There exists a great opportunity to teach the adults and the children why to think carefully about their digital footprints. The hacking of emails and information about our elected officials is a reminder that the digital environment is never fully private. Schools are the place for children to learn this. It is not a time to tighten up and restrict access. It is a time to educate ... students, teachers, leaders and parents.  …

Reflecting on and writing often about the importance of leading safe, nurturing, encouraging, inclusive learning environments, the focus is on the organization as a whole.  We talk about the role of the staff and teachers, and how to help students to flourish as they maintain values and actions that support such an environment.  A 2014 Brookings Institute Study reported that…

In this political environment, with policy pushed into the background while insults and name-calling move to the foreground, the likelihood of ripple into our world becomes greater. The problem is our society is viewing a different kind of news cycle. Added to the wars, acts of terror, mass shootings, questions about police behavior with African Americans, we are seeing an election cycle like none in recent memory.  Name-calling is regular and honesty is being redefined before our…

We have long written about our shared belief that schools are built upon a foundation designed to support an educational system whose century has past. Our own research during the writing of The STEM Shift reinforced our belief.  Schools are spinning as they push and pull with new ideas, demands, and methods but they are not making forward motion that is future inspired. The structure of schools, the organization of the school day, the manner in which students are…

Traditional teaching and learning environments are constructed to support the notion that the teacher has the knowledge and will answer the question. In classrooms with technology accessible and integrated, talented teachers have come to a place where they admit not knowing the answer. A research opportunity is created for the student or the class to find the answer. A whole new set of learning skills are taught in this scenario. They step into becoming…

 It is really easy to step over the line. Mistakes come naturally to some of us; we can be forgiven if we ask, by those who believe our intentions are good and our regret sincere. Those of us in the public eye know our mistakes will be noticed. Whether we can put them behind us is the question. We've obviously been watching the presidential campaign unfold over the last year. A thought about apologies and sincerity has been simmering within us. Facts have been contorted. Errors have…

Often, we even hear organizational leaders boast that buy-in was achieved for one change or another. Buy-in means accepting and maybe it includes agreement. It is a decision of the head after weighing the alternatives and the rationale. Commitment is more emotionally impelled. It is more of a whole being act from both head and heart to support or join something or someone.  The difference between the two might make all the difference in our success. …

Many people think doing well in visual arts is as cut and dry as to whether or not you have "talent."  Either you have talent, or you don't. When I tell people I teach studio art, most people say "I don't know anything about art" or "I was so bad at art in school." I usually ask them to describe to me what their experience with art was in school, and the answers are almost always the same: "we didn't have art in school" or "we had art once a week for 30 minutes, and…

Is your district STEM-ready? Schools have responded to the popular demand for graduates interested in the expanding careers with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. They've added courses, clubs, events, and added the acronym 'STEM' with information to their websites.  But what does STEM-ready mean? The answer?  It depends. Read more...

At first thought what does college- and career-readiness mean? For some, immediate responses relate to skills and information. What do these students know and what are they able to do to become active, productive members of our society?  Makes sense right?  Well, maybe it's too narrow when we consider the ethical dilemmas arising daily in workplaces and society. Why is it important for public schools to be concerned about graduating students with a developed set of ethics? The…

It is not unusual to find an article or book that resonates and, with the best of intentions, it turns into something that seems good for the school.  Sharing the idea with staff, sending out the article or recommending the book are good professional practices but be wary of the eye rolling and the quiet whispering of "where is he/she taking us now"?   Read…

What a week we have had. The issue of race in America has been in the forefront, in graphic images, stunning in their content and implications. Fear, hate, guns, and killings became an inescapable part of America's summer of 2016. In the days following the fatal shooting of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, by police, the news media ran the onsite cell phone videos. Suddenly, we were all present in the convenience store parking lot and in the car stopped on the…

While others develop shared standards that serve schools across our country, on the ground, schools receive children who are self-starters, well prepared, motivated and present. At the same time, they also receive children who are poor, hungry, ill prepared, unmotivated, troubled, and some, disabled. Our goal is to have them all ready.  We cannot do this alone.  …

BREXIT has just passed in the United Kingdom and the world is rocking today. It is just one more example of the difficult questions this century is presenting to us.  We struggle to understand how as citizens of a nation we can be so impacted by others in the world.  Can we be independent as nations and interconnected simultaneously? If we are given the right to choose, do we retreat into what is autonomy to some and isolation to others or do we attempt to redefine autonomy within a…

Dealing with human resource issues is a challenge for anyone. Most often, they are responsible for the accountability system related to the performance of others.  They must be consummate communicators, balancing human compassion with organizational mission. They are the delivers of professional rewards and accolades and of the hard and tough decisions that disrupt people's lives in significant ways.  They are the eyes and ears, the barometers, of the organizational culture and, as…

In all cases, the recognition that professional development is a career long process is essential.  But, informed examination of alternatives and selection of options is essential to determine what professional development is needed for each individual.  Learning new ways of teaching and learning, or of leading a strategic planning process, or implementing the integration of technology or a shift into a STEM based learning environment, for example, is half the work.  The other half is…

Most schools across the country are on summer vacation. But a few northern schools are in their last week. Those educators will be deciding how to approach this tragedy to help children, faculty, and staff make sense of this horror and of the world as it is and can be. Listen to conversations around you. There are growing fears about air travel and heated debates about second amendment rights and privacy and safety. Cautions about movie theaters, sports events the like build concern,…

It seems we all take for granted that, unless a child is disabled in some way, by the time they are five years old, she or he can both walk and talk. They understand basic language and they can follow simple directions. We expect that there are variations in the capacities of children to accomplish these but also expect that they all can do it in some form. These days in addition to walking, talking, understanding, and following directions, some can read a bit and use technology. They…

This is the time that calls for leadership with a capital "L".  Building leaders cannot be successful as one or the other, managers or instructional leaders, nor can their superintendents. In order to meet the demands of this century, the leaders' success can only be found in becoming a Leader. Those in positions of power, authority and responsibility, who are responsible for safety, making sure rules are followed, records are accurately kept, jobs are done properly, instruction is…

Picture this: You have hired excellent teachers, set high learning standards, started numerous student intervention programs, managed resources efficiently, and aligned your school goals. Sadly, no matter how hard everyone works each day, your school still has not been able to close achievement gaps, significantly raise achievement for other students, and provide the most vulnerable students with the social/emotional programs they need.This was the problem we faced in…