Balance Parent Meetings with Positivity
Dr. Kelsie Reed
I have been in several parent-teacher meetings where I could feel a parent's anxiety, frustration, and helplessness.
I remember one particular meeting where I chimed in to mention that while the team was currently discussing weaknesses, these limitations did not sum up...
Flip Deficit Thinking IEP Meetings with Productive Positivity
By Dr. Kelsie Reed
As a school psychologist, I participate in most, if not all, IEP meetings at my assigned schools. I’ve experienced productive meetings, collaborative meetings, one-sided meetings, contentious meetings, argumentative meetings, and everything in between.
The common...
Times 10 and ACE-Ed Launch Equity Recognition Partnership
We are proud to announce that Times 10 Publications and the American Consortium for Equity in Education (ACE-Ed) are teaming up to promote and honor change-makers around equity in education. ACE-Ed's Excellence in Equity Awards will honor
leaders, authors, and educators whose tremendous efforts...
Deficit Thinking in Schools: A Social Justice Issue
By Dr. Kelsie Reed
You can broadly define deficit thinking in schools as a way of blaming the victim.
It involves holding a student, a student's family, or a student’s culture accountable for academic or behavioral difficulties at school. For example, school staff may assume that a student...
Leading with Grace through Flops, Falls, and Fails
By Jessica Cabeen
I have been in education for over 20 years (and in administration for 15), and this marks my first year in a new administrative role. With all that experience, someone might think it would be a smooth transition to the new school year.
However, within the first week of teachers...
How to Improve Your PD with a Pineapple
The idea of observing other teachers is nothing new. It’s the way we all first started learning how to teach, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a teacher who hadn’t learned something from sitting in a colleague’s classroom.
Observing each other teach is one of...
Building Consensus Instead of Conflict
By Brian Deters
“I want to wear my mask, but I don’t want people to view me as a liberal!”
A colleague of mine made this statement the day after the district I work in decided to go along with a court restraint on our state’s mask mandate in Illinois last spring. When...
Stages of Studenting to Empower Learners
By Wade McJacobs
During winter break, Jake’s father died in an altercation with police. He returned to school numb with grief. Teachers wondered what was reasonable to expect of him. How much extra time should they allow for Jake to complete assignments? What kind of adjustments could...
What Does it Mean to Be 'Educated' in the 21st Century?
By Starr Sackstein
"Education": 12 years of compulsory primary and secondary education that covers a breadth of knowledge spanning history, literature, assorted math, language, physical education, assorted physical and living sciences, and other electives.
Upon successful completion of high...
Readability: Practical Steps for Teachers
By David Wray
One of the key things that teachers need to get right in teaching reading is the match between the reader and the text. Text which is too difficult will put readers off. Text which is too easy will not help them learn. Getting this match right depends on an understanding of...
