Blog
Which Story Will You Feed?
For every person who says, “The education system is crumbling,” there is a teacher painstakingly researching new ways to meet the evolving needs of all their students.
For every person who says, “No one wants to go into teaching right now,” there is a student-teacher methodically testing ideas that will become tomorrow’s best practices.
Leadership Reflections from a 1st Year AP
Starting my journey as a first-year assistant principal at a K-5 Elementary school marks a significant shift after 15 years in education, transitioning from special education teacher to higher education professor and supervisor of student teachers. Despite opportunities to pursue leadership earlier, I hesitated, realizing the importance of aligning my values with those of past school administrators. Observing a trend of leaders with limited classroom experience, I recognized the crucial link between strong leadership and pedagogical expertise.
Do Educator Evaluations Even Matter?
Educators need to feel valued in order to be a positive role model and have a positive impact on the children they serve daily. The question then becomes: once they have the goal setting opportunity and the professional development plan determined, what are the next steps to facilitate growth and development in these categories?
Getting to Day-One-Ready: Conversations on Transforming Teacher Preparation in Arkansas
In 2015, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and Walton Family Foundation established Forward Arkansas, a nonprofit committed to improving outcomes for Arkansas students. Over the years since its founding, Forward Arkansas has developed a three part agenda to improve public education in the state by- 1) Transforming Student Learning; 2) Building Educator Capacity; and 3) Creating Equitable Systems and Policies. In a quest to directly impact the quantity, quality, and diversity of Arkansas’ teacher workforce, Forward Arkanasas established the Educator Preparation Program Design Collaborative, a competitive grant program and community of practice to identify and support universities committed to addressing issues surrounding educator preparation and retention. Of the sixteen EPPs that applied for the Design Collaborative, eight were chosen to participate, receiving resources and guidance from 2Revolutions and US Prep to develop Phase II plans for transformation.
Transformational Coaching
Our coaching model supports the development of educator instructional practice, while integrating the core skills and dispositions that are needed for innovation and change. It’s part equity work, part capacity building, part change management.