Every now and then it’s important to recommit to why I’m in public education and why I continue to feel hopeful even in such dark times. Yes, funding for public schools continues to be a struggle, particularly for urban schools. After 25 years of high stakes testing,...

Eighteen 6th graders work in small groups or pairs scattered around a large rectangular-shaped classroom. Two students are at the front of the room, near the rug, working independently seated in reclining chairs with their feet on the chair and their knees up to their...

In a world that seems to grow meaner by the minute, I was delighted to find a bright spot last week in the mountains of Tepotzlan, Mexico. There, for two weeks, the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) held their global convening. Teachers, principals, and...

When I think about Haverhill, I think about shoes, and I saw a lot of monuments and statues of shoes around the city. Yes, in the 20th century, Haverhill was a center of shoe production.  Haverhill had a 200-300 year history making shoes from the time in 1646 when a...

Esperanza Spalding’s visit to Conservatory Lab was a magical moment for students as well as the adults who teach them music on a daily basis. She met the second grade orchestra named for her. She talked about the trust and freedom she saw in their eyes — something in...

Last week I had the opportunity to give an author talk at the Massachusetts State House Library. When they asked last Fall if I’d be willing, I didn’t hesitate. Even though I didn’t know anything about this author series, I’m a devoted fan of libraries and librarians....

Recently, I traveled to Detroit to speak at the CS Partners annual conference. While there, I became enraged to learn about legislation related to the third grade reading test in Michigan that was passed two years ago by a Republican state legislature. Next year, this...

I was fascinated by this write up in The Atlantic of a recently released update of the infamous "Marshmallow Test" study. The new study, conducted byTyler Watts from New York University and Greg Duncan and Hoanan Quan from University of California Irvine, "finds...