A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 31, 2019

Below is a piece I pulled from an article titled Using Neuroscience to Make Feedback Work and Feel Better that explains why it matters so much: Feedback isn’t just a ritual of the modern workplace. Research suggests that asking for it can help organizations tilt culture toward continuous improvement.

Cultures 405

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 9, 2020

A recent Chalkbeat article highlighted the results of some surveys that alluded to this issue: And engagement with schoolwork was relatively low across the board, reflecting the challenges of keeping students engaged in a chaotic time and of teaching from a distance.

Tradition 545

Tradition Cultures Teaching Research 545

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 26, 2018

It was this shift that got me thinking about how tools could be used to amplify the fantastic work of my teachers, administrators, and students to showcase efficacy in improving school culture. Plaques, banners, newspaper articles all make for powerful pictures that can be quickly shared. It all comes down to this. Image credit.

Artifacts 393

Artifacts Leadership Cultures Community Engagement 393

A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 7, 2020

Will the lessons learned during the pandemic be applied to create a better learning culture for kids? Cornelius Minor recently penned an article titled Why #BlackLivesMatter in Your Classroom Too. How will social distancing work? How will you focus on mental, just not physical, health of students and staff?

Leadership 431

Leadership Tradition Cultures Teaching 431

TeachThought

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

This article explores the transformative power of a collaborative, unified approach, emphasizing the need for intentional, purpose-driven collaboration. It outlines strategies and principles for fostering a culture of mutual respect, trust, and shared vision, highlighting teachers and principals’ critical roles in student success.

Professional Development 272

Professional Development Cultures Leadership Tradition 272

Sapiens

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

I (Mariam) grew up in a Pakistani diaspora family, where I observed roti-making as an organizing tradition of my home culture, but one that remained a gender-exclusive space for girls, mothers, and aunties. Their cultural commentary on social media often rejects patriarchal expectations about making the perfect round, flaky roti.

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Cultures History Archiving Tradition 126

Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 3, 2024

The article is titled, “Children as playful artists: Integrating developmental psychology to identify children’s art in the Upper Palaeolithic. Related Studies These articles provide diverse perspectives on children’s roles in prehistoric art, integrating developmental psychology, cognitive science, and archaeology.

Archaeology 105

Archaeology Psychology Anthropology Cultures 105

ED Surge

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

The study asked participants to identify a series of articles as advertisements, opinion or news pieces. About the same amount didn’t realize that an article with “commentary” in the headline was about the author’s opinion.

Civics 145

Civics Psychology Critical Thinking Teaching 145

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 14, 2017

I pulled a few connections from an article by Bruna Martinuzzi that address this topic. In my opinion, empathy should be a core component of curriculum in schools and the culture of any organization. A culture of excellence is created through relationships built on trust and sustained through empathy. Below are some highlights.

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Leadership Cultures Research Education 355

A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 2, 2019

Just because something has been done in the past, or is a traditional component of school culture, does not mean it is an effective practice. For some practical alternatives to dishing out zeros check out the latter portion of the article by Norrell titled Less Than Zero. doctor’s note, death in the family, etc.).

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Leadership Lesson Plan Cultures Tradition 419

Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Discovering Emotion in Ancient Mesopotamia From the flutter of "butterflies in the stomach" to the weight of a "heavy heart," emotions are often tied to physical sensations in modern cultures. Towards a Universal Understanding of Emotions This study opens new doors to understanding whether emotions are universal or culturally specific.

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Archiving Archaeology Humanities Cultures 98

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Hirsch, a professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, argues that democracy benefits when the citizenry shares a body of knowledge and history, which he calls cultural literacy. Now its a cognitive science argument that a core curriculum is also good for our brains and facilitates learning.

Teaching 137

Teaching Charter School Social Studies Geography 137

A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

One must realize that change is really hard and a commitment to see the process through is vital if the end goal is cultural transformation that endures over time. Image credit: [link] The key goal for any change initiative is sustainability that results in an improved learning culture. Leadership is not a popularity contest.

