Year of Demonstration | Coalition of Essential Schools

Be a Fall Forum Opening Speaker!

May 11, 2016

Over its 30+ years, Fall Forum has been honored by the words of some incredible opening speakers–and we think that this year will feature the best yet. To kick off the second day of Fall Forum 2016, we will select five to eight people to tell their stories about the ways CES schools have changed their lives. We’re inviting your current students, alumni, and educators to share the impact of the CES Common Principles. The chosen Opening Speakers will have their registration waived and will receive a hotel/travel stipend–our thanks for representing the voices of the many thousands of young people and educators who have been a part of CES over
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Beyond Bubbles

April 19, 2016

A CES Big Idea by Matt Underwood As we enter into the final 8 weeks of the school year, there are several ways we are assessing student learning, in particular how students have grown over the course of the first 75 percent of the school year in what they know and can do. One way is, of course, state standardized tests—in Georgia, the Milestones Assessment System. These tests—mainly multiple choice “bubble tests,” with just a handful of “constructed response” questions—provide one perspective on student learning. At Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, we supplement what we can glean from standardized tests with
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Unanxious Expectations for Life

April 12, 2016

A CES Big Idea by Kayla Reeves The Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School and the Ten Common Principles have no doubt shaped me as a life-long learner and citizen in the world. So much so, in fact, that I have found it incredibly daunting to sit down and reflect. There are so many ways that my identity has been profoundly impacted by the six years I spent at Parker as a student and the three years I have served as a Trustee. Attempting to put it into words is to risk not doing it justice. I think back fondly on
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Exhibitions: Purpose Behind Hard Work

March 29, 2016

A CES Big Idea by Nancy Faust Sizer It’s our last year as a national office, our last year with a Fall Forum, but we know there’s much more to do. What will happen to our Common Principles? Which ones should we continue to support especially strongly? Now I will confess it: my favorite of the ten Common Principles is Demonstration of Mastery – the exhibition one. Teaching and learning should be documented and assessed with tools based on student performance of real tasks. Multiple forms of evidence, ranging from ongoing observation of the learner to completion of specific projects, should be
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Uncommon Common Principles

March 14, 2016

A CES Big Idea by Joseph P. McDonald By the late 1970s, Ted Sizer was alert to the possibility that Americans might be willing to make serious changes in their high schooling. An alternative high school movement had recently produced new light and fresh models – including the first of New York City’s small high schools. And inventive ideas about high schooling were circulating among a widening company of writers and educational adventurers. Ted knew that history has a long arc, but like Martin Luther King, he was never shy about seizing an opportunity to bend it in a
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Common Principles in Uncommon Places

February 29, 2016

A CES Big Idea, by George Wood Ideas and strategies for improving schools often fall victim to the “Yes, but…” phenomenon. It goes like this: after finishing a talk about the importance of student engagement through making time for advisory, the first comment from the floor is dismissive. “Well, that sounds good, but it won’t work here because [name a local condition].” My experience with CES has taught me that of all the paths for school change, commitment to the Common Principles is the one that stands up to the “Yes, buts.” When I became principal at Federal Hocking High
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A Call for Progressive Voices from Schools

February 16, 2016

As part of our Year of Demonstration, we’re putting out A Call for Progressive Voices from Schools. Throughout the year, we will publish the voices of educators exploring the power of the Common Principles and aligned approaches to animate teaching and learning. You need not be a CES member to participate; voices from K-12 educators in any setting are welcome. We invite teachers, current and former students, administrators and other individuals involved in schools to share their voices about the work of progressive education. These pieces will be shared in a variety of ways – on the CES web site, through social media
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CES Year of Demonstration Timeline

January 19, 2016

It's now 2016, the start of CES's Year of Demonstration, As the year unfolds, we will explore the ways that the ideas behind CES have driven important and enduring improvements in public education. We will feature schools, educational networks, leaders, and others that attribute their vision and impact to the Common Principles.
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