Category Archives: School district

Looking for a school or district report card?

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Abner Oakes

You and your family are moving to a new state, and you have some idea of where you are moving – a metropolitan area, for example – but before you make any firm commitments, you want to get some sense … Continue reading →

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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 →

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“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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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The flipped classroom

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Abner Oakes

Back in November, I wrote in this post about the use of technology in elementary schools – or the lack of use – and this video, while about high school, has got me thinking again about technology and its effective … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom, School, School district, Teachers, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment