Andrew Ordover
Author and Educator
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Posts
- May 14, 13
(originally published at http://www.catapultlearning.com/2013/05/13/building-student-character-in-the-classroom-part-2/) Last month I talked about six performance-related character values that can help students become independent and successful adults. They are: · Persisting towards solutions · Working with precision · Asking questions · Working
- Apr 27, 13
Originally published at http://www.catapultlearning.com/2013/04/24/the-importance-of-performance-character The Importance of “Performance Character” Anyone who has spent time in a classroom knows that schooling involves far more than academic lessons. Many things contribute to a student’s learning and success—and just as many things can detract from it. One can argue to what extent
- Mar 28, 13
(originally published by Catapult Learning., LLC, at http://www.catapultlearning.com/2013/03/28/teaching-as-storytelling/) The T-shirt said: Episode IV comes first; it’s just good parenting. I shared the picture on Facebook. Within an hour, I had a ton of “likes” and comments. One friend posted a link to a blog post explaining precisely how to order the six Star Wars movies for maximum
- Feb 14, 13
Originally published at http://www.catapultlearning.com/category/blog/. When the Common Core State Standards were first released, our main concern—and panic—was about alignment. We always taught time in __ grade; now we have to teach it in __ grade. We used to teach book X, but now they’re telling us the Lexile rank is too low. These were certainly valid concerns. Alignment had to be done;
- Jan 16, 13
(this post was previously published in a slightly different version at http://www.catapultlearning.com/category/blog/) On New Year’s Day, 1990, the newly elected president of a newly democratic Czechoslovakia stood in front of his people and spoke about the fall of Communism and the challenges that lay ahead. He started his speech like this: My dear fellow citizens, For forty years you
- Nov 02, 12
Originally published by Catapult Learning, LLC, at: http://www.catapultlearning.com/2012/11/02/election-day-education-and-the-pursuit-of-happiness/ Then tell me, O Critias, how will a man choose the ruler that shall rule over him? Will he not choose a man who has first established order in himself, knowing that any decision that has its spring from anger or pride or vanity can be multiplied a
- Oct 08, 12
This post was originally published on the Catapult Learning site, at: http://www.catapultlearning.com/2012/10/08/if-you-build-it-they-will-come-the-importance-of-school-structure/ "There are several ways," Dr. Breed said to me, "in which certain liquids can crystallize--can freeze--several ways in which their atoms can stack and lock in an orderly, rigid way." That old man with spotted hands
- Sep 10, 12
This post was originally published on the Catapult Learning site, at http://www.catapultlearning.com/2012/09/10/transitioning-and-teaching-math-and-the-common-core-state-standards/ The meeting room was generic. The hotel could have been anywhere. I had to wonder how many people had cycled in and out of that room over the years, staring at PowerPoint slides that someone had thought would change
- Aug 13, 12
(originally published at http://www.catapultlearning.com/category/blog/) In Washington, where I live, the summer months are often called the “silly season,” the time when logic flies out the window and the news media focus (more than they usually do) on the frivolous and the outrageous. During a presidential election year, the silly season becomes a time of alarmist rhetoric, full of dire
- Aug 07, 12
The world of education does a marvelous job of ignoring and resisting modern fads and trends, serving up instruction in more-or-less unchanged ways for over a hundred years. It will be interesting to see if we can hold out against the trend of "on-demand" that has affected so many other areas of modern life. We've already seen the authority of the gatekeeper erode in face of on-demand publishing
- Jun 05, 12
Remember those old movies where homeless men dragged their ragged bodies into Salvation Army shelters for some soup and perhaps a bed, and had to sit through some kind of religious service as their "payment" for the room and board? This appears to be Louisiana's new model of education reform: Louisiana is embarking on the nation's boldest experiment in privatizing public education, with the
- May 31, 12
One of the nicest things about my day is that I get to have breakfast with my two boys before going to work. I read the paper while the boys read the comics. Sometimes we talk about news stories. Sometimes we talk about what's going on in school. Sometimes we talk about whatever is on their minds. It's a nice, low-key time of day. This morning, I read them a story from the Washington Post about
- May 17, 12
So says some cretin in my home state of Virginia, who unfortunately has the power to derail the appointment of a gay judge, and was able to get his ugly face on television to spout off about it. How about "being left the hell alone?" Isn't that a civil right? How did a country founded by people running away from religious intolerance and political oppression mutate into this nation of
