As an educational leader, it is likely that you have searched for research to support the development of professional learningexperiences for educators and to inform policy design work. Professional developers will immediately recognize the name Bruce Joyce.  Publications by Drs. Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers, particularly their findings on the effects of peer coaching, are considered to be seminal work in our field (e.g., Student Achievement through Staff Development (Joyce & Showers, 2002). Many preservice educators have designed teacher preparation courses around Models of Teaching. Dr. Joyce and fellow authors, Drs. Marsha Weil and Emily Calhoun recently released the Ninth Edition of Models of Teaching.  It has been my good fortune to include both Bruce Joyce and Emily Calhoun among the colleagues that have shaped my career. Last week, I had the privilege of visiting  Bruce and interviewing him about the Models of Teaching and his current thinking on professional learning. Continue reading “Bruce Joyce Shares Insights about the New Edition of Models of Teaching”

This blog by Deb Hansen, Senior Policy Analyst, West Wind Education Policy, was written for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) State Consortium on Educator Effectiveness (SCEE). This two-part blog series provides information about Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Personnel, a new Hanover Research report, that explores state and national demographic trends that contribute to minority teacher shortages and shares practices and recommendations for recruiting and retaining teachers of color. SCEE leaders who are responsible for maintaining a qualified and diverse workforce will be interested in this review of recent literature and analysis of data that describe the diversity context in K-12 education systems and policy strategies for addressing shortages of minority educators in the United States. Examples of key findings about the minority teacher deficit, as stated in the report are: Continue reading “New Hanover Report: Minority Teacher Deficit Continues To Widen”

I just tweeted my thanks to teachers for this years’ Teacher Appreciation Week. Reflecting on the various blogs, tweets, and articles in the news that comment on the importance of teachers and praised teachers for their professionalism and dedication, I found them to be a bit de rigueur. I agree that teachers are essential to improved student learning. No doubt, there are many dedicated and passionate teachers in the workplace. Teachers should be recognized for their professionalism and the work they do. I suggest that acknowledging the work of teachers should be more explicit and action oriented. Volunteer in a classroom! Help a teacher with the tasks that allow them to spend more time with students. Continue reading “How to Thank a Teacher”

Yesterday during our elementary school’s annual “Chalk the Walk” to thank our teachers, my nine year-old son drew this picture near the school entrance. I must admit I was a little nervous when he started drawing the man with the funny teeth. I know he loves his teachers, but he also loves to be the funny guy. When I reminded him that we were there to say thank you and the pictures should be nice, he smiled up at me and said, “Don’t worry all the time, Mom. I am drawing a nice picture. This is to make my teachers smile, not get mad.” Continue reading “Say Thank You — Or Else”

Congratulations to the 2014 Teacher of the Year, Sean McComb, a teacher at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts in Baltimore. McComb and his fellow State Teachers of the Year were recognized by President Obama yesterday in the East Room of the White House. Check out more Teacher of the Year news to hear about the work of McComb and his colleagues #NTOY14 #CCSSO

What is Edcamp?  Here is the promotional web site’s “definition”: “EdCamp sessions are NOT ‘sit and get’ presentations. EdCamps are about discussion and thinking and problem-solving. We build the agenda first thing in the morning and then spend the rest of the day talking, sharing, and learning. Come prepared to participate!” Continue reading “Edcamp”

This middle school student had a good idea that just kept getting better. A Pittsburgh-area teen had a hypothesis for his science fair project: The school district might save some money by reducing its use of printer ink…by changing the font used to create the handouts teachers distribute in class.

His thorough research and well-documented findings led to an expansion of that novel idea and…to headline news at CNN.com: Teen to Government: Change your typeface, save millions.

To get straight to the point:  I am not an avid or successful Twitter user.  The mere thought of saying something that matters in 140 characters makes me want to hide under my desk.

But recently I have become increasingly aware of the potential for Twitter to support my work.  I often find myself deep in discussions of how to make a policy shift work, when to introduce a certain idea to a group of educators, who to engage as stakeholders in a project, or what  aspect of an initiative to tackle first.  These are all important – in fact, they are the nuts and bolts of my job.  And they are complicated, often layered in details, and sometimes take weeks to unpack. Continue reading “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: That Shouldn’t Be a Question”