This article describes the results of a three-day professional development workshop for newer teachers (with less than six years of experience) and more experienced teachers trained in design of skills-based, year-long themes with rich interdisciplinary connections at Charles River School (Massachusetts). For the three days, the school was buzzing…

This article describes an ethical dilemma that one member of a middle school teaching team, Jill Vega, experienced, and outlines the way she resolved the issue. Vega's colleague, Nancy Smart, a new and energetic young teacher, designed a cross-curricular experiential learning trip to extend classroom learning in the field by providing…

Affinity groups are places where students build connections and process "ouch" moments from their classes. Children talk about the isolation they sometimes feel. The relationships students gain through race-based affinity groups enable them to feel less alone with their emotions and help them build a stronger sense of self. At the same time,…

After five years of teaching in two San Francisco independent schools, the author returned to Stanford University to pursue an MBA and a Master's in Education. While it is true that some of the topics he studied, such as the weighted average cost of capital, have little, if any, use in the independent school world, throughout his two years at…

Lucinda Lee Katz, head of Marin Country Day School (California), received the 2009 NAIS Diversity Leadership Award. This article presents an edited excerpt of her acceptance speech. In this speech, she outlines what is necessary to move school communities ahead in one's diversity work.