-
PublicationsPLCs on Steroids: Moving teacher practice to the center of data teams
Professional learning communities have a track record of helping teachers make sense of student performance data, but they can — and should — do more to support meaningful changes in teaching practice.
-
PublicationsPull the Weeds Before You Plant the Flowers
Imagine a gardener who sees row upon row of beautiful flowers in a nursery. He enthusiastically loads a cart to overflowing in anticipation of placing each new plant in a special place in his garden.
-
PublicationsReframing the Equity Debate
It is not difficult to find factors outside of school that have enormous influence on student performance and education opportunity.
-
PublicationsResilience Through Adversity
Like many districts, Indiana’s Elkhart Community Schools faced a host of challenges due to the recession. So how did the district manage to thrive despite hard times?
-
PublicationsSeven Keys to Restoring the Teacher Pipeline
Discover constructive ideas for the teacher shortage.
We don’t need to speculate about the causes of the teacher shortages that have been playing out in many parts of the country.
-
PublicationsSizing Up Your Leaders
Evaluting your superintendent is important, but rankings are often ambiguous or politicized. How can you make superintendent assessments a valuable tool for change?
-
PublicationsSkeptics and Cynics
One demands evidence before embracing change, while the other resists it at all cost. Here’s why you should listen to the skeptics and avoid the cynics when making crucial decisions
-
PublicationsStraw Men and Performance Assessment
In a recent address to the California Board of Education, Professor E.D. Hirsch offered a number of insightful comments with regard to educational reform generally and performance assessment specifically.
-
PublicationsTackling Complexity
When you are sorting through competing theories and multiple sources of data, take Einstein’s advice: Make everything ‘as simple as possible, but not simpler’
-
PublicationsTake back the standards: A modest proposal for a quiet revolution (4 Parts)
The criticisms of academic standards are well established. Some states have established standards that are too voluminous, too specific, not specific enough, and most of all, linked to the tests that critics love to hate.
-
PublicationsTaking the Grading Conversation Public
Suggesting grading reform can be risky business. Here’s how to keep the discussion productive and on track.
-
PublicationsThe Case Against the Zero
Why the zero on the 100-point scale is inaccurate and destructive.
This is not a trick question. If you are using a grading scale in which the numbers 4, 2, 2, 1 and 0 correspond to grades of A, B C, D and F, then what number is awarded to a student who fails to turn in an assignment?
Articles
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.