A recent news reporter used the word 'gang' when referencing a young man wanting to join ISIS.  It was a word and idea that had been part of our thinking all these months, but there it was, the first time it was said out loud. What is it about gangs and gang-like activity that attracts young people? And what can schools do about it? Read more...

When accountability overtakes good work, heart is lost.  When worry, fear and stress overtake us, our head doesn't work at its best and our heart connection is lost.  When lists of "what to do" get too long and attention to "how to do" is regulated, the heart voice is diminished.  Read more...

Words are important.  They convey thoughts, ideas, concerns, feelings, and attitudes. They can be inviting and encouraging and they can be diminishing and limiting. We hope our use of words is intentional. We do know that in creating board policy and in reviewing and revising handbooks and Codes of Conduct words get a lot of attention, even little ones like 'can' and 'may'.  But emails and memos are often shot off without the same consideration and revision, so thinking about what…

 Before today's students leave our schools and graduate into their independent young adulthood, they may all be wearing their technology on their wrists, and in their glasses. Banning the use of them or the wearing of them in our schools may be impossible. It makes much more public than ever before. Hillary Clinton thought having one device was "convenient". We wonder what she thinks now. Unless we grapple with the questions about proper use, potential outcomes and ethics regarding…

Here, author Gregg Levoy writes about passion an its impact on our lives as leaders and learners...

The mechanics of inspiration being what they are, one person's passion can have a profound effect on the unfolding of other people's passion, and certainly for anyone in a position of leadership or stewardship--especially relative to children and young adults. Whether you're a teacher, parent, minister, mentor, manager, coach, counselor,…

Can we envision a system in which the local needs dictate the length of class sessions, the school day and year, the way subjects are organized and taught, and the manner in which external partnerships contribute to the education of teachers and their students? The design of the schools needs to be dictated by what we know about children's learning and organization capacity enhancements; then goals for the design of the instruction, and partnerships follow. The changes local school districts…

Identify the needs that are most important and find a private sector partner that understands the local workforce needs and has a vested interest in the success of the local community. The most successful partnerships are between organizations with similar goals. This allows both partners to contribute their expertise and resources to create measurable and enduring value. An ideal partner will provide the resources to begin a program and see it through to successful and sustainable…

Partnerships between the private sector and education have the ability to leverage a unique set of resources, talent, involvement, and know-how from each partner that can maximize collective efforts. In this two part series on school-business partnerships, bloggers Ann Myers and Jill Berkowicz asked the same set of questions of Dr. David Evans, NSTA Executive Director and Blair Blackwell, Manager of Education and Corporate Programs at Chevron Corporation. Today's answers come from Dr. David…

The Common Core and PARCC debacle continue to rage at conferences, in articles and blogs, at board meetings, in faculty meetings, PTA meetings, and in living rooms and legislative hallways. Actually we think this is a good thing. The attention of parents, board members, teachers, community members, politicians, and candidates on the quality of education is certainly larger than in recent memory. There are questions about the value of national standards, the appropriate nature of some…

Winning is associated with competition. Children begin to learn about winning at home; before coming to school, they have played games with family members or friends or in preschools. Others will learn lessons in activities like Babe Ruth or Pop Warner....or dance competitions.  But, almost all will learn something about winning and losing in school. So, what are we teaching? Can there be a winner if there is not a loser? How important is it to learn how to win and how to lose and the values…

Awards are part of our culture. Just as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has the Academy Awards, schools and districts hold awards for students as the year comes to an end. Awards are like summative assessments. They are the conclusion of a value of the work done by a person or persons. What if school districts developed a culture in which a celebration of each other's work was an annual event?  What if we all held our own Oscars for teachers? We would call them…

Instead of incapacitating people's ability to problem-solve or try new ideas -- which is what fear does to us -- research on school reform strongly suggests that policy-makers should be encouraging school leaders to take a more humane approach. In their …

Just as with reading, it is best that the principal (and superintendent) model and lead as a writer. Whether aboard with the Common Core or not, common sense tells us that reading and writing across the curriculum are essential facets of 21st century learning. Just as reading in a literature class requires some of the same and some different skills than a physics class, the same is true of writing. Similarly, no matter the grade level, some different sets of…

A curious part of Secretary Duncan's press release was buried at the end of the second paragraph where he noted the hard work of teachers, principals, students and families. Where is the evidence from which he based this statement? Does that mean for states that are recorded as having stayed the same, or declined a point or two, that the teachers in that state did not work hard? Or that the principals, students, and families in those states were not as hard working as in other states?…

Improving student achievement by teaching differently and testing differently is, at best, an outdated, narrow view. Schools are dynamic human institutions. They exist within larger systems. The type of change needed requires acceptance that school reform is dependent on the development of individuals and of crucial, interdependent connections within and beyond the school community.  …

In order to lead a STEM learning environment, it is important to understand what it provides for and what it demands of teachers. STEM can reach more learners because hands-on collaborative inquiry invites more learners into the process, gives purpose to study and quells the age-old question, "Why do we have to learn this?".  Content is relevant to the 21st century workplace. It brings science, technology, engineering, and math to the center of the learning…

Leaders announce and compliment but joy is what love brings into our toolbox. It takes risks and practice. No, we can't be huggers without being careful but we do need to ask ourselves how our teachers and children know we love them? How do we show our joy at the success of children or the passing of a bond issue?

In a 2005 keynote, Otto Scharmer asked twelve questions. Just these two might offer an…

On a professional level though, how can we hold our educational community accountable? Have we slipped there? Is it our role to model integrity and to hold others to the same bar? Test scores are such a small part of the equation...yet we've allowed ourselves to be reduced to them. Accountability as a check on conscience is not a bad thing. As educators, we have each made a commitment to the children we serve. We will deliver the best education we can, by being the best teachers and leaders…

A recent TIME Magazine article entitled  "Leaving Tests Behind" reported on the call to re-examine the use of standardized tests to account for the meeting of a national standard. The trend to use standardized tests to account for common benchmarks of student achievement and, of course, a way to hold all schools accountable has given rise to questions about the impact on children.  Legislating these standardized tests came…

Most of what is written about reading is focused on children, their parents and their teachers. We contend that principals can have an impact by playing a role in the development of a culture of readers by leading reading forward. As "head reader" the principal must first ask him or herself:

• Am I a "reader"? 
• Am I always reading a book?
• Do I pack and read a book when I travel?
• Do I know if my teachers are "readers"?
• If the teachers aren't …