On Route to Oregon
And so the traveling continues…Heading out West today to Ashland, Oregon to give the keynote address for the Oregon Small Schools Leadership Institute, which takes place tomorrow (Wednesday, May 11, 2011). The institute is hosted by the Oregon Small Schools Network...
What do you get when you cross Algebra and Hula dancing?
At Boston Arts Academy, we have spent years in professional development discussions and workshops trying to define the terms and experience of interdisciplinary understanding. While it has been a long journey, fraught with tensions, our faculty are increasing creating new and exciting curriculum that both instruct and engage students.
A school with promise
Something seems amiss in all of the teacher and union bashing in the news these days. That talk about earning too much money, bloated benefits, not working hard enough, not caring about the kids. And then how the union protects us, especially the really bad ones. I...
The power of community
“What are you doing in that robe?” Riana, a 10th grader, asks me as I come barreling down the stairs. “I’m going to Abraham’s graduation,” I reply grinning, “And I can’t be late.” It’s mid-day in March, graduation day at Boston Arts Academy. Faculty line the assembly...
Reflections from Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia
I recently traveled to Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Philadelphia for the EduCon 2.3 conference with Monika Aldarondo, BAA Senior Project Coordinator and Visual Arts Teacher, and two seniors, Duke and Xavier. Both students have been funded for their senior...
A Visit to Ms. Brown and Ms. Sullivan’s Publishing Party for The Reading Zone
Who cares about a blizzard? It certainly didn’t stop Ms. Brown and Ms. Sullivan’s 20 students and their culminating publishing party. They were ready! Imagine students seated around tables pushed together in a large rectangle. Above the white board is a large word...
What teachers really need
A few weeks ago, The Boston Foundation (TBF) released a report entitled, “The Real Cost of the Contract.” The report gained a lot of press; the Boston Globe published a front-page article highlighting the report’s findings, and Richard Stutman, the BTU President,...
2011 ASCD Conference: Bold Actions for Complex Challenges
At the end of March, I will travel to San Francisco California to participate in the annual conference of ASCD, an educational leadership organization. This year’s theme is Bold Actions for Complex Challenges. While there I will join two other principals, Baruti...
What School Can Be
An important milestone in the life of a Boston Arts Academy dancer unfolded last week as 17 seniors presented their 2011 Senior Dance Concert (SDC). How significantly this embodies RICO, our habits of the graduate. Students work for months on invention and revision....
BAA and the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Some of you may know that the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Education Resource Center (BSOERC) is housed in the BAA/Fenway High School Library. The BAA/Fenway Library and BSOERC won the 2004 American Association of School Librarians National School Library Media Program...