It’s now October! Can you feel it? Our focus is being divided into the myriad of different directions. We’re entering the heart of a school year. To that end, I’m going to present a smorgasbord of different articles in this “un-themed” newsletter.
My top 5:
- In the American Catholic News section, the first article is a blog post by Kathleen Porter-Magee, the Superintendent of New York City’s Partnership Schools. It’s encouraging, inspiring, and worth the read!
- the second article focuses on the Parish Consolidation plan in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The article illuminates trends that we are all confronting—fewer priests, fewer attendees, lower sacramental participation. It’s a stark wake-up call.
- I love the stories surrounding Father Stanley Rother who was beatified last week.
- I have presented two articles on open-mindedness in the Leadership section. I encourage you to read them (with an open mind!).
- The fifth article in the Miscellaneous section is about how marriage has declined in popularity and practice.
Next week, I’ll be sharing the annual “Classroom Management” issue.
In the American Catholic news section:
- Kathleen Porter-Magee, the Superintendent of NYC’s Partnership Schools, offer a great blog post ontheir 5-year mark which speaks to the future of all American Catholic schools.
- The Catholic school system in Billings hopes to sell a now-abandoned school building
- Massive parish consolidation plan announced for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The article touches on issues many of us face: fewer priests, lower attendance, older physical plants, fewer sacraments, etc.
- A blogger in Massachusetts argues that Catholic schools could remain open if school choice were implemented
- Father Stanley Rother was beatified last week. He has been declared the first American-born martyr.
- Louis Catholics work to unite city amid racial tensions
- The innovative Bishop Kearney HS in NY is spotlighted
- Pope Francis advocates for migrants
- An Australian university publishes a report on the origins of Church sexual abuse.
- Alt-right Catholics are getting faith leaders disinvited from speaking at colleges. In the K-12 system, we need to pay attention to the breakdown of discourse and rise of authoritarian tactics.
- NCR has a nice summary of the “heresy” allegations against Pope Francis, which seem to be a small fringe group without any widespread support.
- South Carolina bishop blesses the brand new Elizabeth Ann Seton HS
- The ACE Teaching Fellows video highlights the great work of the ACE Teachers
In the Leadership section:
- The Farnam Street Blog offers The Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People. When is the last time you changed your mind?
- The Dangerously Irrelevant blog offers How School Leaders Can Combat Filter Bubbles and Fake News
- Tanner Higgin in Edutopia offers a primer on Protecting Student Privacy on Social Media
- Education Week presents The School Climate Problem (and What We Can Do About It)
In the Teaching & Instruction section:
- Why Students Forget—and What You Can Do About It by Youki Terada in Edutopia is a great read on brain science.
- Elizabeth Garcia presents a great guide to Project-Based Learning, Meshelle Smith offers a primer on Genius Hour in Elementary School, and Vicki Davis offer 5 Ways to Flip Your Classroom
- Terry Heick argues that cognitive load theory is the most important thing a teacher should know and Lisa Nielsen argues that It’s Class Load, Not Just Size, That Matters
- Katrina Schwartz covers the reasons for shifting to an intentional advisory model in order to assist students
- Larry Ferlazzo offers a web page on national anthem protests which can be combined with 8 Ways Teachers Can Address White Supremacy, How to Create a Simple Timeline-Based Game, Making Social Studies more Social for all Kindergarteners and Can Teaching Civics Save Democracy to provide more social studies resources.
- Lisa Nielsen offers ideas on teaching financial literacy.
- 48 Critical Thinking Questions for any subject is a valuable resource
In the Miscellaneous section:
- The HBR article on the 4-digit price of the new iPhone echoes an oft-argued claim about where to set a tuition level—too low makes it affordable but also risks seeming of low quality, too high makes it unattainable but seemingly of high value.
- HBR’s article on Bruce Springsteen and rock star leadership is quite insightful
- The Hechinger Report gave a great compilation of Voices from DACA students
- A great article on the decline of marriage from the New York Times How Did Marriage Become a Mark of Privilege is insightful
- Because I’m a parent of two young boys, I’m always reading articles like Fragile Boy Friendships and Why They Matter So Much
- StoryCorps released an animated video on the Vietnam War. With the new attention being paid to the Vietnam War, it’s a worthwhile watch.
