Content Category: Lead Literacy
Results
AI in Teacher Prep
A just machine to make big decisions Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision We'll be clean when their work is done We'll be eternally free yes and eternally young...
Meet Stevie, Our Imaginary AI Friend
Imaginary friends are one of the weirder forms of pretend play in childhood. But the research shows that imaginary friends actually help children understand the other people around them and...
Quiet Coaching
For the last couple of months, I have been meeting periodically with a friend. He is going through a job change: transitioning to a career in land management. When he...
Misreading Body Language
While facilitating a conversation with school administrators about next steps with their district’s professional learning plan, I kept catching one of the school leaders smiling as we talked. This smile...
Make and Take…With a Twist: Incorporating Research and Play with Preparing Materials
“Check this out!” my son excitedly shared with me after school one day. “My friend taught me how to shoot a basketball today during recess.” He proceeded to jump off...
Ways to Make Positive Momentum Happen in Sticky Situations
A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. —Lao Tzu A newly formed...
Connecting the Dots
Standing in the entrance of the baseball dugout, I watched the young T-ball players chasing each other around in circles while simultaneously jumping on and off the team bench. Volunteering...
You’re Not There—Yet!
We have to cultivate a culture in which brave work, tough conversations, and whole hearts are the expectation. —Brene Brown You’re not there… yet! We throw this term around with...
Visual Data for Literacy
It was two weeks before our winter data review, and my grade-level PLCs were beginning to prepare for these meetings with a new set of data. Given that our teaching...
How to Manage Our Frustrations in Difficult Times
A staff member stopped into my office with a worried look on her face. "I'm not sure you're going to want to hear this, and you don't need to do...
Coaching Up: How Teachers Can Support School Leaders ’ Capacity for Positively Influencing School-wide Instruction
“The importance of school principals may not have been stated strongly enough in prior work, particularly from the perspective of state and district leaders and policymakers seeking to move the...
Coaching from Teachers’ Strengths
As a principal for the last 16 years, I have had many opportunities to sit in classrooms to learn with teachers and students. One question I ask myself when observing...
PL…See? Lightening Up PLCs to Increase Engagement
When you mention an upcoming PLC meeting to your staff, what reaction do you receive? Is it eye-rolling, a slight sigh, or an aggressive grunt? If you are met with...
Balancing Ambition with Humility
It’s hard to imagine an instructional leader or a coach who isn’t passionate about change. We like to call them agents of change. What these agents are aware of is...
Developing an Ambitious Vision with Humility
Agents of change and leaders with high levels of ambition know that ambition is the driving force behind progress and innovation. Ambitious leaders set high-reaching goals, dream big, and work...
Bridging the Gap (Session 1): The Sold a Story Peel
Finally, it was Christmas break. My son was graduating from high school in just a few months, and this was my chance to have a good chunk of time to...
Empowering Teachers and Building Relationships
My first days as a traveling coach were filled with excitement. What a new adventure this would be, moving between the five buildings in the district. I was really looking...
How to Hire a Great Teacher
In my most recent book, I guide school leaders to better support teaching and learning. It serves as a pathway away from traditional supervision and evaluation practices. The goal is...
Making PLCs Public
One of my favorite aspects of instructional coaching is the aerial view of learning in the school. I get the opportunity, in one walk-through of the school, to see a...
Building Teacher Confidence, Building Leaders: The Power of Observation
Believe you can and you’re halfway there. —Theodore Roosevelt Confidence is a necessary part of our profession. Let’s face it: When we are in front of multiple groups of dynamic...
Navigating the Science of Reading: How to Hold a Professional Conversation About Teaching Readers
A popular and contentious topic in education is the science of reading. It’s hard to miss the stress-inducing debates about the best way to teach readers. It is healthy to...
