When we talk about assessments in education, people usually think of all those standardized tests, number crunching, and chasing after academic goals. I think of the countless data rooms I have walked into filled with pie charts, some even in frames, like a museum of academic data. But this old-school view really misses the mark […]
Reassessing Assessments and Data Read More »
In an episode of The Big Bang Theory fittingly titled, “The Closure Alternative,” Amy takes Sheldon on a rollercoaster ride of OCD exercises aimed at curing his itch for closure, something we can all relate to on some level. One standout moment is when Amy plays the American national anthem but deliberately skips the last
The MOST Neglected Part of a Classroom Lesson Read More »
I saw my first motion picture when I was 4 years old. It was The Empire Strikes Back. You might have heard of the franchise. It’s still around. Of all the Star Wars movies, I find that this one has the most one liners quoted by everyone. “Do or do not. There is no try.”
“That is Why You Fail” Read More »
If there is one thing that I could ask 100 different educators and get almost 99 different responses, it is this question: What is your definition of differentiation? Differentiation is one of those ambiguous edujargon words that so many find vague, confusing and overcomplicated. Yet, this word appears on countless classroom observation sheets and is
Demystifying Differentiation with Scaffolds Read More »
So, be honest. We are less than two weeks into the new year. Have you kept the resolutions you made? If so, good for you! Keep it up! If not, don’t beat yourself up. You aren’t alone. Studies have shown that around only 9% of us see our resolutions out to the end. In fact,
2024: A Time for Revolutions instead of Resolutions in Education Read More »
The constant pursuit of achievement in schools often puts educators under immense pressure. We go to great lengths—teaching, assessing, analyzing data, adjusting instruction, and providing interventions—to secure the desired gains from our students. The celebrations when it happens are euphoric, but the defeats when it doesn’t are disheartening. Amidst pandemic impacts, home support challenges, and
The Problem with Achievement is Engagement Read More »
You have a mess right now in your school or district. It might be a small one, a tiny corner area of a school that needs attention. It might be a huge one, an overarching need that needs a massive effort to overhaul. The kind of mess I’m referring to is not one to be
You Have a Mess. Now What? Read More »
If you are reading this, chances are you already know one thing about my work. If I had to sum up everything I believe about education and our jobs in the profession, it would be just one word: Intentional. My fervent belief is this: If we as educators are intentional in two things, we will
What a Tier 1 Framework Does & Does Not Do Read More »
The longer I find myself in education, visiting classrooms, working with schools and learning from other educators, I keep coming back to one word that may help us all turn things around: intentional. I think we say we are being intentional, and at the beginning of an initiative we might be. But, if we are
“You Can Plan a Pretty Picnic.” Why Intention Matters in Schools Read More »
The conversation tends to start in a couple different places. It can be in the car during the ride home. It might be at the dinner table in between mouthfuls. It might even be right before the light switch is clicked off at bedtime. At some point, the question passes from parent to child regarding
What We REALLY Should Be Asking Our Kids About School Read More »
