Grade Inflation by Intimidation
by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader The teacher’s lament was plaintive. He had just been informed that the principal wanted to meet with him about an undisclosed topic. “I know exactly what he wants...
View ArticlePLN: Your Customized Learning Plan
Create your own Personal Learning Network (PLN) by tapping into the collective intelligence of hundreds or even thousands of your fellow educators through Twitter and other technologies. Find out how...
View ArticlePoverty: There is a big difference between a reason and an excuse!
A recent article titled Christmas Miracle 2011: Poverty Matters! caught my attention. Having worked in several high-poverty schools I am, on the one hand, discouraged by the current fad du jour of...
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Learning: Bought or Sold?
Scenario: A school leader receives an email from a parent “When my son goes to the teacher for extra help, the teacher states, “you should have already learned that.” Or, “I don’t know why you haven’t...
View ArticleThe Wrong Message
When the compulsory age for attendance is lower than 18, it sends the wrong message to our youngest and most vulnerable learners. This morning I sent out the following Twitter post: “Pres. Obama:...
View ArticleMindsets: Success and Failure
“In this school the teachers won’t let you fail. They never give up on you.” – Anonymous Student There has been a lot of chatter lately about how we should embrace failure. I have previously talked...
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Icebergs, The Titanic, and School Culture
The recent anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic reminded me again of the power of icebergs. The scary thing about icebergs is not what you see above the surface of the water. Ninety percent of an...
View ArticleWhen the Going Gets Tough, Drop Algebra
By Stuart Singer, author of The Algebra Miracle Andrew Hacker, an emeritus professor of political science at Queens College, City University of New York, has created a simple plan to deal with students...
View ArticleMindset and Vision
Essential Question: What are your teachers thinking when they look at their students? Are they teaching the course to the students? Or, are they teaching the students the course? Author Laura Goodrich...
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Literacy: Every Student, Every Class, Every Day
Jackson Central-Merry (JCM) Academy for Medical Technology, located in Jackson, TN, is an inner city, high-poverty (95%), and high-minority (93%) high school of approximately 800 students. Since being...
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Absenteeism: The Prevalence, the Impact, and Turning It Around
A recent Capital Hill event “Absenteeism in the Middle Grades: The Prevalence, the Impact and Turning it Around” again brought to the forefront an often overlooked but critical barrier to student and...
View ArticleWhen Dirty is NOT a Dirty Word
By Stuart Singer, veteran math teacher and author of The Algebra Miracle You may not think you know Mike Rowe but you probably do. He is that very likeable fellow wearing the baseball hat in numerous...
View ArticleAttendance and Absenteeism: What School Leaders Need to Know
By Mel Riddile Author’s Note: In keeping with our observation of September as Attendance Awareness Month, this is Part 3 in a series of articles on Attendance and Absenteeism. Attendance is to school...
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