Peter DeWitt is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. A former public school teacher and principal, he now facilitates professional learning in the United States and abroad based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books. Former superintendent Michael Nelson is a frequent contributor to this opinion blog. He is the co-leader of ILC and a former superintendent who has been an educator for more than 40 years.
Education
Opinion
Are You Blithely Unaware of How Educational Research Impacts You?
There are teachers and leaders who believe that researchers have little to do with their classroom practice, but the reality is that what researchers do has a direct effect on everything that happens in the classroom.
Education
Opinion
What Are the Side Effects of Your Latest Initiative?
Our initiatives are meant to help learning improve, but in his new book, Yong Zhao explores how each initiative has side effects that we need to be aware of.
Education
Opinion
Forget Kindness. Schools Need to Foster Social Justice
We should teach, model and promote kindness as much and as often as we can. But we also need to teach and empower young people to engage in social action: that is the only way we can ultimately change societal inequities and bring about a truly just society.
Education
Opinion
Forget Student Behavior. Let's Talk About Teacher Credibility.
Do we care about our credibility as a teacher as much as we care about their reputation as a student?
Education
Opinion
Why School Shootings May Never End in America
Some believe that they can stop school shootings from happening where they are, but unfortunately, we are learning that school shootings are our new normal, and we may not be able to change that.
Education
Opinion
Labels Aren't the Problem; It's Their Permanence and Scope
In a previous blog post, Peter DeWitt wrote about the dark side of labelling students. Labels sometimes assign students to fixed categories, and getting out of that category can be tough. To remedy the potentially negative consequences of labels we must do two things, and here, Thomas Guskey writes what those.
Education
Opinion
Are Labels Preventing Students from Succeeding?
Research shows that labels do not always have a positive impact on students. Should schools continue to use labels to help students succeed? Are those labels actually helping?
Education
Opinion
SEL for Gen Z? The Responsibility of Meeting Students Where They Are.
To meet the objective of reaching every student and demonstrating that we understand them, we should understand that it is the school's responsibility to reach students with SEL content anywhere and everywhere they take their devices.
Education
Opinion
Why Do Building Leaders Need Coaches?
Building leaders get the job and are handed the keys but many of them are overwhelmed with the amount of duties. This puts them in the position of manager too often, and instructional leader not often enough. Exploring the coaching relationship can be one way to help leaders feel less stressed, and create an opportunity for them to regain the focus that brought them into leadership in the first place.
Education
Opinion
Are We Asking Too Much of Our Schools?
This is the boiling point for schools, and we need to do more than just pay attention...we need to take action as well. Are we asking too much of our schools?
Education
Opinion
Call To Action Or Blame Game? 3 Ways Schools Communicate With Families
During these times of accountability from our state we live in, or the social-emotional issues our students experience, family engagement is both a call to action, and a scapegoat depending on the conversation. It all comes down to how we communicate with them, and here are 3 that will help build that communication.
Education
Opinion
5 Reasons Why the Oklahoma Teacher's Walkout Needs to Be a Turning Point in Education
The recent strike in Oklahoma is about much more than just higher salaries. It's about how we need to change the narrative around public education. Here are 5 reasons why the recent strike Oklahoma needs to be a turning point in education.
Education
Opinion
7 Simple Steps to Create a Positive School Climate
Too often one leader may be blamed for creating a negative climate, when the reality is that we all contribute to a positive or negative school climate. Our attitude every day plays an important part in our school climate. Here are 7 easy steps school communities can take to improve their school climate.
Education
Opinion
4 Lessons We Can Learn From a Struggling Learner
It's important for those of us who talk about the benefits of failure to actually practice what we preach as well. Here are 4 things a struggling learner would like teachers to know.