I am grateful to Marymount University School of Education for the invitation to participate and provide tomorrow’s keynote address for this inaugural Leadership Retreat (virtual).
This inspiring day will focus on transformative leadership, with engaging sessions led by Marcia Baldanza, Ed.D., Jennifer Scully, Ed.D., Nicci Dowd, EdD, Tanya Salewski, Ed.D, Dr. Gina DiVincenzo, Dr. Allison Ross , and Travis Zimmerman, Ed. D.
Looking forward to a day of learning, reflection, and vision-casting with incredible colleagues who are shaping the future of education.
Marymount University School of Education serves 270+ aspiring doctoral students, current and future school leaders.
Scan the QR code to join the conversation! This complimentary virtual event begins tomorrow at 9AM.
I believe in sharing the good; words have power. There were so many words of wisdom shared over the last few days, I took pen to paper to capture a few words that spoke to me. I hope they inspire you or encourage reflection as you wrap up the 2023-24 school year. Please refer to the recommended resources for the names of some of the speakers who lit my fuse of curiosity this week. Never forget that to teach is a choice. To lead in education is a choice. The work you choose to do matters! Thank you for saying yes to the call to serve in education…
I found this week so engaging that I needed to pause and reflect to process the many data insights supported by research shared this week. There was such a dynamic cadre of national educational leaders that gathered in Dallas for this well planned and executed event. Many opportunities were provided to listen and discuss data and how to use data to inform decisions that effect student learning outcomes. I have a notebook of takeaways that I will spend some time with over the summer to unpack from attending the Curriculum Associates 5th Annual Ferguson Institute.
Denise Ball, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning/Lori Chaney, Curriculum Associates, Director of Sales, Mid-Atlantic/Kelly Branaman, Secretary for Catholic Schools and Superintendent of Schools
Key Takeaways:
1. It is important to come together; educating students takes a community.
The power of collaboration in education was a resounding theme at the Ferguson Institute. The diverse perspectives and experiences shared among those present served as a powerful reminder that the education of our students is a collective endeavor, not an individual one.
2. As educational leaders, we need to ensure we are providing teachers with opportunities to create environments where students feel “invited” to learn and that we are embracing and using data across all grade levels.
Creating inviting learning environments is crucial. By leveraging data, we can tailor these environments to meet the needs of every student, fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere that encourages engagement and learning.
Hattie, John. “Foster a Learning Culture.” 2024. What Brings You Joy. 5th Annual Ferguson Institute.
3. Remember never to underestimate a student’s potential and that every child is a capable mathematical thinker. Wouldn’t it be amazing if all students believed they were capable mathematical thinkers? Expecting excellence will transform a school culture!
At the heart of our educational mission is the belief in the untapped potential of every student. By fostering a culture of high expectations and support, we can empower our students to see themselves as capable mathematical thinkers, thereby transforming the overall school culture. Embracing this thought process might also require some professional development to ensure your faculty sees a capable mathematical thinker in every student. Let us enter the conversation…
4. Continue to seek to be inspired, encourage one another and the students placed in your care. Do not edit out the innovation; create environments for students and teachers that promote curiosity and inquiry.
Innovation should be at the heart of our educational practices. By nurturing curiosity and inquiry, we can create dynamic learning environments that inspire both teachers and students to explore, experiment, and grow.
Hattie, John. “Students are Engaged in their Learning.” 2024. What Brings You Joy. 5th Annual Ferguson Institute.
5. Building capacity through teaching inference and evaluating the impact is essential.
Teaching inference is essential for developing critical thinking skills. Evaluating the impact of our teaching practices ensures that we are effectively building these capacities in our students and continually improving our methods.
6. Hearing school districts share their data story was inspirational and provided opportunities for rich data dialogue. Hearing that achievement is up half a grade level equivalent in one year was simply a testament that the i-Ready curriculum and assessment resources make a difference!
The success stories shared by various school districts were both inspiring and affirming. The significant improvements in student achievement underscore the effectiveness of the i-Ready curriculum and assessment resources in enhancing educational outcomes.
Sullivan, Mark. Birmingham City Schools. 2024.
7. Curriculum Associates stimulates inquiry…always growing and improving through research and collaboration where speech recognition, Algebra I, and i-Ready Pro initiatives will be student game changers.
Curriculum Associates’ commitment to continuous growth and improvement through research and collaboration is evident in their innovative initiatives. These advancements promise to be transformative for students, particularly in areas like speech recognition and Algebra I.
8. One gold nugget that is life-affirming is to embrace the errors. No one says no to better!
Embracing errors as opportunities for growth is a powerful mindset. It reminds us that continuous improvement is always possible, and every mistake is a step towards betterment.
