Support for Families

Esperanza will have a strong focus on family engagement. Therefore, this link http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/ that came today from the National Assn. of Elementary School Principal (NAESP) appealed to me. I know that times have changed (a lot!) since I was a young child, but some of my fondest memories are meals with mom and dad. Apparently not only does sharing family meals create fond memories, but it can also help young people avoid some dangerous pitfalls.

Ponderings On Math Instruction

The theme of the Leader-Spring 2011 edition of the Utah NAESP (National Assn. for Elementary School Principals) publication was math. After reading this latest edition I have spent some time pondering on how we might want to approach math instruction at Esperanza.

I tend to feel that it is extremely important to first determine what our goal(s) is concerning math and then what strategies are necessary to help all scholars achieve that goal. It is also important to keep the following points in mind:

• One program is usually not sufficient to do the job.



• Effective teachers draw upon a number of different strategies to meet the needs of their students, strategies that are often gleaned from different programs and resources.



• What works for one group of students according to research may not be appropriate or effective for another group of students.



• No matter how good a program is, it is still the teacher that makes the difference.

Only after we have our goal and know what strategies are most effective with different students will we be in a position to choose an effective program. Yet, even choosing an effective program is not an end. Professional development and coaching are necessary for the program to be implemented effectively.