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…

A number of schools, in conjunction with their STEM, STEAM and STREAM efforts, are building coding classes into their curriculum.  Resources such as those available at https://code.org/educate/curriculum and https://www.kodable.com/ offer resources for educators who want to incorporate this important learning to students eager to learn how to build games and create apps that might be able…

Technology is becoming more and more prevalent in schools: One-to-one initiatives, giving a computer or tablet to every student in the school, and potentially replacing textbooks; Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives, allowing the school to protect itself from having to repair, service, or replace expensive technology, as well as absolve itself from potential inappropriate…

Homeschooling seems to be a growing trend. According to a report from Education News in May 2012, homeschooling has continued to grow due to the dissatisfaction with the public school system. Looking at the information provided by the families surveyed, we found it costs an average of $1,295 to homeschool an elementary school student in…

A little over a decade ago, a clothing store which used the slogan, “An educated consumer is our best customer,” filed for bankruptcy.  An “off-price” retailer, Syms began in 1958, incorporated in 1983, and, in November of 2011, it filed for bankruptcy and all stores were closed at the end of that year.  The Sy…

Some thought-provoking articles are lined up for the weeks ahead, and today’s kicks it off! Multiple intelligence assessment has changed over the years.  Interestingly while other assessments don’t change much over time (like the Myers-Briggs profile), it’s been recognized that multiple intelligence assessments were being used in ways that Howard Gardner never intended: https://www.edutopia.org/article/multiple-intelligences-theory-widely-used-yet-misunderstood Multiple…

(Original article published in March 2016; updated for March 2019, March 2022, and March 2025) At least, that’s what the media is teaching our society.  Check out these Web resources, and see if you find the dysfunction.  Begin by visitng http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/stamp-out-bullying/ Pay close attention to the section that says, “What Are the Signs That My…

Consultant Patrick Lencioni published a book several years ago called, “The Advantage.”  In it, he speaks about what gives an organization or business an “advantage” over another.  In a nutshell, the advantage is “Organizational Health.”  It’s all those things that can’t be measured by data analytics. Business leaders like when they can share positive news…