The Need for More Play in School…

One reason schools are so cautious about change is that we aren't sure of our answer to the fundamental question about school and social values. Of course, educators are a reflection of society ourselves and so we don't agree among ourselves, making it even more complex to lead a system into and through one of these debates. No matter whether educated in the 40's and 50's or the 80's and 90's, the large percentage of us who went to public school were taught from a bank of knowledge…

Most of you have been part of a hiring process. You know the conversation about qualifications and attributes. Regardless of position, we search for the person with knowledge, with skills and with a set of personal attributes. Then interviews happen, and often conversations drift from those expressed qualifications to softer ones. We don't mean the reference check input, we mean the conversations about who will "fit" here. We mean the moments when the best answered are dismissed as too…

 As societal values shift, schools absorb or resist those changes. School leaders receive the challenges released on the election stages and find it seeping into classrooms, hallways and high school locker rooms.  Over the years, we have seen an erosion of respect for teachers and school leaders.  And sadly, the capacity to monitor previously private actions has revealed some pretty bad actions. So as educators, we find ourselves attempting to create a value system that runs counter to…

When something is used for more than one purpose, it loses it power. Three examples can be found in lesson plans, observations/evaluations, and PowerPoint presentations. When serving more than one master, value is diminished. Read more...

Schools may not be reflecting the needs of the economy and society in regard to some things like how teaching and learning take place, how technology is used, how subjects are organized, standards are applied, or assessments are developed,  but they do reflect society's hunger for heroes.  Just like the world outside of schools, where athletes, movie stars, authors, and rock stars have fans and followers, educators choose their own rock stars to revere. …

 Some might think I'm flippant when I compare reigning educational theory with a common street con.

 No, I'm entirely serious. The common denominator is verbal and intellectual sleight-of-hand.

 Anyone who teaches reading or wants to understand our reading crisis should take a few minutes to explore this article and the accompanying…

Mindfulness is all the rage these days. Schools across the world are embracing mindfulness as an antidote for rising stress, emotional regulation, and attention deficit. Moreover, evidence is mounting for the positive impact of mindfulness-based interventions on each of the major Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Core Competencies.



For example, mindfulness practices have been found to benefit executive functioning in students (Flook et al, 2010),…

EATING AND HEALTH

Schools are local entities, basically funded by mostly local taxes and are subsidized by state and national government funds. Lobbies exist, even if shrouded in sheep's clothing.  There has been no time in recent memory when discussion of school improvement was not in the news, or on the minds of leaders, boards, parents, communities, and politicians. Each has a vested interest in the quality of education.  There are the plethora of businesses that offer advice through professional…