tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127Wed, 19 Oct 2016 11:33:17 +0000schooleducationteachingcooperative learningelementary schoolblogRIarne duncanchildrenleadershipPLCgirls21 century skillsObamabehaviorblogsboysbudgetchangecontractseconomyeffortelementaryfunlearningmathprincipalschoolssecretary of educationseniorityspecial educationstudentssummer300Dr. Martin Luther KingDuFourEast ProvidenceInaugurationMilken AwardNew YorkTop 10administratoranswersascdattendancebullyingcaruolo actcharter schoolscollaborationcomputerscranstoncreative writingdid you knowdonationsdress codeelectionsevaluationfacebookfamilyfirst dayglasserglegovernmentgraduation rateshomeworkhonor rollinclusioninterventionskindergartenleadertalklesson studylibrarylonger school yearmanagementmarchmayoral academiesmerit paymotivationmusicnaturenecapparentingperforming artspoetrypolicypositive interdependencepreschoolpressureproblemsquestionsread the wordsregionalizationrelevancerheerhode island BEPrigorschool blogschool budgetschool first day teachersschool fundingschool improvementschool report nightschool uniformsschool weeksenator pellshift happenssmartbriefstimulusstructurestruggling studentssummer vacationteachersterminologytestingunionswashington dcI have been in Elementary Education for over fifteen years. In that time I have been a teacher of many grades and a principal of three elementary schools in Rhode Island. In these 15 years I have had thousands of conversations with teachers and parents about children and how they learn. I feel like I have helped a lot of people in this short time period. I decided to create this Blog as a forum for these kinds of conversations.http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)Blogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-7088858759469883808Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:41:00 +00002012-02-24T16:27:01.805-05:00The last few years have been rough.  Our school district has made a lot of really difficult decisions to keep from running a huge deficit.  In a few short years class size has gone up, almost 300 teaching positions were eliminated, elementary and middle school instrumental music programs were cut, middle school sports were cut and the elementary gifted and talented program no longer exists.  http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2012/02/pinkberry-supports-community.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-1886381497371453682Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +00002012-01-13T17:00:38.758-05:00 Martin Luther King is remembered for all he did to fight for freedom and equal rights. He is remembered for civil disobedience, civil rights and racial equality. Forty years later we sometimes forget how important that work was to all of us. In a school like Hope Highlands the majority of the students are white and come from mid to high social economic classes. Students in this school http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2012/01/martin-luther-king-jr.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-7278463342188950793Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:11:00 +00002012-01-03T21:47:42.412-05:00educationterminology I live in a world where education terminology is thrown around so quickly, that it is easy to get lost in the jargon.  Sometimes parents look at teachers like they are speaking a different language.  I find that I am often trying to explain terms in "plain language" so parents know what is being said.  Some Education Terms just need to be banned all together.  They have either lost their meaninghttp://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2012/01/ten-education-terms-that-should-be.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-3696041665801056750Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:01:00 +00002011-12-06T12:04:49.696-05:00 This year is the "gradual implementation" year for our new teacher evaluation system. Cranston has joined with a number of communities to use an Innovation Grant to create a comprehensive teacher evaluation system. It has been approved by the RI Department of Education and is a result of three years of hard collaborative work with the AFT. The new system measures teacher performance with http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/12/teacher-evaluation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-5845468456476216549Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:19:00 +00002011-11-16T19:19:03.409-05:00As building principal I am responsible for a lot of things. Some things I must do every year are fire drills, lock down drills and shelter in place drills. Fire drills have been around since I was a child and everyone remembers them. Since Columbine security and procedures have become ultra important. We all have security cameras in our schools, buzzers at the doors and practice lock downs. http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/11/lions-and-tigers-and-snakes-oh-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-3526417731591383468Thu, 18 Aug 2011 01:33:00 +00002011-08-18T11:41:02.671-04:00Guest post by Lindsey Wright. Being an Administrator at an Online School The role of school administrators is constantly expanding and shifting as educational theory and practices evolve. A new territory has emerged in education, that of online schools. Once primarily the realm of online college courses and more recently high schools, web-based education is now being considered and implemented http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/08/being-administrator-at-online-school-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-4042921335491957071Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:55:00 +00002011-07-24T19:55:00.351-04:00I have a lot of friends in education. Some are more effective than others, but they all work hard. Some put in endless hours and are truly dedicated to their profession. The problem is that many people work hard but do not work smart. This is not a question of one's intelligence. It is about being productive. Here are some suggestions for working smart ( in no particular order). 