Disability is a label. We use it to classify children in schools. That classification system has been used to separate children and adults. Those who were learning, emotionally, or physically different were labeled and given special services. As we have become a more inclusive system, that classification system has helped us to obtain funds to offer the additional supports for children with learning differences, mental health issues, or physical challenges. By definition,…

Every day school leaders search for the light in the child's eyes, the one that turns on from the inside and radiates everywhere. It sets our hearts on fire. We hear the small voices express dreams and wishes all year long. They lift us up to do and be our very best. When we and you volunteered to lead, we responded to a calling within and received the gift of touching lives. It is a profound responsibility and it brings great joy. Let us as older ones encourage those who follow as…

there is a new challenge to our use of technology as an embedded part of the learning process. Net neutrality is potentially in harm's way.  Educators cannot ignore this. If we are working hard to understand how to best embed the use of technology and the Internet into the learning environment of schools, and net neutrality goes by the wayside, we will not be in control of the information to which we have access.  Essentially, net neutrality grantees us as consumers that we have access…

Recently a parent I know told me about an experience she had at an IEP meeting. She described to me how she said, "My advocate suggested..." and watched the whole tenor of the meeting change. People sat up straighter. The principal looked wary and the note taker began typing more carefully. The parent asked me what I think happened.

"Why did they get so nervous? I used the word 'suggest' and wasn't demanding," she said.

As a non-attorney advocate, I always tell people my job is…

Much of what happens in schools is a reflection of what is happening in society. Mistrust of leadership has risen but schools and districts have an advantage that state and national leaders do not. Most schools and districts are small enough that reaching out to the public who supports them is possible if the leader makes it a priority.  Although there is an expected annual effort to do this during budget season and board election times, school leaders can make themselves a part of the…

 Attending to the whole teacher, we suggest evidence of the growth and development of Habits of Mind can be collected by triangulating data between self-observation, peer observation, and administrator observation.  Many schools have developed surveys, group process observation tools, and journals to offer data regarding the habits. This data should be weighed as significantly as that of student performance. It is data about how effectively teachers are continuous learners who can both…

We can just look around and see examples of exclusivity, all those places where only like-minded people or those with some other shared characteristic are welcome. Meanwhile, public schools struggle to be inclusive.  Back in the day when the nation was distinguished by being a melting pot, it was the public school that made all the difference in who we were as a people. Questioning beliefs is not a bad thing, in fact it might even be a good thing. Reexamining past practice helps to…

Schools are certainly part of the foundation where students learn about power and submission, power and shame. Sexual predatory behavior has no place in schools or anywhere. We are concerned that educators may think this is not a 'school problem'. We think it is. We listened to swimmer Diana Nyad speak about being abused by her coach from the time she was 14. At 21, after discovering that another team mate had also been abused, she went back to the school and told the principal what…

There is a commonly held belief in the world of teachers. That belief is that schools have a responsibility to teach students how to follow rules.  Compliance is a good thing. Red lights are not a suggestion and if they were, the number of car crashes would be on the rise.  But teaching through grades as punishment, that is another story. The stakes are higher certainly, the older the learner is. But using grades as punishment runs counter to all the work that needs to be done as…

 We have always highlighted our contention, and the convincing research and perspective of others, that leadership matters. Followership matters equally. Students benefit from strong, inspired leadership. Leadership brings the community together in times of crisis, articulates the direction and the purpose of movement forward, is vigilant to keep all safe as they travel on the learning journey, and keeps everyone coming back each day, not out of fear or consequence or retribution but…

At a recent conference, Bena Kallick demonstrated this truth to be evident in the room of 80 or so educators.  A thundering silence followed the question, "How do individualization and differentiation differ from personalized learning?" Can you answer this question?  If you answer it to yourself, how do you know you are right? If you ask one other person, how do you know you are both correct? If you research it on the web, how do you know your source is correct? These are the questions…

Often, the signs are right in front of us and are ignored. Other times, we simply refuse to recognize them at all. The will to pull our heads out of the sand and face the reality of what is happening is a survival choice. It comes with risk and courage. Facing the reality does not require that once we see view the landscape with unveiled eyes we must take a particular action. Not taking in the information, seeing it, feeling it, and deciding what to do or not do is a far more…