What does it take to cause all children to achieve grade level reading proficiency? “Whatever it takes” is the correct and only answer. The problem is that public education has not done a satisfactory job of causing all children to … Continue reading
Close Achievement Gaps Before They Gape
The Key To “What If” Is “Whatever It Takes”
What if? We all ponder our “what ifs”, those long shot wishes that it would be great to realize, yet we know that long shots are more wish than possibility. Half of pondering is considering “what it would take” to … Continue reading
Stop Being Too Little and Too Late
“Closing the barn door after the horse has bolted,” was a favorite idiom of years gone by to tell someone that they are making a large to do after the fact. Some might have added “Too little, too late!” Each … Continue reading
Mandates to Close Achievement Gaps May Show Gap in Reasoning
It’s like a math story problem that plagues every sixth grader. “If Student A’s achievement at the end of third grade is more than a full school year ahead of Student B’s achievement and Student B’s learning is expanding by … Continue reading
Teach Children What “Done” Means
After 30 minutes of practice at her piano my granddaughter asks, “Can I be done?” After ten minutes with a reading assignment I hear the same question, “Can I be done?” Later, when she is completing her math homework I … Continue reading
The Era of Struggling Productively
Children forever hear slogans and sayings about the virtue of hard work and perseverance. These are just three. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” Babe Ruth “The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, … Continue reading
School Success Requires Planning for A Bipolar Spring
Two quotes should be taped to the front entrance of every school house on the first school day in March. “It ain’t over til it’s over.” (Yogi Berra) “Somewhere there’s a score being kept …” (Bill Murray) This and the … Continue reading
Accountability Using Visual Contracting With Sub-Groups
Educational accountability places a premium on a teacher’s ability to close achievement gaps. For a myriad of reasons, the academic achievement data of children in your class are scattered on the score sheet. An effective teacher will take this scattergram … Continue reading
School Quality: High Outcomes and High Confidence
“How good is your local school?” There was a time when that question would cause the person you asked to break out with a rendition of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” and tell you that their school … Continue reading
Reading Proficiency Is A Must, Not A Matter of Priorities And Choices
Priorities and choices. Many things in life involve assessing priorities and making choices. On a personal level, most choices involve one person or small groups of people. The scope of options and the effect of choices are limited. On a … Continue reading