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
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: 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
By: Isabel Wilder As an aspiring journalist joining the workforce following my tenure at Florida State, I feel incredibly lucky to have had the privilege of working with my coworkers here at the Florida Association of School Administrators. I could not have asked for a warmer or more... Continue Reading
By: Andrew Marotta I was fortunate to spend a couple of days in beautiful Martin County, Florida on Hutchinson Beach Island. It was a magnificent few days with warm breezes, sunrises and sunsets. A few inspirational, surviving and thriving talks to school leaders while I was there... Continue Reading
By Matthew Moyer Hiring the right people is one of the most essential tasks for every principal. Over my career, I have hired hundreds of staff for my school. Some decisions were spot on. Others appeared to be correct at the time but were made in error. Analyzing my decision-making process over... Continue Reading
By L. Earl Franks, Ed.D. End-of-the-year promotions represent the celebration of a collective effort to prepare our kids for the future. We’ve endeavored all year long to ensure every child feels accepted, believes they can succeed, and builds the critical skills they need to thrive in a... Continue Reading
By: Mohannad Arbaji, ChalkTalk Founder & CEO Imagine you’re observing two geometry teachers in your school’s math department. You need to assess the teachers’ use of evidence-based lessons and how the students are engaged with the learning. Both geometry teachers are... Continue Reading
