Improving Education Today: The Deep Dive

   Angela and Davey describe a recent nationally-representative Education Week Research Center survey of educators across the country that found that student discipline and classroom management continues to get worse post-pandemic.

They then assert, using Dr. Howie Knoff's recent Blog, that students are not going to fix themselves, that there truly are no quick fixes, and that everyone in an affected school—especially teachers and administrators—needs to be part of the problem analysis and strategic solutions.

Angela and Davey use Dr. Howie Knoff's blog to draw a parallel between the recent improvement of the National Football League's Detroit Lions--under Coach Dan Campbell-- and the potential for positive change in school and classroom discipline. They note that addressing this problem requires a team effort from all school staff, implementing evidence-based strategies, and fostering a positive school climate. 

This Podcast (and the Blog) describes the evidence-based component of effective school and classroom discipline, the related need for teacher training and support--especially for new teachers, and how to consistently implement proven practice. 

Continuing the parallel with Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions throughout, Angela and Davey highlight the importance of strong leadership and a shared commitment to creating positive learning environments--even when there are unexpected losses.

  They close by encouraging schools to start now on the road to school and classroom discipline improvement. . . noting that "you’ve got to put in the work to earn the rewards."

In the first Podcast of the new year and new volume (2025; Volume 3), Davey and Angela summarize the January 11, 2025 blog by Dr. Howie Knoff. He reminds educators that--even though the current school year is half over, NEXT year's activities and budget are already being prepared.

In this context, as Students with Disabilities (SWD) comprise 14% of the entire student population in the average district, it is important to determine the staffing, resources, and funding that these students need next year also. This is best done by analyzing each SWD's IEP.

Davey and Angela emphasize the importance of creating Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) that are Acceptable, Actionable, and Appropriate for SWDs. They describe three federal court cases—Chris D., Cory M., and Endrew F.—to illustrate the legal ramifications of failing to meet these criteria.

Your Hosts also explain that IEPs must be collaboratively developed, implemented with fidelity, and result in meaningful student progress.

They provide practical recommendations for school districts to assess their current IEP practices and prepare for the upcoming school year's budget. Ultimately, the goal is to improve student outcomes, parental partnerships, and reduce potential legal challenges.

In this podcast, Davey Johnson and Angela Jones analyze Dr. Howie's end-of-year Blog that revisited the 24 blogs he published in 2024.

Listen to Davey and Angela as they discuss how the Blog's four themes were critical to the "state of education" this past year, and how education needs to address them in the new year relative to student, staff, school, and systems-level improvement and success.

Davey and Angela use the 20th anniversary of the signing of the last reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), and the coming second Trump administration to analyze, critique, and make recommendations on how to improve special education services in our country’s K-12 schools.

Using the December 7, 2024 blog post by Dr. Howie Knoff, your Hosts critique the state of special education in the United States. They highlight the persistent problems that continue to hinder effective services for students with disabilities, such as inadequate funding and a lack of qualified professionals. And they suggest that part of the problem is the Office of Special Education Programs' (OSEP) flawed, sometimes politically-motivated agenda.

Much of the discussion focuses on their proposals for a new agenda dedicated to improving student outcomes. Here, they outline the characteristics needed in the next OSEP Director to facilitate the needed systemic changes.

Davey and Angela discuss the fact that many districts or schools are budget-restricted and/or have a current curriculum or program that is not working, and they are looking for a change. Using Dr. Howie Knoff's November 23, 2024 blog post as a guide, they suggest the need for school leaders in these situations to--first--apply a "Moneyball" approach to the school improvement needs.

Using the movie “Moneyball” as a metaphor, they suggest that many districts and schools are locked into antiquated data analysis and school improvement thinking. Similar to how data analytics revolutionize baseball, they advocate that districts and schools use “Moneyball Thinking” to rethink and revolutionize their decision-making practices, especially to link Needs Assessment results to more successful strategic planning and action.

The discussion analyzes a recent U.S. Department of Education grant program focusing on school mental health, highlighting how some districts did not need more money or staff; they needed to analyze and reallocate how existing staff were deployed and the tasks they were doing.

In the end, Davey and Angela emphasize the need for comprehensive needs assessments, incorporating historical data, SWOT analysis, and gap analysis to identify and address areas needing improvement. They believe that a data-driven approach can revolutionize educational practices, leading to more efficient resource allocation and improved student outcomes. This will ultimately promote a shift from haphazard data usage to a strategic, analytical approach.

