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
Todd Whitaker Already Said It
"If we visualize each student as a jar of potential, our responsibility is to take the lid off and point the jar in the right direction, not tighten the top so the highest level of creativity never gets out." Todd Whitaker
Education
Opinion
Advisory Groups: Creating a Positive School Community
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) recommends school climate reform as a data driven strategy that promotes healthy relationships, school connectedness, and dropout prevention" (Thapa et. al. 2012).
Education
Opinion
In BYOT It's the Y and O That Matters
"It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear...It's like being between trapezes. It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There's nothing to hold on to." Marilyn Ferguson
Education
Opinion
The Two Faces of Growth Models?
When comparing the growth of a student from last year's test to the one they took this year (and keeping the same cut points) is like taking their time from running the mile on a rubberized track last year and expecting them to run the same time on a steeplechase track with a few water pits thrown in for a mile and a ¼ this year.
Education
Opinion
Edcamps: The New Professional Development
Conferences are really great venues to get new ideas, share best practices and meet with colleagues from near or far. They are planned a year ahead of time and educators can plan ahead and choose from a menu of great presenters or workshops. Unfortunately, conferences can be very expensive although many of them are worth the money.
Education
Opinion
Why Point Scales Are Offensive To Educators
"What started here as a traditional labor fight over pay, benefits and working conditions has exploded into a dramatic illustration of the national debate over how public school districts should rate teachers" (Rich. N.Y. Times).
Education
Opinion
Flipping Parent Communication?
"Too often we leave our communication to monthly newsletters or school wide e-mails. There are many changes happening in education, so flipping the communication I have with parents offered me an opportunity to let them know what is going on."
Education
Opinion
What Can We Learn...
If we allow ourselves to...we can learn more from a bad situation than we can from the good ones. Bad situations force us to dig a little deeper, and reflect a little harder. After three years or more of some negative situations in education it's time to look at what we can learn from this. There must be something that we can do in our own practices to make things a bit more positive.
Education
Opinion
The Daily 5: An Interview with the Two Sisters
"Daily 5 takes the students from where they are in relation to their ability to be independent, and teaches them to become intrinsically motivated as they build stamina." Gail Boushey
Education
Opinion
Rethinking Elementary School
"Approaches based on lecturing by teachers, passive reading of textbooks, and "fill-in-the-blank" worksheets keep students from making decisions, from becoming actively involved in their learning, and from learning how to think and communicate effectively." Bob Peterson
School & District Management
Opinion
The Flipped Faculty Meeting
Principals set the tone every day. The flipped model could represent a symbolic way of telling adults that we still have to be innovative.
Education
Opinion
The Power of Effective Feedback
"The term Feedback is often used to describe all kinds of comments made after the fact, including advice, praise, and evaluation. But none of these are feedback, strictly speaking." Grant Wiggins
Education
Opinion
Are Schools Prepared to Let Students BYOD?
"Districts wading into the "bring-your-own-technology," or BYOT, waters are wrangling with which issues should be tackled through districtwide policy, and which should fall under school-level procedural codes. In the process, they're trying to leave room to solve unanswered legal questions about Internet security and privacy." Quillen (Education Week)