In Praise of Principals (in Hard Times)

By Elena Aguilar

TLN

For the last few years, I have worked as a school leadership coach in Oakland, Calif. Primarily, I support principals to develop their capacities—work that gives me a wide-angle view on the daily lives of our public school leaders. I have long recognized that principals’ jobs are challenging, but this year I have seen Oakland’s principals rise to tackle a new array of difficulties. As 2011…

Under the best of times there are those who challenge and question the priorities and decision making of local school districts.  Arriving at a consensus regarding any proposed spending plan is difficult and far from a perfect science.  In many districts including Southold, we have established a long-term strategy of examining spending, maintaining adequate reserves in general, and specifically planning for the future with the establishment of both a capital and repair reserve…

Teaching Secrets: The Last Day of School

It's that time of year again—the last few weeks of school. Many of us work hard at plans to keep students engaged during this time but, at least in my experience, far fewer have a well-considered plan for the last day of school.

This final day together can be an important time for both the students and the teacher. It's a time to reflect, to celebrate, to…

Sometimes the simple act of having a genuine and respectful dialogue can serve a broader purpose than the topic of discussion.  Today I had an unplanned exchange with two teachers about their instructional practice.  We did not do extensive planning for our meeting.  We sat down at small tables designed for young children.  The 10 -15 minute dialogue produced commitments to conduct a follow-up email exchange that would sharpen our focus, and lead to further steps aimed at reaching as yet…

Cheating and Other Deceptions About Students’ Learning

We’re learning that there are many ways to cheat.

The …

Active Learning Means Using the Body

by Ben Johnson

Edutopia

COMMENTARY

More Argument, Fewer Standards

By Mike Schmoker and Gerald Graff

If we want record numbers of students to succeed in postsecondary studies and careers, an ancient, accessible concept needs to be restored to its rightful place at the center of schooling: argument. In its various forms, it includes the ability to analyze and assess our facts and evidence, support our solutions, and defend our interpretations and…

Let The Job Searches Begin…

I remember having a conversation with an elementary art teacher about 12 years ago whereby she lamented over a question posed by a student regarding an art project.  "Can I be done?," the student asked.  The teacher responded, "I don't know can you?"  Only the artist knows when he or she is done.  Artwork, like any other work in school - math or science tasks, historical or literary analysis, etc. is an exploration of understanding that should not be guided by a process akin to…

Educational Change Starts with Listening

by Elena Aguilar

Very interesting post by Dr. Mark Wagner, on Workshops including: a Comprehensive Agenda & Free/Paid Resources  using the iPads in schools. Follow the link below:

http://www.edtechteam.com/workshops/2011-04-10

Letter to New Teachers

Ten Big Ideas of School Leadership

from Edutopia

by Mike McCarthy

Kathy Baron

Principal Mike McCarthy.

Credit: Michael Warren

During my senior year of college, I taught math to 26 inmates, none of whom had finished high school. What I faced…

I came across the following post on The Committed Sardine (a great site to check out).

Inspired by Sandy Speicher’s vision of the designed school day of the future, reader Shelly Blake-Plock shared his own predictions of that ideal day. How close are we to this? The post was written in December 2009, and Blake-Plock says he’s seeing some of these already beginning to come to fruition.

1.   …

The Kid with the Symbols Carved in His Hair

 The Dim Bulb

The Occasional Musings of an Educator

by Michael Keany

The brain is capable of performing 10 quadrillion (that’s 10 to the 16th)…

Recently I had the opportunity to spend the better part of 12 hours engaged in a series of professional development workshops.  Three presenters offered insight into a particular strand of educational practice, focusing on two primary aspects of our effectiveness as educators.  Two of them looked at issues related to literacy, and the third presenter examined the nature of teacher effectiveness through the lens of a practice known as instructional rounds.  Spending 12 hours immersed…