A critical aspect of the CACE mission is to bring school leaders from across North America together to exchange best practices, experiences, ideas, and strategies. One way we pursue this mission is through the Score Group, a peer collaboration process. Score Group schools meet together four times over the course of two academic years to focus on the critical areas … Read More
Do My Students Ask Essential Questions?
So, what makes a question essential? We identify essential questions with characteristics such as open-endedness, the question’s ability to call for higher order thinking, whether it raises additional questions, and how it requires support and justification. Essential questions are ones not answerable with finality in a single lesson or a brief sentence – and that is the point. This focus … Read More
Fill in the Blank
The schools that parents want to entrust their children to_________ (fill-in-the-blank). The schools that students want to be invited into __________ (fill-in-the-blank). Fill-in-the-blank questions are some of my favorites. While they remain on the lower end of Bloom’s Taxonomy (comprehension and understanding), they are relatively easy to write (as a teacher) and relatively easy to answer (as a student). It … Read More
Part III: To Be Deeply Rooted
Just so we are clear…CACE is not in the political business of endorsing candidates or platforms. However, we certainly realize the impact that government, state and federal, can have on how Christian schools operate which requires informed readers. Therefore, we want to continue to provide information worth consuming for those with a common calling in Christian education. Missionally, we want … Read More
Staying Balanced…
If you are reading this, and an educator, I am a bit surprised! This time of year is pretty crazy for those involved in the traditional agrarian school calendar that the Western culture holds tightly to. Professional development workshops, home visits with preschool families, department level or grade level meetings…all in full swing. These events, in addition to all of … Read More
Meet New CACE Fellow Steven Levy
CACE is extremely excited to announce a new Fellow, Steven Levy. Steven is a master teacher who will be one of the main authors of our new column, The Teachers’ Lounge, a place for teachers to share best practices, ask questions, and connect with one another. Steven comes to CACE most recently from the world of Expeditionary Learning, where he … Read More
Part II: The Democrats and Education
American readers, we have our two major party nominees for President of the United States. Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first woman to be nominated for presidency by a major party. Her nomination – bringing women who were first barred by law and then by custom, to the peak of the American political system – is cause for … Read More
Part I: The Republicans and Education
The political process in the United States is in full swing. Actually, if there is a phrase that describes more than full swing, I would certainly welcome it to describe this particular election cycle. With my home base in Iowa, I think that Iowans experience both the initial excitement of each election cycle and the fatigue of each election cycle. … Read More
Did You Ever Wonder…
Why students (and their parents) are so grade obsessed? In a previous post: What Happened to the E?, I noted my lack of surprise when students petition for an extra point or two on an assignment or request extra credit opportunities. Some readers responded with notes of similar experience and frustration. One reader asked the question “how do students become so … Read More
Biblical Integration Conference: Improvement and Integration
The Biblical Integration Conference is designed for Christian school leaders and educators to explore the idea of biblical integration in a thoughtful and theological way with colleagues committed to doing Christian education well. The setting is on Cairn’s suburban Philadelphia campus for nearly three days of thought leadership, interaction, and presentations on a significant subject ripe for serious consideration. Christian schools … Read More