One common problem I notice is that schools and districts often use different types of data for purposes they aren’t built to serve. The best way to prevent this is to understand the difference between screening, diagnostic, fidelity, and outcome data.
Last week, I hosted Stefanie Boe, Tourism and Marketing Manager for the Town of Marana, on the “Transform. Grow. Succeed.” podcast. While you’ll see in the interview that she loves her work in Marana, I first met Stefanie when she was the Senior Director of Media Relations for Tucson Unified School District, where she led more than a few workshops to help principals like me become better storytellers.
Often PBIS meetings stop at the data. While meeting about behavior data is great, unless the team develops and implements solutions, all they did was have a good talk. Use your data to solve problems…in real time.
Step one of PBIS is to establish a PBIS matrix. Sometimes, schools establish values for their PBIS matrix without considering what is essential to be a successful learner and a good human being. Instead, I’ve seen teams select values just because they fit an acronym that matches their school mascot. I love a branded PBIS matrix. My favorites have school colors, logos, and mascots all over them! Not my favorite—acronyms.
I was doom-scrolling through LinkedIn (I know. I am really interested in what educators are doing!), and I came across a checklist for family engagement that Dr. Julia Carlson created and gave away to colleagues. The checklist is a promise her school made to families regarding what they could expect the school to do for their students so long as families did their part to “show up” at school. “Show up” means something different for Dr. Carlson, so I encourage you to watch the full video.
I work with numerous school leaders and leaders of nonprofits, and I’ve interviewed dozens of superintendents and principals for the YouTube channel. While every leader is unique, I’ve noticed that they all seem to have the same strong coaching skills that I encourage in the leaders I work with.
Family engagement is guaranteed to come up in any conversation about improving schools. The Annie E. Casey Foundation notes that families involved in their children’s schools have students who “have better attendance and behavior, get better grades, demonstrate better social skills and adapt better to school.” But what does family involvement mean?
While professional development/professional learning is often the first reason why school districts or nonprofits reach out to me, we continue to work together because of how valuable our Technical Assistance Time (T.A.T. sessions) become.
Whether connecting with parents, showcasing your school’s strengths, or expanding your school’s branding, creating and developing a strong social media presence for your organization’s community can be very beneficial. Although growing your social media takes time and consistent effort, here are a few foundational tips that we’ve learned throughout our work that can assist you in your social media journey.
Students with ADHD are almost sure to demonstrate behaviors that don’t work well in classrooms designed for neurotypical students. Add to this anxiety, rejection sensitivity, and demand avoidance—conditions that seem to be ADHD’s toxic best friends—and criticism becomes an unhelpful strategy.
