As one community leader in Seattle remarked to me, governments basically do three things: "Medicate, educate and incarcerate." And various federal and state mandates outlaw cuts in medicating and incarcerating, so much of the money is coming out of educating.

So let's say it: We love schools. And we have an obligation to fight, to educate, to advocate in whatever way we can to make sure more people fully understand the problem that corporate driven, narrowly framed, assessment driven "reform" is not what is in the best interest of our children or our society. And it doesn't matter that we sometimes feel hopelessness in the moment. We can't change it with inaction and acceptance. That's just not a valid choice. 

Article on how staff treat each other

If the teacher is the quarterback, Congress is the offensive line. Their performance impacts our performance, but they keep letting us get sacked by poverty, broken homes, student mobility, hunger, health care. And they just say "Oops" as that linebacker blows by them and buries his facemask in our chest. Then we get back to the huddle and they say, "You gotta complete your passes." We're aware of that. Make your blocks, legislators. Give us time to stand in the pocket and throw good passes. Do your job. It doesn't take a great quarterback rating to win games; it takes a team effort.

A must read on the inconsistency of current educational policy!

Great article on reading from Educational Leadership

A reminder of the importance of focusing on being a positive leader.

Found this in the February 13, 2012 edition of the Marshall Memo

I agree that unless we starting talking the same language as high school teachers students will feel that high school is something that is done to them rather than where they go to learn.