Transform Education Together with AWB Education

The NIL era in college football has brought a lot of debate, but it offers a powerful parallel for education. Just as NIL hasn't eliminated the need for athletes to perform, giving students more agency doesn't lower academic standards. When young people have ownership of their learning, they are often more driven and engaged. The true danger is not that autonomy weakens expectations, but that we confuse control with rigor. It's time to set high expectations for all students, just as we do for athletes who must perform on the field.

It’s not as hard as you think. This powerful statement from coach Elena Aguilar resonates deeply with the challenging, yet rewarding, journey of grading reform in education. For many, changing grading feels overwhelming—a tangled mess of tradition and risk. But what if we told you it's a process of small, manageable steps? By focusing on psychological safety, breaking down complex changes into "chunks," and recognizing that educators are lifelong learners, we can move from overwhelming to achievable.

Senior year is our last, best chance to equip these young adults with the skills they’ll need to thrive in the next chapter of their lives. And in today’s world, that means one thing: talking about AI. I've found that for many of our seniors, the conversation around AI has been limited to what they can get away with. It's often viewed as a shortcut or a tool for plagiarism. But if we send them off to college with that mindset, we're doing them a huge disservice. The next year is a crucial window to shift their perspective and teach them how to use AI as a powerful, ethical partner in their academic journey.

As a school psychologist, I often sit with parents who have a deep and genuine desire to support their child's learning. They’ll ask me, "How can I help at home?" The conversation often turns to the numbers on a report—the test scores, the benchmarks, the charts that we, as educators, use to measure progress. For us, this data is a road map. For many parents, however, it can feel like a foreign language, a source of anxiety rather than a tool for empowerment. Our shared mission is to bridge this gap, translating complex literacy data into a clear, compelling story about their child's unique journey to becoming a confident reader.

As a school leader, is it possible to protect your personal life? This article from a former administrator offers a candid look at setting boundaries and the importance of saying "no" to protect your family life.

Don't let the fear of AI hold you back! Learn how to move past the stigma and use AI tools to save time, reduce your workload, and enhance student learning.

Explore how restorative practices transform classroom messes into powerful lessons in responsibility and respect, fostering a stronger, more accountable school community.