Category Archives: Uncategorized

Part 2 (the following builds on the data regarding teacher ethnicity in Sonoma County and how school and district leadership continues to be challenged by a lack of diversity) In the summer of 2020, I read an update from Superintendent Socorro Shiels from Sonoma Valley USD. It was different from the usual superintendent letter becauseContinue reading “What if They’re Mostly White: A Look at Superintendent Diversity in Sonoma County”

The following is Part 1 of a two part examination of equity in terms of teacher, site administration, and district administration staff in Sonoma County. The central question is: does the race and gender of school staff affect student learning outcomes? If so, are we doing enough in Sonoma County to ensure that school staffContinue reading “The Loss of Equity When Teacher and Student Ethnicity Fall Out of Whack”

School Reopening Update (Feb 19/2021) Early this week, I went to get a haircut after months of shagginess. I went to a local place that had reopened two weeks before. There was no wait and I was soon in the chair, telling the haircutter (who I didn’t know) how much of the stuff on topContinue reading “A mid-February School Reopening Update: What if EVERYONE is Right?”

     January has given us a baker’s dozen days and so far, it’s giving 2020 a run for its money.          Twice, I’ve written blog posts only to be overrun by the events of the day. An insurrection, a Covid surge, talk of impeachment, vaccination prospects, wonders about the inauguration on January 20th and security – itContinue reading “Moving Educational Issues to the Frontseat in the Midst of Pandemics and Insurrection”

     It’s been a month since the election and we’re still sort of swimming in inertia. Whether it’s uncertainty of the election or uncertainty over where Covid numbers are going, most of us wonder what tomorrow will bring. That makes action difficult, but in education, our students are signalling that action is necessary, and soon.      OnContinue reading “Post-Election Questions and Covid = Inertia (What do our students have to say?)”

National and California Context: It’s the day after Labor Day, the traditional school opening day for much of the East Coast. In the mid-Atlantic region, some schools opened up after August 26th and the rest will see their students either all in-person or in a hybrid model starting Tuesday, September 8th. Across the country, theContinue reading “The Days After (Labor Day): Teaching in a Zoom World and What’s Next”

It’s 5 am on the first day of school. That gentle terror that has been building in teachers for weeks is here with me as I write. No teacher I’ve talked to knows what to expect of Distance Learning and no teacher can confidently say those normal first day words: I’m ready. What will happenContinue reading “The First Day of School: Moving From Accountability to Agency Through Trust”

Schools in California are starting the year in a Distance Learning model. As we get closer to the start of the school year, there may be some schools (private, charter, public in a relatively COVID free area) who may offer some kind of in-person instruction. The discussion below is for the possibility of resuming in-personContinue reading “Suddenly it’s August: Three Things to Consider About School Reopening (whenever that is!)”

In early July, a union rep texted me wondering what I thought about returning to school in the fall. She felt that most teachers in our city were not interested in returning to classrooms in the fall but would prefer Distance Learning exclusively for the semester, up through December. She made some good points –Continue reading “The Catch 22 of Reopening Schools”

Back in the early 2000s, I was a frequent blogger as a classroom teacher. Eventually, I got out of the habit and let blogging go. That blog no longer exists as far as I know… In 2008, I became a school administrator, a role in which I served until 2019. I completed my doctorate thatContinue reading “Back to Blogging”