As I see new education technology ideas appear and disappear, I wonder if our edtech efforts are stymied by neglect for considering teachers as learners. How can innovative student-learning practices become reality if innovative teacher-learning practices are not the norm? When I refer to “teacher learning,”...

This week while attending SXSWedu sessions, “personalized learning” is all a buzz. As I listen to the panels and engage in conversation, I worry that the discussion lacks a clear grasp of the concrete implications for rethinking classrooms, student learning, and teaching roles. I’ve already written...

This is my final segment for this particular series on applying lean startup principles to the process for improving learning in the K12 environment. My previous entries recount the journey of developing an MVP for education, determining what to build, measuring for impact, and learning how to move forward....

In attempts to erase achievement gaps, transform instruction and invigorate learning communities, we school leaders craft improvement plans with targeted initiatives and specific objectives. But many are familiar with the military adage, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” (Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke) While...

In a climate of increased accountability, schools and districts are pushed to demonstrate that they are employing research-based strategies to improve instruction. But what makes a teaching strategy, technique, or practice “research-based”? A commonly accepted answer defines research-based as the bar set by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)....