About 30 or so years ago, there was a crisis in education: a shortage of science and math teachers in our nation.  As a young father at the time, working as a program director for an NPR affiliate station, it resonated with me.  A couple of years before that, I left my position as a…

During the first 3 weeks of August, articles from other sources will be featured to help to form the mindsets necessary to embrace the changes occurring in education. The first article comes from Thrive Global (www.thriveglobal.com) and speaks to the two mental shifts that are necessary every highly successful person makes:  https://community.thriveglobal.com/the-2-mental-shifts-highly-successful-people-make/    I would…

Poet John Keats was born on Halloween (before it was Halloween) in 1795 and died February 23, 1821 at the age of 25.   This young man penned some of the most beloved works of those who study literature, including “A Thing of Beauty (Endymion)” which starts with the famous line, “A thing of beauty…

“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…