Imagine walking into a doctor’s office and discovering that your doctor for the day is a substitute—someone with no formal medical training or certification. You’d likely feel anxious and worried about their ability to meet your needs. You most likely would walk out and reschedule your appointment. This situation, though extreme, mirrors what happens in many classrooms when schools place uncertified, unprepared substitute teachers in charge. While substitute teachers may not need to perform surgeries, they do have a significant responsibility: guiding, supporting, and educating students when the regular teacher is absent. This is why certification and proper training for substitute teachers should be a priority for every educational institution.
Substitute Teachers: More Than a Stopgap Solution
Substitute teachers are more than just temporary placeholders. They are the linchpins that hold a classroom together during a regular teacher’s absence. A well-prepared substitute can maintain the continuity of learning, minimize disruptions, and ensure that students stay engaged and productive. However, without proper training, substitutes might struggle to manage the classroom effectively or adhere to school policies, potentially compromising students’ education and well-being.
The skills and knowledge required to succeed in a classroom—understanding lesson plans, managing student behavior, and creating an inclusive environment—are not intuitive. These require training, which is where certification courses come in. Certification helps equip substitute teachers with the tools they need to thrive, ensuring they understand the role and responsibilities of a temporary educator.
Understanding the Complexities of the Classroom
Today’s classrooms are as diverse as ever. Substitute teachers might find themselves teaching students with special needs, English language learners, or high achievers who require advanced instruction all in one classroom. Navigating these needs without preparation is unfair to both the substitute and the students. Certification gives substitutes a solid foundation in supporting diverse learners and adapting to varied classroom needs.
Supporting Special Needs and Gifted and Talented Students: Certification programs teach substitutes how to prepare for and support students needing extra attention or having unique learning needs. This can make all the difference in maintaining continuity in their learning.
Cultural Responsiveness: Certified substitutes are better equipped to create an inclusive environment where students feel respected, seen, and heard, regardless of their background.
Managing Student Behavior: Classroom management is often cited as a significant challenge for substitutes. Certification offers practical strategies for maintaining order and engagement, turning potential chaos into a productive learning session.
Navigating Legal and Ethical Standards
A classroom is a complex space governed by various legal and ethical considerations, especially when working with special education students or adhering to district policies. Certified substitutes are trained in these areas, ensuring they understand the responsibilities that come with the role. This training helps them make informed, ethical decisions that align with district standards, reducing the risk of misunderstandings or legal issues.
Certification ensures that substitutes are aware of the professional boundaries and conduct expected in a classroom. This safeguard for the school also provides peace of mind for parents, knowing their children are in capable hands.
A Small Investment, A Significant Return
The idea of requiring certification might seem like an additional expense or hoop to jump through, but it’s an investment with significant returns. A certified substitute is more likely to foster a positive classroom environment, reducing behavioral issues and improving student outcomes. This means fewer headaches for administrators, more productive classrooms, and, ultimately, a better experience for students.
When substitutes are prepared, it shows in their ability to jump into any classroom and keep learning on track. Schools prioritizing certification essentially say, “We value every student’s learning experience, every day, no matter who is teaching.”
Access Certification Resources Today
For schools looking to elevate their substitute teacher program, consider providing access to a certification course and accompanying resources. Certification courses like “The Fundamentals of Substitute Teaching K-12” offer comprehensive training on effective classroom management, creating inclusive environments, and supporting diverse learners. With this training, substitutes can walk into any classroom with the confidence and skills they need to succeed.
Don’t leave your classrooms to chance. Equip your substitutes with the tools they need to become valuable contributors to your school’s learning community. After all, if we wouldn’t settle for an uncertified doctor, why would we settle for an uncertified substitute teacher?
Posted by: Dr. Kathleen A. Dawson
This article was developed through a collaborative process where Dr. Kathleen A. Dawson provided the key insights and direction, while an AI assistant supported in refining the content and structure, ensuring the message was clear, persuasive, and accessible to a wide audience. Together, they crafted a compelling call to action on the importance of certifying substitute teachers.
In Texas public schools, particularly in growing cities like Houston, school safety and student accountability have become critical issues. With sprawling campuses and thousands of students to manage, schools face challenges in maintaining real-time oversight of student attendance, tracking movement, and ensuring that each individual is where they need to be for optimal learning and safety. This issue is exacerbated by the increased mobility of students within schools, particularly during transitions between classes, lunch periods, and extracurricular activities.
The problem ? Administrators and staff often struggle with outdated, inefficient systems that make it hard to respond quickly to attendance gaps, truancy, and safety concerns. Traditional paper-based systems or basic digital tools are no longer enough to meet the demands of modern public schools. These outdated methods can delay real-time interventions for missing or misplaced students and leave schools vulnerable to safety risks.
