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As an administrator, I am always looking for solutions to managing the many tasks that come with being a school principal. During the course of the day, one or two dozen tasks can often come across my desk, and trying to find a way to keep track of all of these is problematic. Of course there are the usual Web 2.0 tools like Google Calendar, Remember the Milk, and Ta-Da Lists. All of the online tools...

During the last week, the web has been abuzz with talk about the Blueprint for NCLB 2.0 the Obama administration’s reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Most of the talk is mixed. Perhaps this mostly due to the largely vague phrases and broad generalizations found throughout most of the document. Still, my repeated read-throughs of the document have basically made me concerned...

I honestly cannot take full credit for this idea because when I came on board in my current position as principal of a redesign high school, most of the teachers were already using Skype to communicate during the school day. They suggested that I install it too. I knew about Skype, but until this point in time, had no reason to use the software. Sounds kinds of funny, but to Skype, you have to have...

Yesterday, I examined priority one in the Obama Administration’s recently released blueprint for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. After examining priority one specifically, it is apparent that the Obama administration is going to continue the testing mania of NCLB 1.0, with some new areas of emphasis. Those areas are: tying student test scores to teacher and principal...

The Obama administration released on its web site its blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This was just after President Obama addressed education in his weekly Internet address. (Here’s the transcript of that address.) I have completed one complete read-through of that blueprint and think there are four areas of concern for me as a 21st century administrator....

According to President Obama’s weekly Internet address his administration’s education policy is an attempt to create an educational system that “Creates a more competitive America and a better future.” It’s hard to argue with words like “what matters is what we do to lift up the next generation.” It is equally hard to argue with phrases like “raising expectations for our students and ourselves,” “rewarding...

In earlier posts, I examined technology solutions for developing and maintaining a Professional Learning Network. As an administrator, one advantage of technology tools like Twitter and Google Reader is the ability to build and maintain connections to a number of like professionals through the use of technology tools. Another problem that administrators face is how to manage all of the tasks that...

Last Thursday and Friday I attended the North Carolina Technology in Education Society Annual Technology (NCTIES) Conference in Raleigh, NC. As an administrator, I realize my fellow principals are sometimes reluctant to get away from their schools for conferences that appear to be remotely related to administration. Honestly, I am not sure of the logic behind that thinking. Now that the 21st Century...

Diane Ravitch;s book The Death and the Life of the Great American School System is one of those rare books that will either ignite some long-needed, introspective discussion by the educational establishment about testing, accountability, and charter schools, or it will simply be brushed aside by politicians, business and media as the usual excuses made by an educational system that just...

This book is bound to make angry some of the data-crunchers who believe school improvement is all about testing data. As for those who think that schools can be run like businesses, they are not going to like what Diane Ravitch has to say either. I personally think her book has the potential to start serious discussions about what all this emphasis on testing is really doing to our educational system....

Democracy Now has posted the second part of their video interview with author Diane Ravitch on their web site. What strikes me most about the video is Diane Ravitch's pointing clearly that "NCLB was a failure." She also points out that the belief that schools can be run like a business was an assumption behind NCLB, and that the Obama administration has the same mindset. So much for "Change We Can...

Diane Ravitch discusses in this interview why she thinks Race to the Top and the Obama administration policies are going to ruin public schools. Several things come to mind after watching this interview. First of all, I think Ravitch is right on target when she discusses the need to focus on “curriculum” rather than tests. If we truly want students to learn more rigorous content it makes sense...

In the previous post, I attempted to explain Google  Reader’s place in my Professional Learning Network. It is through this tool that I am able to control the flow of web information that I pay attention to. Trying to mine the web for information of interest is a difficult task because any search string typed into a search engine returns an enormous amount of information. Another electronic...

IMPORTANT NOTE: While I speak mainly about using Google Reader as an RSS feed aggregator in this post, I know there are others out there. I chose focusing on just Google Reader for simplicity sake and because of its accessibility. It requires no additional download, and it can be set up rather easily. There are many administrators out there who are put off from trying these technologies because they...

Three of the most challenging areas I have faced as a school level principal are: 1) Developing a Professional Learning Network, 2)managing and keeping up with all of the tasks and events that come across my desk, and 3) maintaining effective communication with stakeholders. This is first in a series of blog posts where I am going to explore tools that school administrators can use to address these...

I am currently trying to find ways to incorporate Google Wave into administrative practice. I have had an account for some time, but as you well know, it really takes time to explore and find a use for a new technology. I want to use Google Wave to carry on a discussion about Race to the Top and the other educational policies of the Obama administration generally and those espoused by Secretary Arne...

I don’t really have a “I-Told-You-So” personality, but after reading about the backlash President Obama and secretary Arne Duncan are experiencing after their callous remarks regarding the teachers who were fired at Central Falls High, I just can’t help myself. I TOLD YOU SO! If they were somehow able to dig into the pile of email they receive, they would find an email from me just two days ago pointing...

Today, I continued to reflect on the desertion of the Obama administration regarding its promise in “Change We Can Believe In.” I have an old campaign sign gathering dust in my garage with that slogan on it. Somehow it is quite fitting. The promises of change made by our current president are also gathering dust. The Obama administration and Secretary Arne Duncan have only continued the same policies...