The world is chaotic, and we are called to be a positive light for the students and parents in our care. We must have courage, and as reflective practitioners, we must remember to reflect often on what brings us joy. Nothing great happens in the absence of enthusiasm. Build that playlist this summer, sing aloud and dance. Get energized to develop a personal and professional framework for greatness for the 2024-25 school year.
I am leaving Dallas and headed back to D.C. with the clear understanding that Curriculum Associates is an organization where everyone believes that every child deserves to be on grade level. It has been an exceptional week, enriched with data discussions with passionate school and district leaders committed to making a difference in a child’s life. I look forward to continuing to unpack all that I learned with my team and the school leaders I serve, strengthening the relationships developed and lessons learned while engaging with data at the 5th Annual Ferguson Institute.
Inspiring Leaders Making a Difference in Education
As I reflect on the 2022-23 school year, I am so proud of the school leaders and teachers I serve. This was a year of not getting back to normal but developing a new framework to meet the needs of students and school communities. In the midst of a society inundated with negativity and despair, teachers and school leaders are called to be beacons of hope. Recognizing the importance of professional development, I had the privilege of attending a conference that not only inspired and renewed educators but also provided invaluable strategies and best practices. The NCEA Conference held in Texas last April brought together teachers from all over the United States, fostering an environment of excitement and growth.
Building Hope and Inspiring Change
As teachers, we hold a remarkable responsibility in shaping the leaders of tomorrow and influencing the future of society. The conference was a testament to the commitment of educators who understand the importance of their role. It was truly inspiring to witness thousands of teachers gathering in one place, united by their passion for education. Laughter filled the air as teachers immersed themselves in sessions, eagerly absorbing new knowledge and revisiting proven strategies. The energy and enthusiasm that emanated from the event were a testament to the collective dedication of educators to their craft and the need for educators to have opportunities to come together to share ideas and collaborate.
Renewing Spirit and Cultivating Excellence
Professional development plays a vital role in empowering teachers to be the best versions of themselves in the classroom. The conference provided a platform for educators to reflect, rejuvenate, and gather the necessary tools to establish a positive school culture. It allowed school leaders to introspect and equip themselves with the skills required to support and uplift their teaching staff. By embracing this opportunity for growth and renewal, educators could enhance the educational experience for their students.
Noteworthy Vendors
Numerous vendors contributed to the success of the conference by offering their expertise and resources. Here are some vendors whose offerings caught my attention:
ADAC – Professional Development Specialists (www.theadac.com):
ADAC specializes in providing professional development services to educators. Their workshops and training sessions offer valuable insights and strategies that enhance teaching practices and student engagement. By investing in continuous professional development, teachers can evolve their instructional methods and inspire their students.
Little Linguist Art Academy (info@littlelinguistics.com):
Little Linguist Art Academy offers a unique approach to language learning through artistic expression. By combining language acquisition and creative activities, they provide an engaging and immersive learning experience for students. Their programs help foster a love for languages and encourage students to explore their creative talents.
Silent Auction Pro (www.SilentAuctionPro.com):
Silent Auction Pro offers comprehensive software solutions for organizing and managing fundraising events. With their user-friendly platform, schools can streamline the process of conducting silent auctions, thereby maximizing their fundraising potential. This resource can significantly benefit schools looking to generate funds for various educational initiatives.
Loyola Press (www.loyolapress.com):
Loyola Press is a renowned publisher specializing in educational materials, particularly in the field of Catholic education. Their resources include textbooks, teaching aids, and faith formation materials. By providing comprehensive and high-quality materials, Loyola Press supports educators in delivering an enriching and value-based education to their students.
National Catholic Education Association (NCEA)-www.ncea.org
COGNIA-www.cognia.org
Sadlier-www.sadlier.com (Vocabulary and Writing Resources for K-12)
Attending the NCEA Conference was a truly transformative experience. Witnessing the dedication and passion of educators from across the nation served as a powerful reminder of the profound impact we can have on our students and society as a whole. The conference provided an opportunity to learn from industry experts, exchange ideas with fellow educators, and explore innovative resources offered by exceptional vendors.
As we approach the summer break, let us be inspired to build a framework for the upcoming school year that plants seeds of hope and fosters a love for learning among our students. May school leaders also reflect and renew their commitment to supporting their teachers in establishing a positive school culture and establish routines and traditions to help establish a dynamic team, thereby enhancing the educational experience for all students.
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things~
Denise
McGraw Hill Education Wonderful teachers I met at the conference who traveled from Belize.Curriculum AssociatesFr. John Belomonte, S.J. (Diocese of Venice)ADW School Leaders-Principal Erin Meunier was a presenter.
