SERVICES
Contact me for more information on teacher mattering, data guided teaching, or formative assessment guidance.
Mattering
Mattering is the feeling that one’s actions are significant, and that one would be missed if they were gone (Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981). Very little research has addressed the teacher’s sense of mattering in the K–12 setting.
This information is useful when examining some of the common problems that educators face today, including high-stress levels, job dissatisfaction, and low pay. If school leaders can understand the foundations of how or why a teacher feels they matter, it can lead to a more positive work environment, which in turn leads to higher job retention among teachers.
Data Guided Teaching
Data-Driven Instruction is an educational buzzword that has been around for over a decade. Although well-intentioned, data-driven can lead to tunnel vision when it comes to instructional changes. Teachers and educational leaders need to let data guide instruction and decision making.
A firm understanding of the limitations of each assessment is critical to identifying what the data can uncover. All too often, educators want to use test results in a way the test was never designed to use. This causes wasted time, effort, and energy.
Assessment Guidance
Creating an effective and efficient assessment plan is daunting enough. Once a district has completed an assessment audit, what is next? Formative assessments are powerful when created, administered, and examined correctly.