Angela and Davey do a "Deep Dive" discussing shared leadership in schools, and how to avoid staff resentment when they are asked to participate on committees and in school improvement decisions.

Based on Dr. Howie Knoff's November 9, 2024 blog post, your Hosts outline a shared leadership school model that involves seven components--each supported by six school-level committees--all to improve student, staff, and school outcomes. A key to this model is the effective delegation of duties and decisions, and Angela and Davey draw on research by Blunden and Steffel which emphasizes the importance of fair and relevant task assignment to avoid staff resentment.

The discussion details various decision-making processes, from command to consensus, and when to selectively use them to encourage and sustain staff buy-in. 

Ultimately, the goal is to create a collaborative environment where staff feel empowered, contributing to enhanced school success. The discussion concludes with practical recommendations for administrators to successfully implement shared leadership in their districts, schools, or educational settings.

Angela and Davey discuss the importance of the speed of implementation when change processes in districts or schools.

Using a blog message posted on October 19, 2024 by Dr. Howie Knoff, your Hosts emphasize that the optimal speed of implementing school reforms depends on a number of factors. They contrast last year's rapid, systemic overhaul led by Superintendent Mike Miles in the Houston Independent School District with the more gradual change approaches typical in less dysfunctional or stressed districts. 

Through Dr. Howie's work, Angela and Davey identify ten key variables—including leadership, stakeholder engagement, and resource availability—to guide the decision-making process on how fast or slow to go. They also present a case study illustrating how a needs assessment can help identify the critical variables that determine the pace needed for effective change. 

Ultimately, Angela and Davey advocate for a strategic approach to school change and reform, emphasizing the need to avoid both excessively slow and overly rapid speeds of implementation.

Angela and Davey discuss the often-present "wall" between general education teachers and special education teachers, and how this impacts students with disabilities. . . who are often more general education students than those with dramatic special needs.

Based on an October 5, 2024 blog post by Dr. Howie Knoff, your Hosts address the long-standing conflict between general and special education in schools, likening it to a "Cold War." Five key barriers between the two groups of colleagues are discussed: Organizational, Supervisory, Professional Development, and Instructional barriers, and those related to "Persistence."

The ultimate goal is to better serve students with disabilities by integrating them more fully into general education classrooms with appropriate support. The discussion concludes with an emphasis on the importance of a collaborative, problem-solving approach to ensure the success of all students.

Davey and Angela discuss the current state of students' mental health across the country, and the challenges that schools face relative to addressing these students' social-emotional needs.

Based on a September 21, 2024 Blog by Dr. Howie Knoff, your hosts discuss (a) the characteristics and concerns with social-emotional screening tools; (b) the use of the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences (screening tool in particular; and (c) the importance of understanding the results social-emotional screening tool, and the limitations of using the ACEs-- especially by itself.

Davey and Angela discuss a recent ACEs study that found correlations between ACEs' scores for young students’ and their social-emotional--but not their academic--status. They note at the same time the serious limitations with the validity of ACEs assessments, and the tool's (in)ability to causally explain students’ social-emotional—and, especially, trauma-related—difficulties. The many reasons (beyond traumatic events) that explain students’ significant social-emotional challenges are presented, as well as a discussion of the Tier 2 and 3 interventions that are available.

The discussion concludes by emphasizing that comprehensive diagnostic assessments are needed to understand the root causes of students' social-emotional challenges. These causes need to be linked to a multi-tiered support system that includes a range of interventions and trained mental health professionals. Through Dr. Howie's work, Davey and Angela conclude that an ecological approach to social-emotional assessment, and a holistic approach to intervention is superior to relying solely on ACEs scores.

Davey and Angela examine the detrimental effects of adopting ineffective educational fads and programs on school staff and relative to student outcomes. Based on the September 7, 2024 blog by Dr. Howie Knoff, they note how many schools do not sufficiently evaluate new programs or interventions before purchasing and/or implementing them.

They especially highlight the lack of rigorous methodology and the resulting negative impact on teacher morale and student outcomes.

Your Hosts emphasize the importance of evidence-based practices and data-driven decision-making to avoid making (or repeating) these mistakes. . . noting that these missteps foster resistance to future programs (that actually can work).

Davey and Angela, through Dr. Howie, discuss case studies of flawed programs, and how a teacher survey can be used to illustrate the consequences of poorly implemented initiatives.

They urge a more critical and analytical approach to educational reform and school improvement. Ultimately, this involves a shift toward identifying the root causes of educational challenges, and implementing sustainable, research-based solutions.