School discipline has been at the forefront of ed-reform for years. The debate around just how much discipline is too much discipline has dominated the conversation for at least the last decade. The Department of Education’s new school safety report is going to add some fuel to that fire. A federal commission led by Betsy…
Winter Break is upon us. For most teachers around the country, winter break is a time to kick back and relax. While relaxing is an essential part of any break, there are some other activities teachers should consider doing that will make the return in January much easier… and some activities they should avoid. Do:…
Making a Christmas list is a dreaded task for me. My dad asked me to submit my Christmas list (yes, my dad still asks his daughters, who are all grown, for a list), and it took me three weeks to turn it in. When it comes to education, that’s a different story. I know exactly…
Christmas is right around the corner. Santa is making his list and checking it twice. Hopefully, he can make a stop at a few metro Indianapolis schools. If he does, I know exactly what I want: A better accountability system for measuring school outcomes I am tired of the alphabet soup ranking system for schools….
It has been about twenty-five years since I created a Christmas wish list I would send to Santa Clause the day after Thanksgiving. I wrote all the items I wanted to receive for Christmas. I remember how excited I was to make my wish list, put it in an envelope, and send to his address…
December 15 was the grand opening of the Michigan Road Branch library. Of course, my boys and I were there. We are avid readers, and we were excited this library would be the closest library to our home. Last year and this year, I have written about different options for families during winter break. The…
Student loan debt is a burden for anyone, but this is especially true for those who used student loans to pay for fraudulent institutions. If you are a member of the latter group, then you may be in for some relief. People who took out loans to attend some for-profit schools shut down by the…
I have a scholar, who by many accounts, is a handful. We have a structured school where we create systems for every component of our school day. There is a particular way that our scholars walk down the hallway, enter the class, and exit the class. There is a specific way they sit at their…
Yesterday, my fellow Indy K12 writer David McGuire Wrote, “Teacher Attendance Matters.” As a school principal, I know he is under pressure to ensure his students receive the best education. The heart of his piece was to emphasize how teacher absences can bring challenges to schools including student achievement. Teaching is one of the professions…
We talk so much about the importance of students attending school daily. We harp on the fact that when children attend school on a regular basis, they can be successful. The likelihood of students having high academic achievement is tied to their overall daily school attendance. It is true there is plenty of research out…