A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Inclusion is essential for special education (SPED) because it promotes the social and academic development of students with disabilities, fosters a sense of belonging, and prepares them for life outside of school. It aligns with legal and ethical imperatives, is often cost-effective, and encourages teacher development.

Teaching 475

Teaching Junior High Professional Development Leadership 475

A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 30, 2012

Control : For technology to be not only integrated effectively, but also embraced, a culture needs to be established where teachers and administrators are no longer fearful of giving up a certain amount of control to students. To truly create an innovative culture of learning we must not fear failure either.

Education 381

Education Professional Development Educational Technology Pedagogy 381

A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 22, 2023

With the suggestions in hand, the leaders were empowered to review what we had seen and my recommendations to determine the focus for an upcoming professional development day I would be facilitating. One key aspect of utilizing feedback for professional learning is creating a culture that encourages open and honest communication.

Psychology 416

Psychology Cultures Professional Development Leadership 416

A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 19, 2014

During my ten years as a school leader I dreaded professional development days in my district. I am not sure any educator looks forward to these monotonous experiences (developed under the guise of learning!) I attended many of these events just to meet the required hours of professional development.

Leadership 352

Leadership Professional Development Tradition Cultures 352

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 14, 2016

Instead of enabling the status quo to dictate the learning culture of a school, critical reflection is employed to disrupt professional practice in order to grow and improve. Leaders who choose to go against the flow ask these critical questions about their school culture: How well are we meeting the needs of today’s learner?

Leadership 356

Leadership Professional Development Cultures Educational Technology 356

A Psychology Teacher Writes

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Acknowledge that these are common problems and that we all find things difficult or get things wrong which helps to create a culture of error among staff. Inconvenient truths about teacher learning: towards professional development 3.0. This becomes, therefore, a much more collective endeavour rather than a solo struggle.

Professional Development 130

Professional Development Psychology Social Science Classroom Management 130

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 1, 2012

Your PLN will provide you with the seeds of change, but is up to you to plant, take care of, and cultivate them in order to witness their growth and development into transformative culture elements. Change connected educators educational technology Personal Learning Network Professional Development'

Professional Development 341

Professional Development Educational Technology Cultures Teaching 341

A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 7, 2024

It intertwines innovative teaching practices, cutting-edge technologies, and a culture of inclusivity into the very fabric of districts and schools. A strong leader should also be capable of fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture that values diversity and promotes equity in education.

K-12 431

K-12 Education Leadership Classroom Management 431

Digital Promise

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

“The educators who had the greatest impact on me as a youth recognized my personhood by actively developing a relationship with me, challenged their explicit and implicit biases in visible ways, and valued multiple perspectives within their classroom.” – Maima Chea Simmons, Black Girls’ Literacies. Selecting culturally responsive texts.

Cultures 147

Cultures Education Professional Development Library 147

A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Ongoing professional development, constant review and analysis of successful attempts at the changes in learning opportunities and the increasing use of technology offer momentum." Bringing a technology agenda forward with the intention of improving student understanding and demonstrated success is essential.

Leadership 404

Leadership Artifacts Professional Development Cultures 404

A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 18, 2024

This is yet another testament to the culture of learning that has been established. Be wary of any solution, program, or professional development that doesn’t address all aspects of student agency while making connections to established practices that are known to be effective. The rest is now history.

Junior High 468

Junior High Pedagogy Professional Development Leadership 468

A Principal's Reflections

JULY 5, 2012

Schools that have moved away from this structure support learning cultures that are innovative. Support can come in many forms, such as release time, supplies/equipment, professional development opportunities, feedback, and just god old fashioned listening. Professional development (see #9) is key.

Professional Development 330

Professional Development Leadership Cultures Education 330

A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 25, 2020

If you can't, consider developing a schedule where administrators and other support staff can fill them in lieu of teachers. Choice in professional learning Forcing educators to engage in one-size-fits-all professional development at this time will tend to be hit or miss depending on the person.

Leadership 529

Leadership Pedagogy Professional Development Tradition 529

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 12, 2010

As a result, I have seen my own knowledge increase in these areas, participated in exciting professional development opportunities, presented at both my school and at other events on web 2.0, and begun to collaboratively change the culture of my school. Conference educational technology Professional Development Vision'

Professional Development 265

Professional Development EdTech Educational Technology Leadership 265

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 19, 2018

Historically, however, professional development has been limited to periodic workshops and training that focus mostly on administrative, operational, and compliance issues. Investing time and resources in people, regardless of position, is the key to transforming school culture in a way that leads to better results.

Leadership 363

Leadership Professional Development Pedagogy High School 363

A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

For the better part of my educational career, I always referred to any type of learning to assist me as a teacher or administrator as professional development (PD). Up until this point, professional development was always done to me as opposed to something that I wanted to be an active part of. Thus, my thinking changed.

Professional Development 356

Professional Development Leadership Humanities Cultures 356

TeachThought

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

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. A collaborative culture where teachers and principals work closely is crucial for overcoming these challenges.

Professional Development 239

Professional Development Cultures Leadership Tradition 239

A Principal's Reflections

JULY 5, 2014

Sustainable changes leading to cultural transformation in schools can and will only happen when one moves from a fixed to a growth mindset. Ensure that support structures are in place such as professional development, autonomy, availability of resources, and the establishment of a feedback loop.

