Opinion Blog

Finding Common Ground

With Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson

A former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach, Peter DeWitt provides insights and advice for education leaders. Former superintendent Michael Nelson is a frequent contributor. Read more from this blog.


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 N.Y. State Commissioner John King's 'Message' Gets Cancelled
N.Y. State Education Commissioner John King scheduled a handful of parent meetings sponsored by the N.Y. State PTA to engage parents about the Common Core State Standards and state assessments. Unfortunately for him, the parents wanted to engage him as well.
Peter DeWitt, October 15, 2013
5 min read
Education Opinion Five Things Most People Don't Know About Poverty & Student Achievement
Eric Jensen wants teachers to know that, even in the case of poverty, they can help students achieve to their fullest potential.
Eric Jensen, October 13, 2013
5 min read
Education Opinion State Assessments Tell Schools, Students and Parents Nothing
Assessments are supposed to help students learn their strengths and weaknesses, but state assessment results only come as a number for schools, which makes them useless.
Peter DeWitt, October 11, 2013
5 min read
Education Opinion NBC's Brian Williams Focuses on Using Veterans to Promote Character Education
There are many character education programs available to young adults in schools but one focusing on veterans may be the one that impacts students the most.
Peter DeWitt, October 10, 2013
3 min read
Education Opinion NBC's Education Nation Is Different When You're Here
NBC's Education Nation is focusing on some hot topics this year, and hopefully there will be open dialogue so that it can hit its fullest potential.
Peter DeWitt, October 8, 2013
3 min read
Education Opinion Connected Education Might Not Mean What You Think
Connected education means many different things to many different people, but during Connected Educator Month, all educators should try at least one new thing when it comes to the tool of technology.
Peter DeWitt, October 6, 2013
4 min read
Education Opinion Does Class Size Matter?
Class size does matter for teachers and students, but only if the instruction used in the small class size is different from those instructional practices used in a large one.
Peter DeWitt, October 4, 2013
4 min read
Education Opinion Are Sports Good or Bad for Schools?
Is the U.S.'s obsession with sports hurt our academic standing around the world?
Peter DeWitt, October 2, 2013
4 min read
Education Opinion Redshirting Isn't Just for Sports ... but Does It Work?
Redshirting is a popular practice in sports, but does it work for kindergarten?
Peter DeWitt, September 29, 2013
3 min read
Education Opinion 300 Kids Who Need a Lot More Than Saving
Former NFL player Brian Holloway's upstate NY was vandalized by teenage party goers, but in an effort to save the 300 teens his plan backfired...or did it?
Peter DeWitt, September 26, 2013
3 min read
Education Opinion The Counterproductive Ways Schools Punish Kids...
In an effort to punish students for misbehaving educators use some methods that are counterproductive to stop the behavior.
Peter DeWitt, September 24, 2013
4 min read
Education Opinion How Public Is the Public School System?
With so much money, power and influence at the top, how public is the public school system?
Peter DeWitt, September 21, 2013
4 min read
Education Opinion Want to Flip Communication? Click Here
Flipping communication isn't about replacing anything...it's about enhancing it.
Peter DeWitt, September 19, 2013
3 min read
Education Opinion Diane Ravitch Focuses on the Reign of Error
Diane Ravitch has a new book called the Reign of Error, and every educator and parent should read it because, much like her last book, she provides insight into educational reform like no other writer can.
Peter DeWitt, September 17, 2013
4 min read