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Blog
Is It Really Alternative—or Just a Different Address?
In my work supporting alternative schools and programs, I’ve found that too often continuation and alternative settings inherit the same graduation requirements, schedules, grading systems, instructional routines, and pacing that failed students the first time. They are simply in a smaller setting and frequently with even fewer resources. In many cases, rigid credit requirements minimize flexibility for students and instead condemn them to hours of tedious, computer-based credit recovery.
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Blog
A Team of One: Rethinking Singletons in Collaborative Learning Teams
It’s one of the most common, and most limiting, statements we hear when it comes to PLCs, or what we call Collaborative Learning Teams (CLTs). Whether it’s a lone 5th grade teacher, a single PE teacher, a music teacher, the only Chemistry teacher, a specialist, or someone teaching across multiple grade levels, the conclusion is often the same: there’s no one to collaborate with. And just like that, the work stops, not because it can’t happen, but because we’ve defined collaboration too narrowly.
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Blog
From PLC Meetings to Instructional Reliability – What High-Reliability Organizations Teach Us About Coherent School Improvement
Introduction: Why Look Outside Education?
Educators are understandably cautious when lessons are drawn from outside K–12 schooling. Industry comparisons too often reduce education to efficiency, compliance, or factory-style thinking. This article makes no such claim. Instead, it begins from a different premise: schools and high-reliability organizations face the same fundamental challenge—how to help people do complex, human-centered work well, together, under conditions of variability. This article advances one central claim:
High-reliability operating models succeed for the same reasons effective schools do—through disciplined collaboration, clarity of standards, rapid feedback, and tiered response when performance varies.
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Blog
Challenging Misunderstandings About Student Assessment
A properly done assessment can be a powerful tool to improve student learning and help teachers refine lessons and feedback to students. The key challenge for teachers and school leaders is addressing some of the most common misconceptions about assessment and creating better understanding of the proper use of assessment to improve performance. Let’s dive into some of the misconceptions and how we can turn those around.
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Blog
Fast Feedback: A Transformative Approach to Student Learning
In today’s classrooms, feedback is everywhere — from grading assignments to discussing behavior and attendance. Yet, not all feedback is created equal. Effective feedback has the power to transform learning, shift focus from grades to growth, and create a fearless environment where students feel safe to make mistakes and improve. FAST Feedback, coined by Dr. Douglas Reeves, stands for Fair, Accurate, Specific, and Timely. FAST feedback offers a framework for impactful communication between educators and students. When done right, it fosters clarity, builds trust, and drives student learning.
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Blog
First Day of School Celebrations Around the World
The beginning of a new school year is upon us. In the United States, that means backpacks proudly slung over shoulders, fresh notebooks stacked in shopping carts, and store aisles buzzing with families checking off supply lists. For some, the return of school supplies right after the Fourth of July feels like a rude interruption and a reminder that summer’s freedom is slipping away too soon. They grumble at the rows of crayons and lunchboxes, determined to stay in flip-flop mode just a little longer. And honestly? I get it.
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Blog
Take a Closer Look at the “Mississippi Miracle”
Mississippi educators and leaders can take justifiable pride in the progress that students have made. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the Union, was a reliable last-place finisher in national education scores such as NAEP. But in recent years, the state has led the nation in reading gains.
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Blog
Return on Investment: How Schools Can Support Investments in Professional Learning
School leaders are understandably worried about budget cuts and policymakers’ concerns about how they can justify spending taxpayer dollars on professional learning. Here are seven ways to show skeptical board members and policymakers that investing in professional learning provides a great return on investment.
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Blog
Beyond Phonics: Advancing Literacy for Lifelong Learning
A second grader recently asked his teacher, “We talk a lot about how to read, but when will we actually read?” This question, posed with innocent curiosity, underscores a critical issue in early literacy instruction. It reflects a growing phenomenon where young learners are spending significant time on the mechanics of reading—learning phonics, decoding words, and practicing letter-sound relationships—yet they long for the opportunity to engage in the true joy of reading.
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What Learning Loss? How One Elementary School Increased Literacy Achievement from 68% to 92%
This week’s evidence is a timely reality for far too many. What should schools do if ICE agents arrive at the door? This thoughtful New York Times offers examples of how several school districts are developing protocols for this eventuality.
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Blog
From TBT Lite to TBT Right: Five Strategies to Make the Most of Your TBT Time
The key to successfully implementing the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) is effective Teacher-Based Teams (TBTs). While the process was designed with excellent intentions, over the years, we have noticed significant differences in the way OIP was implemented in schools around Ohio. This article offers five strategies to help Teacher-Based Teams make the most of their time, have a greater impact on student results, and improve teacher morale.
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Blog
What’s Wrong With School Plans?
The standards movement is now more than two decades old, yet the fundamental premise of standards – that students should be evaluated based on their performance rather than comparison – remains mired in controversy. The failure of grading reform is often a self-inflicted wound, with school systems falling victim to fads, unnecessary complexity, and silly controversies. Here are five ways to get grading reform unstuck.
Creative Leadership Blog
CLS colleagues regularly publish on relevant topics for busy educators. Whether it is a book, article, or blog, each contains facts and practical next steps for practitioners. As with all our resources, please share with colleagues and communities.