This is where Access411’s CAASS (Computerized Attendance and Student Surveillance) system steps in as the ideal solution. CAASS provides Texas schools with a powerful platform that not only monitors student attendance with precision but also tracks student movement throughout the building, delivering real-time data to administrators and staff. This ability to monitor movement and gather detailed reports ensures that no student falls through the cracks.
Here’s how CAASS addresses the specific needs of Houston and Texas public schools:
Real-Time Attendance and Accountability CAASS allows schools to move beyond traditional attendance-taking methods by providing real-time data on where students are at any given moment. Whether it’s at the start of the day, between classes, or during off-campus activities, administrators can easily monitor attendance and intervene if a student is missing from a scheduled class.
Seamless Hallway and On-Campus Movement Tracking With CAASS, staff can utilize mobile ScanStations to perform hall sweeps, ensuring students are in the right places during class time. These ScanStations provide a comprehensive overview of student movement and can even function outside the school building for outdoor events or activities. This feature is especially useful for large campuses, where maintaining order can be challenging.
Enhancing School Safety Safety is a top priority, and with CAASS, schools can quickly identify and address potential safety risks. By knowing which students are in the building and where, staff can prevent unauthorized absences and be alerted to any unusual activity that could indicate a security issue.
Instant Pass Printing with Bluetooth Technology The CAASS system is equipped with Bluetooth mobile printers, allowing staff to instantly issue student passes, reducing delays, and improving accountability during hall sweeps and other on-the-go checks.
Integration with School Information Systems CAASS integrates seamlessly with existing school information systems, making it easy for Texas schools to adopt without overhauling their current infrastructure. This ensures a smooth transition and ongoing efficiency in operations.
As schools in Houston and across Texas continue to grow, the challenges of managing student attendance and ensuring safety will only increase. CAASS provides the innovative, reliable solution that today’s public schools need. With its real-time tracking, mobile functionality, and safety-enhancing features, CAASS empowers Texas educators to maintain control and provide a safer, more accountable learning environment for all students.
Ready to enhance your school’s safety and attendance systems? Contact Access411 today to learn more about bringing CAASS to your campus.
We’re excited to share that Scoutlier has once again been featured on Fox13 news, highlighting our involvement in the groundbreaking USF Drone Camp. This innovative program, a collaboration between Scoutlier, the University of South Florida, and AMRoC Fab Lab, is redefining project-based learning and career readiness for young learners.
Our Chief Education Officer, Brandy Jackson, was on hand to showcase how the camp is elevating STEM education. “Here the skills you’re learning is how to actually apply drones to real world problems,” Jackson explained. “Now you’re not just a consumer, you’re a creator. You’re a problem solver.”
The week-long camp goes beyond simply teaching students how to fly drones. Participants engage in a variety of activities that demonstrate the real-world applications and career opportunities in drone technology:
Obstacle Course Flying: Students navigate aerial competitions, honing their piloting skills.
Drone Repair: Campers learn the intricate art of soldering, working on the tiny circuit boards within drones.
Business Planning: Groups collaborate to develop drone-based business ideas, from wedding videography to package delivery.
This multi-faceted approach embodies Scoutlier’s commitment to differentiation and scaffolding in education. By providing a range of activities and difficulty levels, we ensure that every student can engage meaningfully with the material, regardless of their prior experience or skill level.
Caryn Preston, USF Youth Experiences Assistant Director, emphasized the camp’s focus on career readiness: “We want them to understand that flying drones is super cool, but there’s also so much more that goes into it, and there are real career opportunities that are available to them.”
The enthusiasm from participants is palpable. Aras Demirok, a 17-year-old camper, shared, “What I like about drones is that I can build it, code it, drive it, use it how I like.” This hands-on, creative approach is at the heart of Scoutlier’s educational philosophy.
As we continue to push the boundaries of enrichment programs, the USF Drone Camp serves as a shining example of how project-based learning can be both fun and deeply educational. By combining cutting-edge technology with practical skills and entrepreneurial thinking, we’re preparing students for the careers of tomorrow, today.
Stay tuned for more exciting developments from Scoutlier as we continue to revolutionize education through innovative, engaging, and future-focused programs!
In the realm of education, there are always unpredictable moments; the meticulous plans of educators may take unexpected turns and detours. Many educators are too familiar with the horrors of having their well-thought-out lesson plans go awry somehow.
Picture this: the teacher explains the directions and allow students to ask clarifying questions. Then it’s off to the races, as the students begin working while she walks around the room to facilitate learning. One student raises his hand; sporting a furrowed brow and a blank stare, he explains he doesn’t know what to do. A few seats away, another hand shoots into the air. This student is lost because she skipped to the middle of the assignment, missing several steps that would make her successful.
As the teacher begins answering questions and re-explaining the lesson, hands pop up all over the room.
She glances around the classroom to find that only five students are on task. The remainder of the classroom looks confused or frustrated. After an inordinate amount of time, the teacher gets everyone back on track except four who require extra prompting. She pulls those students together to break the lesson down into individual tasks for them, requiring all of her extra attention.
