Teacher Leadership

4 Tips for Dealing with High-Demand Parents

March 11th, 2013

By Brian P. Gatens Sooner or later, all educators have to work with high-demand parents. I’ve found a few basic strategies can defuse tension and help teachers and parents find common ground when these situations pop up. Effective schools always have a …

Teachers: Stand Up and Speak Out for Your Profession

March 7th, 2013

By Brian P. Gatens Ok, let’s cut to the chase. You’re not a victim. Yes, yes, the teaching profession has been battered and bruised these past several years. We’ve been swept up in an economic tsunami that has engulfed all public-sector workers. …

Teachers vs. Administrators: Ending the Adversarial Relationship

February 27th, 2013

by Terry Wilhelm An administrative colleague of mine recently retired from the school where she’d worked for many years and wrote a farewell open letter to her staff. As part of a warm, positive goodbye, she said the following: Over the years, …

Thinking Critically About Common Core State Standards

January 22nd, 2013

by Jacquie McGregor In recent years, most educators have undergone intensive in-services and professional development courses devoted to understanding Common Core State Standards, usually without a chance to examine its pros and cons. We’re also familiar with the problems the CCSS movement aims to solve: in …

No Taxation Without Representation

April 2nd, 2012

For Jeff Reed, a 4th grade teacher at Sag Harbor Elementary School, KIDS DISCOVER isn’t just a tool for reading and learning– it’s a catalyst for innovation in the classroom. When Jeff approached us with his idea to hold a classroom trial …

21st Century Leadership With George Dettwiller

March 24th, 2012

Leadership in the 21st century is vastly different than it’s ever been. The concept of the corporation was first coined by Peter Drucker in 1946, at which time the job title of “managers” whose sole role was to increase the productivity of …

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