News: High Stakes Assessment

Literacy Instruction and Student Reading Proficiency: The Multi-Tiered Whole Must be Greater than the Sum of Its Disconnected Parts (Part I)

How a Comprehensive Blueprint Prevents Isolated Solutions and Inconsistent ResultsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Well. . . “all of a sudden,” there has been a nationwide rush of policy, publ...

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Closing Secondary Students’ Significant Academic Skill Gaps: Teach at Their Grade Level or Their Skill Level? (Part II)

Reviewing Two Recent Studies of Math Deficient StudentsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Two Blog messages ago (on September 28th), I began a two-part discussion on:Closing Academic Gaps in Mid...

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The Journey toward Real School Equity: Students’ Needs Should Drive Student Services … and Funding (Part II)

The Beginning of the Next School Year Starts Now: The “Get-Go Process”Dear Colleagues,Introduction   Last week, on May 17th, the 65th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education...

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Solving Student Crises in the Context of School Inequity: The Case for “Core-Plus District Funding” (Part I)

When Schools Struggle with Struggling Students:  “We Didn’t Start the Fire”Dear Colleagues,Introduction   The last two weeks have been a blur.  Just over two weeks ago, I landed in Singapore to keynot...

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Back to the Future: What My High School Reunion Reminded Me about High School Reform

The Non-Academic Essentials for High School Students’ SuccessDear Colleagues,Introduction I hope that all of you had a great summer. . . but for some of you, the summer is over, and the new school y...

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Grade Retention is NOT an Intervention: How WE Fail Students when THEY are Failing in School

Improving Grade Retention Policy, Practice, and ResultsDear Colleagues,Last week, I was sitting in on a series of meetings between the multidisciplinary Student Assistance Team (involving the Principa...

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