Tag: students

When I was a middle school principal, we paid special attention to our middle school boys. It wasn’t the case we ignored our female students, but we knew that our young men, especially those who were black, brown, or poor, demanded extra care over the three years spent with us. Recently, I came across a…

“You need a license to buy a dog or drive a car. Hell, you need a license to catch a fish. But they’ll let any butt reamin’ asshole be a father.” – Keanu Reeves’s character “Tod Higgins” in the movie Parenthood I was a public school educator for 35 years – 25 working for a…

When it comes to “school choice,” most state legislators “play it close to the vest.” To date, very few governors or state legislatures have utilized education savings accounts in a way that would really open up learning possibilities for America’s families – especially those black, brown, and poor families. Take for example Iowa. The Iowa…

During my 35-year career as a teacher, principal, regional superintendent, and educational non-profit leader, I must have visited thousands of classrooms. We usually focused on alignment (whether what was being taught was aligned with the state and local learning standards,) rigor (how strenuous was the learning,) and engagement (were the learners engaged with what they…

We spend too much time in traditional school focused on teaching, and not enough time focused on learning. Colleges of education spend little time on learning theory. Adults in the classroom are trained more in “what” to teach versus a real understanding of “how” young people learn and the strategies involved to make young learners…

In 2009, Simon Sinek delivered a TED talk titled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” Today, nearly 64 million people have viewed Sinek’s talk. Let’s take a look at what Sinek had to say about leadership and see how it might be applied to creating a new system of learning. Sinek begins his talk: “How do…

Awhile back, I shared an article and commentary on the new Biden administration K-12 education policies. Today, let’s examine what states are focused on regarding their K-12 policies moving into 2024. EducationWeek online reported today that, … “More than half of state governors have signaled their K-12 priorities for the year during annual State of…

Most of you know I spend some time in Vermont. The state is known for its Green Mountains, its skiing, and its maple syrup. In the past, it’s also been known for its excellent school system. But lately, that public school system has been struggling, just like many of the other states across this country.…

My friend Trace Pickering, Co-Founder of Iowa BIG, a learner-centered enterprise serving eastern Iowa, wrote an interesting article a few months ago. The piece was titled “Rigor or Vigor? What Do We Want For Our Children?” Pickering writes, “For nearly two decades educational reformers have been touting the need to create rigorous curriculum, standards, and…