Awhile back, I attended a national charter school founder’s lecture about his experiences opening new schools across the country. After...

I have heard the expression – Teaching to the Test – for many years, but I had not deeply considered the thinking behind the phrase until...

Back in the spring of 2016 when I was an elementary principal, I attended a district professional development session on a new teacher...

The macroeconomic theory of trickle-down corporate tax cuts has been a mainstay for conservative politicians and economists for nearly a...

Half a century ago, my father, older brother and I watched a herd of horses driven into a rectangular corral from an open field. My father w

The daily teaching of math word problems is essential if students are to become adept problem solvers. The consistency of a daily routine...

The pandemic has brought to light many underlying issues in our society. Some incidents were surprising; for instance, I was astounded...

Happens far too frequently in our public schools. A student will use profanity or do something outrageous to get an emotional response...

The famous American political phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid” is attributed to James Carville and coined during Bill Clinton's...

Small Gaps Widen to Larger Chasms While hiking the 500-mile-long El Camino in Spain a couple of summers ago, a small pain ensued on the...

I am thinking of a two digit number between 30 and 40 that is both an even number and a multiple of 8. Can you guess the number? As...

A middle distance runner competing in a 3,200 meter or 5 kilometer race practices and trains differently than a long distance runner...

When I was in college, my statics and dynamic professor proposed a no homework versus a double homework wager to his students. He...

If you are a teacher, it will be impossible to avoid major student discipline problems. It will happen at some point in your career....

A couple years before I retired, I was teaching fifth grade mathematics at my Title 1 elementary school – despite the fact that I was the...

I do not own a washing machine. Never have. I use the condominium laundry room with its ten washing machines and dryers to handle my...

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” This old joke is amusing and timeless because of the obviousness of its one-word punchline: Practice!...

About 15 years ago, I attended weekly central administrator meetings as an elementary program supervisor in a large urban Texas school...

One Friday night about 15 years ago, I was resting on my couch after a long day at work when my cell phone rang. I looked at the phone to...

When a child ignores an adult’s questioning using ‘the silent treatment’ and successfully avoids consequence or accountability for their...

Over the last decade, Graham Elementary School in the Austin Independent School District's dramatic and sustained academic Title 1...

Above all else at a public school, the first priority of teachers and administrators must always be ensuring children's safety....

I was a first year teacher – TWICE in the same school year. I was hired as a second grade teacher, and I taught that grade level for a...

In the 1970’s, my father started the first Christmas tree farm in South Dakota. A slotted hole was dug using a long steel spade shovel...