From those who have been vocal about their opposition to allowing transgender students use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, much of the objection seems not to be about the gender identity issue but rather that we are confronting imagined imposters who mean others harm. First, in what school, in this day and age, does anyone enter the building without checking in?  Second, in what schools do adult visitors in the building, use the bathrooms assigned for children?  If…

We are no longer at the threshold of the 21st century. It is running us over with its exciting opportunities and accelerated speed. If we do not capture the moment and create the learning environments students truly need, we will have failed. The same structures and methods of the past can inspire us but not constrain us. Read…

Leading, like teaching and learning, is a multidimensional, highly relational endeavor. In a culture that emphasizes technical efficiencies over relational values, the principles that ground educational leadership can become compromised. This corruption of ideals can be traced to conflicts inherent in our roles, as public educators and leaders are asked to enact contradictory purposes. We are agents of the state whose salaries are paid by public funds; and we are agents of change,…

Race and poverty remain connected and neither can be resolved by schools alone but neither they can they be resolved without education. Schools may be segregated by a socio-economic gravity pull toward sameness. The historical phenomenon of moves to the suburbs was motivated by families pulled toward schools and communities where resources were more plentiful. It is also part of our history that schools can help students out of poverty, one by one, and attain higher achievement and…

Educators are responsible for and to their local schools and districts. But, a national value for a highly educated population to preserve our democracy and a highly prepared workforce to sustain our national economy gives the federal government an interest in our work that cannot be denied. It is the bigger picture that evades many. If we are to object to these federal mandates, then how can we be sure we are not only taking care of our local concerns?  How do we assert our obligation…

We applaud the Secretary King's leadership on the value of STEM for all but offer a caution about a narrow definition of STEM as the advancement, only, of science, technology, engineering, and math.  If those four content areas are advanced without a concomitant shift within the entire educational system, we stand to lose the full potential offered by STEM and this decade. A slew of unintended consequences may occur. The most serious is the contribution to a widening achievement gap…

It was the day of this year's Boston Marathon. An ESPN radio host in New York's Capital District was commenting on the Ethiopian runners who took the top honors for the day. In doing so, he made remarks that were so repugnant we won't repeat them here. We wrote the channel to confirm we had heard correctly. We received a response stating that "in retrospect it was an inappropriate comment in a vain attempt to be funny." And there you have it. The harm was done. Hanging unrepentantly in…

Engagement in intentional professional growth opportunities is a key component of an evolving educator. For example, Twitter has taken the educational world by storm over the past five years. In my new book that I co-wrote with Billy Krakower and Scott Rocco, 140 Twitter Tips for…

What is more important in a family than the children?  Many young couples chose where to live based on the schools. But every parent shares their little one's excitement and anxiety on that first day of school. Beginning at the young age of 5 in most communities, children are placed in our hands. We are the institution to them and we assure them we are an institution they can trust with lives that are most precious. Letting go of the young ones' hands, feeling it slip away as they walk…

New York State is a hotbed of this resistance and opposition movement. With the former Commissioner of Education now in DC, recent appointee Commissioner Elia has begun a walk back from her predecessor's agenda. She worked to find or develop better tests.  She has effected a temporary uncoupling of student results and teacher and principal evaluations. For this year's administration, tests are untimed and questions will be released at the close of the scoring window. In her brief…

 March Madness...NCAA basketball for non-sports enthusiasts...is over. Villanova won the men's championship with a "buzzer shot". When an interviewer asked Kris Jenkins, the 3 point shooter, when he knew the shot would be a good one, Kris responded by saying he knew when he received the pass. It came to him exactly right. Here was the star of the night, a college junior, acknowledging the teammate who passed the ball. That's a team at work.

What to do when your team isn't in…

Some believe leaders are born.  Whether that is true or not, in our profession, becoming a school leader most often begins in the classroom. Teachers feel the call to make a bigger difference or to fill a different role. They take the first step by entering graduate programs. Those programs, formerly known by the name 'Educational Administration', have, over these past years, become 'Educational Leadership' programs. But, too often, the difference in the names did not necessarily…

Spring is a time of renewal. Leaves open into lime green brilliance.  Perennials pop from the earth and spread an array of color. For educators, the chapter called 2015- 2016 is racing to a close. The next year comes into focus with budgets finalized and assignments made. Students and teachers and principals will be evaluated and next year's decisions will be made.

It may well be the time of year when educators feel most accountable. But is it motivating? Paid with public dollars, we…

A most responsible decision is to open discussions where people with all opinions, bias, concerns, and support can be heard and considered. Coming together to make sense of all sides and arriving at a place where most of those involved can agree is challenging and takes a good amount of open mindedness. It might even mean a leader has to change his/her mind and position as the cloud of opinions clear and the facts are clear. An example from outside of education can be found in Robert…

Many institutions of higher education around the country offer an annual faculty award for innovative teaching. But, this phenomenon happens with much less frequency in K - 12 schools. We wonder how we can encourage the development of innovation for their students if they, themselves, are not recognized and rewarded for it. Does it present a dilemma for leaders whether or not to recognize with distinction, those teachers who pepper the school building with innovative thinking and…

When change has no constituency and the status quo has a strong one, when the world in which our students live is in a constant state of flux, when our students and we, ourselves, have access to learning by accessing experts on YouTube and to communication through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, when our classrooms and facilities resemble the past century, we need to build a change constituency. Yet, it is only those leaders who have come by their leadership capacities naturally that…

With diminishing resources, it is unlikely that an ongoing review of assessment development is in the budget.  However it is essential. As curriculum changes, as the way students learn evolves, as the demands on educators increase, so must the assessments we use advance. Little, if any, instruction in teacher and leader programs are devoted to assessment building. It is unlikely, after assuming teacher or leader positions that assessment building attracts our attention amidst the…

The delivery of hardware and access to the Internet and other sources of information alone, with hopes that all will be well is ill advised.  It won't happen.  We believe, as with all changes, unless this implementation is well planned for systemic implementation, including putting a learning and monitoring system in place, it will result either in another failed initiative, or one of those pendulum swings with which educators are far too familiar.…

In schools, observations and evaluations of teachers and principals can be a contentious event rather than a productive process. Watching someone teach or facilitate a meeting changes the event being observed. Observing something, for the most part, involves the conditions of the observed to change. For example, how a teacher interacts with students may be different if a supervisor is watching. This can be a good difference or a bad difference, but it is different. The same goes for…

Teachers are known within their community.  Reputations are built child to child, parent to parent, event to event.  All of us know taxpayers who advocate for public employees to live in the districts and communities where they work. But, we also know how valuable a bit of privacy can be when grocery stores and doctor's offices and restaurants become only an extension of the office for those who see us and want to talk to us or about us. In a majority of cases, teachers are part of the…