Starr Sackstein is a secondary educator and school leader in New York. She is the author of several books on education, on topics such as going gradeless, peer feedback, and blogging. This blog is no longer being updated.
Professional Development
Opinion
2017 Was All About Assessment: A Year in Review
Whether we talk about the how or why of assessment, it always comes back to the communication of learning and different things that dilute that discussion.
Teaching
Opinion
To Share or Not Share, That Is the Question
How can we continue to develop a culture of transparency and change while still respecting those who aren't where we need them to be yet?
Professional Development
Opinion
Station Learning Empowers All Learners to Own Their Learning
If active learning works for younger learners, why wouldn't it work for adult learners?
Teaching
Opinion
Empowering Modern Learners to Take Part in Their Journeys
Guest blogger Amit Mehrotra discussed what it means to empower the modern learner and why we need to stop calling what we do teaching for 21st-century skills.
Teaching
Opinion
Failure Is the New Perfect
Each educator has something valuable to teach me whether it is about the culture of the school or the content he or she teaches that I try to spend a portion of each day just listening. It's in this way that I can best serve my community so that when it comes time to have to make a decision collaboratively or otherwise, I know I'm doing it with the most integrity I can.
Teaching
Opinion
Multiple Measures: The Story Data Doesn't Always Show
As we continue to talk about data and the necessity of it while we are making choices about programs and students, we need to remember that each child's story is what makes the data valuable.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Parent Educators, When Is the Right Time to Intervene in a Schooling Dilemma?
Being a parent and a teacher can be an interesting struggle. Sometimes it helps, like when Johnny or Susie comes home with homework that is in your content area and you can feel like a champ. Other times it isn't as simple. What happens if something is going on in your child's school that goes against your philosophical beliefs about how education should happen? When is it time to intervene?
Professional Development
Opinion
Shining Light on the 'Dark Side' of Leadership
When I tell a teacher I'm going to be present for something, I do my very best to be there. Showing up is the most important part of my job. It's the only way I can build credibility and trust with my team. If I don't do as I say, then they shouldn't trust me and I truly will have gone to the dark side.
Professional Development
Opinion
What If I'm Not as Good at Being a Leader as I Was at Being a Teacher?
Becoming a leader wasn't about going to the dark side, but rather shedding light on what was once considered dark. I see myself as one of the teachers, among them, regardless of what my title suggests. In fact, in spite of it, I long to help inspire the many children in our district who deserve the best education possible from the most amazing teachers who might just need a little more time to consider how to do that.
Professional Development
Opinion
What Can We Do Today to Shift Culture?
No change happens overnight, no matter how much we want it to. Real growth happens with collaborative leadership that embraces the strengths of every member of the team. This is what is best for our school community and that is why I'm committed to seeing it through.
Professional Development
Opinion
Model Best Practice When Leading Team Meetings
Learning chances are too precious to waste. I will keep modeling how to make the most of each one, allowing the vulnerability to be visible regardless of how uncomfortable it may feel.
Professional Development
Opinion
Be Thankful for the Opportunities Provided
Every day I learn something new and am so grateful for that experience. Although it is not always pleasant at the time, the opportunity to grow feels limitless.
Professional Development
Opinion
Leaders, Get Into Classrooms
This is the work we need to be doing to affect positive change in the classroom. This is how we build a team.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Your Middle Career Years Don't Have to Slump
Taking risks has become a hallmark of my career and they aren't all winners. Sometimes they flop and I have to be comfortable with that. I must share those failures as well as the successes or else the context is lost. In education, each up hinges on the down that came before it and the more transparent we are about that with our colleagues and students, the richer the learning environments are.