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Toolbox
The Toolbox contains a collection of articles with practical advice for school and classroom management.
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School Quality—Show Me the Money
At the forefront of national and state political agendas, education is getting plenty of coverage in the news.
Not sure what’s working my nerves more—proposals, counter-proposals, or the pundits who have built a business putting their spin on the issue.
One thing is for sure. Ohio schools need additional, equitable funding, as the Ohio Supreme Court ordered. A complete overhaul of the current system by June 15.
Money
Meanwhile, critics of public education are quick to point out problems, and equally quick to decry money as the solution.
How many times have you heard, “We can’t solve school problems by throwing money at them”?
The critics are half right. On its own, “thrown money” won’t resolve the issues. Solutions depend instead on smart money: money used to improve professional practice, not simply reduce class size, the mantra of every teachers’ union.
Sure, class size matters. But only if teachers also have the know-how to deliver instruction to diverse learners.
Otherwise, how small will classes have to shrink? One to one? Even then, if my math teacher is an abstract, spatial-reasoning whiz and I’m concrete, visual, and verbal, will I learn math?
Smart Money
This month, Principal’s Office wraps up a two-part series on differentiated instruction. As educational leaders, we need to continue the conversation about “classrooms where excellent teaching is target to the variable learning needs of diverse students.” Read more >
