Often left to the pervue of the librarian, copyright information, as all else in our schools, needs to come out of its silo and be integrated into all of our classrooms. Understanding copyright and fair use is something that arises when we write but has relevance in so many other aspects of our lives. Students, teachers, and building and district leaders should be alert about these issues.  It is a matter of character. …

These turbulent times offer invitation.  Leaders can seize the moment and lead. Many others want someone to do that. Within the pubic there is a growing sentiment that educators are overpaid workers whose ranks are filled with incompetents who enjoy unprecedented job security, over-test children and fail to educate our youth successfully. Within education, there are those who believe teachers are underpaid, under inordinate pressure, challenged to do more with less, and facing…

How we educate students must change.  Is there anyone among us who still believes that the paradigm in which we operate provides adequate preparation for the adult lives our students will live?  Teachers and leaders, along with communities of parents and those in business and health care, politicians and news reporters all know that change is needed. But why has change been so slow to happen? …

Summer schools traditionally have focused on test prep, helping students know enough information to be able to pass the course's final exam, be it locally or state developed.  What does this say about what we value in education and do we need to change the message we are sending?  What kind of information do we need to collect in order to analyze this summer school question?  And why is it important that we do so?…

Surely, our schools are in need of major overhauling. The thought that we knew or could predict the world for which we prepared students has, itself, become archaic. Now, we must prepare students to become part of change itself, those who envision what can be and make it real and those who navigate rapid change skillfully while never forgetting who they are.  Limits are being pushed.…

If we want to  use the potential that technologies offer our learners, investment in teachers is required. Knowing teachers' mindsets, their fears, and concerns and attending to them while leading forward is crucial. Developing their interest in and their appreciation for the application of these technologies is essential. (Read…

We have negotiated boundaries around observation and evaluation. We have laws and mandates we must follow. It is time for them to change. Maybe there can be some kind of shift, even within existing boundaries, that can allow for newer and richer and more worthwhile processes to emerge. Read more...

Could we have unwittingly prepared students to be career ready by teaching them how to work together?  Might it be feasible that business has caught up with something we knew previously? What do you think?

Most of us will never be so great but all of us can be 'a little bit Mandela.' Those of us who choose to lead in education know the calling to make a difference in the world. We have followed it and made it our own. Most of us will not be asked to sacrifice as he did nor will the differences we make be as large. For those like Nelson Mandela and Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung who set extraordinary examples for us, we are grateful. They spent themselves on worthy causes. Their…

What drives us to use angry and destructive behavior and what drives us to be violent may be an inability to successfully express what is happening inside of us. Public schools have the opportunity to impact more future citizens of the world than any other institution.  Creating and maintaining emotional environments that teach, nurture, and maintain healthy behaviors is an essential element of our responsibility to maintain physically safe environments in which…

Mental health issues have long been on our leadership radar but these shootings have made it a new level of priority; one that exists in the larger context of mental health issues. Three of the shooters connected to the deadliest school shootings had documented histories of emotional challenges. Read more...

Following less than a week of intense criticism, Commissioner King is at a learning crossroad.  His next leadership  steps will either reveal his capacity to lead or not.  Read more here.

We must be calm enough to do our best thinking not our fastest reacting. With respect and civility we may bring forth a conversation that rudeness and name calling will not. There is room for disagreement but are we engaging in the process or supporting oppositional behaviors that result in things like stalemates and government shut downs?  Read more...

Coding is an essential language we should be teaching all of our students.  Perhaps, you haven't thought about that lately. Others are. If you think this is a grand premise, consider Estonia. Read more at Leadership360.

In kindergarten classrooms across the nation we have those who can read and those who have yet to learn the alphabet. Some can make meaning from pictures and words and others don't know their colors. Ann Myers and Jill Berkowicz ask "Where do we stand on the issue of Early-Childhood Education??…

Its not as easy as you think.  Consider our blog post at EdWeek.  Interested in what you think.

It is reported that our school systems are graduating students who go to college require a high level of remediation. Over time, colleges have developed and incorporated a remediation system that allows students to be "admitted" but not really to collegiate level courses. The programs are designed to get those students college ready. It is exactly what we are charged to do. (Leadership 360 Blog at…

 Digital Learning Day offers an opportunity to reflect on and create plans for your school's use, and your leadership of 21st Century skills.  For more thoughts and ideas - Leadership360's blog post on EdWeek