No One Wants a Robot for a Teacher. We Have to Be Real With Our Students.

Yesterday, I was talking to a group of incoming teachers. During our conversations, I heard a piece of advice given that I hadn’t heard since…

You Can’t Just Trust Your Instincts, You Actually Have to Go Ask the Parents What They Think

“In God we trust. All other bring data.” —W. Edward Demming   Right now, our school, Nashville Classical Charter School, is planning to open a…

Teacher-Powered Schools Use the Power of Motivation to Their Advantage

Everyone should view Dan Pink’s TED talk on The Puzzle of Motivation. More than once. He provides great examples of how people think and work.…

Coffee Break: Denver’s Mary Seawell on How to Wrangle a School Board and What Bloomberg Does in a Slacker Coffeehouse

There has been no education leader more critical to the progress and stability of the Denver Public Schools (DPS) than Mary Seawell. She was a…

Coffee Break: Ken Wagner on Improving Rhode Island’s Schools and the Perfect Glass of Milk

Despite its tiny size, my home state of Rhode Island is no stranger to big challenges when it comes to its schools. And our new…