At its core, social justice in education is about learning how we can make positive changes in our communities. Tina Lageson, EdD, is a kindergarten teacher at Glencoe Elementary School in Portland, Oregon and she is passionate about this topic, especially when it comes to young children. “There is a misconception about the ability level… Read More

Equity and equality are two different concepts that are often used interchangeably. Many people think that equity in education means everyone getting the same thing, but it actually means that everyone gets access to what they need. So how can we work to truly narrow the gaps and improve student learning? Let’s take a closer… Read More

Educators have gotten very good at building scaffolds for student learning, but are we going too far? Are we underestimating our students’ ability to struggle and then succeed? When is it time to step back? Should every assignment have scaffolds? Let’s explore if and when differentiation and scaffolding should take a backseat to healthy learning… Read More

Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is so much more than a trendy education term, but many educators struggle to define it. They are unsure of how it’s different from other equitable teaching practices and they can’t explain how to utilize it in their classrooms. Zaretta Hammond’s popular book Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic… Read More

The University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) developed an instructional leadership inquiry cycle tool that helps principal supervisors and principals collaboratively engage in a continuous process of instructional improvement and analysis. The inquiry tool directly correlates to CEL’s 5D instructional framework and rubric, making the process of instructional development easy and cohesive. Instructional… Read More

Interested in earning your EdD but not sure how it will benefit your career? Excited to advance your practice but feeling uneasy about the dissertation? What better way to find out more than by asking those with first-hand experience? Concordia University-Portland’s doctoral program prepares current and emerging leaders to become transformational change agents, impacting PreK-12… Read More

There is a unique interplay between English and Spanish fluency, but how does the heritage language impact second-generation Hispanic students? Camille Schuler, EdD, explored this topic in her dissertation and took it even further, examining how the heritage language influences the way in which second-generation Hispanic adolescents integrate into their community and how they see… Read More

There are few things that evoke a sense of wonder — the type abundant in childhood and precious to adults — like pulling plastic wrap off a glimmering new phone. With the push of a single button, the screen to comes to life, glowing with possibility. How many hours in my day will I win back… Read More

Instructional design (ID) can sometimes be an overly complicated and diverse field with various instructional design models and complicated terminology. But I’ve always found that instructional design can be simplified if you stick to a few important principles and ask yourself a small number of intuitive questions. Instructional design: What does it mean? Simply put:… Read More

Having completed a couple of successful careers in the private sector, Camille decided to be an educator later in life. Earning her EdD helped her establish the credibility she was seeking, but it also taught her much more than she ever expected to learn. What was the greatest takeaway from your degree? The greatest takeaway… Read More

As a venture capitalist for 25 years, Ted Dintersmith saw how education wasn’t changing as fast as the job market. He noticed that highly educated people in business lacked skills and qualities like flexibility, creativity, and collaboration. Upon retirement from the corporate world, he made education advocacy and philanthropy his mission. Looking to the future,… Read More

Whether you’re just about to embark on Concordia University-Portland’s EdD program or you’re still deciding if our leadership-focused approach is right for you, there’s no one better to give you advice than those who have already gone through it. See what the EdD students and alumni in our private Facebook community said about their doctorate… Read More

Although every prospective Doctorate of Education candidate has their own personal and professional reasons for advancing their career, and while they hail from a variety of different workplace settings—schools, hospitals, nonprofits—for the most part, it’s safe to say that most share something very special in common: they’re eager to lead. Is it your turn now to… Read More

In my previous post about recovery plans, I discussed the importance of teacher ownership (as opposed to “buy-in”) of new initiatives and the benefits of team-developed plans for when inevitable setbacks occur. It is human nature to become discouraged and overwhelmed when we are faced with changes that present challenges to us. Teachers might express… Read More