At the end of the day, the teacher is exhausted and feels the same feelings of frustration her students felt earlier that morning. What went wrong? With no idea what each child achieved, since they were in so many different places in the lesson, the teacher decides that the activity wasn’t worth the hassle and vows to never teach the lesson again.
The Importance of Effective Teaching Strategies
This story serves as an important reminder of the crucial need for effective teaching strategies, proper preparation of the learning environment and sustainable delivery methods, all of which must withstand unexpected disruptions and contribute to dynamic and engaging learning.
In the face of the challenge of creating an effective learning environment in all situations, the reigning champion remains one: accessible scaffolding lessons. Easily accessible scaffolded lessons not only support teachers in their planning but also elevate the student-centered learning experience. Let’s delve into the world of scaffolding, and explore the approach, benefits, and transformative impact it can have on educators and students alike.
What is Scaffolding and How Does it Work?
The technique of scaffolding, first emphasized in Lev Vygotsky’s educational theory Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), stresses the crucial role of the teacher in a student’s learning journey. The process involves breaking down complex concepts into more manageable steps and guiding the students along the way.
Similar to scaffolding used in construction, these supports are meant to be temporary. The goal is to provide structured support while students acquire new skills but it should gradually diminish in support as students get closer and closer to mastery and competency. This approach allows students to receive just the right amount of support as they reach higher levels of understanding, independence and competence.
The Teacher’s Role in Scaffolding and its Components
Teachers play a pivotal role as facilitators in the scaffolding process. By understanding their students’ abilities and knowledge base, they can provide the right amount of support to propel them forward without the fear of overwhelming them or there being a lack of understanding.
But what does scaffolding look like in a practical application? Scaffolding can look like providing support in a group exercise before letting students work on a lesson independently. Simply, the teacher explains the assigned task or lesson and then assigns small groups to work together. During that timeframe, the teacher can assess understanding of the room by asking each group probing questions. After the conclusion of the group work, students are encouraged to work independently (if the class is ready, that is).
Scaffolding comprises various elements, including modeling, response prompting, peer support, and corrective feedback. These elements collectively create a supportive framework that allows students to grasp concepts within their ZPD and gradually take charge of their own learning.
Benefits of Scaffolding
One benefit of scaffolding lessons is that there will be an improvement in classroom behavior. When students feel supported, they tend to ask the right questions during lessons to gain a deeper understanding of the material. Overall, this makes them more involved in the learning process and more deeply engaged with the content.
When the teacher can take a step back and take on the role of a facilitator rather than strictly an instructor, this puts the students in the driver’s seat. Students are not only more inclined to ask the right questions, but they are also more likely to encourage their classmates in group sessions and are more empowered to set their own learning goals.
When students more deeply understand a lesson due to scaffolding, this lends itself to long-term learning gains. The lesson will make more of an impression on the students, allowing them to carry this newfound knowledge further and build upon it more easily.
Scaffolding lessons can also be used to provide targeted support to address individual learning needs. One of the ways this can be accomplished is through flexible grouping. This allows teachers to target their lessons to small groups or individual students, providing support at the appropriate level. Overall, scaffolding is a powerful tool for providing individual support to meet the diverse needs of each student.
Scoutlier Scaffolds the BRIM of Success
Scoutlier, our free online learning platform, is the solution to creating effective scaffolding lessons that are easily accessible. No more faltering communication or substitute teachers left without a clear lesson plan.
All you have to remember is BRIM:
B reak into steps
R esources for the task
I ndividual pace
M ake connections
When building lessons, Scoutlier creates a natural flow for scaffolding lessons for students. Lessons are built task by task, step by step. Teachers control the order of the lesson, guiding students as they build their knowledge throughout the lesson, keeping the learning goal in mind to achieve mastery of the content or skill.
In other words, you can craft lessons in Scoutlier with a step-by-step flow that guides your students toward mastery by building upon their knowledge, steering their learning journey with individualized instruction that meets their needs.
Sign up for your FREE teacher account to remove learning barriers and help unleash your students’ potential with a learning platform that allows you to scaffold all of your lessons.
In our technologically advanced society, cyber security is of critical importance. This curriculum helps students understand how the technology devices we trust can create vulnerabilities to cyber threats across all areas of our lives.
Students will learn about a wide range of risks, including:
Malware
Phishing attempts
Hacking
Identity theft
These threats can have severe consequences for individuals, organizations, and entire communities. Our curriculum goes a step further by teaching students the principles of Secure by Design.
Developed with grants from the Office of Naval Research, the Cyber ConnectED curriculum is available in the free Scoutlier platform. When combined with our hands-on kit, it offers students a comprehensive learning experience:
Explore the Internet of Things (IoT)
Learn to innovate using IoT
Develop skills to build safer infrastructure systems in the United States
This practical approach helps students grasp complex cybersecurity concepts and apply them to real-world scenarios.
