A Better Path to Learning

Tag: schools

  • We are Stronger Learners when We Have Options

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    We must be careful not to let traditional school districts control the conversation when it comes to young learners and their ability to learn virtually. If you would just listen to the traditionalists, then you might get the feeling that every kid struggled with out of school learning over the past two to three years,…

  • There’s a New Sheriff in Town

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    I’ve always been interested in what the folks at Bellwether are working on. Bellwether is a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. Now that’s a mouthful and, admittedly, a tall order! I remember when Andy Smarick, at the…

  • A Learning Lesson from Florida (That’s Right! Florida!)

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    I’m still writing about articles I read while sitting on a dock a few weeks ago. This article, printed in The 74 online newsletter, caught my attention since I’m attracted to stories about traditional school leaders who break away to begin something new and exciting. Written by Michael Q. McShane, director of national research at…

  • We’re Caught in a Trap (and I’m not talking Elvis here)

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    The Des Moines Register recently published an article highlighting six new superintendents hired recently to lead Des Moines area school districts. One of the questions asked by the newspaper reporter was: “What are the top three things you are spending ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds on? And how are you going to…

  • Friday News Roundup

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    It’s been a while since I’ve released a Friday News Roundup, so, with the beginning of the school year, we have a lot to catch up on regarding news that impacts learning. So here we go… U.S. Education Secretary Cardona: How to Fix Teacher Shortages, Create Safe Schools (EducationWeek) Right before school started, EducationWeek reporter…

  • Seeing into The Future

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    One of the challenges, to those of us who want our traditional school system changed into something more centered on the individual learner, is the inability of others to “see” what that future might look like. I ran across an article recently shared by Education Reimagined, that might help us “see” better into the future…

  • Language Matters. It Matters A Lot.

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    While sitting on the dock at the lake last week, I read a fascinating article written by Kelly Young, President and Founder of Education Reimagined (ER.) Education Reimagined is a Washington D.C.-based group attempting to catalyze the invention of a new public education system. I’ve been somewhat critical in the past of Education Reimagined and…

  • The Errors of Well-Intentioned Adults (in Indiana)

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    I’m back after some time at the lake – tanned, rested, and ready. While away, I saw an article in The 74 titled “Allies Rally Behind Indiana NAACP’s Black Student Achievement Proposal.” The 74’s Jo Napolitano reported that: “Four months after the NAACP State Conference released an aggressive plan to close deep and persistent gaps…

  • It’s Time to Pick It Up a Bit

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    Earlier this summer, Kelly Young, President and Founder of Education Reimagined, shared her thoughts on what infrastructure is needed to enable learner-centered ecosystems to thrive. In her article, Young writes: “Luckily, there are pieces of this infrastructure already out there, whether they are being deployed in a single learner-centered environment, a micro-school, or in an…

  • The Only Thing We Have to Fear…

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    “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, 1933 Change is hard inside schools. It’s easier to keep doing the same things…