Voice of the Educator

During April, SmartBlog on Education will shine a light on educating the whole child. In this blog post, we learn about the five tenets...

A couple of years ago, we commissioned an external review of our human resources functions in the Syracuse City School District. I noticed that...

Connectedness and supportive relationships are at the core of being human. We’re motivated to share our stories and learn from others with similar experiences...

I am greatly encouraged to hear more and more educators express their enthusiasm for Carol Dweck’s research on fixed and growth mindsets. Teachers are...

It’s cliché but true: Change is hard. It requires belief, persistence, support and sometimes a bit of good luck. Change can be especially difficult...

I distinctly remember one terrible part of my unremarkable years of playing softball. During practice, I could hit the ball far enough for at...

Thinking about social media and how it works in regards to learning inside and outside of classrooms is endless and inspiring. Just by tweeting...

Welcome to SmartBrief Education’s original content series about the unique stories of teacherpreneurs. These are the innovative individuals confronting challenges, creating solutions and bringing...

While scrolling through my Twitter feed, I saw a Rick Wormeli slide someone shared about “What Doesn’t Motivate?” posted from his presentation at the...

Making the extraordinary ordinary is an original  SmartBlog on Education content series. The series explores the possibilities and challenges of making the extraordinary ordinary....

The story of the culture-shocked immigrant has been the inspiration for many lighthearted comedies, from “Coming to America” to “Spanglish.” But movies rarely paint...

Many educators are using social media to spread the word about recent guidance and tools for English learners from the U.S. Departments of Education...

With over 37,000 students, almost half of whom speak a language other than English at home, and 30% of whom qualify as English-language learners, Oakland...

So 2015 is here. What is different? Not much. What is the same? Quite a bit. That being said, we have the opportunity to...

“Next generation student assessment.” I’ve defined it elsewhere as the integration of new technology and better assessment techniques that allow teachers to know more...

Content series: Making the extraordinary ordinary This SmartBlog on Education content series written by education change-maker Josh Thomases will explore the possibilities and challenges...

Student assessment is one of the most important activities that happen in a teacher’s classroom. I’m not referring to the state accountability assessments that...

One thing I have learned in over 20 years of teaching middle school is to expect the unexpected. When the unexpected surpasses the original...

This SmartBlog on Education content series written by education change-maker Josh Thomases will explore the possibilities and challenges of making the extraordinary ordinary.  It...

Welcome to 2015. This is an ideal time to take a step back together and reflect on our overall practice. We all know that...

Reading Todd Finley’s recent article, Helping Diverse Learners Succeed, I was struck by the power of the argument concerning characteristics of the cultural deficit...