This really is one of the most exciting times of the school year! The buses are getting their tune-ups, the classroom carpets are fresh, and backpacks hang by back doors waiting for their debut. As you head back to the school this year, we want you to take a minute to celebrate all that is right in schools and in education.
This year at the Institute, our focus is on “Changing the Conversation.” We want to start celebrating education and continue celebrating it until the norm in our society is to hold up educators, academic success, and school growth as key pinnacles of accomplishment. We want to “Change the Conversation” from Olympic athletes to triumphant teachers, from Academy Award winning performances to stellar student achievement, and from Fortune 500 companies to phenomenal schools.
“Changing the Conversation” starts inside each and every one of us. Marzano’s research tells us the most important factor in a child’s education is teacher effectiveness. Teachers and school leaders hold all the cards when it comes to the academic success of the students. We also know that educator effectiveness is directly aligned with efficacy, as in the story of The Little Engine That Could. “I think I can – I think I can – ” goes a long way to “I can – I can – I did!”
The Institute for Excellence in Education’s dedication to “Changing the Conversation” is demonstrated through our commitment to providing high quality professional development to all schools, building educator efficacy and empowering educators to impact the lives of children in extraordinary ways. Celebrate all that is right in what you do to support kids; celebrate your colleagues and their efforts to make a difference. When you do this, you “Change the Conversation” in your community.
Stay tuned to your inbox as each month we offer this newsletter filled with thoughts, conversations, strategies, events and more centered around “Changing the Conversation.”