise to most educators. But, the comparison objective was also not achieved due to capacities and choices of states and…