Common Core vs. NCLB: Damage Done

Across the U.S., the Common Core guidelines are being rolled out for use in classrooms, requiring students to read and write on a level higher than ever expected of them.  Students in the lower grades will benefit from this if the Common Core guidelines are followed throughout her formative and high school years. However, I

Common Core Writing: First Day of School Assignment

Yesterday was the first day of school for our students.  Often it is difficult to have something for students to do right out of the box on the first day, since our syllabi may not have arrived from the copy center, our room may not be 100% ready or we may not have written a

5 Things I Learned About Effective Schools

For the past two weeks, I attended a Gear Up conference which was designed to help us implement the Common Core Standards, but also help us create a high performance learning environment in our school.  Here are some things I learned: 1.  Schools Are Museums – Technology is advancing at an alarming rate.  It is