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 SMART: The Antidote to Initiativitis
One of my responsibilities as Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Gilmer ISD is to provide staff development for faculty, staff, and administrators. Upon arrival in Gilmer ISD seven years ago, I discovered that staff development was minimal at best. Most of the faculty had not received any training, other than required state training, for quite a number of years. In order to determine professional development needs, I developed and administered a Needs Assessment Survey.
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The View From My Office

An office with a view is a perk of any job, whether you are a top executive in a Forbes multi-million dollar company or a junior high principal in a small East Texas town. I would be ready to debate with anyone that my view surpasses any other. I would say that my view is better than a breathtaking sight of a snow-covered mountain, a high rise view of sparkling city lights or the mesmerizing site of waves of a vast ocean. I have no windows, but two doors which lead into two different hallways.

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Chipping Away at Generational Poverty One Student At a Time

My name is Greg Watson and I am currently the principal at Gilmer High School. I came to work for the Gilmer Independent School District in June of 2004. Gilmer is a city of approximately 5,000 people in rural East Texas. Fifty-five percent of the students in the school district are categorized as Economically Disadvantaged. I quickly realized the challenges facing the school district as I began to see first hand the generational poverty in many families. Part of the problem also stemmed from the fact that the adult literacy rate in the area was very low.
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3 Year Cohort Study Shows Results

38 high poverty middle schools in the Grand Rapids, MI area teamed up 3 years ago with their local intermediate agency, Kent ISD, to adopt the S.M.A.R.T. system of school improvement. KISD obtained federal math grants to support the initiative which is guided by a steering committee including principals, teachers, support staff, and KISD staff. The purpose of the initiative is to grow the schools' capacity for self-renewal and continuous improvement. The results over the past 3 years have been impressive.
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Gilmer ISD blows the roof off TAKS results

Terry Morganti Fisher recently received an email from Janet Bliss Mello who is coaching in Gilmer ISD, Texas...
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When Kids Share Responsibility for their Learning

Sparta Middle School in Sparta, MI is one of 38 middle schools that have been implementing the S.M.A.R.T. system for 3 years. Supported by a grant obtained by the Kent ISD regional staff, the schools are focusing on improving math as their GAN (Greatest Area of Need).  Sparta MS is a good example of the kind of transformation that happens once teachers adopt S.M.A.R.T. tools and methods.For this story, we’ll focus on the 7th grade classrooms.

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