A number of years ago, the field of education had an epiphany.  In conjunction with community leaders and business and corporate leadership, STEM emerged to focus on four areas to work systemically, creating a curriculum to foster learning appropriate for the 21st century and the jobs of the future – many of which don’t even…

Many companies today espouse “Best Practices” when they say what their company does.  That’s a great way to build confidence in their target market. But difficulties arise when companies that may not espouse “Best Practices” want to know what others consider to be “Best Practices” so they can consider implementing them at their company. Then…

Remember that song from “Sesame Street?” My wife and I grew up in “MisterRogers Neighborhood,” so the next generation that grew up on the “Street” had to find out who the people in their neighborhood were through song rather than a by a personal visit or video views through a magical picture frame. So who…

In the schools I’ve visited, I’ve heard several administrators say that if the children are happy, the parents are happy.  If the parents are happy, the teachers are happy.  If the teachers are happy, the administrators are happy.  Put them all together and it creates an environment conducive to learning and school success. In mathematical…

Everyone working the field of education today has heard the arguments for and against the Common Core Curriculum as well as the benefits and drawbacks of increased standardized testing. Interestingly, anyone graduating from college with their degree in education has undoubtedly done some type of research regarding these topics, but has also experienced the additional…

You may have heard of the 3 “V”s of Big Data. What’s Big Data?  It’s the voluminous amount of information that is being mined by corporations by various means (like Internet searches, surveys and preference settings) for a variety of purposes (like targeted marketing, new product development and predictive analytics). Its now the storehouse of…

As humans, we have the best intentions when starting a new year. “I’m going to lose 20 pounds!” “I’m going to exercise 20 minutes every day!” “I’m going to eat right!” “I’m going to stop smoking!” “I’m going to get to bed early and not stay up late!” Perhaps you have at least one of…

When pursuing a course of study which leads to a “Master” degree, both the thesis and the practicum pathways usually involve a review of the research regarding the thesis statement.  While reviewing some of the Internet resources available regarding the implementation of publicly funded compulsory education in this country, it’s interesting to see the articles associated with…

If you dangle a string just out of reach of a cat’s paw, the cat will do whatever it can to get it.  If it’s taken away from him and dangled again, he will continue to pounce on it, jump for it and even try to gnaw at it.  But if the cat maintains hold…

As we wind down the calendar year, your school is probably on its winter/holiday break.  It’s always helpful to reflect on where we’ve been so we can plan a little better, so let’s take a look at some of the things happening in the marketplace today.  As you read these observations, think about how they…