Survival Tips

Posted on April 14, 2020 Written by

According to the Learning Policy Institute (2019), the public school principal turnover rate over the past few years has risen to 18 percent … 21 percent in high-poverty schools!

In this pressure cooker that school administration has become, it’s a good idea to step back for a moment and examine your priorities. Or as my old mentor used to say, “Never let the URGENT crowd out the IMPORTANT!”

Here are some brief tips and strategies from experienced principals across the country that should provide relief and help you make your job more focused and productive. Note: These were compiled by ASCD from comments shared on Twitter.

Reference: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/NASSP_LPI_Principal_Turnover_Research_Review_REPORT.pdf

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On a Positive Note

Posted on March 31, 2020 Written by

While the role of the principal has often been compared to “drinking from a fire hose,” the authors of this article argue that with the right tools, principals can gently and consistently nourish a learning climate that enables innovation, collaboration, and growth. They offer five specific ideas that can help principals transform their schools and positively impact their students’ academic trajectory.

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State Testing vs. COVID-19

Posted on March 20, 2020 Written by

Pressure is growing on U.S. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, to grant a nationwide waiver for state standardized testing required under ESSA. Since these tests are extremely “high-stakes” in many states (impacting everything from grade advancement to graduation to funding), many educators are deeply concerned about the huge negative impact that this requirement might have on their students this year. This article is an update on the current situation and what may lie ahead.

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Fake News!

Posted on March 17, 2020 Written by

Recently released PISA scores reveal that only 14 percent of U.S. students are able to reliably distinguish between fact and opinion. This inability to discern the difference between factual information and bias can make our students easy targets for unscrupulous manipulation.

In this commentary, Chris Link of the Global STEM Alliance at the New York Academy of Sciences shares strategies to help teachers improve students’ ability to identify online information that is either biased or patently false. It includes resources from Common Sense Media to help teach digital citizenship.

This is a “must read” for all serious educators!

For additional resources on this topic, see “Logical Fallacies” under the Resources/Instruction tab.

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