New apps and social media sites seem to crop up and gain popularity with our students overnight, leaving us adults sometimes shaking our heads trying to keep up with the latest and greatest in technology. Students' excitement over using these apps can be overshadowed when cyberbullying occurs, leaving many students to feel helpless, confused, embarrassed or angry. Not to fear! As in other areas of a student's development, educators on the front lines can play an integral role in…

President Obama, it isn't the standardized tests that are the problem!  This is the difficulty with too many cooks in the kitchen, and no recipe.  Everyone has an opinion, objections, suggestions, and solutions, even the POTUS.  All the presumed solutions are exhausting the system and do little to improve the system for the students. First, there has to be time spent truly discovering what the issues are. We need standards, measures, 21st century curriculum,…

Teachers, the professionals with greatest proximity to the students, are held directly responsible for the achievement of their students.  In a new accountability system, the principals are held responsible for the successes and failures of their teachers. But to only focus on the teachers and the principals belies the system's impact and, accordingly, that of the superintendent.  …

Dr. Carson's story is well known by now. Even before running for the Republican nomination for POTUS, "Gifted Hands", a movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr., portrayed Carson's life as a young man living in extreme poverty, with a single parent, overcoming behavior issues and learning challenges. Carson has received honors and commendations. But we wonder how does a student who turned all of that around to become a world famous pediatric neurosurgeon became a man with such an insulting,…

Sometimes doing the right thing remains invisible and unnoticed.  Sometimes that lack of recognition lasts career long. So, we take this moment to honor the overwhelming number of educational leaders who lead with integrity even under a myriad of circumstances and enticements that can make it the tougher choice.  Our business is children, precious, innocent, and impressionable. Daily, we strive to keep them safe and engaged in rich learning experiences. No matter the program, method,…

Many inside the educational system feel accused of allowing it to become broken. To be broken most often implies an accident of some sort or a long time without adequate care that makes it vulnerable. It is striking that in this, and so many elections before this one, campaigns focus on a candidate's desire and ability to fix what is broken: schools, assessment systems, state and federal government and now immigration policy. During the last presidential campaign it was broken health…

It is pretty clear that this century's leadership demands are first and foremost their ability to anticipate, lead, and survive change. While attention is called to what needs to be changed, developing the capacity to lead change has gone largely unattended.  Learning how to watch the horizon like a sea captain, navigate a boat filled with children and teachers through white waters, and successfully make it through with fear turned to excitement...who teaches these things?   …

Every October, schools and organizations across the country join in observing National Bullying Prevention Month. The intention is to stop bullying and cyber bullying by increasing awareness of the impact of bullying on all children of all ages. Schools have long been places where children learn about bullying by being victims or bystanders or bullies; now they are becoming places where bullying is quelled. Schools are increasingly places where awareness and recognition of what…

Most in education would agree Duncan has had a transformative impact on education in America. His signature Race to the Top (RTTT) with its incentives for Common Core and accountability have touched every classroom. Undisputedly, graduation rates have risen. Nevertheless, his advocacy for charter schools has been contentious. He clashed with teacher…