Who Should Attend
Middle and High School educators passionate about bringing cutting-edge STEM education to their classrooms and enhancing their students’ digital safety skills.
As we enter this post-ESSER period, there’s a Peter Drucker quote that becomes particularly relevant for all K-12 leaders. “Management,” he wrote, “is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” I don’t often hear Drucker being quoted when it comes to K-12 district leadership, but he should be.
School and district leaders are constantly navigating multiple priorities and interests. The distinction between “doing things right” and “doing the right things” is crucial for leaders at every level, from classroom teachers to superintendents. It’s not enough to “manage” resources—leaders need to understand what’s important, when to focus on it, and how to balance competing priorities between student outcomes, financial resources, and community expectations. This is where conducting and participating in quality research programs becomes an essential leadership tool.
For district leaders, particularly chief business officers and superintendents, research isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” Securing funding for schools through Title I and competitive opportunities like School Improvement Grants (SIG) requires more than just good ideas. These funds are tied to evidence-based strategies, meaning that funded programs must demonstrate they improve student outcomes.
“Any leader, when making decisions about funding or innovation, regardless of the source of funding, it’s essential to act and implement with fidelity. Otherwise you’re just spending money, not leading and not moving forward.”
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools receiving Title I funds are mandated to use interventions that have a strong evidence base Brookings. This requirement ensures that taxpayer dollars are spent on programs that show measurable impact and align with best instructional practices. Without research, the ability to secure and maintain funding for new programs can evaporate leaving schools unable to meet the needs of their students. Districts applying for grants must also show detailed plans for evaluating the success of their initiatives, which underscores the critical role ongoing research plays in fiscal sustainability.
Lead with Data: Join Teachers College Research Study (IRB 24-127) Now!
Understand the impact of interactive whiteboards in your district!
Bill Bass, Innovation Director at Parkway School District in Missouri says, “Any leader, when making decisions about funding or innovation, regardless of the source of funding, it’s essential to act and implement with fidelity. Otherwise you’re just spending money, not leading and not moving forward.”
The Benefits of Conducting and Participating in Research
Conducting and participating in quality research offers three immediate benefits:
Ensures efficacy and ROI for your assumptions and investments.
Identifies the unique needs of your learning community, including both educators and students.
Demonstrates leadership’s commitment to responsiveness and informed decision-making.
The Role of Reflection in Research and Funding
This connection between research and funding highlights the importance of ongoing evaluation. By collecting data and assessing the effectiveness of new programs, school leaders can make informed financial decisions, whether the programs are grant-funded or not. If a program is successful, districts can reinvest to continue the initiative or even expand its reach. If unsuccessful, funds can be redirected to better training or more promising solutions to achieve the identified goals. This cycle of research, reflection, and reinvestment is essential for balancing innovation with financial accountability.
It’s also a shared responsibility. A school’s first job is serving its students, and the process of reflection takes time and careful management. This creates an interdependent relationship between schools, academics, and solution providers. Schools contribute real-world needs, academics provide authoritative frameworks for analysis, and solution providers respond with products based on these validated market needs.
Solution providers should view themselves as vested partners in this process. Given the pressures that districts face, offerings should either include or integrate feedback loops that make it easier for schools to assess the impact they’re having with the tools they adopt.
For instance, Promethean, a manufacturer of interactive whiteboards, has a dedicated research department that regularly engages with district partners and academic institutions to conduct and provide rigorous analysis of the impact they are supporting in the classroom.
“Partnering with universities and research organizations like Teachers College, Columbia University brings rigor to the process that ensures we gain real insights from the data—insights that we can share directly with the districts themselves.”
Anna Hughes, Director of User Research at Promethean, explains the value of these partnerships, “Our focus is always on listening to the teachers, administrators, and technology staff involved in teaching and learning around the world. We’re constantly seeking evidence of impact, whether to improve our existing solutions or develop new ones. The best moments come when we recognize a challenge and see user feedback directly shaping product development.”
“We partner with universities and research organizations like Teachers College, Columbia University whenever possible. The rigor and methods they bring to the process ensure that we’re gaining real insights from the data—insights that we can share directly with the districts themselves.”
Using Research to Redirect Resources
Sometimes vendors may feel concerned about scrutiny, but an important part of any district/vendor partnership is the trust that both parties want each other to be successful. Making it easy for school leaders to evaluate success and/or identify gaps creates an opportunity for redirection—for instance, investing in additional professional development.
The history of interactive whiteboards offers a useful example. When IWBs entered the market more than 15 years ago, they were met with a rush of enthusiasm and quick adoption. Community support was overwhelmingly positive, and purchases soared. But soon, practical issues—installation, professional development, and maintenance—began to temper that excitement. As a result, classroom adoption declined, with many districts unsure whether the investment had paid off.
However, a more recent meta-analysis of 23 studies found that IWBs, when combined with well-structured, independent learning approaches, can have a positive impact on cognitive outcomes SpringerOpen.
