The Jeffco Way?

I’ve recently finished up an online course I’m taking through Harvard, as part of their Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership series. The course was called “Driving Change,” and it was lead by Dr. Andres Alonso, former CEO (Superintendent) for Baltimore City Schools, a district about the same size as Jeffco. In the course, one quote […]

Embarkation, Task, & 3rd Grade Math

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak to the administrative staff from Jeffco, who were coming back from their summer break for some beginning-of-school-year training in preparation for this upcoming school year. The Superintendent’s beginning of year talk is intended to set the tone for the upcoming school year. Too often, these talks are […]

Start, Stop, Keep Analysis

We collected a great deal of information on Jeffco using the start, stop, keep questions. The data came from responses to this blog, the welcome meeting for me at Lakewood High School on June 8th, and the community tour on July 10 (in several locations). The image below shows a classification and breakdown of the […]

What makes a great teacher?

It almost goes without saying that a critical ingredient to creating a great education system is the presence of great teachers. In fact, a landmark international benchmarking study by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. went as far as to say “the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.” Over […]

My Profile of an Ideal Graduate (and the next question)…

Thanks to all those who posted their ideas about what an ideal graduate might look like. As promised, I’m providing my profile and thinking here as well. My profile of an ideal graduate considers what I think our students will need to be equipped to survive and thrive in a lightning fast-paced, increasingly automated, and global […]