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Blogs
Equity in Advanced Classes
Success in high school and college is a strong predictor of future employment, financial success, family stability, and health. It’s certainly true that a four-year liberal arts degree is not essential for this – skilled jobs in building trades and technical medical fields, for example, pay well and do not require a four-year college degree. But nearly every job offering middle-class wages requires some post-secondary education, at a community college, technical school or university.
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Blogs
Navigating Literacy: Unveiling Strategies for Effective Language Learning and Teaching
If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram Reels or TikTok, you’ve likely stumbled upon those entertaining clips sharing tips on learning a new language. Some playfully jest that it’s “easy but be careful.” These videos, initially in French and Spanish, now seem to explore languages beyond the romantic ones.
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Blogs
Chat GPT and Artificial Intelligence: How Schools Can Respond
There was a time when educators feared that the use of handheld calculators would encourage students to cheat on math homework because they would lose the ability to do mental math. Similarly dire predictions were made about the spell-check functions on word processors and, later on, by programs that corrected grammar and usage errors in student essays.
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Blogs
Time Saving Strategies for Busy Teachers and Administrators
Education professionals have returned from a well-deserved rest after the stressful year of 2022. The top concern I hear around the nation is time – too much to do, too many standards to cover, too many behavioral issues, too many meetings, and despite abundant federal funding, not enough to purchase a 25-hour day. This article offers five practical suggestions to save time and, as a result, reduce anxiety and stress that is the daily enemy of success for teachers and educational leaders.
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Blogs
Invest in People, not Products
School leaders and educational policymakers are faced with a stark choice in how to invest funds that have been distributed to schools and district as a result of COVID relief legislation. That choice is between investing in people or products. There are certainly products that have value, and the multi-billion dollar investment in technology has given access to students and families that previously were disenfranchised from the technology revolution of the 21st century. Nevertheless, products fade. Investments in people will endure. This article suggests three guidelines for how to get the most out of investments so that the benefits will last long after federal funds have expired. First, invest in assessment literacy, not tests. Second, invest in school leadership and build a bench of future leaders. Third, invest more than money in attracting and retaining great teachers and paraprofessionals.
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BlogsLeadership Lessons from Nature
Sometimes we need to take a minute and realize that nature has gentle lessons for us – not just catastrophic weather events. Much wisdom can be gained by paying attention to these gentle lessons. The past two years have been nothing shy of survival in schools. Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on how nature just might have the answer for you!
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Blogs
The Trust Imperative: The Foundation of Fearlessness
When is the first time that you can recall being in a high-trust environment? Perhaps it was early in your career when colleagues and supervisors encouraged you, forgave your mistakes, and gave you a sense of confidence that allowed you to forge ahead to launch your career as an educational professional and make a difference for your students. Perhaps it was even earlier, when a teacher helped you break the bonds of perfectionism, encouraged you to try something new, and then encouraged you through the inevitable mistakes that accompany the risk-taking endeavor we call learning. But I would like to suggest that your first experience in a high-trust environment was much earlier.
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Blogs
Social Emotional Learning and Self-Care: The Connecting Fiber for Addressing Learning Loss
Picture this: School starts and everyone is focused on assessing learning loss. Interventions are put in place but students continue to struggle. Schools struggle with lack of engagement, failing grades, and, increased behavioral issues. School teams are confounded and ask why? Why isn’t the learning loss being mitigated by reading and math interventions? The straight truth is because schools siloed social and emotional learning from the total equation. Instead of being the foundation for the reopening plan, many schools across the country attended to the academic side of the house without realizing the actual foundation relies on social emotional learning or SEL.
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Blogs
Accuracy, Fairness, and Respect: The Case for Simple A,B,C,D,F Grading
Introduction: The traditional 4-point scale, with A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0, has been used throughout the almost 400-year history of public education in the United States. This article establishes the rationale that the traditional system, not the “new” system of the 100-point scale established in the early 1900’s, is the most accurate, fair, and respectful way to grade students
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Blogs
What Does Effective Collaboration Look Like?
As the 2020-2021 school year opened, the principal and staff of Jackson Elementary in Elmhurst District 205 near Chicago knew what they didn’t know. They didn’t know how parents would respond to their children learning remotely from home. They didn’t how they were going to be able to keep up with changing schedules from remote, to hybrid, to in-person, and back again through the cycle according to the pandemic infection metrics. They didn’t know how to keep focused on student learning, knowing that teacher and student health might preclude academic achievement.
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BlogsReducing Secondary Failures NOW: Learn How a California District Changed For Students
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) is the proud home to three comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school serving approximately 3,170 students. MPUSD, like many districts across the country, has worked incredibly hard to begin the new year and the new semester, and we have much to celebrate. Over the course of the first semester and with an extended grading window, the four high schools in MPUSD collectively reduced the number of Fs by 77%.
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Blogs
Relentless Communication Leads to a Dramatic Improvement in Attendance
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) is the proud home to three comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school serving approximately 3,170 students. MPUSD, like many districts across the country, has worked incredibly hard to begin the new year and the new semester, and we have much to celebrate. Over the course of the first semester and with an extended grading window, the four high schools in MPUSD collectively reduced the number of Fs by 77%.
Creative Leadership Blog
Dr. Douglas Reeves and colleagues regularly publish on relevant topics for busy educators. Whether it is a book, article, or blog, each contain facts and practical next steps for practitioners. As with all our resources, please share with colleagues and communities.
