Dr. Riegel S Reading List

Dr. Riegel’s Reading List May 2017

Teacher Resources

 This article, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, explores the dynamics of talking about race in schools and offers ways to give young people a point of entry into the painful realities of race in America. April 20, 2017. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/04/talking-about-race-mostly-white-schools

 Chronic absenteeism is one of the biggest barriers to school success. New research supports the idea that parents can be powerful allies in preventing the problem and creating solutions. This article shows that simple, low-cost strategies to target parental beliefs about attendance can reduce student absences and pave the way for academic success. May 10, 2017. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/05/parents-allies-reducing-absences

 Teachers - you thought you couldn’t wait until the last day of school? Parents are right there with you! Enjoy these 17 end-of-the-school-year-moments that make parents go, “Why, God? Why?!” April 30, 2017. https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/xx-reasons-the-end-of- the-school-year-makes-parent-say-holy?utm_term=.yv0EPZv7v#.agG9DZw4w

 Research shows that middle-class parents, compared to low-income parents, often engage in more social involvement at school – participating in school committees, parent groups, and volunteering in class –experiences that can link them to more opportunities and resources for their children and more influence in schools. These differences in parent involvement can create hidden disparities that are easy for schools to overlook but hard for poor families to overcome. One school district in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is working to reimagine and redefine parent involvement, specifically by helping low-income and disengaged parents join the conversation and advocate for their own children with the higher-income parents. April 18, 2017. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/04/19/how-parents-widen--or-shrink--academic- gaps.html

 Technology changes the way students learn and the way teachers teach. This article lists ten important traits that teachers have who are successfully using technology to grow their students. May 30, 30207. http://www.theedadvocate.org/ten-characteristics-teachers- successfully-use-edtech/

School Leader Resources

 The most powerful strategy school systems have to impact the quality of instruction in classrooms is professional development that promotes the kind of systemic change that has a positive and permanent effect throughout an organization. To serve its rightful purpose,

www.epinstitute.net 614.313.1359 professional development must be driven by what students need, and its importance measured against whether those needs are meant. This article details an approach to professional development that contributes to a school culture that sustains continuous improvement as well as shared responsibility for school-wide success. Fall 2009. http://www.advanc-ed.org/source/systematic-change-education-begins-new-vision- professional-development

 The article discusses the March 2017 Supreme Court ruling that Individualized Education Programs must give kids with disabilities more than a minimal educational benefit. The Court affirmed that the vision and intent of IDEA is that children with disabilities will make meaningful progress in the education system and achieve “appropriately ambitious” objectives. It soundly rejected the belief that just some small benefit is enough. This ruling could have a big effect on school services for kids with learning and attention issues. March 22, 2017. https://www.understood.org/en/community-events/blogs/in-the- news/2017/03/22/endrew-f-case-decided-supreme-court-rules-on-how-much-benefit-ieps- must-provide?utm_source=fbshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

 The Boulder Valley School District in Colorado launched a program last fall called MyPassport merging its vast catalog of professional-development courses with its teacher evaluation system to create one resource. Teachers and their evaluators use this online platform to pick out which of the district’s educator-effectiveness standards the teacher is going to tackle during the year. Then they see the specific professional learning opportunities that will help teachers reach their goals. Just a few months after starting MyPassport, the district expanded the program beyond teachers to include all employees. April 25, 2017. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/04/26/linking-professional- development-to-teacher-evaluations.html

 The federal Every Student Succeeds Act , which takes full effect in the 2017-2018 school year, established a new definition of professional learning that makes it clear districts should move away from the quick-hit type of generalized workshops that take teachers out of the classroom. The law instead prioritizes PD that is woven into the school day and allows for educators to cooperate. Districts in Wisconsin, Florida, California and Washington are moving toward a menu of professional learning options that get creative about improving teacher practice. April 25, 20107. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/04/26/school- districts-update-professional-development.html

 Research has shown that school leaders are trusted when they exemplify the attribute of Compassion. One of the most significant ways in which leaders can demonstrate this attribute is when he or she involves teaches in the design and implementation of important decisions and policies. When leaders place their trust in those they lead, they are rewarded with a greater level of trust in return. December 1, 2016. https://trustedschoolleader.com/2016/12/01/build-trust-by-valuing-the-expertise-of- others/

www.epinstitute.net 614.313.1359