Blog Posts

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March 8, 2023

Curriculum Support

Did you know that we have a whole team of people here at the Curriculum Department ready to support you in learning more about Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction?

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March 8, 2023

More Play: Doctor’s Orders

Earlier this school year, leaders in our organization had the opportunity to learn from renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Shimi Kang on the subject of mental health and wellbeing.

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February 2, 2023

Education Assistant Connections

The EA Peer Mentor program started as a pilot three years ago and is now in its 2nd year of permanence. It currently has two full-time Education Assistant Peer Mentors, Connie Hampson and Alicia Kroeker, who support any/all EAs interested in the voluntary program. Upon registration, the two parties schedule their time together with the convenience of the mentees’ schedule in mind. EA Peer mentors collaborate with mentees to support them in their role and work together to help the mentee feel more confident, provide encouragement, and strengthen their skills.

February 2, 2023

Black History Month & Resistance

“Now let us begin. Now let us re-dedicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world.” -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 11, 2023

Early Literacy

Noticing a shift in literacy instruction across the district? Wonder what is going on in the classroom down the hall?  

January 3, 2023

Three Wishes for 2023

It has been my practice for the last few Januarys to make predictions about possible changes in the K-12 sector. This practice goes back as far as 2015 when I highlighted the top ten issues facing our education system and some things to watch for as we sought to transform it.

December 13, 2022

The Hidden Developmental Disorder

Imagine going to work every single day and failing to understand what your boss is saying, despite your best efforts. Worse yet, your colleagues don’t seem to be struggling at all. This could be how some of your students experience school. Next time you observe a student in your class who struggles to follow your instructions, who never seems to know what to do, who talks around and around what he wants to say, who misses jokes or sarcasm, consider DLD.

December 13, 2022

Pausing for Gratitude

Many of you will know that I am a big football fan, (and an especially big Raider fan). The inspiration for my post this week does not come from Raider Nation, but from the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. If you follow the Seahawks, you will know that their Super Bowl winning quarterback, Russel Wilson was traded away and that most pundits thought that with back-up quarterback Smith at the helm, the team would be lucky to win half of their games this year.

November 24, 2022

Celebrating Student Leadership

I had the pleasure this week of meeting with around fifty of Yale Secondary’s Leadership 12 students. They are an amazing and diverse group of go-getters who help to make their school and community better through service. In addition to the work they do, they are also curious about leadership and routinely invite leaders from various parts of the community to talk about their roles and perspectives on leadership. This week I was the invited guest. Among the things they wanted to learn more about were my background, how I became superintendent, as well as the joys and challenges of the job.