For many years, our Monday afternoon professional learning time, referred to as Continuous Instructional Improvement (CII), was well-intentioned but fragmented. Sessions varied by teams and topics, initiatives competed for attention, and the impact on classroom practice was inconsistent. While each session had value, the absence of a shared through-line made it difficult for adult learning…

Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, on a vote of 217 to 214, a five bill FY 2026 Appropriations minibus that contains final FY26 funding for the Departments of Labor, HHS, Education, Transportation, HUD, State, and Defense. It does not include final FY26 funding for the Department of Homeland Security as a result…

In most schools, a new teacher assumes essentially the same responsibilities as an experienced one, often to the detriment of both the novice teacher and her students. Nationally representative data shows that one in 10 new teachers in the U.S. has no student teaching experience (Podolsky et al., 2016). Furthermore, in 2023 schools in 49…

As a certified professional coach who works with educators at all levels, I appreciated a recent blog published in Postive.News about the benefits of getting beyond surface-level conversations with others to truly connect with them. Author Tom Pattinson presented ways to initiate deeper conversations that will help anyone spark more meaningful connections this year. If…

AI-driven technology is equipping teachers and leaders with learning design tools they can use to build experiences uniquely suited to every student’s wonder, curiosity, and learning needs. This shift is similar to how music listening has moved from a focus on whole albums to personalized playlists, according to education leaders Rob Dickson and Dyane Smokorowski….

On Nov. 18, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it had finalized six interagency agreements with four other federal agencies that will transfer some but not all responsibility for multiple USDE programs. Nearly all K-12 programs will be administered by the Department of Labor under this agreement, with Indian Education programs moving to the…

On November 18, the U.S. Department of Education announced six interagency agreements to transfer administrative responsibilities for most federal education programs from the Department of Education to four other federal agencies. Nearly all K-12 programs, including Title II-A, will be administered by the U.S. Department of Labor but overall policy responsibility will be retained by…

In my early years of teaching, I was part of a K/1 multiage team with three incredible teammates. We planned together, supported each other, and navigated the ups and downs of our early careers teaching as a unit. Later, as an instructional coach, I had a focus area partner and other amazing coaches to learn…

I was recently scrolling Instagram, where a quote posted by a friend in her stories caught my eye. This seemingly simple, unattributed quote caused me to pause: “Deep conversations with open-minded people is an underrated luxury.” I immediately wondered when was the last time I had had a deep conversation with an open-minded person. And…

Despite the federal government remaining closed for more than a month, multiple bills related to AI and students have been introduced in the past several weeks. On October 28th, the Senate HELP Committee’s Chair Bill Cassidy, R-LA, dropped his Learning Innovation and Empowerment (LIFE) with AI Act, which focuses on upgrading student privacy protections and…