top of page
Menu
The New 3Rs Academic Transformation

The Right Systems, The Right Resources, The Right People

Search

Why Does Failure Continue?
I find the title of this blog interesting because as humans – I would hope that when folks perform poorly at some manageable task or...
by Blaine Helwig
Nov 17, 20228 min read
428 views

Instructional Coaches - What do they do all day?
Organizing large groups of people to efficiently complete any complex human task is challenging. In antiquity, for example, the Giza...
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 12, 20224 min read
107 views


Bilingual Acquisition – Language Learning Tips
Due to age and perspective, adults immediately recognize that the mastery of a second language is an incredibly pragmatic and useful...
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 2, 202216 min read
63 views


So, You Want To Be A Principal???
About twenty-five years ago, I was a passenger in a car returning to Austin. I was part of a three-member structural engineering team on...
by Blaine Helwig
Sep 27, 202219 min read
120 views


Solving the Mystery of Poor Student Math Performance
NOPE! The usual suspects of endless blame are not the reason poor academic math results in American public schools. In fact, a...
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 20, 202221 min read
137 views


Chocolate and Title 1 Academic Inequities
Awhile back, I attended a national charter school founder’s lecture about his experiences opening new schools across the country. After...
by Blaine Helwig
Jun 30, 20224 min read
53 views


Two Questions that Stymie Most Title 1 Administrators
In the last 30 years, the author has visited approximately 250 Title 1 elementary campuses as a teacher, principal, central office...
by Blaine Helwig
Apr 2, 20228 min read
279 views


Emulate Before Innovating: COVID or No COVID
Every time we boarded an airplane to travel, my wife would open the airline magazine and complete the three levels of Sudoku puzzles: ...
by Blaine Helwig
Mar 23, 20226 min read
94 views


‘Fix’ Fluency --- or, Comprehension ‘Breaks Down!’
Word fluency will drive comprehension proficiency since the students can read and not deplete their ‘CPU’ trying to decipher the most...
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 14, 20214 min read
375 views


Teaching to the Test - A Better Understanding of the Phrase
I have heard the expression – Teaching to the Test – for many years, but I had not deeply considered the thinking behind the phrase until...
by Blaine Helwig
Feb 7, 20215 min read
895 views


Eliminating Differentiated Instruction is the Title 1 Campus Goal
Back in the spring of 2016 when I was an elementary principal, I attended a district professional development session on a new teacher...
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 5, 20203 min read
143 views


Effective Daily Classroom Management – Come Rain or Shine!
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
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 13, 20206 min read
157 views


Distance Learning – Pandemic Lessons Learned
The pandemic has brought to light many underlying issues in our society. Some incidents were surprising; for instance, I was astounded...
by Blaine Helwig
May 13, 20205 min read
49 views


It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 1
The famous American political phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid” is attributed to James Carville and coined during Bill Clinton's...
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 17, 20195 min read
82 views


It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 2
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...
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 16, 20197 min read
81 views

Align, Teach, Practice and Do Well!
A middle distance runner competing in a 3,200 meter or 5 kilometer race practices and trains differently than a long distance runner...
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 29, 20193 min read
49 views


In Title 1 Schools, Facts are Stubborn Things
When I was in college, my statics and dynamic professor proposed a no homework versus a double homework wager to his students. He...
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 17, 20194 min read
62 views


Is Title 1 Public Education 'Working'? – Depends on Perspective!
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...
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 12, 20183 min read
140 views


Practice without Improvement – A Title 1 Invariant!
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” This old joke is amusing and timeless because of the obviousness of its one-word punchline: Practice!...
by Blaine Helwig
Nov 28, 20184 min read
102 views


Bridge Resources and Their Academic Need
About 15 years ago, I attended weekly central administrator meetings as an elementary program supervisor in a large urban Texas school...
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 25, 20183 min read
66 views
bottom of page