School reform, the public kind anyway, has always been met with skepticism by the population in general and by education experts in particular. They cite union resistance, tenured teachers’ reluctance to change, and the apparently poor results obtained by American students as compared to the power nations such as Singapore (5 million), Finland ...

My roundabout, though brief, exploration of “instructional rounds” today began with this Edutopia post by Elena Aguilar:  ”Teachers Observing Teachers: Instructional Rounds“ Instructional rounds, modelled after the “rounds” made by doctors learning to hone their practice, take different forms and approaches.  In some cases, such as in Aguilar’s ...

There’s been a ton of conversation in our office lately about what the future of education looks like in Kansas. With economic issues, core curriculum standards and NCLB concerns on their plate, it seems as if schools are moving backwards towards a 1950s instructional model rather than one focusing on the 21st century. It’s a concern that I know ...

During a Skype presentation back in January, Marco Torres asked some interesting questions. He had K-12 teachers describe their curriculum and then asked: If I can Google everything you just said, what value are you adding to the learning that takes place in your classroom? He continued on that theme: Never ask a question a kid can look up – ...

Grad RatesClick Photo to ViewiWebPhoto.comThe Washington Post recently published a list of the 1,500 Top Public High Schools in the nation based on their ability to prepare children for college.  The ranking system includes variables such as the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and/or Cambridge exams taken by all ...

What you got in that fanny pack?? So many teachers at my school ROCK and work so hard it’s ridiculous. I am constantly impressed and amazed by what my colleagues are able to do with children and learn so much from the creative ways they work with their students. HOWEVER, (and you knew this was coming) there remain the few, lazy SOBs who make me ...

In the grand effort to reform schools, a new and trendy idea has been to hire adults to work with the teachers rather than the children, a.k.a. a staff developer. In theory, it sounds like a great premise in which teachers are able to stay current on their practice and learn exciting methods of pedagogy. Ah, but there is the rub my friends…don’t ...