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3 Things High School Students Should Know about College

As the stakes rise regarding the necessity of a high school diploma for lifelong success, so do the standards to earn one. High school students and graduates today must know more than the generations that came before them, both in academic and real-world applications. College, which was once considered an option for some students, is now viewed as a necessity. All of the lesson planning from Kindergarten forward funnels student information into the end goal of high school and college graduation. While rigorous academics can certainly prepare students for college, which is just one facet of what I believe they …

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The Impact of Educational Entrepreneurship on Traditional Public Education

What if there were total free markets in education in the United States, and traditional public education systems as we know them today did not exist? Education would be a product for sale, just like any other product on the U.S. market. The idea may be mindboggling, but many education entrepreneurs would likely see an opportunity that fits with their vision of how education systems ought to work. With such an opportunity unavailable, they must be content to effect change in education by working within the current system. Education entrepreneurs are driven by the belief that public education organizations are …

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Important Concepts of Instructional Leadership

In instructional leadership, the principal’s role is deeply involved with setting the school’s direction. The “mission” dimension focuses on the principal’s role in cooperating with staff, ensuring the school continuously runs on clear, measurable, and time-based goals that result is the academic progress of students. Principals are responsible for communicating goals, which should be widely known and supported throughout the school. The process of goal development is not considered; its importance is less critical than meeting performance outcomes. This is a weakness in the model. The research simply accepts that goals should be set by the principal, in collaboration with …

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My Vision for the Future of Classroom Management

Historically, classroom management has been one of the greatest challenges that every teacher must overcome on a day-to-day basis. Each educator acquires his/her own unique set of strategies for handling common problems like interruptions, bullying, and the management of effective group work. As with every other area of education and life in general, technology is rapidly altering the way we do classroom management. New challenges and new solutions will shape the classroom of the future. Here’s how the future looks for these common classroom management issues. Collaboration and Group Work No matter how much time and thought goes into creating …

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My Vision for the Future of Personalized Learning in Schools

Personalized learning consists of customized learning paths. These paths adapt to the learner as each student accesses the curriculum and moves forward. Students set the pace and take responsibility for the learning process. In theory. Creating a bespoke learning opportunity involves more than setting up a student login and password in a digital curriculum program, but it can produce outstanding results when done well. Digital learning strategies can fill learning gaps, provide reinforcement or allow for enrichment while the teacher works with other students, but personalized learning must provide the right strategy at the right time for pupils. So there …

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10 Essential Skills for the Education Leader of Tomorrow

What will the schools of tomorrow be like? No one can say for certain. But one thing we do know: schools are under pressure to keep up with the ceaselessly rapidfire changes occurring in our culture. It is difficult to prepare students for the future when we have no way of knowing exactly what that future will be like. In this context, educational leaders need a unique skill set to make sure that students get what they need. The prevalence of technology inside and outside the classroom, as well as the increased accountability for student achievement, have drastically changed the …

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What is the Importance of a Personal Learning Network?

As discussed in a previous post, a personal learning network (PLN) is a customized social media platform for educators. But instead of sharing pictures, status updates, and liking each other’s filtered profile pictures, educators can learn from people and resources around the globe to improve their teaching methods, stay up-to-date on the latest edtech trends, and receive endless outside support. Today we’re listing a few key reasons why you should invest in a personal learning network, for the good of yourself and the students you’re responsible for. So, why PLNs? Control Everything No one knows which areas you struggle with …

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Four Keys to Successfully Adopting New Instructional Materials

Leading change can be quite a challenge, especially when you’re asking teachers to let go of materials and techniques they have used for most of their careers. Here’s how we approached this successfully in our district. By Cristina Charney and Janeal Maxfield As math instructional specialists for the North Thurston Public Schools in Washington State, we were tasked with helping elementary teachers adopt a new math program for teaching to the Common Core standards several years ago. Initially, we thought this would be easy. Our district had chosen Stepping Stones from ORIGO Education to be our new program for core …

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How to Help Low-Income Students Succeed

By Matthew Lynch Students from low-income homes hit the K-12 scene at a disadvantage. Materially, they often do not have the means for the resources they need for basic classroom functions. In non-tangible ways, they often do not have the same academic support as middle- or high-income peers and know less when they arrive in Kindergarten.When parents are unable to provide for their children, that responsibility then falls on the schools and the community. Ensuring that students from low income households succeed in K-12 classrooms is multi-faceted and must include: Physiological considerations. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, students need …

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The 2 Basics of Strategic Leadership

Strategy involves decision-making aimed at shaping the direction of an organization. In a school, creating strategy takes time, three to five years and beyond. Strategy also includes considering broader core issues and themes for development in the school, instead of day-to-day issues.