Teachers and school leaders have been through the wringer during the pandemic. First they were praised for spinning up remote learning in mere days. Then, they were ostracized for not making the remote experience as good as the in-person one. After that, it was COVID protocols, CRT, and fights about what books our kids should…
This week our Governor and Commissioner of Education had a press conference about ending the mask mandate in schools. It was all anyone could talk about. However, what was not being discussed was how educators would talk to their students about what happens IF schools have the option for mask wearing. How will we approach…
One of the problems with data, and K12’s reliance on it, is that data ages. And ages quickly. But public education, especially, in its quest for accountability has established itself around officially reported data that states require from school districts periodically through the year. The complexities of collecting, auditing, reporting, and responding to district-reported data…
As I got out of my Lyft at the Orlando airport Friday, I realized I was saying goodbye to some great new connections I made. This year’s FETC made a considerable impact on me. My next challenge will be to take the connections and learning to enhance education in my district and grow as a…
TELL ME what your grading practices say. TELL ME what they say to the student who gets up at 4 am and rides a bus for close to two hours to get to a goo犀利士5mg d school. TELL ME what they say to the student who works a Job when they are not in school…
Human resources, I’ve come to learn over my career, is as much about risk management as any OSHA policy, equipment maintenance, or investment strategy. A company may choose not to perform maintenance on its conveyor belt to save cash for a year or two, but the risk of that critical component failing and causing major…
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…
