FF - RTI Scheduling

Today, Damon Hargraves, host of the WorkflowED podcast turned the mic on me and interviewed me for the 100th episode of the Transformative Principal Podcast. I can’t believe I have done 100 episodes of this podcast. Thank you so much for listening to this and helping me make it better.

• RTI idea was in place, but we needed a little kick in the pants.
• Value of getting away from the day-to-day issues at school.
• How to keep it going when you come back from conferences: hang up the poster.
• Reducing ELA from 90 minutes per day to 45 minutes per day, with students who need 90 minutes still getting that much time.
• How to get teachers to agree to reduce the number of minutes for their content area.
• Yolanda Westerberg
• We can always be better, so let’s always improve.
• There is a story written before you. Accept the story that has been there before your chapter 1 starts.
• How to have solid forward momentum as you make changes, and not get stalled.
• Meeting with the correct people so you don’t get stalled.
• Getting feedback and adjusting course.
• Schedules Explained for Teachers video
• Schedules Explained for Parents video
• Making sure that the right people had the information at the right time.
• The schedule we creating had a place for every student in the school.
• How to design software for your school when you don’t have what you need.
• Having plans in place even if it is going to be very difficult.
• Guru Technologies - the company we hired to develop the app for us.
• The app you can actually use yourself: Pickr App
• Teacher choice tutorial - kids know they aren’t performing and are eager to have the extra help.
• Be simple about what you’re trying to implement.
• MVP - minimum viable product
• Goals for moving forward: anticipate needs earlier.
• The book by Austin Buffum and Mike Mattos: It’s About Time

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.