“Culture isn’t the most important thing. Culture is the only thing.”—Jim Senigal, CEO Costco (retired) Recently, a colleague of mine could not stop talking about CNBC’s production of The Costco Craze. I recorded it and watched it last night, and, I too, cannot stop talking about it. Why? While the report is about retail giant [...]
Once a superior faculty is acquired the best strategy would be to follow the “Annie Hall” director’s advice—let talented people create stellar results.
Technology and diets have one thing in common. Neither works unless you work them, and, when it comes to school technology, for the most part, we educators are more like dabblers than implementers. In a recent New York Times article, Matt Richtel put it bluntly. “Schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut [...]
by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader In an effort to close their minority achievement gap, Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools (MCPS) like many other school systems has turned to Disneyland for educational advice. According to an article in the Washington Post: ”In their ongoing quest to eliminate academic achievement gaps, Montgomery County educators are seeking [...]
A while back, I was having a conversation with a member of our school community lamenting the fact that no one every bothered to check to see if the school programs in place were actually working for our neediest students. She looked at me quizzically and replied, "Mel, you don’t get it. This is the [...]
"No one is arguing we shouldn’t use technology in education anymore. The question is how."–Chris Lehmann, ISTE 2011 Education Week reports that data released by Project Tomorrow, the Software and Information Industry Association, and technology company CDW-G reveals a "perception gap" or "disconnect" between educators and students and between school-based staff and district staff. Better [...]
Are we in the midst of a “major shift in educator’s opinion regarding technology as an education tool?” Classroom Use Increases According to a new survey of 294,399 K-12 students, 42,267 parents, 35,525 teachers, 2,125 librarians, 3,578 school or district administrators, and 1,391 technology leaders, “the number of educators incorporating technology such as podcasts and [...]
by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell is the latest political leader to create a framework for funding merit pay for teachers. In this plan the state would allot $3 million to selected schools throughout the Commonwealth. The goal is to populate underachieving schools with outstanding educators. However, despite the expectation [...]
"As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." James Allen Here is the ultimate essential question posed in a New York Times article titled When Math Makes Sense (To Everyone): To what degree are our beliefs about children’s abilities determined by the results of our current education system? The article was a follow-up [...]
by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader The teacher’s lament was plaintive. He had just been informed that the principal wanted to meet with him about an undisclosed topic. “I know exactly what he wants to talk about. It’s my grades—too many “F”s. I am working harder than I ever have. I have created a dozen [...]
RT @chendrie:Richard Ingersoll #ewa12 US teaching force is changing dramatically: ballooning numbers, more rookies, more females, more exitsRT @chendrie: Deborah Ball: It's time for America to stop talking about the teachers as people & start respecting teaching #ewa12 #edchat