As of June 2023, this blog has had over 1 million views, thank you! I am in the final stages of conducting my research for my dissertation and I appreciate the kind messages of inspiration sent. This platform was created in 2012 to share the good in education. Please feel free to share what inspired you this year. Sharing the good is synergistic and good for us all!
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things~
Denise
August 2020
Thank you to the 580K+ visitors to this blog. This blog is a creative way I use to share the good I see and find. Once I defend my dissertation and earn my doctorate, I hope to spend more time sharing the best practices that readers share with me. I appreciate the teachers and educational leaders that share tips and recommendations they find helpful in the classroom, school or district they serve. Thank you to the parents who leave comments and suggestions too.
When we train our eyes to see the good, we can do ANYTHING!
Educational leaders, as you prepare to bring your teams back together, now more than ever, we need to work with our school teams to develop a sense of collective responsibility to contribute to a positive school environment (Towers & Maguire, 2017).
Our teachers desire a sense of belonging (Kelchtermans, 2017). We need to seek to hear teacher voice, allowing our educators to take an active role in developing, implementing and engaging in professional development that will enhance the educational experience for all stakeholders holders and increase job motivation amongst team members.
Regardless if the role we serve is teacher, janitor, secretary or principal, we all teach in word and action. However, collectively, a school team needs to be of one mind, one unified team to serve the students and parents placed in their care. A positive school climate is synergistic. It takes having intentional discussions as a school team and developing a framework, a road map to team success now before the students return.
The school year can be a road with many challenges (COVID) and obstacles. However, a unified team, determined to create and maintain a positive school culture can do ANYTHING!
May this upcoming school year be filled with new discoveries and developments for your school team…
The six simple rules provided by Dr. Ramsey, are simplistic in nature and effective if remembered by educational leaders when looking to develop and implement “in the name of children”. I believe that to be an effective leader in education, we must remember our customer is not only the child but our parents. Parents, who have a voice and could choose any school. Given the many varied school options available today, what makes your school the best choice for their child? Parents are looking for a collaborator, not a dictator or an organization that isolates and creates feelings of inferiority.
From conducting a needs assessment, drafting a strategic plan or developing a backward designed curriculum utilizing a Universal Design Learning mindset, we must always keep the child as center focus. Programs that lose sight of the child have failed before implementation has even begun.
As a principal, I know how “busy” and unexpected a school day can be. However, the reasons why there are so many blogs and books that share best practices and strategies for principals and educational leaders alike to get out of their offices and into the classrooms, is because we all at one point or another get stuck behind our desks attending necessary managerial tasks and we need to be reminded that the reason we chose to be a principal in the first place was to be change agents for children and a champion of teachers!
It is so important to remember the “why”! We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in the tasks at hand but read and research that strategy that will work best for us to spend that necessary time in the classroom seeing learning in action on the part of both student and teacher.
We cannot discount the importance placed on the positive development and cultivation of a healthy team of faculty and staff. A healthy and effective faculty and staff are crucial in the development of our future, so it is essential that we as educational leaders get up, get moving and motivate, lead and develop our teams.
As second semester begins for many of us around the world, I encourage you in 2017 to seek out new ways to tell your faculty and staff, “good job” or “this needs some attention for the sake of our children and all those placed in our care.”
Be the educational leader you wanted to be when you first said, “YES” to the opportunity.
Seek to be the difference in the lives of the children, parents, faculty and staff placed in your care. When we choose to be and see the good, it is simply life changing.
6 RULES FOR PRINCIPALS
By Robert Ramsey, Ed.D
Rule 1: Listen to parents; the are the kid’s first teachers.
Rule 2: If it’s good for kids, it’s good.
Rule 3: If there’s NO fun, there’s not much lasting learning happening either.
Rule 4: Kids are more importantthan teachers.
Rule 5: Teachers are more importantthan principals.
Rule 6: Principals are ONLY important if they HELP kids and teachers.
When after working 21 years within the world of education, I pause to reflect and review the amazing opportunities I have had, hopefully making a difference in the lives of students, faculty, staff and school communities I have had the pleasure of developing programs, serving, and training.
I most recently shared with my children (12 & 14) that we will be relocating to the Washington, D.C./Maryland area. My husband has recently moved to the area with his employer and after twenty-three years of marriage, I know it is important for us to move together as one family unit. To my surprise, both my children without hesitation were excited about the “adventure” and quoted me as often saying, “life is short, let’s embrace a new chapter of life.”
Given the relocation plans, many in my life are surprised by my excitement about the adventure and all the uncertainty that relocating can bring. Many have taken the time to voice their amazement on how well my children are taking to the news and quite honestly surprised by their excitement.
