Measuring Up: When Assessments Move Beyond The Growth Chart
Assessments are like parenting in that we do- what was done to us. Our assessment strategies and parenting strategies stay the same as long as how we turned out confirms […]
Category Archives: Education Reform
The Power Of Confession
Teacher Confession: a historical examination written by Pastor Stephen Davis A while ago the author of Red Lines and Highlights wrote a great post about the discrepancy between what he sees on […]
Adventure Playground
My dad never built us a treehouse, or a playhouse, and we loved it that way. Other kids had a cool swing set, or sandbox, but our backyard had tons […]
Stop Ignoring The Zombie: Bring Research Back From The Dead
I’m not a big fan of The Walking Dead: it reminds me too much of certain practices in teaching and education. Students march from stage to stage of their educational […]
Examining “The Comments” on Teachers
I still get nervous when I view my official teacher evaluations. Although they are usually positive, there is always that one growth comment stuck in there so that you can […]
Down The Rabbit /Grading/ Hole
I hate grading. It’s kinda funny because I didn’t really care about grades when I was in high school. I loved learning, but since I knew I was going to […]
Shop Talk: The Nuts And Bolts Of Student Blogging
People always ask me to give them the nuts and bolts of how I teach my students to publish their work online. I’m always hesitant because I hate when people […]
Creating Space For Questions
The worst part about football or basketball is that the game deciding moment may not involve the best player; the worst part about a classroom is that the student or […]
Saving The Heart of Reading: Why We Should Transplant Close Reading
Close reading and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) lurk like shady hit men in the alleyway of the English building. Wiseguys waiting to whack someone. That someone is reading. […]
Why Do We Give Students Summer Assignments? Seriously, WHY?
Most of my neighbors have hated me from time to time. Specifically in the summer. My most recent neighbor to mock me is a great guy who plays in a […]
