Blog
Are We Educational Hoarders?
In this age of reality shows, many people’s lives become transparent to the world. One of those shows is "Hoarders." This is a show in which a person’s gathering and keeping . . . Read more
PLC Team Efficacy: If We Think We Can, Can We?
You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you can’t. You’re always right!” (Not sure who originated that saying, but mothers everywhere seem to have adopted it!)... Read more
Q&A: Rick DuFour’s Response to a Question on Formative Assessment
Last week, educate4life posted the following comment on Grading Formative and Summative Assessments by Rick DuFour: I am new to this forum but stumbled upon this thread. I am a high school mathematics teacher... Read more
Operationalizing the Big Picture: The Liberal High School PLC Journey
As we sat in the Cockrell Theater in San Antonio, Texas, last June at the PLC at Work Institute, our three-member-team was a little stunned as Rebecca DuFour clarified what a PLC is and what it is not... Read more
Empowering the Silent Stakeholders—Students
“To be a teacher is to be a prophet. We are not preparing children for the world we live in but for a future we can barely imagine.”—Gordon Brown, Former Dean of MIT Engineering School. Read more
The Battle Over Homework
Last night we held parent/teacher conferences at our elementary school. I’ve been a principal at three different elementary schools over the past 13 years, and before that I was a classroom . . . Read more
New Answers to Old Questions: Transition to Common Core
One of the things I am most excited about is planning for the transition to common core state standards. At the same time, this shift keeps me up at night. How will we get it done? How will we fund . . . Read more
Collaboration on a Broader Scale: Partnering With Higher Education to Build Capacity
One of the three big ideas of a professional learning community is building a collaborative culture. We build collaborative teams and relationships within our organizations to increase our . . . Read more
Our State Adopted the Common Core Standards—Now What?
Many schools and districts that have been implementing the PLC process are now wondering how to respond to the new Common Core Standards that their states have adopted. They’ve worked hard to . . . Read more
What Teachers Need, Part 2
Teachers need to work in collaborative teams with their colleagues. Yet, traditionally teachers have worked in isolation. Never before in the history of American public education have teachers been asked—in fact, directed—to ensure higher learning... Read more
What Teachers Need, Part 1
Increasingly, states are adopting more intensive and complex teacher evaluation systems. While it is difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy the motivation behind these initiatives, . . . Read more
Creating Buy-In for PLCs
It is not unusual to have persons excited about the professional learning community concept but express concern that others will not “buy-in.” Educators not buying into research-based . . . Read more
Moving School Improvement Into the Classroom With SMART Goals
School districts across the United States are faced with improving achievement for all students. The complexity of this issue has resulted in the expansion of organized walkthroughs taking place . . . Read more
A Powerful Tool for Student and Teacher Learning
I remember early in my leadership constantly assessing where we were as a school and setting goals for where we needed to go as a school. With a clear vision in mind, we would chart incremental . . . Read more
Classroom Observation Drives Instructional Practices
Moving instructional practices forward at a school site can be a daunting task. Ask any principal, team leader, or department chair how easy it is to motivate colleagues to row in the same . . . Read more