What if parents were engaged in parent-teacher conferences in ways that allowed them to be vital and ongoing parts of student and teacher work?
Authentic Learning leading to authentic parent engagement
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Blog
Three Focus Areas for School Leaders
With endless responsibilities on their list, principals need to be very clear with teachers and other stakeholders about priorities for instruction, with attention to their cultural implications. While the task of college readiness…
Good Sports
School sports, especially football, are an American high school tradition. But should they be? A recent piece in The Atlantic raises some important questions. Is there a way to balance the positives of school athletics with the…
What is digital literacy?
Digital literacy is the skills, knowledge, creativity and attitudes that are necessary to be able to use digital media for learning and mastering in the Knowledge Society. It is this literacy that builds a bridge between skills…
Questioning: Is Teaching a Science or an Art?
Obviously going into a unit or lesson without intentional planning is a recipe for disaster but what great teachers know is that in addition to great planning there is indeed an art to knowing just what question to ask and when. Some teachers come by this more naturally but we all grow through experience and practice as we become more perceptive to knowing just how much productive struggle to allow before our students shift into shutdown mode.
Student Engagement Starts with Leadership
If education is truly meant to prepare students for life, shouldn’t school-life mirror real life as much as possible? How many times in our adult lives do we have to complete thinking activities in isolation (worksheets) or bubble multiple choice tests? Not nearly as many times as we have to collaborate with others on a project, problem-solve an issue by researching it and thinking through solutions (authentic literacy), testing ideas and models and redoing them.
Let’s Make Some Good Art
A motion graphic produced by fifteen year old Sarah Almeda gives educational leaders suggestions for how schooling can nurture students’ talents and interests by emphasizing individuality rather than standardization.