“When you partner with an organization like the NSF, the Office of Naval Research, or MIT Critical Data you’re becoming part of an amazingly rigorous feedback loop. ”
Research, though it takes time, is essential for validating the effectiveness of new tools and strategies. Without it, school leaders are left guessing which innovations are worth the investment, risking missed opportunities or wasted resources.
Some new solutions do evolve from research-driven grants. In fact, that’s a driving factor behind many grants from organizations like the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
“We make it a priority to participate in quality grant opportunities,” Says Dr. Luk Hendrik’s of Scoutlier, a relatively new scaffolding and enrichment platform. “When you partner with an organization like the NSF, the Office of Naval Research, or MIT Critical Data you’re becoming part of an amazingly rigorous feedback loop. By the time your offerings are ready for release they’ve already been through prolonged field tests with educators and have been independently evaluated by some of the national top educational researchers. Yes, it’s a lot more work up front, but everyone ends up benefiting from the process.”
The Hawthorne Effect and Innovation
It’s worth recalling the Hawthorne Effect, a classic example of the value of experimentation and observation. In the 1920s and 1930s, researchers at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works experimented with changing the brightness of lighting to observe its impact on worker productivity. They found something unexpected: whether the lights were brightened or dimmed, productivity improved. Why? The workers were responding to the attention they received during the study, not the lighting changes themselves Home | American Institutes for Research.
For educational leaders, the key takeaway is that experimentation can lead to positive outcomes even before the results are rigorously studied. Importantly, this isn’t about treating staff or students as “subjects” in experiments. Instead, it’s about involving educators as collaborators in the innovation process. When teachers are supported and involved, they’re more likely to engage with new tools and teaching methods in ways that drive desired outcomes.
Professional Development and Ongoing Support
As seen with the example of interactive whiteboards, it’s critical that educators are equipped to integrate new tools into their teaching practices. While initial professional development is important, research shows that ongoing support is what drives long-term success SpringerOpen.
Schools didn’t struggle with whiteboard adoption because the technology was ineffective, but because teachers needed support to use the boards in ways that improved learning outcomes. Districts that invest not just in initial training but in ongoing professional development see better engagement and outcomes.
Professional learning communities (PLCs) are equally critical. These communities provide spaces where educators can collaborate, share experiences, troubleshoot challenges, and learn from one another. Many companies, like Apple and Microsoft, offer their own communities, but general networks like K12Leaders provide platforms where educators can stay connected with peers, trainers, and presenters long after an initial conference or training session. These networks foster a continuous flow of new ideas and encouragement, helping educators navigate the practical challenges of implementing innovative strategies in the classroom.
Join a Research Oriented PLC on K12Leaders!
Explore the intersection of research and K12 education in this growing community. Led by experienced educators and researchers, we discuss cutting-edge studies, share opportunities, and examine the role of evidence in shaping classroom practices. Essential questions include: How can we bridge research-practice gaps? What constitutes “good” educational research? Join us in driving data-informed decision-making in education!
In the end, it’s the ongoing learning—both through structured professional development and peer networking—that sustains innovation. Teachers can’t be expected to learn a new tool with a single training event; they need continuous opportunities to adapt, share insights, and evolve their practice.
Bass adds, “Leaders need to “create space” for teachers to be able to try new practices and tools while recognizing that some things will work better than others. Just like with students, teachers learn through experimentation and must have the opportunity to work through challenges and successes. This takes time, energy, and collaboration which are all critical elements of the ongoing support when adopting or implementing new solutions.”
Leading with Research
How do we, as a district, contribute to research on topics we care about? This is an essential question for today’s educational leaders. Beyond using research to guide decisions, district leaders have a responsibility to contribute to the research that shapes the future of education. In an era where technology, tools, and methodologies are evolving rapidly, leaders must ensure their communities’ voices are represented in broader conversations about what works in education.
District leaders who engage in research contribute to the collective knowledge base, not just for their own benefit but for the benefit of students and educators everywhere. Whether it’s partnering with vendors conducting efficacy studies or collaborating with universities, districts have an opportunity to drive the innovations that will shape the next generation of learning tools.
Moreover, participation in research allows districts to tailor solutions to their specific needs, rather than waiting for external solutions to be presented. Leadership in this context means helping to discover what works best within the unique context of a community, ensuring that the tools and strategies developed reflect the diverse realities of today’s schools.
Research, Reflect, Reinvest, or Redirect
“Research and reflection helps us be strategic, not just reactive, with our resources.”
Leo Brehm, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Business, and Technology at Dighton-Rehoboth in Massachusetts says, “Managing a budget requires more than just oversight; it really requires thoughtful reflection and the ability to make informed decisions. By reallocating funds to areas where we know, through research and careful evaluation, they’ll have the biggest impact, we make sure that each dollar is working to support student success. Research and reflection helps us be strategic, not just reactive, with our resources.”
