Transparency in Teaching (stuff‪)‬ Transparency in Teaching

YAY! It's state testing time at schools all over the country. We love the inconvenient schedule changes and the disruption of the end-of-year rush to get through our curriculum, said no teacher ever.

In this episode, Jen explains the new way state testing is being implemented and how they are trying to increase student engagement. She also empathizes with the trepidation the PE teachers are feeling about having to teach the new sex education curriculum.


Key Topics Discussed:


Sex Education Program: Jen describes the nervousness among PE teachers about teaching the new sex education curriculum, highlighting the discomfort and reluctance from both teachers and students.


State Testing: The episode covers the new approach to state testing at their school, which involves breaking the tests into shorter segments spread over a month. They discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of this method, including how it impacts student focus and performance.


Teacher and Student Engagement: Various strategies to motivate students during the testing period are discussed, such as providing incentives like raffle tickets for prizes, fun activities, and motivational speakers, although the latter received mixed reviews from students.


End-of-Year Activities: As the school year winds down, Anne and Jen touch on the flurry of activities and the anticipation of summer break, reflecting on the exhaustion but also the fulfillment that comes with wrapping up the academic year.





Remember to stop by our website, TransparencyinTeaching.com. There, you'll find links to all the resources used to create this episode. You'll also find the backstory of how our little podcast was started, as well as pictures, blog posts, and all of our other episodes.

Thanks for listening.





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Welcome back to another episode of TransparencyInTeaching.com. Today, we're diving into the controversial state takeover of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), which has been making headlines. With me, your host, Miss Anne, and my co-host Jen, we're unpacking the drastic changes implemented in HISD and discussing their potential impact.

HISD, the largest school district in Texas and the eighth largest in the country, has been underperforming for years. The state's intervention was triggered by the chronic low achievement across multiple schools, particularly Wheatley High School. The school, serving a majority of economically disadvantaged students, became the face of the district's struggles.

The state's response was to fire all teachers and principals, requiring them to reapply for their jobs. This move has sparked fear and uncertainty among educators and parents alike. The state also introduced merit pay, aiming to reward high-performing teachers but raising concerns about fostering unhealthy competition and inequity among subjects.

Another significant change is the scripted curriculum, which strips teachers of the autonomy to tailor lessons to their students' needs. This one-size-fits-all approach has been met with skepticism, as it may not address the individual challenges faced by students.

The state is also enforcing strict discipline policies, including converting school libraries into detention centers. This decision has been criticized for potentially depriving students of valuable resources and creating an inequitable environment.

Throughout the episode, we question the effectiveness of these changes and whether they address the root causes of the district's issues. We also invite listeners, especially those from Houston, to share their insights and experiences with the takeover.

As we wrap up, we reflect on the possibility of such drastic measures being implemented in other districts. The HISD takeover serves as a case study for education reform, and its outcomes will likely influence future policies across the nation.

Remember to check out our website, TransparencyinTeaching.com for more in-depth analysis and resources related to this episode. Join us again as we continue to explore the complexities of teaching and the education system.


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In today's episode, we dove deep into teacher collaboration, discussing the why and how to do it. We explored why teacher collaboration is crucial for both teacher and student performance, and shared personal anecdotes to illustrate our points.

Collaboration is not just about meeting once a week; it's about creating a culture where teachers feel supported and are encouraged to share ideas and strategies. It's about building a community within the school that ultimately benefits the students. We encourage all educators to step out of their classrooms, engage with their peers, and embrace the power of collaboration.

Remember to share your own collaboration models and experiences with us, as we're all here to learn from each other. Let's not be stingy with our ideas; let's collaborate and make education better for everyone involved.

Until next time, keep the conversation going and never stop collaborating!

Be sure to visit ⁠TransparencyinTeaching.com⁠ to find all the other interesting and in-depth articles on the teaching topics you want to know about. You'll also find all the resources used to create this episode.


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/transparencyinteaching/message
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In today's episode, we dove deep into teacher collaboration, discussing the why and how to do it. We explored why teacher collaboration is crucial for both teacher and student performance, and shared personal anecdotes to illustrate our points.

