Category: high expectations
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E Pluribus Unum
Out of many, one. E pluribus unum. This phrase or motto appears on the Great Seal of the United States. This is a goal our founding fathers put forth when they selected it as a motto in 1776: the thirteen colonies and their peoples coming together as one united, great country. (See https://www.greatseal.com/mottoes/unum.html). We must…
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Which is Best for Your Child: Acceleration or Remediation?
Remedial instruction conveys low expectations for some students. In an earlier post, I urged my fellow educators to provide acceleration, not remediation to their students who are performing below grade level. Providing remedial instruction to students behind in school has long been the default mode for our schools. This practice only widens the achievement gap…
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Increasing Equity in the Next School Year
Are you planning right now for how you will increase equity in your school next year? How will take significant steps towards ensuring all students achieve at high levels? As the 2022-23 school year comes to a close, a flurry of activities are happening in schools and districts as they prepare for the 2023-24 school…
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Strong Teacher-Student Relationships Required for Equity
Positive teacher and student relationships are key to all students achieving at a high level. Like so much of life, relationships are critical to success. In schools, relationships between students and teachers are the foundation for creating an inclusive culture where all students feel like they belong, are seen, and valued for who they are.…
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Eliminating Honors Classes or Raising the Bar?
Are schools eliminating honors level work and classes; or are they raising the bar for all students? There has been a flurry of news articles about school districts doing away with honors classes, especially those offered to 9th and 10th grade students as they begin their high school career. One of the most recent being…
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Establishing High Expectations for All Students
We communicate our lesser expectations for some students from the moment they walk in the door; before they are even tracked into our system.
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With Equity There Are No Lessor Scholars
With Equity There Are No Lessor Scholars Isabel Wilkerson in her enlightening Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents names the eight pillars of caste systems. Number eight is “Inherent Superiority versus Inherent Inferiority.” This system raises its ugly head in our schools when our programs create lessor scholars based on how children arrive at school.…
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Overcoming the Pandemic Learning Gap
As schools across our country are now open for a somewhat ‘normal’ school year, educators are grappling with the incredible learning loss many of our children experienced during the last two school years. The most recent NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)scores verify what we already knew. Our children have suffered greatly from the isolation…