Tag: teachers

This past Saturday I attended our son’s white coat ceremony at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. At WVU, medical students are presented their “white coats” at the end of their first two years of classwork and at the beginning of their two-year rotation schedule. It’s kind of a big deal. During the ceremony,…

Yesterday I asked a couple of questions: What if our learning day was filled with building reading, writing, and problem-solving work? More importantly, what if our learning day focused on leadership skills and how all young learners could benefit from leadership training and character development? Today, continuing to focus on a book titled “Legacy” –…

I often wonder whether we are working on all the wrong stuff with our kids when it comes to teaching and learning. What if our learning day was filled with building reading, writing, and problem-solving work? More importantly, what if our learning day focused on leadership skills and how all young learners could benefit from…

Given Donald Trump’s insistence that the U.S. Department of Education should be targeted for closing, it might be a good idea to look to our 50 states for a heads-up regarding what public education issues are being addressed in 2025. ABPTL covered the same story last year, and the topics haven’t changed much this year.…

1 out of every 10 American kids attend a public school in Texas, so it’s important to keep an eye on what the Lone Star State is doing when it comes to K-12 education. This year, while the Texas Legislature is in session, the state’s decision-makers are busy on several fronts that will impact children…

I’ve written before about what a big fan I am of WBUR’s On Point, hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti. Today’s show focused on educational technology, specifically why classroom technology has had such a difficult time establishing itself as a learning tool in our traditional schools. During the conversation, Chakrabarti made the point that even Silicon Valley…

If we are ever going to invent a new system of learning for our kids, we need to change the role of teaching. Teachers will need to disappear so that new positions – some call them learning coaches – can be introduced. But, until that time, we are morally and ethically responsible for trying to…

Late last year my friend Lawrence Kohn, a co-leader at Houston Education Leadership Partners, shared a post titled “Why Public Schools Need Authentic Family Engagement Now More Than Ever.” Kohn writes: “My colleague, Dr. Vikas Mittal from Rice University, recently made a great post about Houston ISD and customer satisfaction, pointing out that the academic…

Most of us think disengagement in school only impacts those who are struggling with learning. But that’s not the case. When I was a school principal, I witnessed many students demonstrating what might be called “compliant learning behaviors.” “Compliant learners” will follow classroom rules, complete homework, and do well on tests, but when you ask…