I asked my colleagues, "What is the biggest problem we have with assessment?" 
"Kids don't use feedback!" The answer came swift and loud.
This wasn't the problem I expected but it worked perfectly for testing out the "Problem to Opportunity Exercise" from the Center for Appreciative Inquiry.
After identifying the problem we created a problem tree. Our next step was to determine the root causes.
Why don't our students use our feedback?

• It's a learned behavior. Why?
• Because they are apathetic?
• Because they just want a grade?
• Mosts tests are either "you get it" or "you didn't get it"

We could have dug deeper, but I wanted to keep focused on the next step: What challenges are created by this problem?

• Teachers feel their time is wasted
• Less learning occurs
• Students repeat their mistakes
• Fewer students master the standards
• Grades and achievement feel disconnected

The next step was to create a solution tree that is the opposite of the problem. This problem to opportunity thinking shift allowed us to brainstorm how we could cultivate a culture in which students use feedback to revise and master skills and knowledge.
A final step allowed us to imagine the possibilities that could grow from students using feedback and revising. 
From this 10 minute or less activity we discovered that if we:

• Model revision
• Teach how to use feedback
• Build it into our instructional time
• Change how we give out grades to value feedback 

We can create a culture

• Of "try again"
• Of engaging authentic audiences
• Of students collaborating through meaningful peer feedback
  

We can create a culture that values:

• Students and teachers recognizing flaws and adapting a growth mindset
• Students having less anxiety about grades
• Students looking for feedback first and expecting that the power of "yet" means they can master standards through growth.

Asset-based community development makes so much sense in schools!

For the last few years I've taken the time to set my intentions - for the political season, the start of a new year, or the beginning of a school year.
This year I'm excited to be in the classroom with students but I'm also overwhelmed by the "what-ifs" of returning to business as usual during an ongoing pandemic. This is where intentions help me focus. Now I will admit these are lofty goals, but when you are awarded a Fulbright Teaching Award to research in another country you SHOULD have big goals and a vision for effecting change. However, in the end my mantra paraphrases Teddy Roosevelt: "focus on being the change where you are with what you have and what you can do."

In July I had the honor of presenting my ideas as a finalist for the School Ambassador Fellowship with the United States Department of Education. It was an incredible honor to be one of 13 finalists from a pool of over 400 applicants. 
Hearing from brilliant educators was a wonderful opportunity but my favorite part of the process was thinking of a problem of practice and developing an innovative solution.
Through my research I discovered Asset Based Community Development (ABCD). Initially, I believed that we should think of the school as a community of students, but the deeper I dug into the principals of ABCD, I realized we can't replace the word COMMUNITY with students. We must see the students and community as part of a whole!
I paraphrased some of the 12 guiding principles of ABCD from Mike Green of the ABCD Institute:

ABCD starts with focusing on strengths and then facilitating a dialogue within a community. Ask questions, develop solutions. Every child deserves to know their strengths and to participate in a dialogue about growth, questions, challenges and opportunities. This is being learner-centered but it's also about building a learning community first. 
Reading Secretary Cardona's proposed priorities for the U.S. Department of Education further fueled my belief that ABCD is one way to build the future of education.