For more than a generation, education leaders have advocated for policies at federal, state, and district levels to support the spread of teacher leadership. And yet, teacher leadership has not taken hold in either a strategic or systemic way. Why? Perhaps, as Atul Gawande said of the medical industry, while good ideas abound, not all of them…

Teachers are encouraged to "Step into Leadership" because they have a lot to offer, but also a lot to learn. However, many teachers need a push to get started on the path to teacher leadership beyond their classroom walls; therefore, this article provides teachers 10 tips on how to get started and where to look to expand their effect on…

This article describes a teacher-led school "Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy" (MSLA) that is part of the Denver Public Schools. At MSLA, teachers collaborate to make authentic and substantive decisions about how the school operates and seek to meet each student's needs. At teacher-led schools, teachers hire their own…

This article opens with a thought provoking question--When it comes to defining teacher leadership, how much do we limit ourselves by assuming that the way teachers work today must always be the way teachers work? The author points out that pioneering groups of public school teachers across the United States are advancing a new definition of…

This article offers a commentary on the Common Core State Standards, which were developed by a talented and well-resourced team, and are purported to be of higher quality than many former or existing state standards. However, according to this author, Common Core has become much more than the standards themselves; they are the foundational element…

This article addresses the work of Jerome Bruner, a famed psychologist of education, who is considered to be very responsible for how education and learning are conceived today. In 1959, Bruner brought together scholars from many academic disciplines to focus on redesigning curriculum and thus redesigning the foundation of American schools. Bruner…

According to this author, when it comes to data-based decision making, many educators are looking in the wrong place. This is one reason why this potentially powerful practice has too often under-delivered. Many schools rush headlong into analyzing data without considering if the data they are reviewing is worth the effort, if other data might…

Can the nation's schools meet today's challenge of providing all students with the skills they will need to thrive in the rapidly changing economy and society of the 21st century? The authors point out in this article that a large percentage of children, overwhelmingly from low-income families, end their formal schooling without the…

Professional learning around digital media often focuses on tool use and neglects consideration of teachers as interested, creative producers of digital media artifacts. The best way to help teachers learn about and adapt technology in their classrooms is by immersing them in hands-on work in the same way their students use social networks and…

This author describes a reading project using Kindles that was designed to increase the reading habits of 9th graders. With a selection of 500 titles for classroom usage, students were encouraged to read any book they chose--in addition to those required for their school term. Isero states that, in the past, many of his students would not risk…

This article asks a thought provoking question: Do school librarians matter? The statistics would seem to indicate that many decision makers in many schools believe school librarians and even school libraries are expendable, even though the school library is often the largest classroom in a school. To start, school librarians are technology…

The mental health implications of crisis exposure have emerged as a critical and challenging facet of school safety and crisis response, expanding our focus to encompass both psychological and physical safety, as well as prevention and recovery. Best practice reflects this evolution in our understanding and encompasses the continuum of crisis and…

Traumatic crises can have a lifelong effect. The majority of children, however, will not develop lasting problems following a crisis. The immediate goal of the school is to minimize the negative impact, support coping, accelerate adjustment, and instill confidence in students that school staff is available to address their needs. Support and…

All school leaders at some point will find themselves confronted by the need to shepherd their school communities through emotionally draining experiences. Death requires school leaders to act with compassion, care, and awareness that they are modeling for young people how to grieve. Few better examples of servant leadership exist. Communication…

This article describes an urban high school's response to gun violence, chronicling how the school's mission, full-service community orientation, and commitment to authentic cariño (caring) allowed students to respond to grief and tragedy and develop an ongoing peace building movement that seeks to transform students' lives and the…