When I taught fourth-grade science in July 2020, I discovered the classroom textbooks had copyright dates of 1992, almost two decades before my...
All Blog Posts
Questioning is one of those skills that most, if not all, know is an important catalyst for learning and growth. Yet, with the fast-paced nature of...
Restorative practices is an alternative discipline method that focuses on building healthy relationships between students and adults in educational...
One of the biggest challenges that teachers and administrators face is classroom behavior. And things have definitely not gotten easier since COVID...
HB 3906 (2019) and HB 3261 (2021) require that new item types be developed for the STAAR tests. HB 3261 changes §39.023 (c-8) to read...
As a result of House Bill (HB) 3906, passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, the STAAR tests are undergoing a major redesign that will affect...
The STAAR redesign required by HB 3261 (2021) has implications for many aspects of STAAR administration beyond new item types, writing assessments...
Like past years, TEA Student Assessment offers optional assessment resources to districts and campuses for the 2022-2023 school year. These optional...
The role of the mediator is to help others resolve their problems in a mutually agreeable way without getting bogged down in the problem themselves...
Accountability, Campus Leadership, Classroom Instruction, Uncategorized
5 Important Characteristics of TIL
August brings a lot of excitement, as well as anticipation. Accountability rates are officially released in August, on what is, for many, the first...
“It’s not what you expect, it’s what you inspect.” This is what Casey Sledge, P.E., of Sledge Engineering, wants superintendents and school...
Austin Independent School District and Round Rock Independent School District teachers have been named the 2023 Regional Teachers of the Year by...
In general, the STAAR EOC participation requirements state that a student “should take the STAAR EOC assessments—Algebra I, English I, English...
The Effective Schools Framework (ESF) is a guide developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to establish a clear vision for districts and schools...
If the title of this blog post caught your attention, it is probably because you’ve wondered if those you lead, influence, and work with really care...
School librarians play an essential role in developing literacy skills by creating an environment that values and encourages students to read for...
Announcements, Migrant Education Program
The Migrant Education Program Takes Students to Washington D.C. for Leadership Program
The Migrant Education Program is federally funded. As part of Program-Specific Assurances and the e-grant application, the program must provide and...
If you’re reading this blog post, chances are that you’ve thought about taking the leap from being a teacher to a school principal. But...
Principals and assistant principals have complex jobs that get more and more complex every year. On top of the challenges school leaders face on a...
It’s back-to-school time and that means looking forward and planning for great activities for our students whether we are in person, virtual...
The time has come to look more closely at interpretation as an “other duty as assigned.” Meaningful communication with students’ caregivers is needed...
The Teacher Incentive Allotment is a big deal for Texas teachers and their students. Governor Abbott signed House Bill 3 into law in 2019. Included...
Now that school is over for the year, what are some ways to keep our students enriched and still learning during the summer break? What are some...
Response to Intervention, otherwise known as RTI, is a critical and multi-tier way of identifying and supporting students with behavior or learning...
Career and Technical Education, often abbreviated as CTE, isn’t just an educational buzzword, it’s a vital part of setting up our...
Let’s be honest, it’s been a really hard year for most of us, and an exceptionally hard school year for educators. Educators have been on the...
Educators know the difficulties of the summer slide⏤the phenomenon where students lose significant gains in math and reading over the summer months...
Turnaround schools are identified as underperforming schools that are in need of improvement. Being part of a turnaround program can feel a little...
Campus Leadership, Special Education
Three Things School Leaders Can Do to Support Special Education
Leading change and ensuring students on campus have what they need to be successful learners during the pandemic is a challenging charge. Within our...
Have you ever had a defeated feeling after you taught a lesson you thought was perfection, only to be met with blank stares and confusion from your...
When you get an email reminder from The Texas Education Agency (TEA) that your principal certificate is expiring soon, it can feel a little...
I remember being a young child watching Mr. Roger’s neighborhood on our family TV. We lived in a rural part of Texas and television reception was...
Formative Assessment is a teacher tool that’s sometimes overlooked but incredibly powerful tool. Formative assessments are a valuable piece of...
Each generation has their own defining characteristics, whether it’s the self-sufficiency of Baby Boomers or the desire for meaningful work...
Mindsets play an important role in our lives, especially when it comes to learning. A mindset is made up of the beliefs and thoughts that shape our...
“Homeless Liaison” may be in your job description – but do you know what it means? By law, every local education agency (school district or charter...
Students experiencing homelessness have the same rights to a free appropriate public education as their fellow classmates. They’re protected...
Since 2014, each school district must designate a Transition and Employment Services Designee, also called a “TED.” The requirements for TEDs are...
THE AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN NAMES ESC REGION 13 A WINNER OF THE AUSTIN TOP WORKPLACES 2020 AWARD We’ve been awarded a Top Workplaces 2020...
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines low-incidence disabilities as Section 1462(c): a visual or hearing impairment, or...
In our unusual school year, teachers and administrators have more data to track and analyze than ever before. With virtual, face-to-face...
As remote instruction continues due to COVID-19, more and more school counselors are going to be participating in virtual school counseling. Just...
You’ve seen it before. A routine planning time becomes a 30-minute team venting session about a student, and ends without creating any real or...
Classroom Instruction, Distance Learning, School Communities
How Texas Teachers are Teaching During COVID-19
COVID-19 has changed the way teachers around the world are teaching. In Texas we’ve seen a rise in both remote learning and blended learning, with...
Empathy is a word that we hear a lot these days, especially in counseling circles. However, even with the rise in popularity and the buzzword that...
Who would have thought we would ever need a Virtual T-TESS Rubric? It’s become the cliché phrase of 2020 repeated across every setting. “Who...
Self care is a crucial part of everyone’s mental health. It involves deliberate activities we practice in order to boost our mental, emotional...
Often times our schools don’t have mindfulness activities for kids in mind when they’re creating their curriculum. However academic...
Two Manor Independent School District school teachers have been named the 2021 Regional Teachers of the Year by Education Service Center Region 13...
Classroom Instruction, Early Childhood, Lifeskills, Special Education
Classroom Set-up During Covid-19: Creating and Implementing Routines
This morning I woke up, turned on the pre-loaded coffee maker, splashed water on my face, brushed my teeth, put on my exercise clothes, arranged the...