Social emotional learning (SEL) has come under fire in some U.S. districts when, ironically, it appears to be needed most Christine Ravesi-Weinstein, an assistant principal in Massachusetts, is worried about her students. “2022 was without a doubt the most trying return to school we’ve ever experienced,” she said at a recent K12Leaders online event. “The…
Every year I embark on this tradition of trying to be “bold” in my predictions of what the twelve months ahead will entail. Some years I hit the mark, such as in 2015 when I predicted that the state of Texas would end its testing contract with Pearson. Or like in 2019 when I said…
Wow. That year flew by! Like many of you, we have been teetering in and out of pandemic stress in the Hooker household. We kept our youngest kids out of school until they were vaccinated making it the longest Spring Break ever. I started going back out to conferences, but I’m already seeing some cancel this spring….
Nationwide, it is called The Great Resignation. Sadly, our education community is not immune. Whether lured away by early retirement, opting for a career change, or as a result of waving the white flag, we are losing valuable employees and the K12 industry is struggling to fill empty positions left open by these professionals in…
I, Matthew X. Joseph, have worked in public education since graduating from Springfield College in 1993. For the past 17 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to be a school and building leader. One thing all schools have in common (besides the need to stay away from the break room around the holidays if you are…
These recent two school years have brought many of us to the realization that reaching ALL students is challenging, but more critical than ever. We use strategies to individualize instruction and make student thinking visible. Believe me, typing that sentence is far easier than putting it into practice. To that end, I like MindTools.com. It…
Just days after a student was harassed by an adult for openly identifying as gay during a school board meeting in Massachusetts, the MASCD (Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) had an organized response to the incident. Gathering dozens of educators and advocates from across the Commonwealth into a webinar to discuss and work-through how…
There are many different characteristics and traits of a good leader, including learning how to recognize missteps. The role of the school administrator is evolving from a building manager into an instructional leader. This shift is not easy, and all leaders strive to be the best they can be. Being a school leader isn’t easy…
Over this past month I’ve had conversations with districts from coast-to-coast that are at a breaking point. District leaders are taking previously unheard-of steps to try to head off… no, it’s too late for that… to catch up to the stress that’s crushing the spirits of educators. The stresses that set upon our educational system…
As I entered high school, I felt confident about the transition and fitting in with my classmates. After a successful three years in middle school, I fearlessly entered high school in 1984, making friends and becoming somewhat popular. PHS (Pittsfield High School), here comes X-Man. I felt I knew something about everything. That sounds about…
