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Whoever said "Sunshine is the best disinfectant" should have added "if you have the courage to face what the sunshine reveals and do something about it."  Perhaps it is our lack of courage, or simply a desire to not face what isn't pretty, but the matter of how children of different races are handled still needs some sunshine shed upon it. …

"We'll just have to agree to disagree" a statement rife with dissent.  Considered a way to stand our own ground, it allows the conversation to stop, the wall between us to stand, and progress to be stifled. Anyone can take the lead in creating consensus as the mode of decision-making in an organization but the one with the true responsibility for making it a common practice is certainly the leader.  What is consensus, truly?  …

Having spent the last two years focused on the potential for transforming schools by examining schools engaged in a STEM shift, it was with great interest we reviewed Gary Marx's new book, 21 Trends for the 21st Century: Out of the Trenches and into the Future.  His work underscores what we found as we studied school districts and the different paths taken to welcome 21st century designs into their schools.  Had his book been…

It is not likely that the structure and standards for schools will ever again become a local design.  Nor should it be. The degree of interconnectivity across the country throughout the segments of economy, politics and society are too great. Technology is rendering the notion of local obsolete, except in farm products. Yet, there still remains the opportunity for local decisions and values to coexist with national standards. Schools and school districts that are pushing away from…

Improved practice and achievement involves feedback, motivation, coaching, support and belief in the impact principals can have on teachers and teachers on their students.  It involves questioning the manner in which evaluations, all of them, are accomplished. If we want teachers to develop students, modeling it in the assessment of teachers by principals, and of principals by superintendents is key.  When principals, teachers, and students are being coached, supported, encouraged, and…

Educators are simultaneously creative (as they develop activities for learning and for extra-curricular opportunities) and stuck in the confines of a structure that is now centuries old. They continue to seek new ways to engage their students in learning while students are more and more distracted and uninterested. The paradox remains because the structure does not change. Schools are locked into time requirements, regulatory barriers, and contract limitations. Educators know what…

Attention to the success of ALL students focuses on curriculum and standards, differentiation and intervention, assessment and evaluation. All of that stands on the shoulders of the social emotional health of each child and adult. Whether we can take full responsibility for social emotional health of our students, and the people who work in our organizations or not, we must pursue it in earnest.  No one, child or adult, can bring their best selves to any task, if…

How can an open mind and an open heart be maintained in the heavily contentious environments educators find themselves in these days? Professional development can happen in a variety of forms.  It can come in structured learning from a instructor, reading a book, participating in a professional learning community or from witnessing an exemplar of a behavior and making a personal choice to employ that behavior or develop that skill. Here, we are writing about the…

Groupthink can be a powerful destructive force. Easily misunderstood as the values that sustain the organization, groupthink is more tied to the "view of the predominant group" and is "characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent." In this time of stress as standards and testing are being challenged, evaluation methods are questioned, schools are confronting failure to prepare every student for their future, and financial…

Drs. Adelman and Taylor write, " Anyone who has spent time in schools can itemize the multifaceted mental health and psychosocial concerns that require attention so that schools and students can succeed. As a result, many stakeholders are interested in enhancing how schools address such concerns. The question is: How should society's schools address the many factors interfering with teaching and learning?" …

Clearly, teachers are no longer purveyors of information, but schools can still be incubators for learning.  Schools are places where questions are raised and answers explored, experiences are shared, and collaboration can be expected.  It is the work of schools to develop students as learners, thinkers, and knowers, all with the goal of preparing them to be independent, informed, college and career ready.

In that spirit schools have adopted texts, software, methods,…

Leaders often play the role of investigator, and are always playing the role of decision maker. Whether in an elementary school or a secondary school, children break rules or behave in unkind ways that require intervention. Often if student's discipline has been raised to the level of a hearing, or a faculty or staff member has made a misstep, central office leaders are called to investigate. Listening deeply, asking the right questions, and remaining clear about the influence of bias are…

Creating chaos is not the path to a reinvented ...or even stronger...educational system. It is not fathomable to consider the mess that will be caused by the requirement for school leaders to leave their buildings to provide "objective" observations in other buildings and districts. Who believes that changing the location makes one a better judge of effective teaching? Are leaders that malleable or under the thumb of the local union? Hardly. And, by the way, what about the important…

The concern over the education system in the United States has taken off with a life of its own.  Can anyone identify what is wrong anymore?  Is it teacher performance, outdated curriculum, lack of staff, supplies, and technology, underperforming pre-service programs, limited resources, or ineffective leadership? Is it a lack of school design to meet the needs of 21st century learners? Is it our lack of capacity or will to educationally overcome the effects of poverty? Is it the federal…

It is not uncommon when focusing on good communication to think of it as an exchange...something that comes from us to others or others to us.  Communication is related to how things are said, what medium is used...verbal or written words, personally or in a group, memo, email, letter, webpage, blog, article, phone call and so on. Word choice, tone, pacing, and intention are aspects of communication. But, we contend the best attribute for a school leader to develop as a good…

An interesting awareness has arisen recently with the movement to put the face of a woman on U.S. currency. Women have made political and social contributions, certainly. But, none has yet been president of the country. How do we take hold of the change in attitude, policy, and opportunity for the young women in schools, and the teachers and leaders in charge of them? What are the policies and practices in schools that shape the way young men and women are…

Teacher and principal evaluation season arrives with springtime. Evaluation season, unlike springtime, is rarely a time of excitement and color and new life. But, it is important to remember we can make a choice about how to approach the evaluation season. Perhaps, that choice may change the way the season is experienced, moving from a deficit model that focuses on what isn't, to one of what is and what can be.…

It was once clearly so and is so again. School leaders are increasingly responsible in the public eye to prepare students for lives beyond the school walls. This responsibility involves addressing the needs students bring today and creating learning environments which serve them well by developing knowledge and skills they will need for tomorrow. There are challenges to that responsibility.…

Today's leader understands that vision is a collaborative endeavor, with permeable boundaries and moving goalposts. These leaders can enable the conditions that support new types of relationships between teachers, teachers and students, teachers and leaders, and school and the broader community. Read…