Thursday, January 24, 2013

UPDATE: Tips from the Trenches: Administration — Whole Child Education

Tips from the Trenches: Administration — Whole Child Education:


Stephen Sroka

Tips from the Trenches: Administration

During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insight, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share sometake-away messages, so that, if they were speaking, what would they want their audience to remember? Read the other installments in the series: school safety and student services.
Leadership is essential to effective education. Here are some "Tips from the Trenches" from the school leaders and leaders of national education organizations themselves.
Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone and recent speaker at the National School Boards Association's annual conference in Boston:
  • "The cost of education is cheaper than the cost of incarceration. We must invest more with kids who 

Tips from the Trenches: Student Services

During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insight, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share some take-away messages, so that, if they were speaking, what would they want their audience to remember? Read the other installments in the series: school safety and administration.
Students are more than grade-point averages. Often they are faced with many barriers to effective education. Dealing with the whole child, and not just the academic child, can help facilitate learning. Safe and healthy students learn more. Here are some "Tips from the Trenches" about the value of supporting students.

Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor, codirectors of whole child partner Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA:
  • "School improvement policy and practice continues to give short shrift to addressing barriers to learning 

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety

During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insights, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share some take-away messages, things that if they were speaking, they would want their audience to remember. Read the other installments in the series: student services and administration.
School safety was a front page story following the tragic shooting deaths of 28 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Students need a safe school to learn. Most of these "Tips from the Trenches" regarding school safety were written before the Connecticut shootings.

Joseph Bergant II, superintendent of Chardon Schools in Ohio, where, in February 2012, a 17-year-old student


What Is Missing in the Common Core Standards?

Life in the 21st century is evolving at a rapid and challenging pace, creating a renewed focus on the lack of fit between what education is and what it needs to be. In the United States, the most recent call for education reform is the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, which highlight the importance of curriculum alignment and integration, a respect for multiple perspectives, and the provision of a well-rounded education that prepares students for college and career readiness.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) recognizes many areas of convergence between its aims to develop



ASCD's Molly McCloskey wonders when "someday" will happen for the millions of kids promised a "free and appropriate public education" and what we are doing today to make it happen.