Back to school mindset check

A huge shout-out to Marissa Nathan for spending time with our administrators to learn about Equity Language Literacy.

As you think about those first days and weeks in your classroom, let's reflect on our mindset.

(1) How well do you get to know your students? How do you get them excited about learning?

(2) How do you show your students that you believe in them? How do you know they trust you? How do you know that they can take risks in your classroom?

(3) How do you proactively take responsibility to "know what you don't know" in terms of what knowledge and skills you need to improve your craft in reaching ALL learners?

AVID: More than a program, an attitude!

When I first heard of AVID, it was back in 2008 when I was a HS Associate Principal. All I knew was that it was supposed to be a program for students "in the middle" and that it cost a lot of money. I said to myself the old Whitaker line, " we are about people not programs," and I blew it off to another silver bullet that our educational visionaries were trying to offer.

Now ten years later, I sit in a central office position, overseeing systems and district strategic planning, and I couldn't be more excited about AVID as being critical to our success as a district. Success purely defined as student success! I am thrilled we are making this commitment to adopting AVID teaching strategies and committed to improving student outcomes while closing the achievement gap! The rise of AVID in our system is more than a program. It is an attitude and a belief that ALL students deserve access to rigorous courses and curriculum and it is our privilege and responsibility to turn around our underserved students into college-bound high achievers. This is an exciting time in the School District of Waukesha!

SAIL - Save the Date!