By: Andrew Marotta For my new role as Director of Communications and Academic Services in the Port Jervis School District, I had to move my office. After 20 years as a building Principal, I have a new opportunity with a lot of creative output. I’m really enjoying the work and the... Continue Reading
By: Cynthia Mergaert, M.Ed, Vice Principal, The Villages Charter Middle School Florida school leaders need leadership strategies that focus on retaining teachers. Whenreviewing an article by Goldring et al. (2014) that broke down the 2011-12 Schools and StaffingSurvey and Teacher Follow-up Survey... Continue Reading
I was sitting in a restaurant in Lakeview, Oregon with some friends when an elderly man with a slight limp walked in. He had a Pringles can with him in his hand and was walking around from table to table. I looked a little perplexed, and my friends noticed and said, oh that’s... Continue Reading
By: Andrew Marrotta I was at a conference this past summer, and like many other conferences, there was an icebreaker activity. This one involved picking up different cards and talking to different people. One of the questions that was floating around to many people was: what are the five most... Continue Reading
Blog post sponsored by Equitable. Save for the lifestyle you wantHow much do you need to retire?Picturing yourself as a retiree may be hard if not impossible. But if you could envision those future years, you'd probably see a life full of activity and decades of health, happiness, and prosperity.... Continue Reading
Sharon Michalik Director of Communications, Bay District Schools There’s an old adage that if you don’t tell your own story, someone will tell it for you and nowhere does that ring truer than in education today. School systems are often the target for community vitriol and criticism... Continue Reading
By:. Richard Surrency, Superintendent, Putnam County Schools, 2023 Florida Superintendent of the Year I am the elected superintendent of the Putnam County School District serving in my seventh year. Since my first day in office, beginning in November of 2016, our district has focused on... Continue Reading
By: Andrew Marotta My office walls are made of cinder blocks covered with white paint. It’s very challenging to hang things up, but I wanted to decorate it and make it a colorful and inviting space. My head custodian told me he had just the thing to do the job. It was a super sticky and... Continue Reading
There are only three ways to improve student learning at scale: You can raise the level of the content that students are taught. You can increase the skill and knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching of that content. And you can increase the level of students’ active learning of the... Continue Reading
Sun & Moon...In The Same Moment! I was fortunate to spend a beautiful day in Naxos, Greece. It is the largest island of all the Greek islands. It was just a majestic and perfect day.My daughter and I headed to a specific area of the island to... Continue Reading
By: Amy Sams, Principal. Southshore Charter Academy As principals our days pull us in countless different directions. Our responsibilities sometimes seem endless. However, one responsibility needs to always remain clear – understanding our teachers. When I was still a full-time teacher, I... Continue Reading
By: Andrew Marotta I was talking with one of my students last spring. For this entry, I’ll call him Michael. Michael is a great kid with a fun spirit and positive attitude. We were shooting hoops in the gym, and I asked him if he was going out for the team next year? He responded... Continue Reading
