3-2-1: A simple practice for peace, how to become disciplined, and being bold
3 Ideas From Me
I.
“Intelligence isn’t just about what you know. It is also the ability to avoid being your own bottleneck.
If you lack the skills, be willing to look foolish while you learn them.
If you lack the connections, be courageous enough to reach out and build them.
If you feel uncertain, be bold enough to figure it out along the way.
Many people have the ability, but they talk themselves out of trying.”
II.
“Your thoughts and actions belong to you just like your possessions. Every so often, it helps to declutter—donate old clothes or clear out a crowded shelf. Maybe it’s time to let go of some unhelpful thoughts or outdated actions too?”
How We Outperformed National Reading Scores – And Kept Students at Grade Level
As reading scores remain a top concern for schools nationwide, many districts are experimenting with ability-based grouping in the early grades. The idea is to group students in multiple grade levels by their current reading level — not their grade level. A classroom could have seven kindergartners, 10 first graders, and three second graders grouped together for reading because they all read at the same level.
While this may work for some schools, in our district, Rockwood School District in Missouri, we’ve chosen a different path. We keep students together in their class during whole-class instruction — regardless of ability level — and provide support or enrichment by creating flexible groups based on instructional needs within their grade level.
Report: Female Teachers Experience Worse Work-Life Balance Than Male Colleagues
Lack of job flexibility, overload of household duties and less time for personal life have caused female teachers to experience worse work-life balance than males, according to a new RAND Corp. survey.
The report, released Tuesday morning, used data from 1,419 educators who took the 2025 State of the American Teacher Survey. It found that female teachers — who make up 75% of American educators — are more likely than males to experience challenges that make it harder to juggle work and their personal lives.
Nearly three-quarters of female educators said it was somewhat or very difficult to change their schedule to accommodate personal matters, compared with 62% of male teachers. About 63% of female teachers and 48% of male educators reported it was hard to take a personal phone call during work hours.
What Makes an Effective Reading Intervention? One Researcher’s 5 Criteria
Chicago
Children who are struggling to learn to read often need intervention—targeted instruction beyond what they receive in class to help grow their skills.
But not every intervention is a good one, says reading researcher Matt Burns.
Burns, a professor of special education at the University of Florida who studies academic interventions, recalled one observation he made of a special education teacher conducting a lesson with a student.
In reading, the nation’s students are still stuck in a pandemic slump
When it comes to reading, the nation’s third- through eighth-graders are still mired in a pandemic-era slump, according to new testing data. In math, the news is only a little more heartening: Student achievement in those grades either held steady or improved slightly, though all grades remain behind performance levels of same-grade students in 2019.
The data comes from NWEA, a K-12 testing and research organization, and its Spring 2025 MAP Growth assessment, a suite of tests taken by millions of students in thousands of U.S. schools.
These superintendents show how to redefine K12 success
The transformative K12 success achieved by several superintendents gives the phrase “bold leadership” new meaning. From district turnarounds to student mental health to academic achievement, these leaders are challenging the norms with innovation and sustainability as driving forces.
“We are breaking the myth that it takes five, six, seven years to turn around a district,” says Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. “For the first time ever, we can say that ZIP code is not destiny.”