Figure 1: Created by Denise Ball in Collaboration with Dall-E, 2024.
A positive learning environment contributes to improved academic performance, and greater student engagement (Aldridge & McChesney, 2018). It is an essential reminder that as K-12 educators, we are called to develop the minds of students, helping build a framework to embrace critical thinking and learn how to focus inquiry and imagination to solve problems that just one day might help the betterment of mankind. As educators, we develop classrooms to foster creative thought and model in word and action what it looks like to be kind, to show tolerance, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy. What an awesome responsibility we take on when we choose to make a difference in the classroom for the students placed in our care.
In a world that can often promote chaos, our classroom and school environments must be one of safety and peace. Classrooms that prioritize emotional safety and inclusion help students build resilience and improve their academic skills (Ryzin, Roseth, & Biglan, 2020). Classroom environments that are supportive and structured promote not only academic success but also social and emotional development in students Quinn, 2017). As we walk through the presidential voting season, we must remember that parents are the first teachers of their children. The political season can be one of intense emotion. However, as educators, we do not embrace the emotion or give in to the chaos of the world. Instead, we focus on creating and modeling positive learning environments for our students, parents, and co-workers. Teachers who create a positive classroom environment by fostering respect, collaboration, and support tend to see higher levels of student engagement and achievement (Havik & Westergard, 2020).
I have provided below some recommended non-partisan activities for students to help develop and promote critical thinking, and engage in learning about the electoral process while fostering a sense of civic responsibility without the emotional weight of real-world politics.
For all those who have chosen education as a career, thank you. You make a difference!
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,
Denise
References
Aldridge, J. M., & McChesney, K. (2018). The relationships between school climate and adolescent mental health and wellbeing: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Research, 88, 121-145.
Havik, T., & Westergard, E. (2020). Do teachers matter? students’ perceptions of classroom interactions and student engagement. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 64(4), 488-507.
Quin, D. (2017). Longitudinal and contextual associations between teacher-student relationships and student engagement: A systematic review. Review of Educational Research, 87(2), 345-387.
Van Ryzin, M. J., Roseth, C. J., & Biglan, A. (2020). Mediators of effects of cooperative learning on prosocial behavior in middle school. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 66, 101084.
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 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!
One school’s approach to ensure educational resources are available for students.
St. Regis Educare – An Innovative Program for Helping Students Succeed
St. Regis Educare (SRE) is a newly created program serving the students of St. Regis Catholic Elementary and Academy, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The SRE program is staffed by three certified teachers who are dedicated to supporting the varied needs of St. Regis students. Based on the premise that each student has unique gifts and talents, with different learning styles and academic abilities, SRE supports teachers in providing differentiated instruction within and outside the classroom.
In keeping with the St. Regis mission: Respect, Educate, Give, Inspire, and Support, SRE is dedicated to respecting individual students’ needs and supporting and inspiring them to reach their fullest academic potential.
The service provided in this program is more than a library of resources for teachers and parents. It is more than a place where students can come for help with their homework. It is a professionally staffed center for learning, where students attend workshops, join literature circles, compete in Math competitions, and follow academic plans designed specifically to meet their individual needs.
SRE Services
St. Regis Educare provides three different types of assistance/enrichment for students. They work with individuals and small groups needing assistance or enrichment in academic subject areas. They provide workshops to help students with concepts such as grammar or study skills, and work with individuals and small groups on specific skills such as comprehension strategies or counting money. In order to make the concepts they are enhancing engaging, they integrate technology, and utilize manipulatives, hands-on activities, and use modeling to help students achieve their goals.
With all this, they also provide the following benefits for teachers: assessments, which they will design and/or administer upon request; a central repository for teacher resources and reference books; and documented processes and forms to make using our services less complicated. To help bridge the ever widening need between parent and school, they provide a central repository for parent resources, and are in the process of planning workshops for parents, so they can learn new ways to help their children succeed in school.
Development of the Program
This school year, St. Regis Educare has evolved from an idea and an empty office, into a focal point of learning for students in need of assistance or enrichment, as well as a central location for student, teacher, and parent resources.
Some highlights include:
A room that is now both inviting and functional for assisting students
Resource materials, games, technology, and manipulatives that are arranged by subject matter on labeled shelves for easy access
Documented processes and forms that are based on research of best practices and collaboration with professionals both in and outside the school
An extensive list of services designed to meet the varied needs of our students
As of this writing, at least one student or group from every grade, is being serviced by SRE, and they have had an abundance of positive comments from students, parents, and teachers who are grateful for the expertise and supportive of this team’s efforts. It is too soon in the development of the program to provide concrete results; however, I plan to monitor this program’s progress …stay tuned!
