Five Ways to Make Exams Less Painful for Kids

It's that time of year- mid term exams.  My kids are stressed about them.  My students at school are stressed too.  Many teachers think that exams help students learn.  We think that they motivate kids or that exams serve as some kind of academic vegetable dish- not very tasty but good for you.  

Exams are part of our education system and there actually are a few things we can do to make them tolerable for students.

So what can you do starting this year?  Here are some examples:

1. Do away with exams all together.  While this is a stretch for most schools, it actually is possible to do away with mid-term and final exams.  Portfolios, oral presentations and capstone projects are all ways to circumvent the "exam" frenzy this time of year.
2. Minimize announcements before and after exams.  As in the a.m. blurbs over the P.A. system- cut them down dramatically during exam week.
3. Make it fun.  Why not host a pizza party to mark the end of exams and celebrate?
4. Teach your teachers to chill out.  Many teachers, instead of easing kids into the routine of exams, heap more stress on them.  Help them be calm and nourish calm before, during and after the testing period.
5. Challenge your leadership team to rethink exams.  Is there a smarter way to do them?  Is your schedule conducive to student success?  Ask the tough questions so that your school's approach to exams always stays fresh.

So here's the deal- you could do all of these things.  The real question is, will you?

Teamwork and Weekly Staff Meetings

"None of us is as smart as all of us.  There is not enough side by side accountability.  Team members have to be accountable to one another, not just to the boss."  Ken Blanchard (2001)

How often do you meet as a faculty?  If you are a school leader, ask yourself the same question related to your leadership team.  

The fact is, while many of us dislike meetings, they hold tremendous value if for no other reason than the principle of accountability.  When I have to give my team a reporting of what I'm doing, I and the team are better for it.

Will 2014 Be Your School's Best Year Ever?

Happy New Year!  

Michael Hyatt has an excellent new resource called Best Year Ever in which he teaches the art of setting SMART goals for 2014.  Through three videos, he shares some personal stories about goal setting and then outlines the structure of a successful goal.

How about for you and your school?  Are you approaching the new year as an opportunity to excel and succeed?  Can you, like Hyatt, provide your students and colleagues with some polished (but simple) tools for goal setting?

School Leader's Toolbox: Slowing Down for the Holidays

Teachers love Christmas break more than their students.  It's a needed break from the push to fit exams in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  School leaders can benefit from the break as well.  With a bit of planning, the break can be extremely renewing.  

Here are some common-sense tips for getting the most out of the break:

• Clean your desk before you leave for break.
• Activate your "out of office" notifyer.  This should be in both your email and voicemail.  A good message sounds something like this, "Thanks for your call.  I'm out of the office until January 2 at which time I'm happy to return your call.  Merry Christmas!"
• Unplug from social media.  
• Spend more time with those you love than with those you serve at work.  It's tempting to email, call or get in touch with your commitments at work but fight the urge- enjoy your time away from work ... with your family and friends.

A word about going into work during a break.  I actually recommend it.  Here's why- if it helps you to stop thinking about work, do a little here and there.  If you need to go into work for an afternoon or two, that's perfectly ok.  Again, all in moderation here.  Be on the same page with your family so that they understand why you're doing some work.  My wife is great with this and knows that it's impossible for me to completely detach from work during a holiday break.  I get it out of my system and then re-enter my vacation.

The bottom line is simple: to be ready and recharged for the rest of the year, rest when you can.  There's no better window for this than Christmas break.

How do you unplug for the holidays?

Are American Students Really Falling Behind?

There is a narrative that's formed over the past thirty years in America.  Beginning with A Nation at Risk and having been adopted by nearly every president since, it goes like this:

• American students don't perform well on global tests.
• Public schools are the cause of this lack of performance.
• Breaking apart the public school system via vouchers and charter schools is the answer to solving our global performance woes.

The problem with all of this is that it's only partly true.  Diane Ravitch is quick to point out that our schools are far better than they appear to be.  Those charter schools can be amazingly great ... or routinely average depending on the school.

Sounds like a commentary on schools in general- depends where you are.  I'm not sure that Ravitch's argument is anything more than an observation.  It doesn't take anything away from a school like Science Leadership Academy which is kicking butt.

I'm curious to read Amanda Ripley's new book, the Smartest Kids in the World. She gives a gentle challenge to Ravitch and argues that American schools can do better.

After all, we're talking about kids and their future- the best just seems like a standard that they deserve.

Amanda Ripley discusses her new book, The Smartest Kids in the World.

How a Philly Magnet School is Changing Education

When was the last time you saw kids enjoying school?  It may have been at a dance or a pep rally or at lunch.  But how about in the classroom?    

Last week I had the privilege of visiting Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA.  SLA, as it's commonly known, is located in the heart of the city and conveniently just a few blocks away from the Franklin Institute.  What makes SLA unique isn't it's good college placement results or its SAT scores.

Rather, SLA is unique in that it combines project-based learning with off-campus internships and field work.  Its org chart is almost flat.  Its teachers aren't paid more than in other schools.  The dresscode is, to be honest, looser than loose.  The facility is decent but not spectacular.  

By identifying and articulating the exact type of school that SLA wanted to be eight years ago when it opened, it was able to start "from scratch".  The results are amazing: kids like going to SLA and only 1 in 10 gets in.   The school has just opened a second location to teach even more students.  

We met with teachers and students.  We asked them questions in the middle of their class sessions.  Their responses were mature, honest and pretty impressive.   

One of the values that impressed me most about SLA was what they call "reflection".  SLA feels that this skill, and they call it a skill, is vital to the success of its students.  They don't want kids who simply spit back to the teacher information.  They want kids who can think and then articulate their thinking.   

How can you promote reflection in your school and environment?