Today it was announced that President-Elect Donald Trump has chosen Betsy DeVos, a top Republican Donor, and School Choice Advocate to head the Department of Education. As teachers, we’ve already had a contentious relationship with the two predecessors to the job, but before we get into policy, it’s important to understand who Betsy DeVoe is […]
Charter Schools
Posted inCharter Schools
[Podcast S2E12] How to Engage With Students Who Are Behaviorally Challenged
Have you ever received a child in your class who as soon as you see them you know they will be a behavior challenge? Call it teacher intuition, but you can feel it- and most times you’re right. You stay up late racking your brain for strategies for these students, but many times you don’t […]
Posted inCharter Schools
When Charter Companies Bail Out on Students
Charter companies have found a friendly home in Philadelphia. They are often granted charters over parental and neighborhood protests. Charter companies are more likely to be approved over parent-teacher groups wanting to focus on trying new educational ideas. Until recently, Philadelphia rarely refused to renew contracts with charter companies even when the schools they ran […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Got Discipline? (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 3- 1/21 – 1/25 One of my roles as an assistant principal is school disciplinarian. I loathe this role. My charter school uses a lottery system to enroll students. There are no requirements to apply to the school; prospective students are vetted somewhat, however we do not reject any applications. We have rules, […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Step Up and Teach – Part 2: ELA Writing Standards
Read Part 1 of this series about Reading Standards here. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Princess, my first grader, writes all of the time. One day in kindergarten, after getting into trouble at home, I […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Featured
Educators Must Avoid Isolation (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 4 9/23 – 9/27 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Educators in urban schools are constantly trying to figure out how to get students to perform better academically. Some establish strategies that help children […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Parents, Teachers, and Conflicts of Interest (Charter School Diaries #28)
Year 2 Week 3 9/16 – 9/20 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] One of the things that I loathe about my position is dealing with unhappy parents. One of my job duties concerns student discipline. I […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Administrative Frankensteins (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 1 (9/9 – 9/13) [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] So I took the plunge this year and decided to jump into school administration. I still teach and I am a department head, but […]