Category Archives: Uncategorized

In the Jim Crow era of the American South, Jeanes Teachers, otherwise known as Jeanes Supervisors, were women of color who functioned as superintendents for black schools. These teachers were dedicated to community benefits such as improving public health, living conditions, and teacher training. Over time, these Jeanes teachers became recognized by the informal mottoContinue reading “Honoring A Legacy of Leaders: The Jeanes Fellowship”

Last year, we reflected on the first year of Khan World School (KWS) and their innovative approach to rethinking school. In that post, we highlighted the six core areas where the dedicated KWS team was most focused on progressing: onboarding, scale, purpose, student profile, artificial intelligence and accelerated college. A new semester is underway and,Continue reading “Passion Projects and Peer Feedback: A Recipe for Work That Matters”

By: Billy Nicely and Josh Reppun If you were allowed to reimagine what education could be through the creation of a completely new school, what would it look like? What would be its overarching purpose? How would students engage and what student outcomes would you insist on? These are enormous questions that not many areContinue reading “Values-Driven Learning in Hawai’i Helps Learners Find What They Are SEEQing”

By: Mike Yates and Aaron Schorn I once shared Cy Twombly’s painting, “A blackboard covered in white scribbles” with a group of 6th graders. I asked them for their immediate thoughts on the work.  “Ummm I could do that right now!”  “Looks like a messy”  “Looks like I’m going to be famous!” “This looks likeContinue reading “Building An Authentic Learning Culture Starts With Imperfection and Vulnerability”

Navigating the landscape of educational transformation requires leaders to cultivate a reflective process and practice strategic decision-making. More than two decades ago, my involvement in a groundbreaking learning initiative in Alaska paved the way for a transformative approach to education, aligning with many of Deming’s quality management principles. We were working to create systemic approachesContinue reading “Transforming Learning, Deciding Where to Start: Practical Steps for Educational Leaders”

By: Rebecca Jacobson Lillyanne Pham ’20 and Jim Labbe ’95 were part of Oregon’s first-ever experiment in giving community members direct say over how to spend public dollars. Participatory budgeting, a democratic process in which ordinary people decide how to spend part of a public budget, isn’t a new phenomenon. It was first tried inContinue reading “Portland Youth Exercise Power through Participatory Budgeting”

In the spring of 2022, Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) faced a heart-wrenching crisis. The district, which serves 28,000 students, was reeling from the loss of ten students to gun violence. With summer approaching, safety was top of mind and a non-negotiable.  As the summer neared, TPS Superintendent Dr. Josh Garcia addressed the City of TacomaContinue reading “Community Collaboration: The Success Story of Tacoma Public Schools’ Summer Late Nights Program”

By: Norton Gusky At this year’s TRETC Conference AI was on everyone’s mind. According to Bard, the AI tool from Google:  The Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC) 2024, held in Pittsburgh on January 15th, was a transformative day for educators, administrators, and industry experts in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The theme, “Students are the future ofContinue reading “TRETC 2024: Revolutionizing Technology and Work”

By Chris Wilmoth Osda Shunale Niagada! O-shi-no-tsi-gv-go-wa-ta! This familiar refrain meaning, “good morning everyone” and “good to see you”, routinely plays throughout the halls of Cherokee High School in Cherokee, North Carolina. Here, mornings are busy. Before the lesson begins, students must record the announcements, create their news backgrounds and videos, upload them into theContinue reading “Students Are Still Telling the Stories”

For nearly two decades educational reformers have been touting the need to create rigorous curriculum, standards, and learning for our students. The result of all these reforms are tepid at best and has damaged children and teachers at its worst. It’s time to ditch the idea of “rigor” and the damage it has caused, asContinue reading “Rigor or Vigor? What do we want for our children?”