The challenge for today’s educational leaders isn’t about choosing between innovation and a balanced budget- it’s about finding the balance that enables both. By establishing systems for ongoing evaluation, school leaders can reflect on the impact of their investments and make informed decisions about whether to reinvest in successful programs or redirect resources toward more effective solutions.
As Drucker’s wisdom suggests, leadership is about “doing the right things.” That means ensuring that every decision, whether grounded in research or driven by experimentation, aligns with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. With a careful balance of strategic risk-taking, data-driven evaluation, and fiscal responsibility, K-12 leaders can ensure their districts remain innovative, adaptable, and prepared for whatever the post-ESSER future holds.
Fiscally responsible leadership requires balance : Effective leadership in K-12 education is about making informed decisions that balance student outcomes, financial resources, and community expectations.
Research is essential for securing funding : Districts need evidence-based strategies to secure Title funding and other competitive grants like School Improvement Grants (SIG), ensuring that funded programs lead to measurable improvements in student outcomes.
Ongoing reflection drives financial sustainability : School leaders must continuously evaluate the success of programs and make data-driven decisions to reinvest in successful initiatives or redirect funds to more promising solutions.
Collaboration is key : Schools, academics, and solution providers must work together to ensure that research reflects real-world needs and results in effective solutions.
Professional development and peer support sustain innovation : Initial training is important, but ongoing professional development and learning communities (PLCs) are critical for ensuring that educators continue to improve their use of new tools and strategies over time.
Experimentation with purpose : The Hawthorne Effect demonstrates that experimentation can lead to positive outcomes, especially when staff are involved as collaborators in the innovation process.
Contributing to research strengthens leadership : By engaging in primary research, districts not only benefit their own communities but also contribute to the collective knowledge base, influencing broader educational trends.
Long-term success requires flexibility : Leaders must be willing to reflect, reinvest, or redirect resources based on research and ongoing evaluation to ensure sustained innovation and financial responsibility.
Essential Leadership Questions:
How are we ensuring that our decisions about funding and innovation are based on evidence and research?
Are we participating in or contributing to research that will directly benefit our district and shape the future of education?
How can we better collaborate with academics and solution providers to align our needs with research-backed strategies?
Are we providing enough ongoing professional development and support to ensure that our educators can effectively use the tools and strategies we implement?
How do we maintain the balance between fiscal responsibility and long-term financial sustainability?
What feedback loops are in place to help us assess whether the tools and solutions we adopt are having the desired impact?
How can we encourage a “growth mindset” and culture of innovation, where staff are active collaborators in suggesting, testing and refining new ideas?
Are we flexible enough in our approach to reinvest in successful initiatives or redirect resources when programs aren’t delivering expected results?
How do we create opportunities for educators to learn from each other and take advantage of opportunities to experiment?
Teachers College, Columbia University invites you to participate in a research study (IRB approval (ID: 24-127)) on interactive whiteboards’ role in student engagement. By joining, you’ll gain early insights into technology’s effect in the classroom, helping your district make data-driven decisions for future tech investments.
Be Part of the Research
Minimal Disruption : One classroom observation, plus a quick, anonymous survey.
Actionable Insights : Anonymized findings specific to your district, shared exclusively with you.
Future-Ready : Help shape research that informs technology funding and planning decisions.
Sign Up Now to Learn More!
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Why Participate?
Inform Your Technology Investments : Gain early insights into how interactive whiteboards affect engagement, allowing you to allocate resources strategically.
Minimal Classroom Disruption : The study involves a single-day classroom observation and a brief, anonymous survey for participating teachers and students.
Valuable District Insights : Receive anonymized, trend-level data that can inform instructional planning and align with district improvement goals.
How It Works:
This study is coordinated between Teachers College, Columbia University, Promethean, and K12Leaders.
One Day of Observation : We’ll observe standard classroom activities with no changes required.
Short Surveys & Interview : A quick survey follows the observation, alongside a brief teacher interview to capture essential feedback.
Receive Anonymized Results : All findings are aggregated and shared with your district, supporting evidence-based decision-making for future technology adoption.
If you’re interested in advancing research-driven leadership in your district, respond here to receive more details or schedule a conversation to explore this opportunity.
In the fast-paced world of software development, the Scrum Master is a key figure who helps teams navigate complex projects and deliver results efficiently.
The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator, coach, and problem-solver, ensuring that everyone is aligned, motivated, and working towards a common goal.
A Principal reading this description might think, “that’s exactly what I do everyday.” The role of a school Principal shares many similarities with that of a Scrum Master.
The term “Scrum Master” comes from the sport of rugby. In rugby, a scrum is a formation where players huddle together and push forward as a team. It looks like organized chaos. Just like in a rugby scrum, a Scrum Master helps their team work together effectively to achieve their goals.
The idea of the orderly mayhem of a rugby scrum, pushing the pile forward resonated with my time as a school leader. The Principal role is more complex than ever before. They’re not only tasked with managing day-to-day operations but also with driving innovation and change to ensure students are prepared for the future. This requires a shift in leadership style, one that embraces agility and adaptability.
