“Teacher quality and engagement matters more to student achievement than any other aspect of a school.” This insight was published by Rand Education (Rand.org/education/projects/measuring-teacher-effectiveness/teachers-matter.html), and quoted by: Scott Barron on SchoolGrowth.com The Center for Public Education’s statement on teacher quality and student achievement; A text published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)…

Several years ago, a disturbing trend began to happen in education – teachers began leaving the field. Not the teachers that had reached retirement age, or who were offered early retirement packages, but young teachers, who were those enticed to enter the field because of the market and the need for teachers. A little earlier…

Last week’s article talked about the new tax credit program which will be taking effect in our nation.  Conversations and controversy continue regarding this program.  In those conversations, I hear people using the term “voucher” as a synonym for a tax credit scholarship. They are two different things.  That’s why they have different names. In…

Some people believe that tax credits and vouchers are the same thing when it comes to new ways of funding education. They’re not. While they both have an effect on the State’s budget, the source and processes regarding those funds are completely different. With vouchers, state monies go directly to benefit families who would qualify…

“Let’s start at the very beginning.  That’s a very good place to start.” (As sung by Julie Andrews as Maria in “The Sound of Music.”) Unfortunately, Maria, you’re wrong.  The best place to start is at the end. As Stephen Covey wrote in his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” habit #2 is…

There are three types of thinking which can be employed to solve problems:  Linear Thinking, Process Thinking, and Systems Thinking. We like to think linearly.  It’s the First/Next mindset.  We learn addition first, then subtraction.  When following a recipe, we’re told what to do first, then next.  It’s simple. We like simple. The problem is…

Here’s a TedX/Portland presentation.  There is a difference between “schooling” and “education.”  It’s important to know the difference. It’s also VERY important to know that systems thinking does not mean a school system nor a system of schools.  It’s the way you think – and guess what – we were NEVER taught to think like…

All through the month of June, Edu-Cat-Ion will feature some selected videos on systems thinking.  Einstein is credited with saying that we can’t solve the problems of today with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.  The thinking we’ve been using to solve problems originated with the scientific method, and that’s…

Today’s video is from Peter Senge, speaking about systems thinking in education.  Systems thinking, as described last week, focuses on the whole, and how all the elements of the whole interact with one another.  We tend to look at problems within the system and ask ourselves, “How do we correct this problem?” incorrectly thinking that…

In 1990, a text titled “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of a Learning Organization” written by Peter Senge was published.  It was meant as a framework to transform the effectiveness of businesses by referring to them as “learning organizations.” At the time, the preferred method of business improvement was known as Six Sigma…