Sandy Hook taught the nation that little children could become gun violence victims in their classrooms. It taught us, or it at least showed us, that teachers, school psychologists and school leaders could be killed in schools as well. School leaders began to respond with preparation in securing facilities, training staff and student drills, in building relationships with law enforcement, and in bringing community mental health agencies into schools. The leadership of the response was…

With the intention to bring awareness to racial inequity, over classification, and meeting quotas, apparently educators made some difficult decisions following the Obama-era rule on racial disparities in special education. Instead of taking stock of each school's classification process and causes and purpose, according to this Jason L. Riley's editorial in the WSJ, some districts…

Lazy? How shocking it was to hear the Chief of Staff assume that some Dreamers were too lazy to apply for legal status! We wonder if the General can walk in someone else's shoes...one who has lived in fear, fled from home, learned to be suspicious of authorities and lived in shadows as the way to survive? Yet, before we rush to judgment, it takes only one moment to reflect on words we have heard in schools about certain students and certain parents. Before casting stones, let's take…

Schools invest in professional development in order for teachers to learn something that will benefit their students. As funds dwindle, early in the budgeting process, professional development is too frequently considered for cutbacks. We conclude there is a professional development necessary not only for the faculty, but the staff in its entirety, the leaders, the parents, the community including the board of education, and most certainly, the students. As educational institutions, we…

A valued colleague used to debate with us whether we should focus discipline policies on changing student behaviors or changing how they thought. Law changes behaviors; it establishes expectations and consequences for violations. School policies do the same. By law and policy, we can control behavior. While these are sometimes the result of long and involved processes, they are much faster than changing minds and hearts. Those change, not in a sweeping social way, but one person at a…

Imagine going to your physician for a medical examination. During the exam, the physician records data on your height,weight, blood pressure, and heart rate, and asks you questions about your lifestyle and how you are feeling. After gathering all this information, imagine the physician entering the data into a computer that uses a mathematical algorithm to calculate a single number describing your physical condition. The physician then reports the…