An Education Policy Parable

Tortoise was an admired member of the community. A strong, beautifully polished, and ornate shell provided protection from the elements and those who would do harm. Powerfully muscled legs -- thick as tree trunks -- allowed Tortoise to toil tirelessly and overcome obstacles. Beneath the shell beat an empathetic heart. All of the animals were … Continue reading An Education Policy Parable

The Most Valuable Lessons

Saint Maria With regard to education, perhaps the most critical error I hear people make -- school administrators, teachers, students, parents, the general public, and politicians (especially politicians) -- is the acceptance of a definition of learning that is far too narrow. In many cases, learning is somehow limited to an association with "school" (which … Continue reading The Most Valuable Lessons

Summer School Reimagined (if we have to do it)

Right now, the world of education seems to be dominated by concerns about student "learning loss." I expressed my opinion on this in a previous post -- Our Kids Will be Okay. I'm not going to imply that there aren't legitimate concerns about student learning during the pandemic, but education, like everything else in the … Continue reading Summer School Reimagined (if we have to do it)

What are Your Metrics for Success?

Not Normal It has been an eventful week. On Wednesday, our students returned to school via Google Classroom and distance learning. On Wednesday evening our district Governing Board made the difficult decision to continue virtual learning for the entire first quarter of the school year. As you can know, based upon the national dialogue, the … Continue reading What are Your Metrics for Success?