Category Archives: Teacher Leadership

What makes schools work

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Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, Professional Development, Social Issues, Teacher Leadership

Gear mechanism on antique steam powered grain combine, Woodburn, Oregon, photo by Mark By Mark

It's a question I and my teammates get often: "Why don't they do this for all freshmen?"

About seven years ago, some administrators with a clear vision saw a need in our building: far too many tenth graders weren't actually tenth graders. By credits, they were still ninth graders.  Far too many kids were not on track for on-time graduation…or even graduation at all. These administrators had an idea of what they thought would help solve this problem. So, they attended conferences and did some initial research.

Then, those administrators with a clear vision did something that I fear is unfortunately rare, but has made all the difference. 

They identified the problem.

And then they trusted teachers to figure out how to best solve it.

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Five Ways to increase Teacher Planning Time

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Teacher Leadership

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By Nancy

This past week I witnessed a teacher meltdown during a staff development workshop; after a day of training on a new curriculum, she asked the presenter how she and her teammates were supposed to assimilate all the new materials when they had only 30 minutes a day to prepare for 6 hours of instruction. The large group training venue was not appropriate for this teachers’ meltdown, but her question was valid. Everyone in the room felt the same stress and frustration.

According to a report by Stanford and the National Staff Development Council, in which they compared the US teacher workload with other top-performing countries, a US teacher on average only gets 3 to 5 hours per week of planning time, compared to 15 to 20 hours per week for teachers in other nations to prepare lessons, meet with parents and students, and work with other educators. US teachers also have far more direct student contact time than any other nation. The report shares some specific examples of what other top-performing nations provide for their teachers. For those of us teaching in the US, the examples from places like Korea and Singapore sound like a fantasy fulfilled by Oprah.

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Growth by Association: One good teacher makes a difference

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Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Mentoring, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership

Pd_small_pencil_sharpener By Mark

Nearly every training and inservice repeats the same mantra: we must increase student learning. So we get shipped off to learn about a new strategy or a new tool or a new curriculum. We meet about goal setting and analyzing student data and impact on student learning. We are constantly doing extra in an effort to better the service we provide our students.

All that extra work, and it turns out there is something out there which has delivered a measurable impact on student learning, and it doesn't involve a special training or new curriculum.

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5 Ways to Improve Our Education System….I only need 1

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Current Affairs, Education Policy, Teacher Leadership

Picture 2 by Travis

Hmmm, five ways I would improve our education system if money were not an issue? I like that. It is a timely topic, often discussed. However, I only need one way. It's a big one. One with huge, sweeping results. But the good news–this one item will not require more money, per se. This one item is something we already have. This one item is nothing that we have not already known for decades. Bonus, improvements will be made quickly and with continued success regardless of levies or measures, politics or procedures. Is it too good to be true? No. It is a reality we already possess.

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Who Speaks?

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Education Policy, Teacher Leadership

By Guest Blogger Terese

I woke up today thinking, “How did I get here?”

Just a few short years ago I was teaching fourth graders, working hard to do the best job I could and otherwise minding my own business. On Tuesday I was at the state Capitol, talking with a legislator about an amendment to a bill that had just been proposed. 

What happened in between is a long story. But out of my experiences I have developed a belief that is now central to everything I do. I spend my days thinking about it, planning, trying to figure out what to do next. I toss and turn at night, problem solving. I am dedicated to promoting what I believe in every way that I can.

I believe in the power of teachers’ voices.

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WCAP, Part 2

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Assessment, Teacher Leadership

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I like technology. Some say I adore it. But I do have limits. I am not bound by technology simply because something has a circuit board. For example, I have not found a decent calendar program that can display the many nuances that my monthly schedule takes. For this, I use paper. I make notes on paper, too. I gave up my PDA years ago after it failed to be as effective as paper. My PDA came close, but I knew it was not a match. I think knowing when to use a tool (and when not to) is crucial to efficiency. 


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Collaboration, not Isolation

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Education, Education Policy, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership

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Some days I feel like Sisyphus, carrying the same basket of
laundry upstairs just to have it end up downstairs to be washed, or picking up
toys just to have them appear on the floor as if a godly punishment for
hubris. Again and again, day in and day out. Some days are better than others.
However, this week, it was especially Sisyphistic.

Yep, that’s right. I just used that adjective. Check it out
on Google in a month and see if it has caught on with the teenagers, “Hey
Jennifer, you are looking totally Sisyphistic with your physics textbook.”

Anyway, I do have a point. And an education
point at that. It goes like this . . . 

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Increase of Online Courses in School

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Current Affairs, Education, Professional Development, Social Issues, Teacher Leadership, Web/Tech

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I have to admit, I have a bias here. I feel comfortable around technology and use it for education and social learning. I teach two online courses and use technology in my classroom for podcasts, vidcasts, and instruction; my students use technology as well for more than word-processing. So when I saw that Michigan was leading the way in online courses, I had to read the article, oh, and by the way, the article is online. 

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