Category Archives: Leadership

Reflecting on Transitioning

I was recently asked to write a reflection and advice for fellow school principals on the topic of transitioning away from the principalship…with a focus on encouragement and not “get out while you can,” which is what so many of … Continue reading

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Book Review: Leading with Focus

For the past five years in my career in education, I have promoted this concept of “do less better” in the face of multiple so-called requirements and initiatives that tend to distract us from doing any of them well.  Some … Continue reading

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Book Review: On Your Mark

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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I Get to Go to School

As I was feeling exhausted, frustrated, and futile the other day, I asked myself why I go to work.  In such desperate moments I can easily find myself answering first with many of the things I don’t go there for.  … Continue reading

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Brother Love and Lovely Dove

There’s a kid in my school who inspires me.  Work doesn’t always come easy for him, but he doesn’t stop trying.  He’s not very organized, but he doesn’t seem to care.  Life moves at a little slower pace; a pace … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Instructional Leader and the Brain

I’ve been poking in and out of this book for a few months now, interrupted by other reading.  The growing fields of cognitive and neuroscience have fascinated me, but the intersection of this research with practical application has been scattered … Continue reading

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Hey Stripes! Nice job.

For over 35 years, I avoided any interest in sports whatsoever. I literally would not stay in a room where a ball game was playing on a TV.  It just wasn’t part of me and I wasn’t missing out on … Continue reading

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Intentionality vs. Accountability

Generally, I find deep learning occurs through questioning, when I pose content in the form of inquiry it encourages students to reflect on what they know and engage in sense-making of the questions.  Sometimes though, we must provide specific evidence, … Continue reading

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Book Review: Dispositions

Art Costa is one of the originators of the Cognitive Coaching practices that I’ve trained in for helping people move their thinking, so it was clear that when he put out a book all about Dispositions, I was dying to … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Power of Positive Deviance

Here’s another book that I read, two pages at a time for more than a year.  I found it while researching for my own work on collaborative professional learning.  Positive Deviance is the concept of coaching a community (social or … Continue reading

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