From her career as a teacher and school leader in public, independent, and international schools and having opened three new schools, Barbara Smith proposes the importance of situating responsibility with students and teachers.  She describes why change is urgent and needs to be transformative. Just as teachers need to be facilitators of student responsibility to […]

When we are engaged in growing and learning as educators to reach a student success goal, reflecting on evidence gathered along the way is key both to the goal’s success and to educator learning. Evidence that shows changes in teacher actions and in student learning production behaviors should appear before changes in learning outcomes. With […]

          Simon Sinek shared the statement, “Leaders have the ability to see those around them rise” in this short video clip. It struck me as a great reflection opportunity for school leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers. Sinek identifies his own important learning about leadership with two key statements: Remind myself –“I […]

I have just finished reading Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers by Jo Boaler. I was familiar with Boaler’s work in the area of mathematics teaching and learning and appreciated the broader application of her experiences and insights. I found myself shifting her comments concerning students’ thinking and learning to teachers understanding their […]

“Neuroscientists have found that mistakes are helpful for brain growth and connectivity and if we are not struggling, we are not learning. Not only is struggle good for our brains but people who know about the value of struggle improve their learning potential.” (-Jo Boaler) Creating student’s understanding of the value of struggle and creating […]

Many teachers get frustrated with students’ questions such as, “Does this count in my grade?” or “What can I do for extra credit?” Middle school math teacher, Crystal Frommert, shares strategies that teachers can implement to encourage students to focus on learning rather than “getting a grade.” Crystal’s goal: making grades more accurate, collaborative, and […]