As Polk County’s Jared Bigham makes the transition from principal to instructional leader, follow his posts on the SCORE Sheet to find out what that change really means. When I announced to my teachers the shift I wanted to undertake to become a true instructional leader, there was not one encouraging word or sentiment. It’s…
There are many important tasks an administrator faces throughout the course of the school year. Having a rigorous teacher selection process is critically important. We want to make certain we have teachers in the classroom that are going to be highly effective. The extremely high expectations of our selection process eliminate those unwilling to complete…
Confession: I have only been a mediocre instructional leader in my building. Why the self-reflection? I have heard for the past few years that principals are supposed to be the instructional leaders in their buildings, so I decided to analyze my role. By conventional standards I have been a decent principal, but as an instructional…
When the term gap closure first came on the radar in a big way this summer, responses ranged from: “Show me the data” to “Gap is closing…where will I buy my jeans?” It was a semi-foreign concept to many educators because overall achievement and growth have always been our aim—not who is out performing whom…
http://youtu.be/oKIu77lE5kM More than 100 business, community, and education organizations across Tennessee today launched an effort to support high academic standards in K-12 public education. This group, the Expect More, Achieve More coalition, seeks to build statewide and local awareness of Tennessee’s ongoing effort to raise expectations in the classroom through the Common Core State Standards….