Joan Richardson

What consequences occur because of actions you’ve taken in your professional life? How will students be affected by the choices you make this week and this year? How will the work in yourorganization change because of your decisions? I thought all of this recently as I read All the King’s […]

Dynamic groups: Teachers harness the power of professional learning communities By Joan Richardson 

Bargaining time: Union contract spells out how and when professional learning will happen By Joan Richardson 

Deborah B. was one of the worst teachers I ever witnessed teaching. She began yelling at students from the moment they walked in the door. She threatened them and scowled at them — and they scowled right back, although most were too smart to talk back to an adult. When […]

Principal draws up a game plan for school coaches By Joan Richardson

At Simonton Elementary School in suburban Atlanta, Christy LeMaster and Kathy Spruiell manage 13 Math Model Classrooms (MMCs). The MMCs -- at least one for each grade level -- serve as demonstration sites for the 134 teachers in the building. MMC teachers have volunteered to open their classrooms to observations […]

Standing up, speaking out: Boulder confronts its discomfort with diversity By Joan Richardson