Leadership 309

Leadership Cultures 309

A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 4, 2015

For a maker culture to succeed and thrive in a school, leadership matters. I learned some of these lessons unbeknownst to me as they were only brought to my attention after making to learn became an embedded component of our school culture. Selecting the right person to lead the initiative is pivotal.

Library 407

Library Museum Leadership Cultures 407

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 19, 2021

For SEL to be more than a buzzword or fad, it needs to be embedded into school culture. Be sure to check out this article that outlines the specifics behind Venola’s Pause & React tool. Let’s start with students. A focus is excellent, but it’s the actions that truly matter. To begin, a relational foundation has to be established.

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Pedagogy Lesson Plan Classroom Management Cultures 489

NCHE

MARCH 25, 2024

Very few scholarly books, including those that prove to be the most important and influential, ever reach the public; journal articles remain invisible. Some of those articles are written for mass-market publications, while others focus on specific topics and outlets ranging from nursing to Black culture to material artifacts.

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K-12 Primary Sources American History Archiving 312

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 31, 2020

Up to this point, the majority of conversations I have witnessed on social media, news pieces, and articles have focused on students' health and safety. For the big decisions that will dramatically alter school culture post-COVID19, it is imperative that all stakeholders be represented, and their input is taken into consideration.

K-12 454

K-12 Cultures Education 454

A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 3, 2018

As I was researching for some solid pedagogical links, I came across this wonderful article that Todd Finley wrote for Edutopia titled Rethinking Whole Class Discussion. Let me take a step back now and share some insights on why classroom discussion is so meaningful.

Pedagogy 411

Pedagogy Tradition Research Humanities 411

A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

For the past couple of years every day is treated as Digital Learning Day as we have moved to create a teaching and learning culture rich in authentic activities where students are engaged and take ownership of their learning. Jelani Rogers wrote an article about the unique ways that students are inviting dates to prom ("promposals").

Educational Technology 295

Educational Technology Cultures High School Learning Science 295

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Check out this great article from the School Library Journal on this project. Check out this nice article by the Center of Digital Education on the space that Laura has created. Laura Fleming is having a substantial impact on the culture here at NMHS. Currently she is now working on a similar program for students here.

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Library High School Tradition Cultures 343

A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 30, 2017

I recently read an article titled The Neuroscience of Trust by Paul Zak. Before I expand on a list of strategies that can assist in developing trust and building relationships I want to definitively state the one behavior that unequivocally creates a culture devoid of trust….micromanagement. Research validates this statement.

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Cultures Leadership Research Education 285

A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 28, 2018

Effective leaders consider not only specific requirements of the position and research, but also many unique components such as culture, environment, and the community. The best leaders take the time to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of those who they serve to build a culture of success. Case in point.

Leadership 317

Leadership Psychology Cultures Humanities 317

Cult of Pedagogy

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Kim Marshall is the force behind the highly regarded Marshall Memo , a weekly, subscription-only summary of 8 to 10 of the most impactful articles in education. “In one of the articles we summarized, Craig Barton says we learned in teacher school that open-ended questions are best, right?” ” explains David-Lang.

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Pedagogy Cultures Lesson Plan Library 286

A Principal's Reflections

JULY 7, 2019

Thriving cultures focus on empowerment, support, feedback, and autonomy to take risks to build self-efficacy. Below is a summary from an article by Jenni Donohoo, John Hattie, and Rachel Eells. Achievement is important, but there are many other facets of school culture that can be improved. Begin with the end in mind (i.e.,

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Artifacts Leadership Cultures Research 339

Edthena

OCTOBER 12, 2023

Improving school culture is high on many school leaders’ lists of building priorities. But cultivating a strong school culture doesn’t happen without intentional thought and planning. Why is this key to improving school culture ? Check out the highlights of what we’ve been reading below, as well as links to the full resources.

