Category Archives: Teachers

Parents and standards-based grading

Our district is rolling out standards-based grading this school year, moving away from the traditional report card. As this piece in the Washington Post stated: “In the old system, students received a single letter grade in a subject area, such … Continue reading

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Some nostalgia: Donald in Mathmagic Land

There are some very specific things that I remember from elementary and middle school – or, really, junior high school, as it was called. The seemingly life-sized model (at least it seemed that way at that time) of the Santa … Continue reading

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States and Districts Use Online Video for the Common Core

My latest article for ASCD on the Common Core State Standards. Go here to sign up for ASCD’s Common Core-focused newsletter. Each day, it seems, new products and services come to market that aim to help teachers with the Common … Continue reading

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Connecting at school: The importance of a caring adult

As readers of this blog know, our son has moved from an intimate elementary school setting to a large middle school, and his move – and what I’ve heard from a few friends about their own kids’ experiences at other … Continue reading

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Starting Early in West Virginia: The Common Core and Early Childhood Education

My latest article for ASCD on the Common Core, which you can also see here. And sign up for this particular ASCD newsletter here. In West Virginia, there has been a commitment to early childhood education for many years, with … Continue reading

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Revise Back to School Night

Back to School Night last week, and it felt the same as those other Back to School Nights the last seven years: Very unsatisfying. As I think is typical in other school systems, parents got the schedule of their child … Continue reading

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