Some students begin their journey through middle and high school in high-visibility mode. They are active in class and in school life – “everybody knows their name.” But other students are at risk of getting lost in the crowd. Teachers in Florence City Schools have begun a proactive program to make sure every student is well-known and supported.
Muscle Shoals City Schools is making quality questioning a key improvement strategy. In our final post by district instructional partners, Cheryl Lockhart shares some of the tools McBride Elementary has developed to support students and teachers as they “jump into the pool” and begin the shift to a culture of deeper thinking and discussion.
Muscle Shoals City Schools is making quality questioning a key improvement strategy across the system. In the second of three guest posts by district instructional partners, Sandy Armstrong reports on the QQ experience at Howell Graves Preschool after a team of teachers attended ABPC’s summer Quality Questioning Institute.
Quality Questioning is a highly effective way to engage our students in deeper learning. To help ensure more Alabama teachers gain access to training in quality questioning, ABPC has begun offering QQ Institutes, led by national expert Jackie Walsh. In the first of three guest posts by instructional partners in Muscle Shoals City, Dianna Ritter reports on the QQ experience at Highland Park and Webster elementary schools.
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The greatest benefits to using instructional rounds as an educational leadership tool is that you have the freedom and choice to identify a problem of practice that is relevant to the greatest needs in your school. Instructional Partner Bryan Rebar shares what it’s like to have an ABPC Instructional Round at your school and the many ripple effects.
There are always growing pains at the beginning of school, writes Harlan Elementary assistant principal Jill Edwards, “as teachers and admins tweak plans based on real world needs.” Here Edwards takes a moment to “look back on those first 30 days to consider what we as administrators are doing to support our mission on a daily basis.”
School improvement and innovation should begin inside the school, writes author and McREL CEO Bryan Goodwin in this ABPC guest article. When a school changes because the people inside “genuinely want the change and have a true say in how they’ll create it, there are no limits to what they can achieve.” First step: build an inclusive leadership team.
Guntersville City Schools has “great raw materials,” says Chief Academic Officer Paige Raney, “smart teachers, dedicated administrators, involved families, hardworking students, and incredible community support.” GCS is now honing in on three top priorities – culture, data and instruction – as everyone works to build collective efficacy through initiatives like Cafe 1.57 (can you guess?).
The way our children are learning is changing, write this trio of educators in the Pike Road Schools system, but our job as educators will always be the same. It’s “to empower every student to become the best version of themselves: proud, passionate, and prepared.” They believe student-driven digital portfolios are the path to that empowerment.