Leadership 401

Leadership Professional Development Humanities Cultures 401

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 3, 2017

When it has a tight grip on a school culture, any attempt at change is met with resistance or blatant inaction. Drive-By Professional Development In Learning Transformed Tom Murray and I highlight the research that illustrates how drive-by professional development has little, if any, impact on professional practice.

Professional Development 338

Professional Development Leadership Tradition Research 338

A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 16, 2016

It is in these carefree moments that kids and adults develop and enhance certain skills that will play a huge role in personal and professional development. Develop a play-based elective These are just a few ideas to implement the power of play into the school day. Students should be excited to attend school and learn.

Professional Development 419

Professional Development Critical Thinking High School Cultures 419

A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

As part of the PDK International Emerging Leader Award , I had the opportunity to attend an amazing professional development experience in Washington DC. Here are some aspects that called out to me: Culture of trust and moral/social responsibility.

Professional Development 300

Professional Development Cultures Teaching Education 300

A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 31, 2021

Continue to advance learning and equity in your schools with professional development. Here are both a message and recommendations based on what I have witnessed and learned firsthand in schools since the onset of COVID-19: Don’t think you need to do it all yourself. Prioritize time, standards, and SEL needs.

Leadership 546

Leadership Professional Development Cultures Education 546

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 25, 2019

Below is my evolved take: "When investing in technology, programs, professional development, and innovative ideas, there needs to be a Return on Instruction (ROI) that results in evidence of improved student learning outcomes." How has the learning culture changed? How has professional learning changed?

Leadership 334

Leadership Pedagogy Professional Development Cultures 334

A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 7, 2018

In a sense, I wasn’t pushed to be innovative or bring about substantive changes that genuinely impact school culture in powerful ways. However, we must understand that opportunities will not just drop in our laps if a culture of possibility is not developed. Challenges morphed into excuses, and in the end, nothing changed.

Cultures 321

Cultures Leadership Professional Development Education 321

ED Surge

MAY 20, 2024

While thoughtful assessment design and implementation are necessary for student success, building a strong assessment culture in schools is often overlooked but equally important. ISTE is collaborating with the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA) to explore the characteristics of a healthy assessment culture.

Cultures 123

Cultures Professional Development Teaching Research 123

A Principal's Reflections

JULY 12, 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 sticks. From that point on several change initiatives were implemented and sustained resulting in a culture that worked better for our students and staff.

Leadership 368

Leadership Cultures Professional Development Teaching 368

A Principal's Reflections

JULY 21, 2010

Schools that have moved away from this structure support learning cultures that are innovative. Poor professional development : How many times have we sat through training sessions that were boring, meaningless, and didn''t provide any practical implementation ideas? Professional development (see #9) is key.

Leadership 320

Leadership Professional Development Cultures Education 320

A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

These commonly arrive in the form of internal professional development initiatives that chew up a great deal of time, but rarely achieve the types of systemic changes that are intended. This is also where it is sustained to the point that it becomes an embedded component of school and/or district culture.

K-12 347

K-12 Leadership Professional Development Cultures 347

A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

Image credit: [link] It was our desire and quest to create a school culture and learning environments that were more reminiscent of the real world that our learners would soon be a part of that drove change in this area. This is fairly significant as we only have 650 students and 53 staff members.

High School 352

High School Professional Development Cultures Education Policy 352

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 24, 2020

By investing in, and trusting the people around me, more time was freed up to focus on innovation and large-scale change initiatives to improve school culture. I established hiring practices that resulted in the hiring of a lot of smart educators.

Geography 544

Geography Humanities Cultures Professional Development 544

A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Additionally, they engage in ongoing learning conversations with fellow administrators while seeking out the best professional development opportunities for staff. Leaders who both inspire people and generate results find ways to constructively disrupt established behaviors to help employees break out of culture-weakening routines.

Leadership 394

Leadership Professional Development Tradition Cultures 394

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 20, 2018

Makerspaces have moved from fringe initiatives to vibrant components of school culture. People craving more than a drive-by event, traditional school professional development day, or mandated training have an authentic outlet that caters to their interests. Leadership is leadership ladies and gentlemen.

Leadership 290

Leadership Cultures Professional Development Tradition 290

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 23, 2015

This past April I was fortunate enough to have been asked to speak at the Moanalua High School Professional Development Conference in Honolulu, HI. It was an incredible opportunity to get back to Hawaii for a professional event as opposed to a vacation. For more information and to register click HERE.

Leadership 274

Leadership Professional Development Cultures High School 274

A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Sustainable change relies on understanding people, culture, and processes. Principals can use social media for communication, public relations, branding, professional development, and opportunity. grow professionally by establishing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) , follow specific hashtags (#).

Education 343

Education EdTech Educational Technology Professional Development 343

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 29, 2013

Pillar #7 - Opportunity The interconnectedness of the Pillars of Digital Leadership leads to continuous improvements in school culture and professional practice. It will illustrate them in action through the work of practitioners and provide implementation strategies. To view the entire series click HERE.

Leadership 274

Leadership Professional Development Cultures Educational Technology 274

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 2, 2020

Success hinges upon taking and applying the key focus areas listed above and aligning them with your respective classroom, school, or district culture. Each district is unique in terms of resources and demographics. Be sure to check out my entire #remotelearning series.

Pedagogy 546

Pedagogy Social Justice K-12 EdTech 546

Digital Promise

AUGUST 11, 2021

Establishing a strong culture of coaching, however, requires structures to be in place in a school or district such as designated time for coaching, and ongoing professional development for coaches and administrators.

Cultures 125

Cultures Professional Development Leadership Tradition 125