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Fair Funding?

When we look at the state of our school facilities across California we find some are shiny and new while others were built 40-50 years ago with little renovations. Some schools are pouring money into patching up the current facilities and cutting the funding of arts programs. Other districts have even delayed new curriculum adoptions to address unexpected issues with facilities. Why are some public school districts in California able to renovate every 15-20 years while others are using bandaid solutions to keep the buildings from falling down? Many of California’s schools have suffered from funding deficits regarding improving facilities. It seems some affluent or highly populous areas are able to raise money through local measures and fundraising. These schools benefit from the ability of their communities to donate or pass bonds to fund school improvement efforts. Unfortunately, the smaller, highly impoverished areas have continued to fall into disrepair. Even if the community would
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Demonstrating Proficiency

Does assessment support student learning? Absolutely! If we remember the purpose. The purpose of assessment is to gather evidence on student learning and use it to guide how to proceed in the learning process. It should not just be a measurement of where students are. People learn from mistakes, we need to let kids learn from mistakes. Assessments can be used as a tool for students to know where they are and how to improve. When they are not used this way students think that some people are better at guessing the right answer. Others begin to believe that some people are smart while others just aren't. Neither of these views is useful for learning or for life. Some teachers are worried that teaching to the test will inhibit student growth and learning. If we are testing what we teach, and we teach what is important it would be difficult not to 'teach to the test'. Building quality assessment practices that test the important skills and problem-solving techniques nee

Promote Equity Together

What is equity in education? Equity means providing students with what they need to learn and succeed  ( Association of California School Administrators, 2018). The consistent achievement gap between different student groups has called the educational community to action. Every aspect is being analyzed to try to find how to provide students with equity. Instead of giving all districts and schools the same resources, attempts are being made to differentiate resources to support students and provide students at a disadvantage with opportunities that will allow them to catch up to their peers. The state is working on how to appropriately fund schools equitably. They are trying to motivate districts and schools in low-income areas to hire highly qualified teachers to provide the same quality of education as students would receive in higher-income neighborhoods. Teachers are encouraged to differentiate instruction for students in the classroom. The issue of moving past equa

Empathy is Essential

Why don't kids think about anyone but themselves?  It is no wonder when the primary message sent is if you work hard enough, you will succeed. Everyone wants their kids to be successful. We value perseverance, goal-setting, and self-sufficiency. These are all positive character traits that we go out of our way to fit into conversations both in the classroom and at home. However, all of these traits are all about them. We are guiding them to become self-centered by pushing these characteristics and not balancing them with empathetic characteristics.  The Mirriam Webster dictionary defines empathy as " the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another." As we develop self-reliance in our kids, we need to balance it with the ability to be aware of and care about other humans that cross their paths. Dr. Michell Borba posits that empathy "is an effective antidote to bully

Rapid Response

Rapid Response We find ourselves in an unprecedented place in our educational systems. The road has taken a sharp left and we are trying to figure out how to smooth out the ride. How can we lead our organizations when we don't know where we are headed? How do we help the staff navigate this change? When we got the call to close schools down we were not completely unprepared. Teachers had prepped enough educational material for 2-3 weeks. By the next day, Saturday, We realized that it would be more like 4-6 weeks or more. What do leaders do when they don't know where they're headed? They research, go to webinars, and ask the experts. That is what our administrative team did the weekend after the school closed. We found that quality online instruction incorporated an online platform, with a playlist of educational tasks, and virtual interactions between teachers and students (Modern Teacher, 2020). Armed with this information we set up meetings with our staff for

Why Try So Hard?

Why Try So Hard? Teachers around the country and the world are scrambling to support students. They are passionate but not getting the same satisfaction in their work. Emotional batteries are running on empty all across the nation. Teachers are balancing home lives and teaching. Parents are juggling jobs and kids. Kids lack much of the structure that supported their development. The effort that must be put forth to educate students in the current situation is causing some to burn out (England, 2020). The teachers at my site are trying to stay positive and push on but every day they get up to teach they are reminded of the fact that only half of their students are engaging in instruction regularly. Of these only a fraction complete the daily assignments. They are left with questions about how meaningful their efforts are. Why try so hard? We are no longer testing students or giving real grades.  While not all students are engaged in the offered activities, some are. Te

Teacher Support: Mental Models

Link to Podcast Recently a coworker introduced me to a podcast by Steve Barkley. He is an educational consultant to districts and education organizations all over the world. He also has a Professional Development website where educators can get instructional coaching micro-credentials among other PD opportunities. I have enjoyed listening to him and his guests discuss various educational topics related to instructional coaching and leadership. When perusing some of the older podcasts he has produced I came across one that focused on mental models of adult learners. This episode featured Joellen Killion as a guest educator. She applied the mental model theory specifically to leaders in the role of coaching. This idea caused me to reflect on my practice as an instructional coach. I first reflected on: What is my mental model of coaching and has it been effective?  Ms. Killion proposed three different mental models that coaches and teachers tend to gravitate toward. 1