Teacher preparation programs have to catch up.  Until then, filling the gaps that those shortcomings create has become the responsibility of the teachers and leaders in schools which hire recent graduates. Those districts large enough have teacher leaders, including department chairs, and curriculum personnel in the district office who can support the principals. Together they carry the burden of developing the novice teacher. But, many more schools have only the principal and the…

We think sleep is an important factor contributing to good physical and emotional health. We think good health is part of the foundation needed for learning. And we think the time is right to reexamine school schedules. But why not take advantage of the interest in changing school schedules and roll the rest of what needs to change for 21st century learning into this conversation? Schools for this century include research, re-designed curriculum,…

Outrage at the Los Angeles Unified School District case comes from the incredible possibility that school officials knew there was a serious problem and no action with consequence was taken. It comes from the fact that there are over 80 known victims and likely dozens of others. It comes from a school attorney who acknowledges that if the allegations had arisen now they would be taken more seriously. This is progress that we struggle to be proud of. Weren't there child abuse laws back…

If we look at the present, we see the federal government has attempted to not leave any child behind and then asked us to race to the top, with little notable result. Now, the support for P-TECH and other STEM initiatives hold promise. We need to step up and meet these system changes with the engagement necessary to make a positive difference. Otherwise, the wheel will turn, energy will be spent, and little will change. The question remains how to step up and meet these system…

The role of public education is to educate ALL children and to prepare them all for their lives as adults who are informed and productive citizens in our democratic society. In the age of dreams and start-ups, college may not be the only path but it is likely only a few who will become hugely successful without it.  Read more...

With the acceleration of every kind of communication and information, technological developments from 3D printing to cars that drive themselves, a national fixation with the quality of schools is inevitable. But still, the voices heard remain those from outside of schools. Corporate magnates and politicians are forcing school change, albeit with little understanding of the school- community complexity.     …

What may be holding back one teacher may not be holding back another. What may seem overwhelming to one may not be to another.  What may be encouraging to one teacher may not be to another.  How to find the answers and move everyone forward?  Leaders need to be able to ask the right questions for each person. Read more...

 People say things and do things that offend.  It is human nature.  But for those in public service, and those who work in service of children, teaching and leading, learning how not to say or do things that offend is essential. There are opportunities for learning how to communicate, how to institute new programs or follow new mandates. Professional development about the use of social media, training from developers of newly adopted programs, and information from…

The quality of the education students receive in a school rests largely on the teachers in it. The achievement of the students in schools, however, depends on a vast array of factors that all in education know and can easily list.  Poverty, disability, language, health, mental health, life situation, parents, the leaders, all play a role in how far teachers can bring their students forward. So to look at one factor is both misleading and most importantly, potentially destructive, even…

In education we often talk about the importance of fostering creativity and problem solving, but creativity doesn't exist in a vacuum.  It requires recognizing, nurturing, and promoting certain elements of personality that are free, experimental, experiential, and questioning.  It also requires an environment that accepts and encourages differences in people, perspectives, attitudes, and ideas     …

Schools are struggling to become schools of this century, making sense of whether this important work is the result of mandates or whether they are really left to discover what lies beneath those surface fixes. Behaviors required for learning include attention, focus, interest, motivation and, yes, readiness. Those behaviors are difficult to engender, simultaneously, for all students in a classroom. To create that space requires the highest art and the science of teaching and the open…

The different use of the time has merit, and there are barriers that need to be addressed first.  There are required minutes of instruction in different areas from K through 12.  Those requirements vary from state to state. But often schedules are built based upon past practice without realizing that there may exist an opportunity for change that is not being used. And there are barriers because of state requirements.      …

The Nobel Committee has chosen two advocates for children to share the Nobel Peace Prize. Those two advocates come from different countries, with different religions. Those trying to lead education forward all with different voices, coming from different perspectives, are all fighting for the quality of the system. All the constituencies, parents, teachers, leaders, policy makers, pundits, enter the conversation about education with different opinions, but all are fighting…

The proposed newer version of the ISLLC Standards increases the number of standards to 11 and consistently adds the words "well being" when talking about the success of every student as the introductory stem to every standard descriptor.  As in the earlier standards, the 2014 standards are followed by functions that describe ways in which leaders can demonstrate each standard. It is about action. The functions include words like those in the standards: develop, nurture,…

e-Learning is growing in its capacity and accessibility.  As an increasing array of courses are developed, and the levels of instruction reach down into our high schools, they offer potential for variety and individualization that otherwise cannot exist. Getting in on the action now, before policy makers decide their use and impose limitations, is a good way to seize the moment. If school districts joined with state departments of education to analyze whether these online courses are…

Schools continue to struggle to make sense of student engagement and its relationship to student achievement.  Some students come to class ready to learn and remain engaged no matter the lesson. This has always been the case. But far more students become increasingly disengaged with their learning. The response is to intervene with more teaching and learning time, counseling, removing privileges like clubs or sports, and/or the "call home" to engage parents in the solution. With the…

We listen to the research, the thought leaders, community members, boards of education, business, mental health and health care providers. But, someday, we need to remember that the children also have something to say. There is value to listening to the children.  Here, we are thinking about four.  Read more...

One result of the introduction of the Common Core Standards is a need for a curriculum review.  District leaders are called upon to be sure that classrooms, grade levels, and subject areas are aligning their curriculum with the new standards. The Common Core may have been the provocation this time, but curriculum review, routine for some, should be for all; if not before, at least now. …

We shouldn't just watch this drama unfold.  Action to advocate for a zero tolerance for violence, not only in our schools, but in society, will help diminish the numbers of children affected...and they will be better learners and more whole as humans. Should we refrain from entering the domestic violence fray because what happens at home isn't our business?  Can we take another thing on? Do we have a choice? According to the research, there is a connection between hitting…

Since the performance measures (standardized) do not provide the information useful for improving performance, let's not try to make it so.  If we focus on those measures that do inform us about what students know and are able to do, and follow the paths that they lead, then results on standardized measures should follow.  If we continue to focus on the standardized results as meaningful, then we have to be clear about what they mean.…