Tag Archive

Seven Steps to Prepare for District Accreditation

Seven Steps to Prepare for District Accreditation

August 6, 2012 28 Comments

Last February, Dr. Claire Miller, shared the story of how her district, Barrow County School System, prepared for District Accreditation.  This blog is an attempt to document the steps she outlined in her presentation which I think will be very useful for other school districts who have accreditation work looming! Her school district used eBOARD*’s ...

Embracing change: New words, new acronyms? LOL!

Embracing change: New words, new acronyms? LOL!

February 1, 2012 4 Comments

If you want to know about the latest terminology and acronyms, ask a young person! It seems that the only thing you can really count on in this world is change, and we have certainly lived through huge changes in education as well. How do we keep up with changing and new terminology and new ...

Connecting the Dots in Today’s Education Landscape

Connecting the Dots in Today’s Education Landscape

May 3, 2011 1 Comment

The Center for Digital Education held nine conferences this spring with a theme “Connecting the Dots” where participants not only heard from experts in the field of demographics but also engaged in roundtable discussion on relevant topics for public education. The conversations at the event in Georgia included professional development strategies for educators, technology planning ...

Fleshing out your meeting agendas

Fleshing out your meeting agendas

April 13, 2011 No Comments

If you’re like me, you’ve attended your fair share of meetings (staff meetings, board meetings, cabinet meetings…you name it.) Most of these meetings have had an agenda but many agendas were just SKELETONS, or basic outlines of the topics that will be presented, discussed or acted upon. So as we’ve had access to technology tools, ...

Promote Your Schools Using These Five Freebies

Promote Your Schools Using These Five Freebies

February 20, 2011 No Comments

Now that doing more with less is the new norm, how do you market and promote your school district and successful programs? Maybe it’s time for a brainstorming session with your school public relations professional. Don’t know where to start? I’ll kick the conversation off with these five freebies: Create desktop wallpaper and screensavers for ...

Is your LEADERSHIP team effectively using technology?

Is your LEADERSHIP team effectively using technology?

February 10, 2011 No Comments

Over the last two decades I’ve worked with school systems (both administrators and teachers) helping them to more effectively use technology. In most of these cases, this has been in the service of a technology company such as Apple, Promethean or eBOARDsolutions. According to this Edupotia article “Shaping Tech for the Classroom” by Mark Prensky ...

Local Advocacy Ideas

Local Advocacy Ideas

February 3, 2011 No Comments

As legislative sessions have begun all around the country, school board members are advocating for their local public schools. Grassroots efforts are the heart of this kind of advocacy. School board members are the voice of their communities. How do they share their message with their legislators? Consider hosting a local bus tour of your ...

How are we doing? Appreciative Inquiry-style evaluations.

How are we doing? Appreciative Inquiry-style evaluations.

January 9, 2011 4 Comments

Successful school districts take accountability seriously and strive to cultivate a culture that values continuous improvement. School boards can model their commitment to these ideas by engaging in regular self-evaluation, in addition to completing timely evaluations of their superintendent. With the focus on technology and data collection it is easy to lose sight of the ...

Phone Bank Checklist

Phone Bank Checklist

October 21, 2010 No Comments

Planning a tax referendum and need to identify areas of voter support? Gather up volunteers and host a phone bank. The Alabama Association of School Boards’ Phone Bank Coordinator Checklist should help. ➧ Make sure there are enough volunteers. You’ll need twice as many volunteers as there are phones. ➧ Develop a phone bank schedule ...

It’s a new world.  Are you ready to play?

It’s a new world. Are you ready to play?

October 8, 2010 1 Comment

During the 2010 Council of School Board Association Communicators Conference in Atlanta, I finally put into words what I’ve been musing for awhile. We’re at a communication crossroads where ink-stained fingers meet digital dudes and divas meet those who like a little broadcast with their print news and social media. Media consumption is no longer ...

Beware of the Little Foxes: Make your schools the schools of choice

By Denise L. Berkhalter, APR National school choice efforts and attempts to weaken local governance of schools have left...

State Charter Schools: Follow the Money

As a lifelong advocate for public education and a local board of education member in Georgia for ten years,...

My Board is NOT ready to go paperless! What would YOU do?

I’ve met many superintendents who really want to streamline costs and administrative workflow specifically in the area of paperless...

Does your board evaluate itself?

Serving on a local board of education involves commitment, focus, and accountability. From hiring the superintendent to being advocates...

Is your district’s disaster plan affected by cloud technology?

When disaster strikes…what happens to your school system’s information and records? Recent years have included multiple natural disasters from...

Seven Steps to Prepare for District Accreditation

Last February, Dr. Claire Miller, shared the story of how her district, Barrow County School System, prepared for District...

Stakeholder Engagement: Involving SEASONED Citizens in Schools

One of a school system’s goals is often related to stakeholder engagement. How the community feels about their school(s)...

New Choices in Board Member Training

As a former school board member of ten years in Georgia, I was required to complete 12 hours of...

Does the shoe still fit? Reflections on the personalization of education.

In recently buying a new pair of shoes, I reflected back on how one purchased shoes 25 years ago....

Early Learning and School Readiness: A Worthy Investment?

As local school systems near the end of another school year and are planning and budgeting for the 2012-2013...

Planning for Mission: Possible

The eBOARDsolutions 2012 User Conference was held in late February in Atlanta, Georgia. Almost 200 eBOARD users gathered for...

The Flipped Classroom for Professional Development

Have any of the teachers in your school systems tried flipping their classrooms yet? Have you heard about it...

Embracing change: New words, new acronyms? LOL!

If you want to know about the latest terminology and acronyms, ask a young person! It seems that the...

What can we learn from…South America?

This past November, I had the opportunity to be part of the Senior Consortium for School Networking Delegation to...

What Does It Mean to be “On the Spectrum?”

As we try to raise the awareness level of special education and mental and emotional needs in the world...

Why School Boards Should Focus on Education Technology

Technology has changed the way virtually every industry in the world operates – from farmers to physicians – by...

The Amazing Story of Joplin, MO

In May 2011, tornadoes ripped through Joplin, Missouri. A community was destroyed. The hub of that community is the...

Do you grow your own leaders?

In a world where many are nearing retirement, public education faces changes in leadership across our country.  How does...

Transformative Teaching Practices

Missouri School Boards Association’s 2011 Pre-Conference was themed “Technology Trends in Education.” As a part of the day’s agenda...

Boards: Stay out of the Weeds

Is your school board’s work in the weeds or are you looking from a global perspective? It’s so easy...