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The New 3Rs Academic Transformation
The Right Systems, The Right Resources, The Right People
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by Blaine Helwig
Oct 2, 202216 min read
Bilingual Acquisition – Language Learning Tips
Due to age and perspective, adults immediately recognize that the mastery of a second language is an incredibly pragmatic and useful...
54 views
by Blaine Helwig
Sep 27, 202219 min read
So, You Want To Be A Principal???
About twenty-five years ago, I was a passenger in a car returning to Austin. I was part of a three-member structural engineering team on...
103 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 20, 202221 min read
Solving the Mystery of Poor Student Math Performance
NOPE! The usual suspects of endless blame are not the reason poor academic math results in American public schools. In fact, a...
134 views
by Blaine Helwig
Jun 30, 20224 min read
Chocolate and Title 1 Academic Inequities
Awhile back, I attended a national charter school founder’s lecture about his experiences opening new schools across the country. After...
51 views
by Blaine Helwig
Apr 2, 20228 min read
Two Questions that Stymie Most Title 1 Administrators
In the last 30 years, the author has visited approximately 250 Title 1 elementary campuses as a teacher, principal, central office...
273 views
by Blaine Helwig
Mar 23, 20226 min read
Emulate Before Innovating: COVID or No COVID
Every time we boarded an airplane to travel, my wife would open the airline magazine and complete the three levels of Sudoku puzzles: ...
94 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 14, 20214 min read
‘Fix’ Fluency --- or, Comprehension ‘Breaks Down!’
Word fluency will drive comprehension proficiency since the students can read and not deplete their ‘CPU’ trying to decipher the most...
366 views
by Blaine Helwig
Feb 7, 20215 min read
Teaching to the Test - A Better Understanding of the Phrase
I have heard the expression – Teaching to the Test – for many years, but I had not deeply considered the thinking behind the phrase until...
688 views
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 5, 20203 min read
Eliminating Differentiated Instruction is the Title 1 Campus Goal
Back in the spring of 2016 when I was an elementary principal, I attended a district professional development session on a new teacher...
142 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 13, 20206 min read
Effective Daily Classroom Management – Come Rain or Shine!
Half a century ago, my father, older brother and I watched a herd of horses driven into a rectangular corral from an open field. My father w
157 views
by Blaine Helwig
May 13, 20205 min read
Distance Learning – Pandemic Lessons Learned
The pandemic has brought to light many underlying issues in our society. Some incidents were surprising; for instance, I was astounded...
49 views
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 17, 20195 min read
It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 1
The famous American political phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid” is attributed to James Carville and coined during Bill Clinton's...
82 views
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 16, 20197 min read
It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 2
Small Gaps Widen to Larger Chasms While hiking the 500-mile-long El Camino in Spain a couple of summers ago, a small pain ensued on the...
81 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 29, 20193 min read
Align, Teach, Practice and Do Well!
A middle distance runner competing in a 3,200 meter or 5 kilometer race practices and trains differently than a long distance runner...
49 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 17, 20194 min read
In Title 1 Schools, Facts are Stubborn Things
When I was in college, my statics and dynamic professor proposed a no homework versus a double homework wager to his students. He...
61 views
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 12, 20183 min read
Is Title 1 Public Education 'Working'? – Depends on Perspective!
I do not own a washing machine. Never have. I use the condominium laundry room with its ten washing machines and dryers to handle my...
132 views
by Blaine Helwig
Nov 28, 20184 min read
Practice without Improvement – A Title 1 Invariant!
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” This old joke is amusing and timeless because of the obviousness of its one-word punchline: Practice!...
102 views
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 25, 20183 min read
Bridge Resources and Their Academic Need
About 15 years ago, I attended weekly central administrator meetings as an elementary program supervisor in a large urban Texas school...
66 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 9, 20183 min read
A Title 1 Principal Can't Buy Academic Success
In the 1970’s, my father started the first Christmas tree farm in South Dakota. A slotted hole was dug using a long steel spade shovel...
41 views
by Blaine Helwig
May 5, 20184 min read
Why is Effective Title 1 School Reform Not Happening?
Federal and State money flows into the Title 1 public schools. The river of money flows regardless of academic results each school year,...
39 views
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