There was a piece published by Detroit Free Press recently written by Rochelle Riley, in which she calls charter schools “private businesses that discriminate” when it comes to special education. I found this article to be incredibly misleading, and quite…
Top 5 Benefits to Having an Online Enrollment System
We’ve all enrolled online for something before, and we have each had a different online experience. Whether you signed up for a gym membership or enrolled your child in a summer camp, online enrollment is an easy and effective tool…
Improve Your Computer-Adaptive Assessments Using This “First Five” Method
It was July of 2013 when I realized I needed to become more knowledgeable regarding computer-adaptive assessments in schools. While traveling home from a meeting with our charter school’s authorizer, a colleague and I discussed the lack of progress observed…
7 Steps to Adopting a Growth Mindset at Your School
You have no doubt seen the “growth vs. fixed mindset” movement come across your inbox or Twitter feed. But what does this mean for you and your school? If you’ve never experienced the growth mindset, it might not mean much…
Why Charter Schools Matter to You
It was August of 1997 when I first understood why school of choice matters. I was in Buena Vista, Michigan at a recruiting event when an appreciative father, with his wife and three children, came up to me and said,…
Changing Lives & Making a Difference: Inside the Mind of Choice Board Members
At Choice, we carry out our mission in a cooperative and open relationship with each of our Academy Boards to ensure that each Board’s respective vision is brought to life. Choice shares a deep passion for serving children with our…
New Year – New Law: What the “Every Student Succeeds Act” Means for Michigan Students
“What gets measured gets done” is a saying that has been used to send a message for years. The message is that measuring something gives you the information you need to help you achieve the task at hand. For a…
8 Simple Steps to Classroom Management
Are your kindergarteners running you ragged? Have the sixth graders taken away your pep? Do your second graders give you a run for your money? Have your 5th hour biology students staged a takeover? You are not alone. Each day…
Putting the Positive in Positive Discipline Support Plan
Focus. Have we lost it? As a system we are transitioning to the Positive Discipline Support Plan (PDSP) and away from Traditional Discipline. But why? The tenets of Traditional Discipline were designed to put the utmost value on the ability…
Putting the Positive in Positive Discipline Support Plan
Focus. Have we lost it? As a system, we are transitioning to the Positive Discipline Support Plan (PDSP) and away from Traditional Discipline. But why? The tenets of Traditional Discipline were designed to put the utmost value on the ability…