Rescue of the American Dream Demands a Moonshot
April 10, 2015Have we crossed a tipping point towards the death of the American Dream? It is a sad, perhaps even horrifying thought to those whose historical window largely spans the last 75 years, or perhaps sees the genesis of that Dream in the almost miraculous prescience of the founding American generation of the late 18th century. The latest book…
What If “School” Was an On-Ramp, Not a Destination?
April 7, 2015How do the most creative, big-thinking, successful people you know learn? Obviously not by sitting at a desk in a room listening to someone talk at them for seven hours a day. Where do the best, most innovative educators in your school community go to grow, learn, and create? Not to the faculty lounge. What…
Rich Resource: “Loving Learning” by Late Tom Little
April 6, 2015As we search, dig, and devise ways to make K-12 education more relevant to the demands of the 21st Century, do we overlook what has been working for the last 100 years? Are the answers right in front of us? Many of us argue that this is, indeed, the case, but few have made the case…
Hard Data From Our Classrooms
April 3, 2015How are we doing on the path to deeper learning? At the ASCD gathering in Houston I sat in on a presentation by McRel International, the large education consulting group out of Denver. They shared some fascinating data, and with their permission I am sharing some highlights with you. Over the last decade, McRel consultants have…
Replace “Library” With “Portal of Idea Flow”?
April 2, 2015Many schools are thinking about the function of a library. Some are focusing on changing the library to an innovation lab or makerspace or combination of those. Before rushing to this REALLY big, expensive decision, schools should think deeply about what purpose libraries have served in the past, and how those functions will manifest in…
Must Read: Student Control of Time and Subject in Australian High School
April 2, 2015Does your school mission challenge you to meet the needs of the individual child? Do you, like most educators in K-12, want to expand the degree to which students are allowed to make choices, to own a greater portion of their learning? Do you recognize that early start days, particularly for teenaged students are detrimental…
Free Teacher-Support PD Resource via Sanford Inspire Program
April 1, 2015Keep an eye on the evolution of a powerful new FREE teacher PD resource, the Sanford Inspire Program, out of Arizona State University. Funded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Denny Sanford, they are in the process of building an impressive line-up of free online modules to support teachers, particularly those early in their careers. The modules…
Building For the Long Run
March 27, 2015I recently received an RFP from an outstanding school that wants to truly engage their community in meaningful change. They are looking for a consultant to help on the work, and in discussing my thoughts with a colleague, she suggested I redact my response and post it for general interest. Here it is: First…
Simple Indicators of Student Engagement
March 26, 2015How do we know students are engaged in their learning? Do we need sophisticated tools to tell us that students are engaged? Or can we look at the dynamics of the classroom and get a pretty good idea? When I visit schools I poke my head into classrooms. Sometimes I am asked to sit down…
A View Into Transformed Learning at Public Design 39 Campus
March 25, 2015Can a non-charter public school in California, with near-the-bottom public funding per student, truly transform learning? As you know I have been closely following Design 39 Campus in Poway Unified, where the guiding principles are: Nurture creative confidence Practice design thinking Encourage inquiry Connect globally Use technology Promote courage Instill a growth mindset Well, here…
Do We Know What Important Words Mean?
March 24, 2015Can your school community achieve a mission or vision when they don’t know what the words that form these mean? Building a strong brand and a sparkling value proposition is not about saying you can do everything. It is about laser-sharp clarity about what you are going to do…and then doing it. Over the last…
Annual Martin Institute Summer Conference Registration Open
March 23, 2015The Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence will host their annual conference on Tuesday, June 9, and Wednesday, June 10, at Presbyterian Day School in Memphis, Tennessee. The theme of this year’s conference is: the Heart and Soul of Teaching. There is an outstanding line-up of keynote presentations and active learning sessions on tap. The Martin Institute…
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