Perfecting the Practice

By Blanca Quiroz, Ed.D.
Posted on 2/1/2023 - 6 minute read

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Posted on 1/30/2023 - 7 minute read

An at-risk student is a student who is at risk of not meeting academic or social expectations or of not graduating from high school. At-risk students may require extra support and resources to succeed in school and reach their full potential. Several factors can contribute to a student being at risk of not meeting academic or social expectations or not graduating from high school (Baum & McPherson, 2019; Watson & Gemin, 2008).

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By Kent Schlichtemeier, Ed.D.
Posted on 1/20/2023 - 4 minute read

I will never forget the first day of my teaching career.  School began promptly at 8:00 a.m.  I began to position myself towards the front of the room after the first bell brought students to their seats at 7:55.  To this day, I clearly remember standing for the first time in front of my inaugural class of sixth grade students as a nervous neophyte teacher.  At the sound of the second bell with the entire room eerily quiet, all students’ eyes were firmly fixed on me waiting to hear my opening words and watch my first moves.  It was at that moment I came to the humbling realization that leaders, such as teachers, have an enormous capacity to transform lives for the positive or negative. 

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By Darlene Messinger
Posted on 12/20/2022 - 4 minute read

I had to learn this the hard way. I used to fancy myself as a great debater, someone who loved to finish others' sentences to show I was right there with them. Didn't this demonstrate that I was actively engaged in the conversation? 

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By Dr. Lori B. Doyle
Posted on 10/24/2022 - 4 minute read

The past twenty years is an approximate time frame during which the phenomenon of burnout has been the focus of ongoing scientific and empirical research for effects on those working in the field of education (Hall et al., 2019). No longer a problem only or primarily discussed for effects on those in medical fields, burnout has been determined a challenge that can affect any professional working in any field (Beatrice, 2020; Marcionetti & Castelli, 2022). One contributing factor for the previous concentration on burnout specific to the helping fields was a description of doctors, nurses, or clinical professionals as those who serve a suffering population (Raimondi, 2019).

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By Heather Churney
Posted on 9/2/2022 - 3 minute read

When students decide to pursue a graduate degree, it is life changing. Time and money are poured into their education and that comes with a lot of sacrifice. This was no different for a cohort of students in their fieldwork in early 2020. Each student had made progress toward their 600-hour requirement to obtain their Master’s degree and PPS Credential. As their supervisor, we met weekly to discuss their experiences, support one another, and troubleshoot any problems that they may be facing. This group of 12 students was dedicated to their practice and to their students. Then March 2020 hit and everything changed!

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By Dr. Jill Swisher
Posted on 7/18/2022 - 1 minute read

Retention is a key component for institutions with adult education programs. To support adult learners, best practices in place from program entry through exit equip program leaders for the challenges in working with the needs of adult populations. 

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By Eugene P. Kim, Ph.D.
Posted on 7/7/2022 - 8 minute read

There are nearly as many theories of change as there are theories of leadership, ranging from anachronous armchair advice to pithy philosophical prescription. Rapid Change (Laipple, 2012) rewards the agile, accelerated and adaptive leader. In contrast, in Theory of Change (Drucker, 1954), clarification of long-term goals or outcomes precedes short-term or early outcomes or conditions. Gap Analysis (McKinsey, Nadler-Tushman, PESTEL, etc.) simplifies the change process, asking where we are , where we want to be, and how we get there. John Kotter’s (2007) seminal article in the Harvard Business Review is distinguished in both its rigorous empiricism and pragmatic applicability, offering organizations unique strategies for and obstacles prevalent to eight distinct stages of change. 

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By Magazine Editorial Team
Posted on 6/25/2022 - 2 minute read

Concordia’s new Servant Leader Institute offered its inaugural Educator Leadership Academy in May 2022 and attracted educators from across California to cultivate their skills as servant-leaders for education.

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By Ruth Reynoso
Posted on 5/24/2022 - 3 minute read

Every year it is documented that the gap in math learning is widening (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021). Students and teachers too often state they do not like math or that they are bad at it. During parent-teacher conferences, parents put the blame on themselves passing on the “bad math gene” to their children by saying, “I was bad at math, so I see why my child is bad at it, too.” Sometimes, students just don’t understand what they are learning and how it builds off itself and this causes an issue with teachers needing students to put in effort to learn the material.

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