Last Saturday I drove my daughter to the local lake dam spillway to meet her teammates for a weekend track workout. After twenty minutes of warm-up running on the grassy path to the spillway and back, they lined up for…
What Principals can (and should!) learn from Kliff Kingsbury
by Amber Teamann • • 0 Comments
Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury is a fan favorite, partly because he’s a former-player-turned-coach, but also partly because he bears a striking resemblance to Ryan Gosling. He also holds the distinction of being the first coach in Big 12 history to…
All the Children are Above Average
by John Marschhausen • • 12 Comments
“Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” Those are the closing words Garrison Keillor spoke each night on his radio show A Prairie Home Companion. He was summarizing the…
Things That Suck!
by Sam LeDeaux • • 3 Comments
We’ve run 2 staff meetings this year using an #edcamp format. They were very well-received, productive, successful, and provided instant feedback for staff and/or immediate classroom learning opportunities for kids. We changed things up a bit for our most recent…
Pointing To Your True North
by Sandra Trach • • 3 Comments
Instructionally savvy educators know that personalized learning is the heart of student success. As schools strive to customize education through instructional design, technology efforts and professional learning, highly successful schools know that these initiatives in isolation are not nearly…
7 Tips For Dealing With Challenging Students
by William Parker • • 2 Comments
A few years ago, I was talking to a teacher about a student she had volunteered to mentor. The young lady had had a difficult past, and the teacher had confided in me that some of their meetings had been…
Don’t drive the barge, steer your sailboat!
by Amber Teamann • • 1 Comment
The large barge of the educational system is viewed as flawed by many. There are theoretical discussions that take place lamenting grades, schedules, and pedagogy. Terminology, vocabulary, & semantic sludge, left and right. These conversations take place in the halls,…
What is our legacy to be: curious or furious?
by Stephen Harris • • 1 Comment
“I am so furious with you” … were the words I heard this afternoon from a mum who was having quick words with her young child near the supermarket. Her child looked about 2 or 3. I don’t know what…
Data: Education’s New “Dirty” Word
by Tom Martellone • • 4 Comments
It seems that in some circles, data has come to be one of education’s “dirty” words. I suspect I know why, and unfortunately, it is difficult to convince those people who think that way otherwise. Many professions, such as medicine,…
Competency Education Supports Both Traditional and CTE Learning
by Brian Stack • • 0 Comments
Amanda is a typical high school student who loves spending time with her friends, participating in a variety of clubs and activities, and doing well in school. Since a very young age, she has wanted to follow in her mother’s…
Flipping, Follow Up, Modeling, and Reflection
by Dwight Carter • • 2 Comments
At Gahanna Lincoln High School, several teachers have implemented the Flipped Classroom model. They and Assistant Principal, Aaron Winner (@aaronwinner), shared their Flipped experiences at our January staff meeting and the response was very positive. Their presentation was a well-organized,…
Unmeasured Success: What Standardized Testing Doesn’t Assess
by Tom Martellone • • 4 Comments
This year, I’ve been working with my school staff to implement strategies that will raise student achievement and be reflected on MCAS, our state standardized assessment. The staff have been working diligently to support student learning, and I am confident…