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Islands of excellence in school leadership are not enough
Last month, the Distinguished Leaders Council (DLC) released its report and recommendations for improving school leadership in Oregon. Recognizing the urgent need, and grounded in the recommendations...
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Moving forward with parity
We would like to introduce Chris Chavez, a new author at ChalkBloggers. Chris currently teachers social studies at Liberty High School, in the Hillsboro School District. Previously he was a teacher in...
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How do we make time for teacher collaboration?
We all seem to agree that effective teachers drive student achievement. So it’s no surprise that many efforts are directed at increasing teacher effectiveness—from more rigorous licensing exams, to...
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Shining a light on Latino students: A shifting need
Every person has a unique story to tell: Where they came from, what obstacles they faced, and how they got to where they are today. Among the many stories, one characteristic always seems to stand out:...
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Educators and educator effectiveness must remain a top priority
Yesterday, Governor Kitzhaber proposed to spend $9.4 billion in education, half of his $18.6 billion proposed state budget for the next two years. This is an increase of nine percent over the last...
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Why teacher leadership is often seen, but not heard
Teacher leadership is a title which comes with many perceptions. Just depends who you talk to. Some parents view teacher leaders as “practitioners” who can manage a classroom and consistently guide...
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Oregon superintendent of the year shares his perspectives on student success
Congratulations to Tillamook’s Randy Schild for being named the 2015 Oregon Schools Superintendent of the Year. Randy is a strong partner and supporter of Chalkboard Project, working with the CLASS...
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Oregon teacher is a shining example of excellence and innovation
Congratulations to Julie Cleave, a teacher at Salem’s Hallman Elementary School, for being recognized as an outstanding educator with a 2015 Milken Foundation Award. Cleave is in her 11th year at...
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Leading for Learning: Supporting principals as effective instructional leaders
Among all school-related factors, leaders are second only to teachers in their impact on student learning. But a principal’s day-to-day practice often looks very different. Faced with a myriad of...
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Common Core, non-fiction texts, and you
While much of the Common Core buzz has centered on mathematics, another change is the increased use of non-fiction texts. While many schools already made such increases before Common Core, there are...
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“I worked really hard.” A personal story of a new teacher’s first, and last,...
For several decades, the shortage of minority teachers has been an urgent issue for Oregon’s school districts. Oregon passed the Minority Teacher Act in 1991 to address the gap between the demographics...
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Teacher leadership could set the pace, slowing the breakneck speed of current...
Andrea Shunk is an Oregon School District Collaboration Grant Manager for the David Douglas School District. She has worked in and around education since 2002. I’ve often compared...
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Annual statewide assessments matter
The debate around student testing continues to escalate. Nationally, Congress is considering removing annual assessments as a requirement for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education...
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Bridging the Gap: Talking about race isn’t easy, but it is our obligation
Iton Udosenata, principal of Cottage Grove High School, was raised in north Eugene, Oregon and earned his Masters in Education from the University of Oregon. After teaching in South Central Los Angeles...
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Being a teacher. Being a leader.Why can’t we have both?
Marsha Moyer is currently a trainer and project coach for Chalkboard Project, after a 24-year-plus career as a teacher, and administrator in various states, and has spent the majority of her career at...
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Millenial leadership meet Baby Boomer traditions
When I began teaching in 2004, I was what could be called a “generational outlier”. At 23, I distinguished myself as one of the school’s few teachers who belonged to the Millenial generation. I...
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Hidden talent, missed opportunities: The challenges for bilingual...
In schools statewide, instructional assistants are the backbone of programs for English language learners. Usually native speakers of other languages (most often Spanish), these assistants work closely...
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“Running with scissors” and innovating teacher assessments
Steve Campbell teaches at Ponderosa Middle School in Klamath Falls. A teacher for more than 22 years in Oregon, he was the local teacher association’s president the last four years, and has been...
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Helping Educators Overcome “Initiative Fatigue”
As first appeared in Education Week March 23, 2015. Reprinted with permission from the author. I hear it everywhere I go: “initiative fatigue.” The common-core standards are being implemented in more...
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The dark side of the digital age:Is technology augmenting the achievement gap?
If you haven’t seen a teacher use a Prezi on their Smartboard you should. Teachers can do some pretty amazing things, these days, with technology in the classroom. It seems like just yesterday I was...
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