Building Community

Posted on February 7, 2023 Written by

In our last post, David Arencibia (one of three finalists for NASSP “Principal of the Year”) talked about the importance of setting high standards and establishing a culture of FUN.

Another finalist, Donna Hayward, addresses an equally important aspect of school culture … building a sense of community and family. In this Smart Brief article , she describes her school’s journey and offers several ideas worth emulating.

One of Hayward’s biggest goals this year has been “supporting teachers who are pretty tired, pretty fried,” and letting them know that self-care is vital and that they’re among friends who can relate. The importance of a sense of community should never be underestimated. In her words, “One step at a time, we’ll get through it together!” She believes that this attitude has been a key component in significantly improving outcomes for the students, teachers, and staff at her school.

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A Culture of Fun!

Posted on January 24, 2023 Written by

David Arencibia, one of three finalists for “Principal of the Year” (National Association of Secondary School Principals) says he and his team focus on setting high standards and establishing a culture of FUN! By focusing on the positive instead of problems, Arencibia says the school’s atmosphere is warm, friendly, and challenging. This creates a highly-engaging environment for students, and that is supported by professional development for teachers.

Arencibia says polarizing topics are less of an issue at his school because “we don’t get into those things … because we’re focused on providing the absolute best for each of our students, and that’s a common goal we can all agree on.” 

This article in Smart Brief provides additional details about Arencibia’s unique approach and the process involved in developing “a routine of excellence.”

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COVID Learning Loss? It’s complicated!

Posted on January 10, 2023 Written by

Research into students’ remote learning loss during the pandemic is yielding some surprising results. Studies are showing that losses varied widely — and many districts that went back in person had bigger losses than districts that stayed remote!

This pattern is inconsistent enough that it appears that school closures were not the primary driver of achievement drops. Many other factors may have played a bigger role.

A recent article in Chalkbeat explores the findings of one such study from Harvard. Understanding this and similar studies may prove helpful as your school seeks to offset learning loss. After all, it’s hard to create an effective plan if you don’t have all the facts!

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Retaining Teachers

Posted on December 27, 2022 Written by

Teacher shortages are increasingly a vital concern. Not only are fewer teachers entering the profession, but the number of veteran teachers calling it quits continues to rise each year.*

In addition to other stresses, low pay can be a significant issue in teacher retention. Yet increasing salaries can be nearly impossible in states where money for education is limited, and where new tax cuts reduce funds even further. In this environment, it can be a struggle to meet the basic needs of schools, let alone raise teacher salaries.

But one Nevada educator offers three creative strategies for compensating teachers. While these ideas may not work for everyone, they’re worth exploring … and may even generate additional ideas for ways to add to teacher pay.

Although we know that excellent teachers “teach for the outcome, not for the income,” the realities of today’s economy and the added challenges teachers are facing due to a changing social climate make that ideal harder and harder. As administrators, we need to explore every possible avenue available so that we can keep our veteran teachers teaching.

*https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/18/23298916/teacher-shortages-debate-local-national

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