The Blog

Teachers and students alike often name the time set aside for reading aloud as their favorite time of the school day! There are so many reasons why a powerful read-aloud is so important in classrooms of any age group. Reading aloud to students exposes readers to authentic text representing a diverse range of authors and text types while building students’ knowledge about a topic of study. Reading aloud builds language and vocabulary, sparks curiosity, and provides opportuniti

Social emotional intelligence is a crucial aspect of modern education that has gained increasing attention in recent years. Social emotional intelligence (SEI) refers to the ability to identify, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It involves developing empathy, building meaningful relationships, and effectively communicating with others.

We all know that teaching is a profession that truly is a calling. Teachers who stay in the profession for a long-time care deeply about the students and the subject they are teaching. I know, I was in the classroom for over 33 years. We also know that the demands on teachers have increased greatly over recent years. Here in Indiana, this year is especially hard on teachers with a completely new set of academic standards that were adopted in June. There are new high-sta

Let’s face it. Recruiting, hiring, on-boarding, and training new teachers is time consuming, expensive, and exhausting. Schools with a high turnover rate struggle to maintain a healthy culture. Additionally, the inconsistency in staff leads to gaps in programming, curriculum, and common language and understanding across the building. Teacher retention should be at the top of our to-do list as educational leaders. To help you achieve this goal, we’ve put together some top tips

You probably have heard the PSAT and SAT are changing for the 2023-2024 school year. The New Digital SAT Suite of Assessments includes the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT10, and the PSAT 8/9. The changes will start early this fall with the new Digital PSAT10 and Digital PSAT/NMSQT. It will continue in the Spring of 2024 when all Indiana juniors will take the new Digital SAT. Everyone needs to know about and understand the changes that will be taking place. If they do, they can help stu

Most education professionals, regardless of whether they are on a year-round or a school-year contract, think of the summer as a time to rejuvenate and do all the things there wasn’t time for during the school year. For me, that means time to catch up on reading, personal and professional. It also means I have a little time to think about what I’m reading and explore some new things. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut and just keep reading the same author or type of book over

I’ve listed four books below that I believe address some of the biggest struggles I’ve seen in the areas of social emotional learning this year. From student apathy to educator burnout, these are great resources for creating positive change!  

It is extremely important for Administrators, Teachers, Parents and especially Students to understand exactly what the SAT Assessment is and how it is written. Knowing how the test is written as well as strategies on how students can perform at their very best is essential to overall success for this assessment.  

It is finally Spring. Spring Breaks are over, and we are in the home stretch to the end of the school year. As we all know it is a marathon and not a sprint! With that in mind, this is where we will begin. Like all great marathoners everyone must start with stretching and warming up. That is where I would suggest you all start. With a good stretch.

Integrating technology into the classroom is a great way to engage students and make learning more interactive and interesting. It can also open up new avenues of exploration and collaboration that may not have been possible without technology. By doing so, teachers can create a fun, interactive learning environment that encourages students to think critically, work collaboratively, and learn in new and innovative ways.

Conflict resolution is an important skill to teach students. It’s important to teach children how to communicate effectively, how to problem solve, and how to manage their emotions when they have a disagreement. There are many strategies that can help with this. One strategy is to have students brainstorm a list of conflict resolution steps. This can help them become aware of the options they have when they are dealing with a disagreement.

As leaders during these difficult times, it can be hard to attract, hire, and retain great teachers. One way to do this is by creating a strong mentoring program at your school.  Teachers want to feel valued, connected, and supported with the difficult work they do every day. Teachers who are new to your school, both new educators and veterans alike, need a high level of support. Providing the right support can ensure that they are successful and remain valuable members

I was reminded that I am a S.T.E.M. person. Yes, I focus on the M. <Best> part of S.T.E.M., which we all know is Mathematics. Yet, Science, Technology, and Engineering need to get some press too. So, let’s talk about Science.   I started thinking about what I love about Science. So many things came to mind. Science is amazing! It causes curiosity, amazement, and explains so many things we see around us and events that happen daily.   

Picture books aren’t just for preschoolers and younger children, readers of all ages enjoy and learn from picture books. I LOVE picture books! They are full of rich language, beautiful illustrations and photographs, and bonus, you can typically read them in one sitting.   

STEM professional teaching organizations are among the best opportunities teachers have to grow and improve. Administrators and teachers alike should be researching, understanding, and promoting all the benefits STEM professional teaching organizations provide to help promote and improve teaching and learning.

  They say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I agree with that and would extend that saying for schools to say; “It takes all the subjects working together to fully educate a student.” Believing this and implementing this is the key. Administrators, teachers, and counselors must step outside their small, very busy spheres of educational influence. They must connect with other teachers in other subjects and collaborate to benefit BOTH their subjects and the students.

It is extremely important for Administrators, Teachers, Parents and especially Students to understand exactly what the SAT Assessment is and how it is written. Knowing how the test is written as well as strategies on how students can perform at their very best is essential to overall success for this assessment.   The SAT Assessment is a multiple-choice and student-produced (grid-in), pencil-and-paper and online test created and administered by the College Board .  The purpos

Back in 2011, Indiana Public Law 73-2011 altered state and local textbook adoption procedures. Under this law, Indiana no longer follows a strict six-year cycle for math materials adoption. Textbook adoptions are now under the control of the local superintendent and school board. Adoption of new math materials is optional, and districts have the discretion to continue to use current materials beyond the six-year cycle without needing a waiver from the state.

As most of us learned in the past year, we can’t predict what will happen next and when we feel out of control or faced with a lot of new, potentially frightening, things all at once it is easy to get overwhelmed, burnt out, and disconnected. Perhaps, if we spend time looking inward rather than out for answers, we might find ourselves better equipped to grow through the tough times without losing ourselves. I believe this might be true for individuals, organizations, and ev

Educators, do you want to be in the know?  Here are some great Indiana education resources and very brief Indiana political resources that you can subscribe to and get the latest information to keep you in the know in under 15 minutes!