The Source

A seminal book for me around school turnaround is So Much Reform, So Little Change by Charles Payne. Payne describes traditionally low-performing schools as places “where there is a general feeling of instability—personnel come and go, students come and go, programs come and go – all of it presided over... Read the full article >

This is not an easy task, but it is one we pursue earnestly. With today’s growing challenges throughout our community, we know our students are not entering school kindergarten-ready. A student's socioeconomic status should not inhibit his or her education. While we are fully aware that the stress of a... Read the full article >

Years after leaving that school, I still feel pangs of distress in my stomach as I think about walking into the building. The toxic energy was palpable. No smiles were exchanged in the hallways. The teachers’ lounge became a dumping ground of complaints, tears, and stress over the latest round... Read the full article >

To travel widely in good schools is to meet many talented, dedicated leaders who are in over their heads.  Not in terms of their skills but of their goals.  They are adept at running their institutions but swamped by their commitments.  They’ve embraced complex changes and lofty challenges that are... Read the full article >

Transformational schools and transformational leadership are terms easily and readily applied to educational institutions and leaders who are perceived, but not often verified, to have experienced or facilitated positive changes. An improved school climate, increased student achievement, more involved stakeholders, more rigorous instruction, and/or fluid and transparent communications are expected... Read the full article >

In order to start to adequately understand a phenomenon and affect a phenomenon, the development of a theoretical framework is necessary.  E.P. Thompson wrote; “Reality is too complex to fully capture in abstractions.  Every study selects particular aspects of the world to emphasize, necessarily leaving the rest in a shadowy... Read the full article >

Seemingly everything about our schools is changing as America shifts from a national, analog, industrial economy to a global, digital, information economy–demographics, technology, curriculum, standards and testing. The skills and knowledge students need, as they compete for jobs with peers from around the world, have risen to the highest levels... Read the full article >

With No Child Left Behind (NCLB) off the table for at least 32 states in the U.S., accountability measures will be left to states and local school systems. NCLB has been clear about closing achievement gaps between groups of students considered at risk. To ensure that there is an ongoing... Read the full article >

For some time now, school leaders have come under fire to demonstrate greater accountability for the learning of all students. While there are pockets of educational excellence that exist, the preponderance of public schools are considered underperforming and that is unacceptable. Who is accountable for student learning? The Meaning of... Read the full article >

Transforming Education: Delivering on our Promise to Every Child The Council of Chief State School Officers It is imperative that we transform the national education agenda so that each and every child may succeed. This paper identifies four areas of focus that will lead the systems change necessary for a... Read the full article >