- May 14, 12
The human is a social animal. It always has been, and it always will be. To abandon that essential fact about us is to destroy us. Live together or die alone. A human who rejects society and goes off to live entirely alone has always--everywhere--been regarded as a saint or a mystic or a madman. Everywhere. We have a myth, in this country, that we are rugged individualists, and that we need no
- May 14, 12
There is a puritanical streak in this country's DNA that relishes punishing people for their shortcomings and failures, and sneers at reaching out a helping hand to support people who are less able and less strong...especially when that hand is funded by tax dollars. Private charity is fine; religious-based charity is fine. We can be amazingly generous there, when it's a matter of personal choice
- May 14, 12
Can we be done now, finally, with the whole "sage on the stage vs. guide on the side" argument in teaching? Please? I'm willing to beg. The phrase was insipid the first time I heard it, and it's now reached nails-on-the-chalkboard levels of annoyance (nails on a SMART board just isn't the same, is it?). Plus, it's wrong. Demonstrably wrong. Proven wrong. Direct instruction works. It works
- May 14, 12
If we did a decent job of teaching media literacy in this country, our citizenry would know not to trust pundits who use words like "evil" to describe...well, anything short of Nazi-style genocide, really. And yet, in the current phase of education reform debates, the word is getting tossed around with wild abandon--either directly, or by suggestion. Diane Ravitch and her acolytes call the "
- Mar 29, 12
From John Hattie's Visible Learning, page 258: Perhaps the most famous example of policy makers not using or being convinced by evidence was Project Follow Through, which started in the late 1960s. It was conducted over 10 years, involved over 72,000 students, and had more than 22 sponsors who worked in more than 180 sites to find the most effective education innovations to break the cycle of
- Mar 16, 12
Susan Cain is my new TED-crush. Her talk on "The Power of Introverts" hit me very powerfully, and spoke to some worries I've had recently about the mania we've made of collaboration in school and in the workplace. Collaboration is touted as a "21st century skill." Kids who do not learn how to collaborate in school are told that they will fail in the modern workplace. And they probably will. In my
- Mar 14, 12
My former state of residence has added its own piece of chipotle-flavored gristle to the national stew of gynophobia with this proposed legislation, forcing women of "religious" employers to submit evidence from a doctor that any prescription contraceptive for which they want insurance coverage is being used for reasons other than birth control. Because God hates birth control, but he's willing
- Mar 13, 12
Cool for Cats is now availabe in all e-Book formats, right here. So if you have a Nook, or a Kobo, or some other non-paper device for reading books...now's your chance to get to know Jordan, Susannah, Oticha, Porkchop, and all the rest of the gang.
- Mar 05, 12
Yeah, yeah...it's always National Something Week. But this week (March 4-10) just happens to be National Read an E-Book Week...or so say these folks. So listen. If you haven't yet read my jazzy, breezy, more-than-occasionally funny mystery novel, Cool for Cats, (see blush-inducing reader reviews here), isn't this a perfect opportunity to do so? Not only will you get to read an entertaining new
- Feb 28, 12
Seth Godin rants eloquently and importantly on the question of “What is school for?” The Big Essay (or mini-book) is free and available for printing, reading on screen, or for download to your e-reader. It’s worth a read, and he wants feedback and commentary. Here is mine. Godin takes a fairly extremist view that schooling, as we currently do it, can do nothing but kill dreams, squelch
- Feb 23, 12
The herd will not have it. The herd hates outliers. It’s nothing personal; it’s just for protection. If you stray from the herd, you get eaten. It’s as simple as that. It’s natural selection. So stick together. But nobody’s trying to eat us, so why can’t we get over our herd mentality? Why can’t we relax and let people be? Why do we even care? You would think there would be strength—and
- Dec 19, 11
A free audio recording of the first chapter of my mystery novel, Cool for Cats (performed by me), is up on the Forgotten Classics podcast. Stop on by and check it out. Many thanks to Julie Davis for posting and sharing it.
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Tweets
- Performance-related character traits and student success. Grit happens: http://t.co/Sv3a2CVxcG #ccss #edchat
- Can knitting help you think? If you're in the Boston area this weekend, come find out. http://t.co/nAKqyWfZie #craftlit #edchat
- Apr 27, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- New ways of thinking about character development in the classroom: http://t.co/oV9qWCN55k #edchat #CCSS
- Thanks @WorldMate for knowing my flight yesterday was cancelled before the airport gate personnel did!
