By Christine Mason January – Schools need to change. Instruction needs to change.  There is work to be done. Looking at the academic timeline from an existential lens:  Autumn, a time of hope, is followed by December, when almost everyone is ready for winter break. Unfortunately for some, the break ends up being a time of rushing to complete holiday chores, perhaps even a time of traveling that can be frought with its own difficulties, and for teachers who are parents, not on

By Christine Mason While our initial offerings will be held in Washington DC between January -May 2016, please let us know if you are interested in hosting sessions in your area. Contact cmason@edimprovement.org

In today’s blog, CEI associate Sue Mullane, who is currently a consultant in West Virginia, shares a little on the less-than-perfect life that some children are experiencing. She also reflects on her early experience there. By Suzan Mullane After a long history as a teacher and counselor, I am now a travelling consultant in Cabell County, West Virginia.  Cabell is a medical center, with the largest inland port in the US, many gorgeous parks, warm-hearted resilient people, and

By Christine Mason FAQS Q: The 21st Century Rubric is organized into five primary areas. Why were they selected? A:  To thrive in the 21st Century, students need 21st century skills – literacy, numeracy, and STEM- and they need to develop a vision for their role and career path in the 21st century context. We have incorporated neuroscience into our 21st Century Rubric because of the exciting gains that are being made as we learn more about how the brain works and how to lever

By Christine Mason “Beginning with the end in mind”–one place to begin to end the violence is with bans on assault weapons. My husband, John, and I joined about 200 people in front of the NRA Headquarters in Fairfax VA for an anti-gun vigil. It is one way to have a voice. Many actions are needed to reduce violence in the US.  Gun control needs to be part of the solution. There is much work to be done. Now, as schools are reexamining their curricula and their plans for student

By Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director We recommend you click on the links to listen as you read. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its companion, the Common Core, are fading away; soon to be only a memory. . . just a memory. A good or bad thing? Will we, a few years from now, be chanting a version of, “Come back, come back, come. . . School bells, wishing wells, sun burns, long turns.” Just a memory. As recorded by various singers, including Train (2014), Just a Memory end