1) http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/07/working-hard-versus-working-smart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-3112734439537097596Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +00002011-07-19T09:00:56.457-04:00principalLately, when I check my blog statistics, I notice a change in the posts my visitors read. It seems that there is an increase in the amount of people who are considering a career as a school principal or people want to know what kind of crazy people take these jobs. A while back I wrote a post about my top 10 reasons why I like being the principal of a school  (http://principalcowart.blogspot.comhttp://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/07/becoming-school-principal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-2645799067187348408Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +00002011-07-09T09:00:41.513-04:00charter schoolsWhen RI won the Race to the Top money it promised an expansion of charter schools in RI. One of the newest and relatively successful charter schools is the Mayor's Academy in Cumberland, RI. It was called Democracy Prep but now it is called Blackstone Valley Prep. The Mayor's Academy concept came from the frustration some city mayors had over the limited control they had over school committees, http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/07/charter-school-issue-hits-cranston.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-5538085356053810224Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:00:00 +00002011-06-28T22:00:19.722-04:00So I got an iPad and I wanted to see if there was a way to use the Dragon dictation software to record what I'm saying and post those thoughts into a blog posts for people to read. What I'm figuring out is that you have to be very carefully about how you speak. I guess you need to speak very carefully into your iPad. Slowly and clearly so that the software can copy down what you're saying http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/06/using-my-ipad-and-dragon-dictation-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-343720892678257095Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:44:00 +00002011-04-24T23:44:09.478-04:00Another project was to make a text document to be used with the Unit of Study.  I chose another free site called ToonDoos to make a simple cartoon.  Here is the cartoon I made.  It was fun, easy and I think students would enjoy making them as well. By doncowart View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own Toonhttp://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/04/mytoondoos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-7919505683464718688Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:54:00 +00002011-04-24T22:54:11.857-04:00One of the requirements for the class I am taking is to use the Internet to make a custom graphic organizer that can be used with my Science Unit of Study.  There were so many choices, but the one I chose is Exploratree.org.  The design tools were easy to use, there were templates that you could use or work from and it was free.  Another thing is you can share your graphic organizer or even work http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/04/exploratree.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-9195341408238401433Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:40:00 +00002011-04-13T19:40:39.961-04:00"Prezi, is all about helping people understand each other better. Presentations have not evolved much in the 50 years since the slide was invented, but Prezi is changing that. Prezi lets you bring your ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping you and your audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details — a bit like web-based maps that have changed how we http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/04/prezi-presentations-must-see.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-4088155665975162392Fri, 01 Apr 2011 22:27:00 +00002011-04-01T18:27:53.625-04:00So as you can tell by now I am taking a class that requires me to experiement with a variety of digital media and programs.  This week I made a digital slide show using images from the internet and my voice.  I would say first that it was easy to do. I would also say that I think this particlar website allows people to comment on the project.  Feel free to give it a try. http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/04/digital-slide-show.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-7754483178478011708Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:31:00 +00002011-03-28T13:31:30.951-04:00We have been working on aligning our Units of Study to the GSEs.  One activity we had to complete was a Standards Activity Sheet that required us to look at the standards addressed in the younger grades and standards addressed in the upper grades.  Knowing what the students need to know before and after the Unit gives the teacher an excellent framwork for writing the lesson.  For the readers of http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/03/aligning-standards.