Category Archives: School Reform

Book Review: On Your Mark

Posted on August 4, 2016 by sutterlearn

The district I serve in moved to “standards-based report cards” a few years before I arrived in 2007 and I can honestly say they have created heartburn and lively debate three times each year.  These have been revised and re-aligned … Continue reading →

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#MIpubED Community Concerns

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sutterlearn

As March 2015 winds to a close, the #MIpubED Twitter chats have uncovered more questions than answers…such is learning.  In just a month we have discussed standards, high-stakes tests, and the creation of an online community where educators and their … Continue reading →

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#MIpubED High-Stakes Tests

Posted on March 14, 2015 by sutterlearn

Let’s be clear that assessments are not the standards and vice versa.  When I was changing careers years ago and had to do a teaching internship, I had this great idea of gathering stories from educators about the trials and … Continue reading →

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#MIpubED Community Chat

Posted on February 17, 2015 by sutterlearn

There is so much going on with public education these days that now is a perfect time to really connect educators with the community members we service (parents, business partners, academia, and basically anyone with a vested interest in our … Continue reading →

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Teacher Leadership Series

Posted on October 7, 2014 by sutterlearn

A colleague and I have been watching our district’s attempt to shift its leadership structure to be more distributed.  The nature of distributed leadership in education expands the roles of teachers and changes their interactions with principals, the community, and … Continue reading →

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Parent Guide to CCSS

Posted on May 25, 2014 by sutterlearn

A parent recently approached me with a list of questions about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and how our schools are preparing for them.  I was so pleased to have the conversation.  Why would this be so pleasing you … Continue reading →

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Book Review – Professional Capital

Posted on December 19, 2013 by sutterlearn

Few books make me salivate to read them, prior to publication. I’m usually the latecomer to some chart-topper that has already moved the world’s thinking, but the pre-publication campaign for Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan’s Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in … Continue reading →

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The Language We Choose

Posted on September 12, 2013 by sutterlearn

“If we hope to stem the mass destruction that inevitably attends our economic system, fundamental historical, social, economic, and technological forces need to be pondered, understood, and redirected. Behavior won’t change much without a fundamental change in consciousness. The question … Continue reading →

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The Public’s Agenda for Public Education

Posted on February 10, 2013 by sutterlearn

Last week I attended a conference hosted by The Center for Michigan, where they released the report summarizing Michigan data collected at numerous Community Conversations across the state in 2012. While I wasn’t completely impressed with the journalistic layout of … Continue reading →

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Community Conversation Revisited

Posted on January 14, 2013 by sutterlearn

In February of 2012, I hosted a Community Conversation to explore issues, build understanding, and gather solutions for an involved citizenry in education.  The Center for Michigan, who facilitated the conversation held many across the state, gathering data to create … Continue reading →

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