It seems that everyone today is “working hard.”  In the marketplace – “We’re working hard to serve you better.”  In management – “With hard work, anything is possible.”  In education – “Our first graders are working hard this year to learn how to add numbers.” Weren’t computers supposed to make our lives easier?  Why are…

So many articles on are being published today on what’s wrong with our educational system. References are made to common core, standardized testing and classrooms that were designed when the factory was the identified workplace as culprits. Administration is built on a military model of top-down direction, leadership and supervision, because the military is where…

Every year, our high schools pay homage to the graduating seniors.  I think every valedictorian includes the line, “Graduation isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning of the next step of our journey,” in the their perfunctory speech at the graduation ceremony. It’s been uttered at the four high school graduations I was privileged to…

The title of this article was originally going to be titled, “Administrators, New Teachers Care, But May Not Understand; New Teachers, Administrators Understand, But Probably Don’t Care.”  It’s then that I realized a couple of things: There are only two elements in play, and, for any successful system to function properly, there needs to be…

If you’re in leadership at a school today, this article is meant for you. When it comes to teachers, it’s been said that even though teachers complete a rigorous curriculum which defines such things as learning styles, multiple intelligences, learning domains, along with preparing pre-assessments, lesson plans which are aligned with curricular standards, and assessments…

Six years ago at this time, I attended my nephew’s high school graduation.  Nine years ago, I attended a high school graduation for another family member.  It was great to see so many young men and women excited about their achievements, and the enthusiasm about the world they’re going to enter and affect. It reminded…

If you’re an administrator or teacher in a school today, one of the phrases you have heard, spoken, believe and may even be passionate about is that one of the goals of education today is to create life-long learners. That is indeed a worthy goal!  While it’s a message that can be conveyed to and…

The United States has a problem.  It’s called the National Debt. School Districts have a problem.  It’s called eroding tax bases, which means cutting education expenses. Families have a problem.  It’s called credit card debt. College graduates have a problem.  It’s called student loan debt. Anyone see a pattern? A recent article found on the…

We’ve all heard the expression, “Use it or lose it.”  It applies to skills; it applies to possessions; it applies to memory; and it applies to learning. “Teaching to the test” simply puts knowledge into short-term memory.  If what we learn is not reviewed through a “spaced repetition” process, we will retain little of what…

This article is the first of five highlighting five problems which work together and create a system which makes improving education a difficult task.  Tackling each of the problems individually may require a significant amount of effort, but when all the elements of a system work in concert with each other, if they’re all not…