Alex Merritt

This can be the hardest muscle to exercise as a leader, but this is so true. Once the data show that a teacher is moving their students ahead, get out of their way!

‘How valid and reliable is this?’: Dallas ISD raises questions about STAAR test scoring Of the more than 4,600 answers that Dallas ISD submitted for rescoring, roughly 43% showed an improvement.

My hope as a principal is that the TEA takes this alignment issue seriously and works to fix it. The implications for school accountability ratings and future opportunities for students are too important to ignore. I'm grateful Dallas ISD is advocating for this. www.dallasnews.com/news/educati...

… passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, they will receive their state pension and their full Social Security benefits, giving them a more comfortable, dignified retirement after a lifetime in public service.

Year 14 in education means that I have many colleagues who have retired from the profession. It always frustrated me that, due to an obscure loophole, they could only claim a fraction of their Social Security benefits, which they had paid into for their entire career. I’m pleased that with the…

I’m a principal, no longer a math teacher, but I worked with our PTA to purchase Reflex and Frax for the school. I’m observing teachers begin to use AI to generate activities, problems, and assignments that are aligned to state standards and assessments in a fraction of the time.

I love this! It’s so important for schools to provide students (multiple) opportunities to visit colleges and universities — it helps them see themselves there. Keep up this life-changing work!

They are a huge help. It’s an opportunity for retrieval practice, skill-based work, and priming the pump for the lesson. When monitored effectively, the teacher can do quick reteaches if needed. And it’s the first completed task of the lesson, setting kids up for more completed tasks.

www.the-breakthrough-coach.com The program taught me how to transition from “lead technician” to “lead executive,” specifically leveraging the role of my secretary to help me focus on executive work. I cannot recommend implementing the fundamental practices enough. My work week is now 40-50 hours.

I’m saddened to hear this — it would be a loss for the profession. Has your colleague done The Breakthrough Coach? I absolutely got my life back in the principalship, so I’m encouraging other stressed out principals to join it.

Switching from X to BlueSky has been refreshing and easy, and I’m grateful to reconnect with old faces from eduTwitter and new faces through starter packs!

…submitting performance reviews that generate an automatic email — none of that. It can wait. You the leaders have to model setting these healthy boundaries. I hope all y’all have a wonderful break!

…tell their students and families that they will not respond to any emails or messages until after Thanksgiving. The temptation to work over the break is always there, and doing so might even be worth it, but don’t do any work that will cause a teacher’s phone to ping — no emails, no texting, no…

Good morning, school leaders! Happy Thanksgiving Week! The main thing this week is to make sure you, your team, and your teachers get some rest and relaxation. Do this by setting clear boundaries. Communicate that you will not be available (except for emergencies) and encourage your teachers to…

That’s amazing! I’m so grateful to be at Sanger and DISD. It’s a great school in a great district.

Greetings, BlueSky! I’m Alex. I love all things education and hope to recreate the digital PLC for teaching, learning, and leadership I had on Twitter in its heyday. I also love UNC and UT Austin, Shakespeare, public radio, fiction podcasts, reading, cooking, investing, and travel. Let’s connect!