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.
Staff Picks: Ed Reform, Good Work, and Getting Smart
This week, Tom picks the Foundation for Excellence in Education's Roadmap for Reform, the Nation's Digital Learning Report Card and the 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning. Karen picks Tom's Good Work Sunday series on Getting Smart, Caroline picks Tom's new book Getting Smart, and Sarah picks the "I'm Getting Smart" series on Facebook and Twitter.
Good Work: Build a Tractor
“We can make a commitment from where we stand right now. It requires nothing other than our willingness to make a difference in whatever way feels right for us.   -Michael Toms My Grandmother gave me a picture of her father plowing his field with a team of two horses. …
Staff Picks: Longer School Days, Steve Jobs, & Assessment
This week, Karen picked an article about long school days, Caroline honored Steve Jobs with an article pick and Sarah highlighted an inspiring article by Wesley Fryer. Tom picked assessment as the hot topic of the week.
Good Work: Developing Community Leaders
Advancing Leadership Youth From age 8 to 18 my parents dragged me along on weekly community service trips, first in DC and then the barrios of west Denver. Â I hated it. Â I’m pretty sure the routine was both service for them and training for me. A decade…
Good Work: Apology Lesson from a 9 Year Old
An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything.  Lynn Johnston After a little temper tantrum, my then nine-year-old daughter Katie left a note in a custom made envelope that said, “I am very sorry for the way that I have been acting. You…
Good Work: People That Can Do No Other
Jay Kimmelman moved to Africa to launch Bridge Academies I love people that do what they do because they can do no other. You can see it in their clarity, persistence, and the ability they say no to the BS most of us put up with. In some…
Good Work: Living in Community
You have been given a community to nurture and be nurtured by. -Rev. Mike McIntosh An anniversary like today makes me think about diverse communities living together. A few years back I went to a school board convention in San Francisco and on the way back to my hotel…
Staff Picks: Testing, Flipped Classroom, Effective Teaching
This week's Staff Picks from Getting Smart takes a close look at the positive side of testing, the idea of the "flipped classroom," and the skills it takes to be an effective 21st century teacher.
Why Didn’t Early College Catch Fire?
Ten years ago tomorrow Utah Gov Mike Leavitt and I sat down to breakfast with a small group of reporters to brief them on a plan for a network of six early college high schools. The briefing was cut short when the governor’s chief of staff whispered in his ear…
Good Work: Celebrating Second Mile People
 Evil is laziness…love is the antithesis of laziness.  -M. Scott Peck Labor Day is a reminder that all work has dignity and that all workers deserve dignity. Everyone in this country has the right to an education, to self-expression, and the freedom to contribute both to their personal well-being. More…