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Breaking Barriers: Collaboration Between General Educators and Special Educators
A couple of weeks ago, I attended Creating Clarity for Success, a workshop presented by Kent ISD consultants. Kirsten Myers, Special Education director for Kent ISD, set the tone for the day when she said, “This is a collaboration between general educators and special educators that is meant to break barriers. We are all in…
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Redefining Learning
Written by David Richards, Ph.D. There is a learning renaissance happening in education. Today, educators are witnessing a disruptive convergence of access to mobile devices, online content, demands for choice, and increased access to high-speed bandwidth. Our new reality includes the fact that teachers are everywhere, content is king, and students are increasingly expecting to…
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Equitable Education through Personalized Learning
In conversations around equity, we often see the image above used as a metaphor to describe how it is different from equality. As educators, we know that every student is unique and their needs diverse. This image depicts that when we provide the same supports to each learner regardless of their unique needs, only some…
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Town halls give residents chance to weigh in on next superintendent
Written by: Charles Honey, for School News Network on Nov. 20, 2018 Residents have two more opportunities to have input on the next superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS). Town hall meetings started on Monday, Nov. 26 and will be held through Monday, Dec. 3. These meetings are for people to share their thoughts…
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Retain Talented Educators in Your District
We know what great teaching looks like- dedication, continuous improvement, care for their students’ needs, etc. But, do we know what great teachers look like? Does your school and district consciously recognize great teachers, as a means of honoring them, for the great work they do? Does the public know who those great teachers are?…
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Strive for Less Than 5!
School districts across Kent ISD are teaming together to deliver a common message to all students, to their families and the community at large: Strive for Less Than 5 days absent. You should soon be seeing yard signs, posters and this Strive for Less Than 5 video to spread the message that students who miss…
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Change Illusion
Blog post written by: Dr. Anthony Muhammad Change is a very difficult process, but it is the catalyst to continuous improvement. It tests our ability as professionals at many different levels. Sometimes, when things get too challenging, we tend to look for short-cuts or we quietly surrender. We live in a political climate that demands…
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Observation and Formative Feedback: Best Practices
Written by Steve Seward, Associate Director, MASSP “Teaching is complex work. You don’t have to be bad to get better!” Candi B. McKay Regardless of age or role, we all deserve formative feedback for growth that is centered on clearly specified areas of focus and success criteria. Those that are most effective as leaders, in…
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Prepare Your Students for PSAT and SAT…and Analyze the Results!
Your PSAT and SAT scores are in…now how do you get the most out of them? You may find yourself asking questions like…what do these results indicate? Should I be proud or concerned? Are there patterns to watch for? Help is here! Cross disciplinary district teams will have the opportunity to participate in a highly interactive…
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Literacy Leadership Symposium is here in Grand Rapids!
Attention School Administrators: The Fall Literacy Leadership Symposium is here in Grand Rapids! In March, Reading Now Network (RNN) hosted the West Michigan Early Literacy Leadership Symposium at Western Michigan University. More than 600 educators from 26 counties gathered to focus on literacy. Participants learned how to implement the RNN Five Key Findings and explored…