School Improvement – TrustED School Assessments, Training, and Consulting

Academic Development…

HOMEWORK: Its Value and Significance

Few educational topics have generated as much school “parking lot debate” over the past century than the subject of homework. A brief history of the use and emphasis on homework…

Leadership Development…

Delegation (Part 3): The DANGERS

17 Aug 20195 Aug 2019

There are many benefits to delegation. However, there are dangers as well. One of the greatest is that of not understanding the difference between delegation and abdication. Delegation must always…

Leadership Development…

Delegation (Part 2): The WHAT

10 Aug 20195 Aug 2019

As a general observation, there are leaders who tend not to delegate as they should. Although they may say they trust those they supervise, often their automatic reaction to solving…

Leadership Development…

Delegation (Part 1): The NEED

3 Aug 20195 Aug 2019

Recently I was posed the question, “Is there really a need for delegation of authority in the administration of a small independent school?” I believe the answer to that question is…

Academic Development…

3 Major Distractions to Learning

24 Jul 20195 Aug 2019

In this article three major potential distractions to learning are identified, which trusted school leaders avoid: (1) School Plant Distractions (2) Technology Distractions and (3) Safety Distractions. 1. School Plant…

Academic Development…

7 Disciplines of Classroom Design: Supporting a Vibrant Learning Environment

18 Jul 20195 Aug 2019

Chad P. Wick, president and CEO of the KnowledgeWorks Foundation states, “You can’t expect children to learn 21st-century skills in schools built for the 1950s. We need schools designed for…

Academic Development…

School Pride is Really School Trust

10 Jul 20195 Aug 2019

The Edleman Trust Barrometer reports that 80% of people stop buying products or services from companies when their trustworthiness comes into question. The significance of this research quickly jumps out at…

Leadership Development…

The 4 Factors of Organizational Trust

4 Jul 20194 Jul 2019

A large amount of research on the value, importance, and significance of trust has been conducted over the previous decades. The research demonstrates that high levels of trust in educational…

Academic Development…

What is your school’s most valuable asset?

10 Jun 201910 Jun 2019

The most valuable asset of our schools is TRUST - and like any asset it must be protected. If our schools are not currently assessing our level of trust, investing…

Leadership Development…

School Budgets: The Most Powerful Instrument for Building Trust in School Leadership

The term budget is best understood as intentional, thoughtful, and responsible planning. Every leader must determine how to allocate limited financial, physical, and human resources to most effectively deliver the…

Leadership Development…

How Should We Evaluate Leaders?

27 Jan 201927 Jan 2019

Honored to be interviewed by Vicki Davis on the "10-Minute Teacher" show. Listen in and share your thoughts on evaluating school leaders.

Academic Development…

4 Essential Areas of Leader Involvement in the “Nuts & Bolts” of School

16 Sep 201812 Jan 2019

School leaders gain trust when they are “directly involved in the design and implementation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.”[1] These are the nuts and bolts of operating a school. Trusted…

Christian Education…

3 Critical Understandings of Effective Student Discipline

4 Aug 201812 Jan 2019

How school leaders approach and address student behavioral management, is a key means by which those leaders gain trust. These leaders build deep levels of trust by valuing students, while…

Academic Development…

Interview on Master Leadership Podcast

20 May 201812 Jan 2019

Listen to Lily Sanabria interview of Dr. Travis on the Master Leadership Podcast. This became her #1 episode for 2018! Listen in here:

Leadership Development…

Protecting the Essential Elements of Teaching

13 May 201812 Jan 2019

A previous article focused on research, which demonstrates that fewer student hours may result in higher educational value. Traditionally, the amount of contact hours teachers have with their students was…

Leadership Development…

3 Steps to Healthy Curriculum Development

25 Mar 201812 Jan 2019

Curriculum is indispensable in every educational institution. It is central to the fulfillment of the school’s purpose and direction. Thus, “curriculum work is an essential function of leadership in schools…

Leadership Development…

5 Key Partnership Groups for School Leaders

11 Mar 201811 Jul 2019

Trusted school leaders establish positive relationships with stakeholders and maintain a shared commitment to fulfilling a school’s clearly defined mission and vision. In practice, what does this look like? Trusted…

Leadership Development…

6 School Culture Building Components

11 Feb 201811 Jul 2019

Shaping the schools’ culture and fostering community is a challenging responsibility for school leaders. They need to be careful not to abandon or abdicate their role, while at the same…

Academic Development…

Inspiring Innovation through Blended Learning

15 Jan 201812 Jan 2019

Many currently serving in school senior leadership roles grew up in an age of little technology, and have, by comparison with their teachers, minimal technological competence.[1] For example, the new…

Leadership Development…

Fiscal Retrenchment: Opportunity for Innovation in 4 Steps

7 Jan 201812 Jan 2019

There is no greater opportunity for leaders to demonstrate the qualities of trusted leadership, than during a time of financial crisis or restructuring. Matthew 6:21 (NASB) reads, “…for where your…

Leadership Development…

5 Key Elements of Change Management for School Leaders (and the 1 Element that Blocks Change)

17 Dec 201712 Jan 2019

The following five practices, when consistently implemented by school leaders, result in greater levels of trust during in times of change: Changes, and decisions leading to change, are always data-driven. Trusted leaders…

Leadership Development…

Celebrate Exemplars of Change

3 Dec 201712 Jan 2019

Effective change agents identify and celebrate those individuals, and their accomplishments, already moving in the direction of the desired change. Teachers know the value of providing exemplars to their students…

Leadership Development…

Learn to Love Change

26 Nov 201712 Jan 2019

For many, change is one of life’s most difficult elements. Human beings are creatures of habit.[1] They like to create routines and stick with them. Often, it is with a…

Academic Development…

4 Key Characteristics of an Effective Curricular Program

29 Oct 201730 Nov 2018

As noted in a recent blog, trusted school leaders ensure that the pursuit of Authentic Literacy and student learning is supported by meaningful and immediate Feedback for Learning. In this…

Academic Development…

4 Questions to Ensure School-Wide Authentic Literacy

22 Oct 201730 Nov 2018

A school leader gains trust when he or she is “knowledgeable about current curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.”[1] A school’s curriculum is much more than information dispensed to students by…

Christian Education…

2 Flexibility Principles 4 Principals

8 Oct 20172 Dec 2018

School leaders demonstrate the leadership value of Support when he or she “adapts his or her leadership behavior to the needs of the current situation.”[1] They are flexible, readily able to…

Leadership Development…

Competency Builds Trusted School Leadership

1 Oct 20172 Dec 2018

“I don’t trust words. I trust actions.” – Unknown[1] Trusted school leaders are skilled in their area of work. They are competent professionals, current on the latest research and best…

Leadership Development…

Teacher Association Groups – An Indicator of Distrust?

24 Sep 20172 Dec 2018

In schools where formal teacher association groups exist, trusted school leaders must demonstrate a very keen sense of Situational Awareness. Teacher association groups may be well-intended, but at best are…

Christian Education…

Four Approaches to Student Discipline (But Only One Builds Trust)

30 Jul 20171 Jan 2018

Traditionally, many school leaders approach student discipline in terms of how to best control inappropriate student behaviors. If that control involves cajoling and constricting students into limited behavioral patterns focused…

Academic Development…

Keeping the Learning Real

28 Apr 201727 Feb 2019

Trusted educators understand that students learn and mature best when a subject is meaningful to them. In addition, only the student can determine what is meaningful. A teacher cannot induce this…