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-3123465413773203385Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:45:00 +00002011-03-27T22:45:01.483-04:00Part of my coursework was to visit the Thinkfinity website and and complete a scavenger hunt.  I enclosed a copy of the scavenger hunt and link to the website. www.thinkfinity.org/home <!--[if !mso]> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/03/thousands-of-free-lessons-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-1328472965722038809Sat, 26 Mar 2011 02:56:00 +00002011-03-25T22:56:01.417-04:00Most schools block YouTube. This video was converted from YouTube and downloaded to the desktop. I chose an educational video/song about what plants need to grow. The website is www.zamzar.com http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/03/video-converted-from-youtube.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-6519271567754361682Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:39:00 +00002011-03-18T22:39:48.387-04:00This is a video I made for a class I am taking. http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/03/first-blabberize-video.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-3888372278753472733Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:30:00 +00002011-01-17T18:30:51.351-05:00 My brother-in-law found this video and forwarded it along to me.  The funny thing is I have already heard this presentation by Sir Ken Robinson on Ted.com.  I found it interesting then and it impacted my thinking about public education quite a bit.  But, this YouTube video has added animation and text that makes the presentation so much more meaningful.  The artist's creativity and http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/01/changing-education-paradigms.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-4286515106611284326Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:48:00 +00002011-01-16T11:48:43.960-05:00 This blog goes through peaks and valleys.  Some weeks I have hundreds of readers and other weeks I only have a few dozen.  But a few weeks ago I received a comment on a blog post asking if I wanted to be on a "Top 100 Administrator's Blog" post.  I was obviously flattered and responded to the request.  A few weeks later and the list is complete.  I am listed in the Elementary/Primary category.http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-just-never-know.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-8700357594311391113Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:56:00 +00002011-01-02T20:56:03.782-05:00My question is how do you cultivate passion?  How do you make someone passionate about their role as teacher?  I struggle with this because I never needed motivation as a teacher and I believe that I am passionate about what I do as an educator (having a  blog may be proof enough).  I look at educators who have talent but no passion as being very difficult to motivate.  On the other hand, http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2011/01/passion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-4413767389068871529Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:25:00 +00002010-11-17T17:25:43.121-05:00Why blog?  The answer really depends on your motivation and desired outcome.  Some people blog for money, but not many make any.  Some blog for attention but not many people get any.  The best reason to blog is for yourself.  Blog because you have something to say.  Blog because you have experiences that you need to share.  Blog because you are frustrated or annoyed.  But, do not blog because youhttp://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2010/11/to-blog-or-not-to-blogthat-is-question.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-5033535499175632352Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:01:00 +00002010-11-15T18:01:13.899-05:00On Facebook a lot of people are using November and Thanksgiving as an opportunity to post comments about things they are thankful for.  This got me thinking about what I am thankful for.  With this being an "education" blog I figured I would write what I am thankful for about my job as principal of an elementary school.  So I decided to do a list for your reading pleasure: I am thankful to havehttp://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2010/11/reasons-to-be-thankful.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-3917640530273498647Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:49:00 +00002010-07-23T15:02:49.087-04:00According the U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill it isn't a sport, at least for the purposes of Title IX. This raises an interesting question. Competitive cheerleaders train, practice, have coaches and are competitive at every level. So why isn't a sport? "An activity can be considered a sport under Title IX if it meets specific criteria. It must have coaches, practices, competitions http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-cheerleading-sport.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732815976897675127.post-1451095443828966752Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:56:00 +00002010-06-12T20:55:16.779-04:00I have been to a number of graduations this week. They all included speeches, music and certificates. There were parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and friends. I saw cakes, gifts and flowers. Every one of my three graduations this week signified the completion of a program and the beginning of something new. All the graduates ranged from 5 to 12 years old.Many people get upset http://principalcowart.blogspot.com/2010/06/graduation-promotion-completion-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Don Cowart)0