Keys to Working Together Productively and Harmoniously

In this Journal of Staff Development article, Robert Garmston (Center for Cognitive Coaching and Center for Adaptive Schools) and Diane Zimmerman (Fusion Resolution) say that school leaders need to develop collaborative compacts – “a set of accords about how a group will function.” Here are their suggestions:

• Working together:

• Group…

A Retired Massachusetts Principal Shares His Moral Compass

In this thoughtful Kappan article, former Massachusetts principal and superintendent John Ritchie quotes Emily Dickinson: The sailor cannot see the north – but knows the needle can. “On countless occasions,” says Ritchie, “I felt lost in a sea of complex challenges, conflicting expectations, and vexing problems – compounded by expectations that the principal always knows…

What Teacher Education Programs Don't Tell You

Ed Week

It was time for dismissal. I did my best, organizing my class of 23 1st graders into a line with partners. It's what I was taught to do. Some of them stood still and quiet, listening, while…

Why should I bother with this homework?

by Chad Evans

I am so crazy about writing workshop and teaching creativity, that I build in a special prgoam into my AP Language classes. 

One of the key ingredients to teaching creativity is the year-end PORTFOLIO!



I just finished grading my AP students' portfolios, and it was wonderfully rewarding to see how much they had learned from class and how far they had come as writers and artists. I cherish this time of year because of these projects - so I wrote a new blog entry about…

Are you interested in teaching student to love writing, poetry, mind-mapping, and other creative pursuits?

My work is based on the Writing Workshop model espoused by Nancy Atwell, Donald Graves, Lucy Calkins, etc. Plus, I add layers and layers of new ideas!

Check out my website! You'll find a blog of new posts, a free book, and a gallery of student samples.…

Helping Parents Help Their Children with Math Homework

In this article in Teaching Children Mathematics, Regina Mistretta (St. John’s University/New York) shares strategies for getting parents involved in their children’s math learning. Here are questions that teachers could suggest parents ask their children if they are struggling with math homework:

• What problem are you working on?
• What do the…

“I Want to Be a Waitress Just Like My Mom”

In this thoughtful article in Educational Researcher, Stephanie Jones (University of Georgia) and Mark Vagle (University of Minnesota) quote the following exchange between a 

young girl and her teacher:

Student: When I grow up I want to be a waitress just like my mom.

Teacher: Oh, you can do so much better than…

Why Grades Should Reflect Mastery, Not Speed

Ed Week

I am the principal in a grades 7-8 school, perhaps the last venue where we try to give kids second, and sometimes third, chances. This happens mostly with discipline, but also with academics,…