Agile project management, a methodology born in the software development world, offers a framework for navigating this complexity. And at the heart of agile is the Scrum Master, a servant leader who facilitates collaboration, empowers teams, and removes roadblocks to progress.
It’s no surprise then that school Principals share a number of similarities with Scrum Masters.
Facilitating Collaboration
Scrum Master: Fosters a collaborative environment where team members feel safe to share ideas and contribute to solutions.
School Principal: Encourages and facilitates communication and collaboration among diverse stakeholders (teachers, staff, students, parents, unions, school boards, community members).
Empowering Teams
Scrum Master: Empowers the team to self-organize and make decisions.
School Principal: Empowers teachers to take ownership of their classrooms and create innovative learning experiences.
Removing Roadblocks
Scrum Master: Identifies and removes obstacles that prevent the team from making progress.
School Principal: Addresses challenges that hinder teaching and learning, such as resource constraints, behavioral issues, or bureaucratic hurdles.
Promoting Continuous Improvement
Scrum Master: Facilitates regular retrospectives to reflect on what’s working and what can be improved.
School Principal: Encourages ongoing professional development and data-driven decision making to continuously improve teaching and learning.
Servant Leadership
Scrum Master: Serves the team by providing support, guidance, and resources.
School Principal: Serves the school community by prioritizing the needs of students and creating a positive learning environment.
Applying Agile Principles in Education
By adopting an agile mindset and embracing the role of a Scrum Master, school Principals can lead their schools towards greater agility and innovation. This involves:
Breaking down large initiatives into smaller, manageable projects.
Establishing a system for tracking and monitoring key processes.
Empowering teachers to collaborate and experiment.
Using data to track progress and make adjustments.
Celebrating successes and learning from failures.
Setting clear goals and prioritizing tasks.
Agile project management offers a powerful tool for school leaders to navigate the complexities of modern education.
Just like a Scrum Master, a Principal’s ultimate goal is to create an environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute their best and achieve their full potential. By embracing agile principles, school leaders can foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, preparing students for success in an ever-changing world.
Posted by: Greg Runyan
Greg is an innovative professional with broad-based expertise in teaching and educational administration. Throughout his 20 years in the classroom and as a school and district administrator he has sought to foster new approaches to improving student engagement and learning.
Greg founded Pioneer Ed Strategies to bring best practices for solving problems from the tech and design industries to address the challenges facing schools today. His mission is to help school leaders implement creative solutions that enhance teaching and learning.
In the latest episode of “Education and the Simulation Century,” host Linda Bernard sat down with Carl Hooker, a veteran educator and author, to discuss the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on education. As we stand on the brink of an AI revolution in classrooms worldwide, Hooker’s insights offer a roadmap for educators looking to embrace this technology while maintaining the core values of education.
The Promise of AI in Education
Artificial Intelligence presents two significant opportunities in education:
Personalization: AI tools can help tailor learning experiences to individual students’ needs and interests, a goal educators have pursued for decades.
Equity: AI can provide resources and support to students who may not have access to tutors or extensive parental help, potentially bridging the achievement gap.
Integrating AI Responsibly
Hooker emphasizes the importance of age-appropriate AI integration. He recommends introducing AI concepts using user-friendly tools like Canva, Adobe, and Padlet. These platforms offer AI-powered features that can ease teachers and students into using artificial intelligence for educational purposes.
One innovative activity Hooker suggests is using Padlet’s “I can’t draw” feature for creative exercises. For instance, students could generate images based on song lyrics or create superhero versions of themselves, fostering engagement and imagination.
Maintaining Academic Integrity
As AI becomes more prevalent, concerns about cheating and academic integrity arise. Hooker proposes a shift in focus:
Emphasize the learning process over the final product
Encourage students to reflect on their learning journey
Promote transparency in AI use
Educators can maintain academic integrity while embracing new technologies by valuing the process and encouraging open discussion about AI utilization.
Empowering Teachers in the AI Era
Many teachers feel overwhelmed by the prospect of incorporating AI into their classrooms. Hooker suggests:
Start with personal, non-work-related AI applications to build comfort
Explore how AI can assist with time-consuming tasks like IEP generation and lesson planning
Use tools like Magic School or School AI, which offer various AI-powered resources for educators
The Irreplaceable Human Element
While AI offers numerous benefits, Hooker stresses the continued importance of human connection in education. Teachers provide crucial elements that AI cannot replicate:
Empathy and emotional support
Motivation and personalized encouragement
The ability to adapt to students’ emotional needs and daily challenges
To maintain this human connection, Hooker recommends creating purposeful “no AI” activities and challenging students to outperform AI in creative tasks.
