Restorative Practices Roundup: 5 Leaders, 5 Stories“RP has become increasingly important as a tool for educators who are struggling to meet the educational and social-emotional needs of children surviving a pandemic.”
— Karen Webber
3 Steps to Intentional Instructional Leadership“If I want to encourage students to excel, I have to equip teachers to excel – and that means working deliberately to provide my team with the tools, structures and support they need.”
— Ranesia Edwards
It’s time to mathematize our schools“School leaders like you have an important role to play in building a school-wide positive math culture, regardless of your own background in math. Research shows that the way adults talk about math powerfully shapes students’ math mindsets.”
— Margie Pearse
Restorative Practices Roundup: 5 Leaders, 5 Stories
Over the past several years, Baltimore City Public Schools has been working to transform schools and communities by fully implementing restorative practices (RP). As leader Karen Webber puts it, RP has been a primary tool in working to end the school-to-prison pipeline, advocating for students in crisis and reducing arrests and suspensions across the city […]
#PrincipalHack roundup: 5 ideas your fellow leaders love
As your school year gets under way, we wanted to share some favorite #PrincipalHacks from your fellow leaders, covering everything from family connections to must-have supplies. Thank you for everything you’re doing to support teachers and students right now – from big undertakings to small, meaningful “hacks.”
Why I turned staff meetings into “Faculty Huddles”
I find 10-15-minute, agenda-driven huddles lead to fresher thoughts and more innovation.
Answering the school phones gave me an instant connection to families
I hadn’t planned to answer the secretaries’ phones – but I’m so glad I did.
How Two Handwritten Letters Can Make a Difference
Two letters. One powerful message: You matter to me.
Using Student Data to Inform Equity Goals
As my district’s director of equity and inclusion, I know how much school leaders care about promoting success for every student, beginning on the very first day of school. This year is off to a complicated start, and I also know that it can be easy to feel like we’re already behind on planning anti-racist […]
3 Pillars for Building a Restorative Practices Culture
My journey with restorative practices is similar to that of a lot of folks who believe in the power of student relationships. After years as a teacher, assistant principal and then as a principal in Baltimore, I’d seen the impact that investing in relationships can have on school culture and on students’ futures, and I […]
Student-ready resources for college and career planning
“When our students are planning their futures, they count on the adults in their school communities for guidance. But for many of us, our own college application experiences happened a long time ago – and career and college planning processes have changed immensely. We might be able to tell our students, ‘Back when I was […]
How to get all-staff buy-in on restorative practices
As you lean into planning for a new year, I know you are thinking through how best to support students in what will hopefully be a more normal year. I’ve worked in several schools as a leader, and what I’ve learned is we have to teach to the heart before we can teach to the […]
6 Ways to Make FAFSA Completion a Community-Wide Effort
Take a community approach to boosting FAFSA completion and increasing opportunity.