When I first was introduced to the concept of professional learning communities, it just clicked. This is how we should lead our campuses. The focus on student learning through targeted assessments... read more →
Not in an awe-inspiring, mind-blowing, hoping-Disney-buys-the-movie-rights type of way. But she was a life-changing teacher nonetheless. She was my English teacher in 1985, during my 7th-grade year at Richardson North... read more →
In the summer of 2015, I met Dr. Sharon Kramer, Professional Learning Community, continuous school improvement guru and a mentor of mine. She asked the question: What do kids get? I was... read more →
It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving break. As a busy elementary school principal, I spent the previous four days resting, relaxing, and gearing up for the mad dash to winter break.... read more →
Alisal Elementary School is located in Pleasanton, CA and serves an increasingly diverse population. As part of our district mantra that "All Means All", we have delved deeply into data... read more →
One of the factors that makes the PLC at Work model unique is the emphasis on building shared knowledge and building the professional capacity of practitioners. The traditional school model... read more →
Over the last several years, I have had the privilege of working with schools and districts as they develop and use common formative assessments to help assure that all kids... read more →
This blog title represents the response of teachers regarding their achievement of what some believe is a seemingly insurmountable feat—closing the achievement gap. During their recognition at the White House,... read more →
I read Héctor García’s post from April 30 about how planning for small wins at this time in the school year can help inspire and motivate both staff members and students. It... read more →
One of my students was having a very hard time reading at home with a large family and no space to work in peace. After many failed attempts of talking... read more →