Articles in Ted’s Talk

Pursuing Goals Indianola Middle School provides one great example of how the school district’s attendance centers identify improvement goals then go about striving to meet those goals. The over-arching goal that emerged from two different Instructional Rounds visits…

The new year provides many opportunities to celebrate the good things happening in the Indianola Community School District. I will provide a brief overview in several significant areas although this is by no means an exhaustive discussion in…

November 16-20, 2015, marks another American Education Week, an opportunity to celebrate and thank people who work and volunteer in American public schools. As American students headed back to school this fall, over 50 million were enrolled at…

It is a pleasure to serve a district where continuous improvement is sought and student achievement is a priority. Proficiency rates in math and reading across grade levels 3-11 range from 82-92% in Indianola CSD, and the percentage…

High School Essayists Gracie McConnell and Kathlyn Wagner shared the excitement of being involved in Indianola CSD traditions and wrote about what makes Indianola a special community. Senior Gracie McConnell shared, “Being a cheerleader on the sidelines of…

When invited to write about the school and community’s proud traditions (part of the school district’s vision, “Proud Traditions. . .Unlimited Possibilities”), Indianola Middle School’s students had some great examples to share. Following are some excerpts from essays…

Some time ago I watched a video sent to me by GPAEA Chief Jon Sheldahl, featuring a conversation with Thomas Friedman and Marc Tucker, moderated by Luke Russert for NBC. The video provided a good opportunity to listen…

Those words “back to school” evoke a lot of different images for people. For many students returning to school is an exciting time to reconnect with beloved friends and school staff. For some others those words signify a…

Previously I wrote about the district strategic planning process this spring. Today’s blog shares the District Vision, Mission, Beliefs, Goals, and Theories of Action that resulted from that process. Our Vision: Proud Traditions. . .Unlimited Possibilities Our Mission:…

Of the fourteen blog posts I wrote this past school year, “Are you sharpening the saw?” had, by far, the most hits online, so I’m going back to the well of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective…

“Many hands make light work.” This adage has been running through my head lately as I have seen wonderful examples of cooperation and people pitching in to lighten others’ loads. Burden bearing is meant to be a shared…

Recently I read an essay written by Katie Nichols, a student in Ms. Grissom’s AP Language class. Katie posed the question, “Are grades really showing learning?” This is not a new question in education, but it comes at…