Week 3/4-3/8 The major happening this week at the school district was that our juniors (and some seniors) took the HSPA. The HSPA stands for High School Proficiency Assessment and it is the standardized testing tool used in the state of New Jersey; without passing, a student will not be recommended for graduation. In the […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion, Principals' Corner, School Improvement
Ready or Not? (Charter School Diaries #8)
Week – 2/25 – 3/1 What do you do when you’re a teacher and there is poor instructional leadership capability amongst the administrators within your building or within your district? Usually, if you are in a school and/or district where there is a lack of instructional leaders, there is an overabundance of procedural leaders – […]
Posted inBook Review, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
It’s Time for High School Students to Take Charge of their Learning – But How? — Book Review
[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”] Book: Students Taking Charge: Inside the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom Author: Nancy Sulla Publisher: Eye on Education The high school classroom can be a challenging arena for teachers these days. With overcrowded […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Principals' Corner
Charter School Diaries # 6 – Turning off the Cruise Control
This week was an abbreviated one. Unfortunately, I was only in school for three days (Wednesday through Friday), but the week was no less compelling. Personally, I think that fire drills are outdated, yet we actually had a small emergency where a fire drill was warranted this week. We also had an incident where a […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Uncategorized
Helping Teachers- Why Wait?
This is a cross-post from EdGator.com. If there was ever a time when public education needed defenders, it’s now. If there was a day when teachers needed support, it’s today. The great American experiment of a free public education for all children—rich and poor, black and white, fluent y todavia aprendiendo, children like yours and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Literacy, Social Studies, The Unemployed Teacher
High Schools Need Dr. Seuss Time
Normally March 2nd would pass without notice but this year I am embracing the 109th birthday celebration of Dr. Seuss in my high school classroom. Seuss is ageless and timeless. Many elementary school teachers and children’s librarians have embraced Read Across America’s promotion of “grab your hat and read with the cat” but high schools […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Literacy
What Common Core ELA Is Doing For Me
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~Victor Frank I think it is exciting to see the changes coming with the Common Core State Standards Initiative, especially with regard to English Language Arts. I have been learning how these standards will impact my students; it is […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, High School
Charter School Diaries 3 – Keeping It Real
Last week, our students took their midterm exams. On midterm exam week, high school students in our district receive a half-day week so that teachers can input grades, so that students can get more studying in (it is debatable as to whether or not they devote their time off to quality studying time, but I […]