Collaboration is not just about meeting once a week; it's about creating a culture where teachers feel supported and are encouraged to share ideas and strategies. It's about building a community within the school that ultimately benefits the students. We encourage all educators to step out of their classrooms, engage with their peers, and embrace the power of collaboration.

Remember to share your own collaboration models and experiences with us, as we're all here to learn from each other. Let's not be stingy with our ideas; let's collaborate and make education better for everyone involved.

Until next time, keep the conversation going and never stop collaborating!

Be sure to visit TransparencyinTeaching.com to find all the other interesting and in-depth articles on the teaching topics you want to know about. You'll also find all the resources used to create this episode.


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Jen and I, Anne, sat down for a Zoom interview with Christopher Nesi, the head of the Education Podcast Network. The EPN plays host to a terrific collection of education-related podcasts, which you should definitely check out.

Our interview was the first in a series called "Behind the Mic: Voices of the EPN." Christopher is interviewing the podcast hosts and creators of each of the shows you can find on the network. The episodes give listeners a great overview of what each podcast has to offer and can help you find new shows on topics that you can relate to.

I have to admit it was a bit disconcerting being on the other side of an interview. I hope you can't tell how nervous I was during this interview. Jen, of course, is her normal, jovial self. Thank goodness!

I hope you'll give it a listen and then jump over to the EPN to listen to all the other informative and entertaining shows.

Here are some of my favs (after ours, of course) to get you started:

Fresh Air at Five: Welcome to FreshAirAtFive, the Podcast. I’m your host, Bryon Carpenter. FreshAirAtFive is my regular attempt to exercise by walking about my neighborhood, taking in Podcast content or an audiobook, and then reflecting on an unedited video, which I finally post to my Twitter channel.

EduMagic: The New Educator Podcast: Are you an aspiring teacher? The EduMagic Future Teacher Podcast is a podcast designed for preservice teachers who are using EduMagic to rock their college careers. With each episode, you will learn about what it means to be an educator of excellence. Guests include current teachers, educational experts, and administrators who share their tips and stories to help YOU.

Teaching While Queer: Teaching While Queer is a space for 2SLGBTQIA+ educational professionals to share their stories working in academia. We dive into our experiences as students and how this informed our work in academia as adults.

Reimagine Schools: Hosted by Dr. Greg Goins, the Reimagine Schools Podcast features many of the nation's top educators, authors, and innovators in K-12 education with an emphasis on leadership development, scaling innovation, and transforming our public school system. Guests have included some of the world's most prolific thought leaders on education.


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The current grading system used in education has been in place for over a century, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it needs reform. In this episode, Jen and Anne discuss the current system's flaws, such as grade inflation, subjectivity, and the lack of standardization. They talk about how students are rewarded for completing assignments or even just showing up rather than demonstrating mastery of the material. They highlight the difficulty of determining what exactly to grade and how to fairly assess student performance. Finally, we argue for adopting mastery learning grading methods to better support student learning.
One of the main issues with the ⁠current grading system⁠ is grade inflation. Students are often given high grades for simply completing assignments, regardless of the quality of their work. This leads to a false sense of achievement and can be detrimental to their learning in the long run. It's a system that ⁠rewards "seat time" over the actual demonstration of knowledge. ⁠
Another problem with the current grading system is subjectivity. Teachers can have different standards for what constitutes an A or a B grade. This can lead to unfairness and inconsistent grading, which can be especially problematic for students competing for college admissions or scholarships.
An evaluation system based on Mastery learning could be a better alternative to the current grading system. This system would focus on student mastery of the material rather than just completing assignments. Teachers would work with students to help them achieve true mastery of the material, and grades would be based on demonstrated proficiency rather than subjective factors.
It is obvious that the current grading system needs reform. Grade inflation, subjectivity, and lack of standardization are all issues that must be addressed. A mastery learning system could be a better alternative to the current grading system, as it would focus on student mastery of the material rather than just completing assignments. By rethinking grading, we can better support student learning and help students achieve their full potential.

For a list of all the resources used in this episode, visit TransparencyinTeaching.com

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