Introducing our Community Engaged Learning Toolkit
There is a reason that we’ve written so many stories about students doing cool projects in and with their communities!
Read moreThere is a reason that we’ve written so many stories about students doing cool projects in and with their communities!
Read moreWe have a saying around here that “middle school is not a building” and we also believe that classrooms do
Read moreEquity is the moral imperative behind all of the work we do here at the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education.
Read moreDillin, a seventh grade student at Newark Street School (NSS), had this to say about starting school with 30 minutes
Read moreIt was a perfect match. The sixth grade team at Lyndon Town School were looking for an end of year
Read moreThe beginning of a school year is a great time to explore and reflect on identity. For teachers who are
Read moreTesting helped me be successful in school. And it was horrible for my learning. I was good at tests. The
Read moreWhat if we could give more time to educators, many of whom are overworked and in danger of burnout? The
Read moreNeed more student engagement and wellbeing? Join the club! Educators are always looking for ways to get students more engaged
Read moreThe recent issue of the research journal Middle Grades Review was extraordinary for two reasons. First, it focused on the
Read moreWhat we can learn from Kingdom East School District’s summer camp? The 2020-2021 pandemic school year was uniquely challenging and
Read moreSt. Johnsbury School District is committed to building on their assets, seeking input from all stakeholders, and planning in phases
Read moreIf you want to know what an organization prioritizes, examine its budget. If you want to know what educators care
Read moreEquity. In Vermont and beyond, educators and administrators are talking about equity. But what does equity look like in practice?
Read moreMy mom is into homeopathy and I am part Japanese. So for Christmas she gave me a book by Japanese
Read moreHow do we effectively engage people in our community who aren’t already predisposed to discuss race and the impacts of
Read moreIt’s not you; difficult conversations are a lot right now. While it’s fair to say that the history of the
Read moreAt the beginning of the school year, members of the middle school leadership team at the Lyndon Town School (LTS)
Read moreIn spring 2020, during statewide “emergency remote learning” due to the pandemic, many districts and schools changed their approach to
Read moreHow can educators manage PLPs in remote learning? What goes into a Learning Management System? And what does it look
Read moreAnd they’re willing to tell you how. Children begin internalizing racial bias by the time they are two years old.
Read moreSchools are committed to bringing anti-racism into curricula and systems more than ever before. Even in predominantly white schools there
Read moreAh, the end of a school year. Always frenetic, and beautiful, and tear-filled and inspiring. Filled with rituals that educators
Read moreThe need for trauma-informed practice is particularly salient during the current global pandemic, when many if not all of us
Read moreHello friends. I’m waving hello from my seat on this roller coaster called the “new normal.” We got the message
Read moreThe middle school movement has been a powerful force for positive change. It’s rooted in progressive education, with special attention
Read moreSometimes pursuing systemic equity in education can feel a little like the carrot vs. the stick. Since No Child Left
Read moreTracing a middle level social identity unit Identity. Oppression. Social justice. Structural racism. Liberation. These are some intense ideas to
Read moreStudents write weekly emails to their families Lizzie Stockbridge, a 6th grade math teacher at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School
Read moreMeet Grace Gilmour, and her proficiency-based classroom. “Oh yay. I was like: yay, my heart.” This was Grace Gilmour’s response
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The art of listening We are big believers in including student voice in our storytelling. Usually we ask students to
Read moreStart by listening to students Elizabeth Tarno asked her students for feedback about their math class at the end of
Read moreBeyond the “About Me” page “What is important to know about me to help me learn?” Every student at Frederick
Read morePersonalizing PE In this era of personalized learning, it’s not just the jocks that find P.E. enjoyable. At Crossett Brook
Read moreBeyond the Passion Project: Clara wanted to do something amazing for her final Brainado project. She wanted to push herself
Read moreThe transformation of Team Quest Educators never feel like they have enough time to do all the things they want
Read moreA Vermont tradition comes to the classroom Town Meeting Day is a Vermont tradition: once a year, everyone in towns
Read moreA tale of research-driven change Last year two educators at Crossett Brook Middle School undertook an amazing action research project
Read moreA new recipe for Personalized Learning Plans Rather than trying to get students to care about existing PLPs, some schools
Read moreHow did an 8th grader turn his passion project into a summer job? I found Connor in the tech ed
Read moreOne way to make sure PLPs are student-driven: hand them the keys At the end of last school year, the
Read moreSeeing failure as iteration A trio of students at Crossett Brook Middle School, in Duxbury VT, have spent the past
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Think middle schoolers are too young for a QSA? Think again At the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) at Crossett Brook
Read moreGuiding Crossett Brook PLPs with student voice The Crossett Brook PLP student leadership group presented their recommendations on PLPs to
Read moreLet students help you transform your school Creating sustainable systemic change is hard work. Yet there are readily available, free, renewable
Read moreStandard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read moreStandard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read morePractice makes proficient What’s special about a proficiency-based environment? Practice, that’s what. I know, it sounded weird to me too.
Read more3 ways Schoology supports sustainable Proficiency-Based Learning A learning management system (LMS) can be used to manage classroom workflow, create
Read moreStrategies for starting a research project Whether the inspiring teacher examples from my last post roused your inner researcher, or you’re
Read more5 benefits of doing action research in the classroom Teachers are constantly tinkering, creating, learning, and growing. Action research is
Read moreStudent-led conferences are for students Student-led conferences are a key strategy in personalized, student-centered educational practices. And they’re even more important
Read moreGetting started assessing proficiency School systems in Vermont and elsewhere are in the midst of a shift to proficiency-based learning.
Read more1% teacher inspiration & 99% student-led Genius Hour is a leap of faith in which educators set aside their most precious
Read moreWhose makerspace is it, anyway? A makerspace can take many forms, but fundamentally it should be a locus of student engagement
Read moreStudent reflection with Adobe Voice and Explain Everything Students at Fayston Elementary School worked hard this year with their team
Read moreScaffolding PLPs so students understand them 5th and 6th graders from Fayston Elementary School took their personal learning plans (PLP)
Read moreAnnouncing the 1st annual Tarrant Institute twitter read-along Summer is a great time for camping, sunsets and creemees. A great
Read moreOrganize research materials digitally and collaboratively Tiffany Michael, from Crossett Brook Middle School in Waterbury, Vermont, describes how her use
Read moreCare about equity in education? Start with engagement Educators care about equity. We all want to bring out excellence in
Read more4 lessons learned A few months back, I wrote about how the Washington West Supervisory Union (WWSU) here in Vermont
Read moreA teacher-authored case study Today we hear from a grade 5-6 team venturing into the world of personal learning plans (PLPs)
Read moreGoal-setting as a process This presentation, delivered by Harwood Union High School teacher Lissa Fox at the 2016 Middle Grades Conference, describes
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