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Cultures Psychology Professional Development Classroom Management 105

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 20, 2018

Makerspaces have moved from fringe initiatives to vibrant components of school culture. Here is a little bit that Josh Bersin shared in an article titled Digital Leadership is Not an Optional Part of Being a CEO : Culture is key. This can happen when you build a collective, transparent, and profoundly shared culture.

Leadership 289

Leadership Cultures Professional Development Tradition 289

A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 14, 2020

In an article for ASCD , I laid out three specific areas that are critical to effective communication: Transparency - Leaders can tackle the constant perception battle by providing more frequent and accurate updates about the daily work occurring in schools. Leaders have the power to shape the culture of our schools.

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Leadership Tradition Cultures 402

A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 3, 2019

Lolly Daskal wrote a fascinating article highlighting the characteristics that embody the insecure leader. Needless to say, this is not healthy for school culture. Real leaders own their culture, for better or for worse. Great leaders who empower those they work with are confident. Poor ones are insecure.

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Leadership Cultures Education 247

A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 20, 2019

It is important when reading a blog post or article to look beyond what in theory sounds good, but in practice might not lead to improvement. It also extends well beyond social media to articles, books, keynotes, workshops, and presentations. Going BYOD sounded like a great idea based on what I had either read or saw online.

Professional Development 294

Professional Development Cultures Research Teaching 294

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 13, 2018

Growth in all aspects of school culture is something that has to be the standard. It begins with getting out of actual and perceived comfort zones to truly start the process of improving school culture. Image credit In a recent article Joani Junkala shares some great thoughts on the importance of stepping outside our comfort zones.

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Cultures Tradition Humanities Education 263

Sapiens

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

A multidisciplinary team of researchers explains historical, cultural, and ethical issues they considered while developing a 3D scan of a South African site to be shared with the world online. This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republished under Creative Commons.

Cultures 97

Cultures Archaeology Heritage Artifacts 97

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 31, 2011

This morning I read a great article on PBS Media Shift by Audrey Watters entitled " Why Schools Should Stop Banning Cell Phones, and Use Them For Learning." Up until this past year the rule of thumb was that students could bring their phones to my school, but they could not be on, seen, or heard.

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Educational Technology Cultures Teaching Education 318

Political Science Now

JANUARY 2, 2025

The Journal Club Module: A Co-Learning Tactic for Demystifying Academic Research and Building Classroom Culture in Undergraduate Courses By Nancy B. The post The Journal Club Module: A Co-Learning Tactic for Demystifying Academic Research and Building Classroom Culture in Undergraduate Courses appeared first on.

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Cultures Political Science Research Pedagogy 51

Sapiens

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republished under Creative Commons. ✽ The authors acknowledge the contribution of Abdul Razak Macap, a social anthropologist at the Regional Cultural Heritage Center in Manokwari.)

Humanities 120

Humanities Archaeology Artifacts Heritage 120

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 19, 2018

In a recent article Marta Aldrich looked at a few studies highlighted below: When it comes to the impact of school-related factors on student learning, research shows that school leaders are second in importance only to teachers — but also can have a multiplier effect on the quality of teaching.

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Leadership Professional Development Pedagogy High School 360

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Where principals once relied on the media, press releases, and websites, we now have the ability to get out links to media articles and website updates as well as pictures and video that highlight school programs. As my network has grown, so has my growth as an educational leader. We are making learning relevant, meaningful, and creative!

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Leadership Pedagogy Cultures High School 302

Strange Maps

MARCH 3, 2025

But 21st-century culture wars are no Shakespeare play. Opposite moral universes At issue is a set of heatmaps from a scientific article exploring the moral circles of liberals and conservatives. Original article in full: Ideological differences in the expanse of the moral circle Adam Waytz e.a. Credit : A.

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Social Science Research History Humanities 97