If your school or community is doing something great to help students, teachers or parents, please share. It is in the collaborative model that we all rise to the level in which we have the potential to be.
May we all continue to seek knowledge in all things~
The sites below were given by a 3rd grade teacher at St. Regis Catholic School, when asked what were some sites she utilized in the classroom to enhance instruction. These sites are user-friendly, age appropriate for a variety of ages and can be used at home too! Please enjoy and if you have a favorite site that you use within your classroom or at home, please share…together we can make a difference!
It is almost January, and educators and parents start the “Science Fair” discussion with children and students. This year, there are some cool science contests out there and Google Science tops my list.
Regardless if Science was your thing or not, if asked, we all could probably pull forward one science fair memory from the recesses of our minds. Volcano eruptions, eye ball blinks, inertia, plant growth with various musical tunes you name it, science fair time can be an exciting time of discovery or a mad dash to finish a deadline imposed by the ominous science teacher.
The Important Role of the Science Teacher
Given the teacher and they way material is presented, science can be fun! The world of science can open many doors for children. Doors to worlds that can increase awareness of saving our planet, living a healthy life, or even saving a life one day, by creating a cancer-saving cure…imagine. Many children in this country have limitations on travel and are limited to specific environments and economic resources. However, science is that one area where it is “cool” to recycle, utilize imagination and create! Memories of utilizing paper towel and toilet roll holders to demonstrate magnetic pull, keeps bubbling up to remind me that in science, the sky is the limit on creativity and ingenuity.
Once confirmation is given, plan, execute and cite results, remembering to follow directions given and complete all sections outlined on the Google Section Submission Site
A two minute video or 20 page slide presentation giving an overview of project are required to enter contest…entries are due by April 4th with submission form
This is a great contest that can allow educators to collaborate from various schools to come together with “Science Teams”, churches and or youth groups to utilize science as a way to spark the imagination of our children and enhancing team building while instilling (hopefully) a love of science.
The International Online Science Contest website has a wealth of resources for teachers and parents. This site offers a variety of science contest that run all year. Students can visit this site to view other science projects and read judging tips to get an overall appreciation for the “Science Fair” process. Parents can visit site to read and download a Parent Guide that provides step-by-step instructions, parent testimonials and defines the roles of parents throughout the “Science Fair” process. This is a one-stop shop for learning all about Science Fairs and a great resource for classroom teachers as well.
Science Buddies website is an all encompassing site that provides its reader with a list of various science competitions. Competitions are broken down by grade levels, format, eligibility and if teams are allowed. This is a great site for young people who might be interested at ages eight or nine in science and can watch some “advanced” science fair project videos on various projects to plant a seed for the future. For schools who do not have a “gifted” or advanced science program, this might be the site for you.
“Out of the Box” Teaching
A school, with a very creative, “out of the box” science teacher, could utilize the contest found here or at any of the mentioned websites, and take students who demonstrate an aptitude for science to the next level. Teachers who are looking to collaborate or parents who want to take more of an active role in this process can find science community blogs as well at http://www.sciencebuddies.org to glean insight and support throughout the Science Fair process or to even supplement or increase the love of science in the life of a child.
Imagine if we could ignite the imagination, plant a love of learning for science via writing, creating, utilizing music, labs, nature and utilize all the other multiple intelligences, there is nothing we could not accomplish or overcome.
While in a school today (St. Mary SchoolRoyal Oak, Michigan), I stopped to look at these fabulous displays of creativity. Not only was this hallway display colorful and creative, it was educational and funny!
We would love to share your classroom Best Practices with our readers. It is in this collaborative process, that we all grow as educators…as parents…as a society! Good ideas are meant to be shared. We try to share them as often as we can!
In one of our Writing Workshops in May, I was thrilled to spend time with Amy Foret. She is a young mom who is a wife and a mother of two. Her articulate and well-read daughter is 7 and she has an amazing son who is 5.
Her daughter started reading when she was only 3 1/2, and has been writing stories since she started kindergarten. Now she is in second grade. She reads about a book a night, and writes at least one short story a week.
Please check out and welcome these new writers to WordPress and the writing arena.
For all of our readers who love to get great ideas on books to utilize in classroom or read to your child, we highly recommend Amy’s blog MY Garden Patch of Books.
Please check it our and share your thoughts here on your great reading finds 🙂
I am on my way to VA to meet with Trisha and conduct some Unlock the Teacher LLC “How to ePublish” Workshops…
Stay tuned as the next Katie’s Adventure eBookis almost ready to hit Barnes and Noble.com. The OLQM first graders who wrote and illustrated the book did an amazing job!
You learn something every day if you pay attention. ~Ray LeBlond
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 