One thing you’ll hear about standardized tests is that they don’t really measure the things students need to do to succeed in college. That may be true. As a school administrator I always wanted to message to staff and students and others that high scores were necessary but not sufficient: necessary in that almost no one who is…
This is definitely my first blog post about bathrooms. Perhaps it is yours as well, but actually I think they are worthy of some discussion. At least school bathrooms are. And for two reasons: 1) Former NYC parks commissioner Henry Stern once observed that bathrooms become the sites of society’s least palatable behavior. They awaken something…
You might have seen this article in the Atlantic about the “return of ability grouping” in schools. If not it’s worth the read as it’s one of several recent articles on the topic. Generally it’s the sort of article that trumpets as a new trend something that’s been quietly happening for a long time, but that’s…
Did I mention that one of the reasons for the positive mojo over at Grady Middle School is definitely the Gator? (With whom, I am a little proud to say, I had my pic taken today.) Every week one designated member of the staff “has the gator.” He or she observes throughout the school and then sends out a…
Last night, in Houston, we went out for dinner and my hosts introduced me to fried pickles and Frito pie at dinner, but today Grady Middle School they had something even bigger in store for me. At Grady, the game was on for real! Classrooms were rigorous and content-rich and TLaC-aligned. Here are some highlights: Check…