Category Archives: School

Paraprofessionals: Schools growing their own teachers

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Abner Oakes

I was in a school recently and had the chance to chat with several of that school’s paraprofessionals. They are called different names in different systems – paraeducator, teaching assistant, teacher’s aide, classroom assistant – but parapros are, in short, … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom, School, School district, Teachers, Teaching | Tagged classroom aide, david ginsburg, paraeducator, paraprofessional, teacher's aide | Leave a comment

“Summer slide” and engaging summer school programs

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Abner Oakes

There was a great piece in a recent Education Week that shared some of the work happening ‘cross the country to ensure that kids don’t suffer from “summer slide,” particularly, as the article stated, “underprivileged students who lack opportunities for … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom, Federal policy, School, School district, Teaching | Tagged education week, pittsburgh public schools, project-based learning, rand, summer dreamers academy, summer school, summer slide, washington township schools | 1 Comment

End-of-school rituals, school reunions, and school culture

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Abner Oakes

Back in this post on school culture, I shared Craig Jerald’s five sets of behaviors that “send strong signals” about a school’s “vision and values” – about its culture – and rituals were his first set of behaviors: celebrations and … Continue reading →

Posted in School, School district | Tagged baker library, bridge of years, college reunion, craig jerald, dartmouth college, hamden high school, rituals, school culture | 1 Comment

The lure of programs

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Abner Oakes

I heard a principal talk the other evening about installing a new program at her school, Project ACHIEVE’s Stop and Think, a social skills program. My ears perked up. Generally, I’m suspicious about programs and their effectiveness. So much is … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom, Principal, School, Teachers, Teaching | Tagged foss science, project achieve, saxon, stop and think, zaner-bloser | Leave a comment

“Look fors” in effective classrooms

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Abner Oakes

A friend (and parent) and I got talking about this the other evening: Imagine you’re moving to a new state, a new city, but before you decide on a neighborhood and therefore a school for your kids, you want some … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom, Parents, School, Teachers, Teaching | Tagged classroom library, daily agenda, differentiated instruction, differentiation, effective questioning, flipped classroom, lesson plan, mimeograph machine, Northeast Regional Resource Center, principal, rubric, school culture, state standards, wested, word wall | Leave a comment

Transitioning from elementary to middle school

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Abner Oakes

I’m going re-purpose another piece from my past work place, The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, this one a summary of research about elementary to middle school transition, since that process is starting in many schools districts this … Continue reading →

Posted in Parents, Principal, School, School district, Teachers | Tagged buddy system, learning academies, middle school, sleeping giant jr. high school, The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, transition to middle school | 1 Comment