Co-principals Shy-Quon Ely II and Brooke Beavers recently took over Elder W. Diggs School 42, a struggling campus that Indianapolis Public Schools restarted as an innovation school. Beavers and Ely, who previously co-led a local charter school, will focus on improving test scores and preventing state intervention. The duo has hired nearly all new teachers […]
Today’s schools often have no lead indicators other than state tests to answer, “How are we doing?” There’s another way. “School brand defines each school’s values, culture and personality” says Enrique Parada, cofounder of Project 77, a teacher sharing and engagement platform. “Data informs school staff about how a school can powerfully brand itself.” In […]
When Tiffany Anderson took over as superintendent of Jennings School District near St. Louis in 2012, she faced high poverty and low academic achievement. As part of the turnaround effort, she focused on building supports for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, particularly those in foster care who struggle with social-emotional trauma and frequent changes in […]
Districts are cultivating college and career readiness programs by allocating more resources to guide students, by building new partnerships and by focusing efforts beyond high school. Tennessee recently expanded and rebranded its statewide career and college readiness initiative as Tennessee Pathways, which now focuses on K8 in addition to high school. Part of that effort […]
Effective professional development helps educators better address the rapidly evolving needs of students. But with limited budgets and teacher time, how can PD be served up effectively, and integrated and tracked? Education leaders share their best practices for ensuring that professional learning time is well-spent, focused, shared and rewarded. 1. Offer various formats. Just as […]
Evergreen Public Schools hosted its first Game Design Expo in Vancouver, Washington, showcasing more than 50 video games and interactive apps developed by nearly 70 high school students. Throughout a semester-long design class, students created mini-games to learn the cause-and-effect logic behind programming. Producing a story, game or interactive app for the expo motivated the […]
This spring, schools have experienced a profound increase in student suicides and attempts, as well as school shootings. Recognize that as bad as things have been this spring, things are likely to be worse next fall. Contention over race, origin, LGBTQ, and sexual assault/harassment will increase, along with contention over gun control in the context […]
How do you go from a career in telecoms and airport security to chief innovation officer for one of the largest school districts in Washington state? According to Derrick Brown, the man who’s done it: Be a lifelong learner. “For anyone in technology, or anyone really, who thrives and doesn’t like to be complacent, you […]
We know from personal experience as principals and superintendents, and from research, that it takes a dynamic leader with a particular set of skills and knowledge to turn around a school or school system. Sadly, there are thousands of schools across the country that are chronically low-performing, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Layer […]
A K8 school district in Southern California was focusing efforts on increasing the proficiency of its English language learners, a population that makes up 32 percent of its students. It also sought to reclassify as many ELLs as possible before middle school—a time when the defeatist mindset usually sets in. Bakersfield City School District’s goal […]