Cultivating Essential Skills and Mindsets
As we navigate this new era of education, Hooker identifies key attitudes for educators:
Accept that AI is here to stay and will be part of students’ futures
Focus on preparing students to use AI appropriately and ethically
Maintain a cautiously optimistic approach to AI integration
Avoid anthropomorphizing AI, especially with younger students
Be aware of the potential for over-attachment to AI and robotic companions
Looking Ahead
The integration of AI in education presents both exciting opportunities and significant challenges. By approaching this new frontier with openness, critical thinking, and a focus on human connection, educators can harness the power of AI to enhance learning while preserving the irreplaceable role of teachers in shaping young minds.
As we continue to explore the intersection of AI and education, it’s clear that the future of learning will be shaped by those who can balance technological innovation with timeless educational values. The journey ahead is complex, but with thoughtful implementation and a student-centered approach, AI has the potential to revolutionize education for the better.
As school leaders we want to invite new, innovative strategies to elevate teaching and learning. How we balance this without overwhelming an already taxed staff is a true leadership challenge. Initiative fatigue is real.
If we look outside education, we find an approach, the Design Sprint, that offers promise and potential. Reframed for addressing educational challenges, the School-Improvement Sprint offers a structured path to drive meaningful change within the context of ever-present demands and limited resources.
What is a School-Improvement Sprint?
A School-Improvement Sprint is an 8-week intensive process, inspired by Design Sprints, a methodology pioneered at Google Ventures to foster rapid innovation and problem-solving. Design Sprints have been successfully applied in various industries to accelerate product development, streamline processes, and tackle complex challenges.
In schools, the “sprint” framework allows educators to test innovative ideas quickly. The sprint brings together a diverse team of educators, administrators, students, and other stakeholders to address a specific challenge. The focus is short-term, and narrowly confined, thus addressing concerns of initiative overreach that frustrate educators. The goal is to try new solutions to vexing challenges and quickly learn what works and doesn’t work.
The School-Improvement Sprint fosters innovation through:
Focused Problem-Solving: By zeroing in on a specific challenge and setting clear goals, School-Improvement Sprints eliminate distractions and create a sense of urgency, fueling creativity and productivity.
Collaboration and Diversity: Bringing together diverse perspectives ensures that solutions are considered from all angles, leading to more innovative and robust outcomes.
Rapid Prototyping and Testing: By quickly creating and testing tangible ideas, School-Improvement Sprints allow teams to gather valuable feedback early in the process, mitigating risks and accelerating learning.
User-Centric Approach: School-Improvement Sprints prioritize the needs and experiences of teachers and students, ensuring that solutions are relevant, practical, and impactful.
The 8-Week School-Improvement Sprint Journey
Week 1: Align & Identify Once the “Sprint Team” of diverse stakeholders is identified, thesprint is kicked off with a dynamic full-day workshop. The team will:
Identify the Challenge: Clearly articulate the problem or opportunity you wish to address.
Brainstorm Innovative Solutions: The short-term, focused nature of sprints allows testing of unique, out-of-the box ideas.
Focus and Prioritize: Evaluate and select the most promising solution to implement that has the greatest potential impact on teaching and learning.
Develop Implementation Plan: Determine the process and steps necessary to implement chosen solution.
Establish Key Metrics: Determine the data that will be collected during the implementation phase of the sprint.
Pilot: Implement your solution in a controlled environment with a small group.
Gather Valuable Insights: Collect feedback and data from the pilot to assess effectiveness.
Analyze and Adapt: Scrutinize results and make necessary adjustments to your solution.
Check-in: Hold weekly sprint team meetings to support each other, evaluate progress, and address potential roadblocks.
Week 8: Review & Reflect At the end of the sprint, the team comes back together to do a deep dive into the results.
Review data: What story do the key metrics and data captured tell.
Determine next steps: Assess the best path forward. Options could include adjusting the solution and running another sprint; rolling out the solution to the broader school community; going back to the drawing board.
Communicate: Share what was learned with the broader community of stakeholders, both successes and failures.
The Essential Role of a Skilled Facilitator
A skilled facilitator is important to the success of a School-Improvement Sprint. The staff are the experts, implementing the sprint. The facilitator acts as the guide, steering the process, ensuring the team remains focused, productive, and aligned. Their expertise encompasses:
Process Management: Navigating the team through the Sprint stages, overcoming obstacles, and maintaining momentum.
Creative Facilitation: Fostering an environment where collaboration and innovation flourish.
Equitable Participation: Managing diverse perspectives and making sure the process is inclusive and everyone feels heard and valued.
Decision-Making: Guiding the team towards consensus and actionable outcomes.
Time Management: Optimizing productivity within the workshops and meetings throughout the 8-week timeframe.
Share Your Thoughts!
The School-Improvement Sprint, built upon the proven foundation of Design Sprints, holds immense potential to transform teaching and learning. I’m eager to hear your thoughts on this approach. Have you experimented with similar methods in your school? What challenges and successes have you encountered?
Share your feedback and comments – let’s spark a conversation about how we can collectively innovate and create thriving learning environments for all students.
