The Hudson Chronicles

I have recently been afforded the opportunity to teach a graduate course for Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, entitled Designing Curriculum and Instruction. I have taught graduate courses for Aurora University, Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University, going back to approximately 2004, and I have enjoyed every single course and every single student.  However, this was the first time I have taught a course in four or so years.  What a joy!  What a privilege!  Thanks to Marist for giving me the opportunity. I have always enjoyed teaching graduate courses.  I guess it brings me back to my salad days--my undergraduate days at the University of Wisconsin, my time at Eastern Kentucky University, my cohort pals at Northern Illinois, or my very special days as a college baseball coach and athletic director at Lakeland College, during which I taught several undergraduate courses.  Though I miss those days and wonder what my life would have been like had I made different

Few, if any, public schools have managed to provide quality experiences for children without high levels of community support.  If you click on Jamie Vollmer's website , the first thing you see is the quote, "No expenditure of our tax dollars yields as high a return as our investment in public schools."  Vollmer didn't used to believe this.  In 1988 he was asked by Dr. William Lepley, Iowa's Secretary of Education, to join the Iowa Business and Education Roundtable.  Before becoming an advocate for public education, he was a harsh critic. In his first two years as Director of the Roundtable, he visited dozens of schools, met with hundreds of educators, and interacted with advocates from every point on the political spectrum.  One of the first "aha moments" for Vollmer was a realization of the increasing number of things that have become the responsibility of public schools.  In what has come to be known as Vollmer's List, he names these responsibilit

The Arlington Central School District, located in LaGrangeville, NY, is a member of the American Association of School Administrator's Learning 2025 Network  along with approximately 125 other school districts from across the country.  Learning 2025 is a student-centered, equity-focused, future-driven collaborative.  Its central premise is that leaders, teachers and students must play an active role in redesigning systems, reengineering instruction, and co-authoring the learning journey. Last year the District began working with Eric Sheninger to deepen its understanding of how to leverage technology to personalize learning for all students.  Sheninger's concept of personalized learning emphasizes the importance of student voice and choice and path, pace, and place in the learning process.   Throughout the school year, administrators and teachers worked together to identify how the Learning 2025 Core Redesign Components could support Arlington's efforts to prepare students

Schools often make the mistake of focusing so intently on improvement strategies that they fail to take the time to mark the occasion and celebrate successes.  One of the most important principles in change theory is that organizations should celebrate small successes as a way to create momentum and maintain morale. Most thought leaders in education acknowledge that this past year was one of the most, if not the most, challenging year in the history of public education.  This may make it more difficult to sift through some of the frustration and recognize the good, but it also makes it all that much more important. The Arlington Central School District based out of LaGrangeville, NY, recently celebrated its 97th commencement ceremony.  Arlington experienced many of the common difficulties that, at times, overwhelmed a majority of school districts across the country.  Layered on top of that were some truly unique and tragic incidents that made it extremely difficult to maintain proper f

Spring is a special time for those of us who celebrate Easter, and for those of us who don't, crocuses, daffodils, and tulips emerge, and rhododendron and crabapple, cherry and pear trees flower.  For others of us (myself, included) who think that the four greatest words in the English language are, "Pitchers and catchers report," patience has allowed us to witness the "Boys of Summer" and the "Lords of the Realm" once again put aside their differences, and, thankfully, the umpires cried, "Play ball."  All of this annually leads to a renewed sense of hope for most of us.  But . . . I am not sure who coined the phrase, "Hope is not a strategy," but I have heard many people use it to illustrate a point, including assessment guru Rick Stiggins and one of my dear collaborators and thought leader in the area of educational change leadership, Michael Fullan .  A favorite Fullan graphic of mine is a change matrix that identifies the neces

ESSER, the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief Fund, provides significant dollars to help schools mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  My current district has submitted a plan for utilizing approximately $15M during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.  An inherent dilemma in the requirements of the grant is the timeline over which funds must be expended.  The pandemic is still with us, and while its impact was not catastrophic for all students, children who are the most at risk are the ones who are struggling the most, and there is no disputing the pandemic's detrimental impact on the academic growth for many students and the overall social-emotional wellness of children and school employees across the country.  This will not be "fixed" in two years. There have been many "fixes" introduced into education by this country's policy makers, but most of the legislation has focused on what Michael Fullan , the Global Leadership Director fo