Best Practices
Putting Faces on the Data
Lyn Sharratt, co- author of the new book, Putting FACES on the Data: What Great Leaders Do!, joins us to talk about how you can personalize data for all students so that each is treated as a real person and helped to learn according to his or her own individual needs. Continue
A Look At Formative Assessment
Caroline Wylie joins us to talk about the topic of formative assessment. Wylie is the co-author of the new book, Improving Formative Assessment Practice to Empower Student Learning, and in this segment she provides an overview of formative assessment and … Continue
The School Leader’s Guide to Differentiation
with Kimberly Kappler Hewitt and Daniel Weckstein
Dr. Kimberly Kappler Hewitt and Daniel Weckstein, co-authors of the new book, Differentiation is an Expectation: A School Leader’s Guide to Building a Culture of Differentiation talk about the topic of differentiation from the school leader’s perspective – what it is, … Continue
Transforming School Culture
Research reveals that school culture is a crucial factor in school performance. Indeed, often it’s the deciding factor between whether even the most well-intentioned and conceived improvement effort succeeds or fails. In this segment, Mike Siebersma, who leads McREL’s school … Continue
Time Management for School Leaders
While organization and time management are vital to the success of any school leader, so little is written about concrete strategies for dealing with the overwhelming demands of the job. In this segment, we’re joined by Frank Buck, a former … Continue
Creating Instructional Momentum Through Leadership
Shawn Joseph, author of the new book, The Principal’s Guide to the First 100 Days of the School Year, joins us to talk about some key elements of school leadership, including why success for school leaders is largely determined by … Continue
Motivational Lessons for School Leaders
Pete Hall is the principal of Shaw Middle School, a Title I school in Spokane, Washington and a school leader who has been honored with ASCD’s Outstanding Young Educator Award and Phi Delta Kappa’s Emerging Leaders Award. He is the … Continue
Effective Communication: It’s Not What You Say …
Communication between teachers and school leaders can be one of the most frustrating aspects of an administrator’s day, but this doesn’t have to be the case, as Shelly Arneson explains in this segment. Continue
The Principal As Student Advocate
Dr. Scott Norton, a long time school leader and professor of educational leadership and co-author of the new book, The Principal as Student Advocate, joins us this month to talk about the topic of student advocacy from the viewpoint of school leaders. Continue
A Look At Online Professional Development
Is online professional development right for your school or district? Although many educators are on the fast track to embracing online PD, choosing the best solution is not as simple as pushing a button. John Ross, an expert on online … Continue
Transforming Your School One Conversation at a Time
Being a successful school leader demands highly developed interpersonal skills. Linda Gross, co-author of the book, Coaching Conversations, joins us to talk about some of the techniques that school leaders can use to engage and motivate everyone to work collaboratively … Continue
How to Use Value-Added Analysis to Improve Student Learning
Value-added analysis is the most robust, statistically significant method available for helping educators quantify student progress over time, according to its proponents, but it’s also been controversial and has its share of detractors. To get a better understanding of value-added, … Continue
Dealing with Difficult School Employees
Managing teachers and staff who are difficult or marginal is one of the most challenging and least rewarding aspects of a school leader’s job. In this Best Practices segment, John Eller, a former principal and assistant superintendent, and co-author of … Continue
The Secrets of Good Classroom Walkthroughs: Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Howard Pitler, senior director in field services at McREL, discusses the benefits and processes of an effective three-to-five minute classroom walkthrough. Pitler compares walkthroughs to a mosaic — connecting several seemingly unrelated snapshots to form a larger, clearer image. Walkthroughs … Continue