Michael Nelson

1 month ago | edweek.org | Peter DeWitt |Michael Nelson

It’s 9:30 p.m. A teacher checks their email before heading off to bed. Unfortunately, they’ve received a message from a parent who is angry about an interaction the teacher had with their child earlier that day. The child’s perception of the interaction is skewed, and the parent wants to discuss the situation. The email was sent at 6:30, and the teacher feels guilty for not seeing it until now.

1 month ago | edweek.org | Peter DeWitt |Michael Nelson

We have all been there. Perhaps we are a newer teacher and our principal asks us to be on a leadership team. We both have had the experience in which our principals asked us to join the school leadership team and we found a spring in our step and thought that our leader saw leadership potential within us. Peter, though, found out soon that being a part of the team was really just window dressing.

1 month ago | edweek.org | Peter DeWitt |Michael Nelson

Collecting data is something leaders and teachers do really well. For example, we were recently working with leaders in a small urban school district, and they told us that collecting data is never an issue because their state requires that of them. The issue? They don’t use those data to guide learning because the information is mostly summative and they receive it too late.

1 month ago | edweek.org | Peter DeWitt |Michael Nelson

Every morning, we seem to wake up to more and more uncertainty. Whether it’s concerns about inflation, tariffs, shrinking budgets, or national-level debates about the future of education, the noise can feel overwhelming. Regardless of the social networks we follow, or the news sources we read, it feels like there are so many issues that are out of our control. When the two of us talk with teachers and leaders directly, the real concerns for them come into a sharper focus.

Jan 19, 2025 | edweek.org | Michael Nelson |Peter DeWitt

A new year. 2025. The beginning of each calendar year usually signals the start of the hiring process for vacancies in school and district leadership positions. Excitement abounds as applicants seek new leadership opportunities and districts anticipate the possibilities that new leaders bring. Prospective leaders are filled with what they hope will be innovative ideas that catch the attention of an interested district.