E-Hints are short, easy-to-read posts that educators may find relevant to their school improvement processes. You might find an E-Hint on the latest research about a topic, a new approach to an instructional technique, or a “what works” tip from another school district. You are welcome to download E-Hints and share them with others within or outside your district.
Check out our recent E-Hints below!
The Importance of Teacher Leaders in a District
Academic leadership need not rest solely on the shoulders of district and building-level administrators, but can often be more effective when shared with classroom teachers. Unfortunately, some teachers may feel less willing to go the extra mile or create quality work when tasks appear as a directive with no teacher input. But, when teacher leaders are utilized to lead the work and provide examples of quality, their peers tend to buy-in. Many of our partner districts have chosen this route as they work through their curriculum, instruction, and assessment work.
The End of the School Year is in Sight
Yes, the end of the school year is in sight. Teachers are worried about finishing the curriculum, checking in books, taking posters off the walls, entering grades, and all of their other year-end tasks. Administrators are ticking items off of their unique building goal lists and sending out reminders and final instructions for the last days of school, all the while contemplating their summer worklists. In anticipation of the end of the year, we experience a seemingly abrupt conclusion followed by a collective sigh. Afterward, the thoughts of “Oh, no, we forgot… “ settle into our minds. Let’s start now to check off the tasks and items that are complete or need follow-up.
Illustrate Your System for Teaching and Learning, Literally
One of the best parts of working with amazing school districts across the country is being able to highlight their awesome ideas for promoting positive changes in teaching and learning. Sweetwater County School District 1 in Rock Springs, Wyoming, identified a need to better communicate their district-wide expectations for teaching and learning. In a large district like theirs, they realized that not all teachers understood the system for curriculum, instruction, and assessment and therefore were not following it. To better communicate these processes with all teachers, they created the following graphic:
Read more Illustrate Your System for Teaching and Learning, Literally
Finding Time
A teacher’s job has always included more than just what takes place while students are in the classroom—and always should. Besides the obvious lesson planning and grading, teachers need to be involved in curriculum development, data analysis of student learning, problem-solving, and other professional development activities related to teaching/learning research and strategies. These activities are necessary if we are to make a difference in student learning. However, they all take time, and to be effective, they will require more than just a few minutes grabbed here and there.
Do Standards Improve Learning?
Eight years later, did the Common Core Standards help or hurt? This might be the million-dollar question with equal numbers of supporters on each side of the debate. While this question can be posed regarding any set of state or national standards followed by a district in the past or present, one important distinction to remember is that not all districts providing scores started the implementation of the Common Core Standards at the same time. The debate rages based on measures of learning and implementation of instruction, which both might be valid or invalid to varying degrees.
Curriculum is a Roadmap
“Curriculum” is discussed on a daily basis in conversations within schools among administrators, teachers, support staff, and outside stakeholders. Strangely enough, it is a term that carries fundamental misconceptions that make those conversations difficult. Unless everyone involved in the conversation has the same definition for curriculum, what is said and what is heard are often very different.
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