Leadership

Content that enables educators, edleaders, organizations and families to increase capacity, apply a growth mindset and implement what’s next in learning on behalf of those entrusted to them.

Ed Policy

Addressing the Placement Gateway With Diagnostics & Instruction

For many young people, placement exams are a hidden gateway in the system. Students often assume that with a high school diploma they can walk on to a community college campus and start working on a degree but they flunk the placement exam and end up in non-credit developmental education courses. That spells the beginning of the end of college for many young people. But that placement trap is beginning to close as states make the exams and preparation available in high school.

Ed Policy

Student-Centered Learning Need Not Cost Districts More

A new study of the financial implications for public schools embracing student-centered learning (SCL) models reveals that districts don’t need to spend more on these schools if they fund all schools fairly, and then allow schools to make choices about how they use their resources.

Leadership

Good Work: Candidates & Causes

I appreciate the folks that ran for office for all the right reasons--especially those that were not able to finance their own campaigns. Running for office requires constant groveling for donations, being exposed to malicious claims, and a grinding campaign schedule. Following are 3 good things to come from election 2012 and three bad things.

Ed Policy

Toward the Good School Promise: an Election Recap

While there are millions of happy democrats this week, a critic sees a landscape “littered with rubble and ruin and wreckage on all sides” in an open letter to the President. Elections leave aggrieved poles, but I live in a much more optimistic place. In particular, I’m optimistic about five things.

Leadership

e-Learning Leadership: 10 Strategies

The 17th annual Educational Technology Leadership Conference will take place this week in Roanoke, Virginia.  The conference is sponsored by Virginia Tech’s Center for Instructional Technology Solutions in Industry and Education.  Given the theme of e-learning leadership, I’ll be leading a conversation about these ten practices: 1.Conversation: lead…

Leadership

Avoid Hit-or-Miss Professional Development

As a former principal and curriculum director, I can easily tell the difference between good and bad professional development. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have had my hand in delivering some poor quality events in my career. Some of my colleagues refer to past trainings as a “spray and pray” approach to learning something.