Potentially divisive initiatives such as equity initiatives carry special risks for schools and districts. Oftentimes educators can find themselves in a quandary: failure to address inequities with a sense of urgency can lead to lawsuits, negative outcomes for the most vulnerable students, or federal and
Whether you’re working with high-performing teachers or struggling teachers—or those in between—a performance conversation can bring with it much anxiety. That was definitely the case when a concerned school-level leader approached me about an upcoming meeting with a struggling teacher. He had been working with
Even on the very best of days we have a variety of learners with various levels of engagement in our classrooms. We may find a student who notices each tick of the clock and agonizes over every second. This type of student may comply with
Core teachers have the greatest influence on whether or not our English Learners (ELs) thrive. Consider the following: Three in four U.S. classrooms have at least one student who is an English learner. Even in schools with EL specialists, ELs spend the majority of their
Diane Sweeney, author of Student Centered Coaching: The Moves, recently hosted a webinar on how to put student learning front-and-center. Diane presents the research as an evidence-based instructional coaching model that shifts the focus from ‘fixing’ teachers to collaborating with them to design instruction that
Leaders must navigate political hot topics like racism, equity, and transphobia while addressing the needs of the active stakeholders. As school and district leaders, how do we make decisions while considering the political fallout when those decisions interfere with the general beliefs of the community
Elaine doesn’t like it when her students struggle. She wants to run over to them, pick up the pencil, and show them the way. Yet she knows this is not best for them because when students productively struggle to make sense of the mathematics, they
Data can be used to make smart decisions, especially when it is the “right” kind of data. However, on the flip side, too much data can lead to "analysis paralysis," which hurts productivity and stalls decision-making, especially if those analyzing the evidence are not sure
While the concept of student-owned assessment is becoming more widespread, ways to engage and activate students as assessors are less familiar. John Hattie (2012) describes assessment capable learners as those who ask where they are going, how they are going, and where to go next.
As practitioners in the field working with a variety of schools in developing academic and behavior systems, we have noticed the need for creating effective and practical Tier 2 interventions that work. We have found that Tier 2 interventions are often missing some critical markers,