- March roundup of interesting resources, blogs, and webinars on #CCSS, #teaching, and other hot topics! http://t.co/7KFRmn099v #edchat
- #eBooks with Benefits to help your students/kids/self learn and really love the classics: http://t.co/2NfuWmqO2H #…http://t.co/oBGSBFCo3l
- So glad to know that my son hasn't just been wasting his time... http://t.co/NMjir7cgJd
- #CCSS Resource Roundup for February: http://t.co/A85jmsj82k. Blogs, products, webinars, and more. http://t.co/5HlopztYt9
- New 5-star review of "Cool for Cats:" http://t.co/1NWwfluv7p Check it out if you love #jazz, #mystery, quirky characters, or #atlantaFeb 28, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @DianeRavitch: Why Leon Wieseltier Loves Teachers http://t.co/jQFkAvu0To
- Real-world math problems gone terribly, horribly wrong: http://t.co/O6XcJs3JjM #CCSS #edchat http://t.co/tKgHElErhD
- Really useful resource for assessing the usefulness of resources. Really! http://t.co/3LT4TnnK #edchat #ccss http://t.co/xlua0EBI
- Hilary Mantel on royal bodies: http://t.co/Owr1BuwlFeb 19, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @coolcatteacher: Never promise kids will "love this" or that "this will be fun"- let what you do be what it is- you can't please them ...
- Free webinar on close reading and #CCSS: http://t.co/bYoRClN4 You. Will. Like. #edchat http://t.co/RJLRKplQ
- Enough!
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Info
- Executive Director of Product Development at Catapult LearningEducation Management | Washington D.C. Metro Area, USSummary
I am an experienced and passionate educator, curriculum developer, teacher trainer, program consultant, and creative team leader.
I have led large-scale curriculum development projects for use in struggling urban school districts across the country, managing cross-functional teams of writers, editors, and graphic artists, and worked closely with field implementation teams.
I have worked in print and online program development for teachers and students, developed video programs and online courses for teacher professional development, and have served national sales teams as a curriculum specialist and program consultant.
Specialties: Innovative, research-based program design and curriculum development; Collaborative and effective team leadership; Professional development and teacher training, Pragmatic, goal-oriented consultative services to school district leadershipExperience- Jun 2012 - PresentExecutive Director of Product Development / Catapult Learning
Lead strategic discussions with Senior Vice President and Vice President, Product Management, to conceptualize new academic products for Catapult Learning, LLC.
Create prototypes, budgets,and staffing plans for all new product development.
Manage development of all curriculum and professional development products.
Assist sales team through product training and participating in consultative conversations with school district personnel.
- Jan 2011 - Jun 2012Director of Academic Quality / ASCD
Established criteria, defined workflow processes, and created evaluation rubrics to assess and monitor quality of print, video, and digital products.
Revised existing book proposal tools and processes to enable evaluation of proposals for multimedia and hybrid product lines.
Established and supervised community of practice focused on continual improvement within Product Development work group.
Developed educational video and digital professional development products with leading experts such as Robert Marzano, Eric Jensen, and Baruti Kafele. - Jan 2010 - Aug 2010Director of Sales Support and Training / Kaplan Virtual Education
Provide training on products and programs to field and inside sales reps. Assist reps on sales calls. Act as liaison between the sales team and the product development team, updating the sales team on new releases and bringing feedback and suggestions from the field back to the home office.
- Feb 2008 - Jan 2010Director of Academics / Kaplan Virtual Education
Instructional leader for virtual high schools set up and managed by Kaplan and run in partnership with public school districts.
- Jan 2000 - Feb 2008Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction / Kaplan K12 Learning Services
Led a team of 55 full- and part-time curriculum writers in the development of core and supplemental curriculum materials for use in urban school districts across the country, with a focus on struggling students and struggling schools.
Pionneered development of "managed curriculum" programs, working collaboratively with large school districts to create effective, pragmatic, and research-based curriculum maps and materials for use in all middle and high schools, to provide better guidance to teachers and better accountability to district leaders.
- 1995 - 2000Artistic Director / Common Ground Stage and Film Company
Managed a small, not-for-profit theatre company in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. Provided artistic leadership and vision, managed relations with theatre owners, led audience development efforts, hired and collaborated with guest artists, and served as resident playwright.
- Aug 1994 - Jun 1995Humanities Teacher / East Side Community High School
Collaboratively developed and taught English/Social Studies curriculum for the school's 7th-8th grade blended classes
- Aug 1993 - Jun 1994English Teacher / Science Skills Center High School
Developed and taught 9th grade English curriculum in a start-up school.
- 1993 - 1993Teacher of Conversational English / Education for Democracy
Developed and taught a conversational English course to Slovak students learning English in a small, Eastern European town.
- 1989 - 1993Literary Manager / Seven Stages Theatre
Read and evaluated scripts for production consideration at a major regional theatre.
- 1989 - 1993English Teacher / Benjamin Franklin Academy
Collaboratively developed and taught a self-paced, interdisciplinary high school curriculum for students struggling with traditional school models.
- 1985 - 1987Assistant Director / Theater Emory
Education-
2008 - 2012Walden UniversityEd.D in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning
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1987 - 1989University of California, Los AngelesMFA in Theatre
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1981 - 1985Emory UniversityBA in English
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1977 - 1981Roslyn High SchoolHigh School Diploma in General
Additional Information-
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