Wednesday, March 26, 2014

3-26-14 The Whole Child Blog — Don't Settle for the Okey-Doke in a Third Narrative of American Education — Whole Child Education

Don't Settle for the Okey-Doke in a Third Narrative of American Education — Whole Child Education:









Whole Child Symposium

Don’t Settle for the Okey-Doke in a Third Narrative of American Education

An independent school leader and public school parent, Chris Thinnes (@CurtisCFEE) is the head of the Upper Elementary School and academic dean at the Curtis School in Los Angeles, Calif., and founding director of its Center for the Future of Elementary Education. He is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools' advisory council on diversity, a member of the EdCamp Foundation's public relations committee, and a fellow of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence.
Originally shared on his blog, these are Thinnes' remarks from the Whole Child Symposium Town Hall at the 2014 ASCD Annual Conference, inspiration from the Network for Public Education Conference, and reflections on an EdLeader21 PLC Advisory Group meeting.
"Sisters and brothers: Don't settle for the 'okey-doke'..."
Karen Lewis
"We don't support the status quo..."
John Kuhn
I just returned to Los Angeles after the honor of participating in one of the great conversations about the future of education, sitting around a table of district leaders engaged in writing what some have called a "third narrative" of public education in the United States. For days we collaborated in an effort to generate a theory of action, and made concrete commitments to a series of initiatives, that will have an impact on the experience of 2 million children in EdLeader21 member schools and districts in the coming years.
When people talk about school- and district-wide visions of authentic student-centered learning; about 
March Madness: What Teachers Can Learn From Great Coaches
The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is underway and millions of people are tuned in to root for their favorite team or more likely, to earn bragging rights via the office betting pool. No matter the reason, the fate of these fans' success rests in the success of the teams they are rooting for. Conventional wisdom would tell us that the secret to a winning basketball team is simple; they have the
3-25-14 The Whole Child Blog — ED Pulse Poll Results: What Are You Doing to Develop Tech Skills Needed for Common Core Assessments? — Whole Child Education
ED Pulse Poll Results: What Are You Doing to Develop Tech Skills Needed for Common Core Assessments? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGED Pulse Poll Results: What Are You Doing to Develop Tech Skills Needed for Common Core Assessments?March 25, 2014 by Kit Harris, ASCD ResearchASCD continually seeks to provide solutions to the challenges that face educators of all levels. A recentASCD S