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Getting Organized

Getting Organized

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Nuances of Norms (Part 2)

Ruth Ayres tackles the common resistance to norms. When norms seem to suck the energy out of the room, don’t make the mistake of thinking you need a new list of norms. Try one of these ideas to use norms to energize your team.

Shaping the School Culture to Encourage Professional Growth

Matt Renwick offers three suggestions for school leaders who want to shape school culture to encourage professional growth.

Are Norms the Problem? Part 1

Ruth Ayres shares the details of developing and using norms in intentional and meaningful ways. This is the first of three installments in a series about norms.

Making a Case for Leadership Coaching

Matt Renwick outlines a four-step process to engage in leadership coaching.

Not-to-Do-List

Julie Cox shares a poignant twist for making a list to set the new school year in motion—a not-to-do list!

Principals Are People, Too!

Instructional coach Mary Brower reminds us of the importance of maintaining the humanity of the administrators we work alongside. Her mantra—principals are people, too—guides us in building strong relationships.

Beyond the Books: A Tale of Empowerment, Influence, and Agency from the School Library

Matt Renwick shares about a project in the school library that builds students’ empowerment, influence, and agency. Matt gives resources and advice for you to try this in your school, too.

Five Questions to Ask When Reviewing Literacy Curriculum

Matt Renwick uses five questions to lead a team through reviewing a literacy curriculum resource. Download the checklist to use during your own review process.

AI in Teacher Prep

Suzy Kaback guides us in learning to use ChatGPT as a thought partner. She offers a compelling rationale, clear step-by-step directions, and resources to build a deeper understand of using AI to prepare for instruction. This is the second installment in a series about using AI with teacher candidates.

You’re Not There—Yet!

Mary Brower considers ways to support risk-taking in classrooms. She shares a simple process for reflective practice that helps fuel professional growth.

Visual Data for Literacy

When data was flying and difficult to corral, David Pittman sought to create a tool for teachers to use that would encompass all pieces of data as well as align with shifts in instruction. David shares the process of developing a useful tool that honors student learning and provides clarity for next steps for growth.

Coaching Up: How Teachers Can Support School Leaders ’ Capacity for Positively Influencing School-wide Instruction

Matt Renwick encourages school leaders to be brave and engage a teacher as a thought partner. This helps leaders construct a better understanding of school-wide instruction.

Coaching from Teachers’ Strengths

When observing literacy instruction, Matt Renwick asks the question “Who is being served and who is not?” This allows an entry point into a conversation based on teacher strengths while simultaneously being aware of equitable practices.

Balancing Ambition with Humility

Brian Sepe defines a leader as someone who balances ambition and humility. Although ambition and humility may seem like opposing forces, the most effective leaders are those who skillfully blend these two traits.

Developing an Ambitious Vision with Humility

Brian Sepe guides leaders in determining how to strike a balance between ambition and humility to achieve objectives and to influence and inspire the people they lead.

Empowering Teachers and Building Relationships

As a traveling coach, Mary Brower was overwhelmed by the amount of things she was. One day when the load felt too big, she heard joy spilling out of a classroom. Stopping to look into the classroom led to a powerful connection with a teacher…and a realization about what a coach really needs to carry.

How to Hire a Great Teacher

Matt Renwick encourages leaders to leverage the power of aligned hiring procedures for recruiting, interviewing, and selecting great teachers.

Making PLCs Public

David Pittman offers several ways to make the work of PLCs visible to everyone. The more open we are with our growth, the more connections we make, the stronger every educator becomes.

Building Teacher Confidence, Building Leaders: The Power of Observation

Paula Fiscus questions how to uplift more teacher leaders, and decides peer observations may be the catalyst to teachers believing they can grow and lead. Paula offers procedures, forms, and the encouragement needed to set peer observations in motion in your school

A Richer Picture: Assessing Our Students as Readers (And Not Just in Reading)

Matt Renwick shares a powerful story of a student growing leaps and bounds as a reader. He insists that we must always look beyond isolated data points, and gives several resources to richly assess students as readers.

Connect with a Larger Community!

We live in a world where connecting seems easy with social media, and at the same time it can feel impossible and overwhelming. Mandy Robek offers nine ways to begin connecting with a larger community.

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