Our family have spent time talking about the responses from family and friends. I have had numerous conversations on the topic of relocating with my educational leadership peers, faculty and staff. Ultimately, I am thrilled to join my husband Michael. I am grateful for the grace of life and having two healthy children.
In education, I have spent years teaching and encouraging students to embrace change as a new concept or topic of learning is being taught. I have spent years developing programs and training and encouraging educational teams to include my own faculty and staff, to change the lens in which they see their classrooms, teams and school environments, and embrace a new idea and or theory all for the betterment of enhancing the learning experience of the students placed in their care. These experiences have all been successful and repeated throughout the world by many.
In education, we are called to be change agents, and yet so often, we have a difficult time stepping out of our silos and changing the lens in which we use to see the world around us. As I embrace this new chapter in my life, I am excited as I interview within education, various industry leaders and agencies, I am seeing just how small (and global) our world is. I cannot wait to see which team I will join and grateful for the wonderful years of working within the world of education in Michigan.
I encourage all those who play a role in the life of a child to continue to encourage them to seek out the new, embrace the changes as opportunities and help them see global connections all around them.
I will continue to post blog entries on those topics I find most interesting and educationally worthy. I am grateful for all the feedback and the hundreds of thousands of views this blog has received.
My next blog post will be on Microsoft’s HoloLens. I have recently read a few articles on this product. You can say you read it here first, when I say that this product will change the way in which we teach and learn in the future. As you know, educational changes often move as pond water, and we may not see this product changing education best practices tomorrow or even in the next 5 years but this is an amazing product and it is definitely one to watch when it comes to enhancing education for our leaders of tomorrow.
As educators, we have been blessed with an awesome responsibility to educate the whole child to become productive citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
As an administrator, one of the blessings of my job is to help my faculty and staff be the best they can be in the lives of those placed in their care.
Simple reminders:
*to greet students at the door and actually “see” them each day
*to remember that as an educator, we are the rational adult called to model behaviors for our students…forgiveness, flexibility, humor, compassion etc.
*it is okay for students to know that mistakes have been made or something is not “known” …demonstrate how to build the muscle of “recovery” and “collaboration”
Never underestimate the power we have in lifting up our students to new heights…if you BELIEVE they will ACHIEVE!
Today we celebrate and welcome a new year. What a wonderful opportunity today provides for us to take stock of all the lessons learned from 2013, and pause, reflect and prepare to make a difference in 2014.
Regardless of the job we report to each day, each of us has the awesome power to CHOOSE to make a difference in our own lives and the lives of those around us. We will always experience hills to climb and obstacles to work through ( mentally and physically)…this is life. However, it is amazing what can happen to a person’s own mental attitude and perspective when each day begins thinking of others. Sometimes the transition is slow and I have personally experienced an immediate change, but when we make a conscious choice to be the difference in life, our lens in which we see the world and the people in it, changes.
I encourage everyone to join the Unlock the Teacher team …pause, reflect and make a concerted effort to really be “present” each day in 2014 and really live life and maximize your potential!
For all of our educator friends, we wish you all the strength and courage needed to inspire those placed within your care each and every day…YOU make a difference!
Motivational Quotes to Lift Up and Inspire this Holiday Season
Words are POWERFUL…what words fill your inner conversation and what words do you use for those around you?
Are you a beacon?
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift.” Steve Prefontaine
“… run with patience the race that is set before us …” Heb. 12:1-3
“Pain is temporary; Pride lasts forever.”~ Unknown
“Respect the distance or the distance won’t respect you! It will eat you up, spit you out and make you beg for mercy” – Unknown
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T.S. Eliot
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge
“Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don’t so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head.” – Joe Henderson
“It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.” – Emil Zatopek
Now bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.” – Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
“We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.” – Emil Zatopek
“To be great, one does not have to be mad, but definitely it helps.” – Percy Cerutty
“Life is a positive-sum game. Everyone from the gold medalist to the last finisher can rejoice in a personal victory.” – George Sheehan
“A runners creed: I will win; if I cannot win, I shall be second; if I cannot be second, I shall be third; if I cannot place at all, I shall still do my best.” – Ken Doherty
“Those who say it can’t be done should not interrupt the ones doing it”
— From Carol Ann
My advice…be an action verb, choose to live and share the gifts you have been given this holiday season. Laugh as often as possible and truly look into the eyes of those around you and smile that smile that says, “I see you and I care!”
Odyssey of the Mind
An international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college.
Math Chimps
Great online math games aligned to the Common Core State Standards~for ages 4-16
Oceanhouse Media
Great educational book apps and so much more. Check out often for FREE downloads to help your child learn letters, phonics & math!
Team Building and Problem-Solving Strategies for the Classroom
Odyssey of the Mind
An international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college.
Unlock the Teacher 