Caring School Community Posts
1 year 10 weeks ago
from Mary Hurley
It was like being the ultimate Common Core insider. One of the writers of the 2014–15 math assessments was briefing us on what the test is going to look like and how to prepare our students...starting NOW! The surprise was the connection to strategies in the Caring School Community Class Meetings (pdf).
Alan Schoenfeld from the...
1 year 13 weeks ago
from Lyndsey Williams
Some of you may remember a question that I shared a few months ago regarding assessment from a teacher named Michelle in Port au Prince, Haiti. Michelle is working with one of our consultants to implement Making Meaning, Being a Writer and Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) in grades K–3. In an email to Developmental Studies Center (DSC...
1 year 26 weeks ago
from Patrick Graham
With the school year well underway, we invite you to take a moment to reflect and congratulate yourself on just how far you’ve come. Routines are established, and students have a good sense of both what to expect and what you expect of them.
But it’s also likely that you’re becoming increasingly aware of that thief called “...
1 year 29 weeks ago
from Ginger Cook
This semester I'm going "back to school" myself and taking part in a course that I guess you could categorize as personal growth. I'm learning so much about myself but I also find the themes in our readings, conversations, and homework completely relevant to the work I get to do at DSC.
In our last assignment we explored the...
(2) 1 year 30 weeks ago
from Peter Brunn
Over the past two months I have logged many, many miles across the country to support the schools we work with. Whether I was doing lesson study with districts, supporting the Caring School Community program, or speaking at a conference, I have noticed a specific kind of thinking creep into the conversation. Below are a couple of examples...
(3) 1 year 33 weeks ago
from Peter Brunn
Bullying is back in the news. The Internet seems covered with reports of schools' challenges with bullying. My issue with all of this attention is that it paints a murky picture of the problem. We only hear about the extreme examples. Newspapers call our attention to it when a middle school student commits suicide or when an elementary school...
(2) 1 year 34 weeks ago
from Paul Houston
This time of the year is really the best time for educators. It is a time that reminds us of the unique opportunity we have to start anew. The beginning of school—which used to be in early September but has increasingly moved to August—for many districts was a time for a little adrenaline rush as we faced the possibilities and perils...
1 year 38 weeks ago
from Ginger Cook
In response to requests from many teachers and principals implementing the Caring School Community program around the country, we have created a series of additional Professional Development sessions that you can implement in your schools. These short sessions—20–30 minutes each—can be done in grade-level meetings, PLCs, or...
(2) 1 year 38 weeks ago
from Ginger Cook
This is one in a series of Teaching Tips for the Caring School Community program. You can read other tips about Teambuilding and Facilitation Techniques.
If you’re like me, you like to start the year with a sense of how all the various aspects of your curriculum will fit together into the day. We know that there are many demands on...
1 year 40 weeks ago
from Ginger Cook
I fielded this question from a principal in a district new to Caring School Community (CSC). I shared what principals who have implemented CSC for a year or more have said when I asked them the same question. Here’s what they said someone might see in CSC classrooms:
Class Meeting rules are posted in each classroom (e.g., "One...
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