(Photo credit: NPR) Common core curriculum and stringent standardized testing have become two of the most widely discussed topics in education today (besides masking and other safety issues).  Standardized tests are indeed important, but for pre-assessment evaluation, to see what needs to be done; not for post-learning assessment to see how well students are achieving. …

Business consultant, author and speaker Patrick Lencioni has written an excellent book titled, “The Advantage.”  It speaks to what gives a company their “advantage” over their competitors in the marketplace today.  The answer, while it sound simple, is actually quite complicated, and can’t be identified through metrics, strategies, and all that left-brain stuff that most…

(Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax) This is 2024, and about ten years ago, we were starting to hear some pretty dire stories in the media about the student loan crisis. One of them from The Motley Fool (http://www.fool.com) is titled, “The Student Loan Crisis is Here, and It’s Pretty Scary” (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/19/the-student-loan-crisis-is-here-and-its-pretty-sca.aspx).  The story…

“As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be” does not apply to the role of the principal of a school. In the days of the one-room schoolhouse, there was only one teacher.  She (yes – she.  And she was a woman who was not married) taught all of the students in…

In 2015, most of the world had heard about Ahmed Mohamed, the 9th grader in Texas who was arrested after bringing a clock to school that, to school administration, looked like it could be an explosive device.  The issue sparked a controversy as was explained in an article in The Washington Post. Some say the…

Every now and then, an absolutely great idea comes along. When it does, and it’s brought to the marketplace, and the market (that is, the audience it is released to) will ultimately decide if it is a great idea, or if it’s not. If it’s a great idea, like the iPhone, it will be embraced,…

Let’s take a little trip back in time, about 19 years, to 2005.  At that time, I attended a conference of the International Center for Leadership in Education (http://www.leadered.com) held in Nashville, TN.  Willard R. Daggett, Ed.D., is Founder and Chairman of the organization, which advocates for a framework of Rigor and Relevance in the…

Have you heard it recently said that the teachers at your school make up the “Learning Team?”  Or, that the “Administration Team” will be having a meeting on Friday morning? Or, perhaps, if you’re a teacher, you’ve been placed on a “team” with some of your colleagues to focus on important items in your school,…

Perhaps you can recall the Joni Mitchell song where she looked at clouds, life, and love from both sides, and after experiencing both sides of the issue, comes to the conclusion that she really doesn’t know clouds, life and love at all. That’s because the premise of the song is flawed; there are not two…

This article could apply to any field of employment today, not just education.  The “Other duties as assigned” clause at the end of most job descriptions has been used to expand employees horizons, drive employees to the point of burnout, and provide cause for termination. Many schools today have a stated goal of creating life-long…