Dr. Deborah R. Higdon

@LatreiciaAllen @leaders_black @NCPrincipals Congratulations 🎉

Honored beyond words. A #JGMSPirates teacher gifted me custom African stoles made in his home country of Ghana celebrating my #NCTOYPOY journey. Grateful and honored to share this recognition with the people who matter most…my staff and students. 🌍 @NCPrincipals

@unfoldthesoul Absolutely! 👍🏽

Every meeting, decision, and strategy should point back to one thing: student learning.

@DrBradJohnson @NAESP @NASSP Congratulations 🍾🎉

It's here! Don't miss the Live Launch Monday 7:00 pm EDT Click link to get your spot! Grand prize giveaway will be 25 book set for a school or district. @naesp @nassp facebook.com/share/1AcnbkM1… linkedin.com/feed/update/ur…

@ABC The Dad Difference!

ABC News' Danny New is introducing us to a 6-year-old from North Carolina who is gaining lots of attention as "The World's Youngest Coach." abcnews.link/t3MBsCa

@ESilverSprCSL @csspecialist77 @CSconnect_MCPS Awesome 👍🏽

ESSES will be able to focus on long-term goals, now that we have our Community Schools refrigerator! We’ll be able to provide a variety of meats and dairy products to our community members. @CSconnect_MCPS @csspecialist77

@timneedles @duolingo Awesome. Have a great time.

I’ll be heading to Japan 🇯🇵 & South Korea 🇰🇷 with students over winter break later this week- #Duolingo is a tool we have using for months to prepare for the trip & learn some languages together: my Emerging #Edtech video on the @duolingo app: youtu.be/QLi830R-bVU

@DrBradJohnson WOW! This is true! We need to make learning and making mistakes OK in school. That is what school and learning is about.

School is built around weaknesses. Think about if a student does poor in math, that becomes the focus. They may be exceptional in reading, science, etc. but the focus is on the weakness. If all the feedback is about what you are bad at, trying feels risky. Trying becomes another chance to point out failure. So students eventually shut down. When their weaknesses become the focus, which is often the case, then it is understandable why they hate school. That is the flaw. A weakness focused system teaches fear, not growth. It conditions students to believe ability is fixed and that mistakes are something to hide. Research on mindset shows that when students see ability as fixed, effort drops, persistence fades, and learning slows. Now there is nothing wrong with improving weaknesses, but that shouldn't be the focus of education or life. Research says when we focus on our strengths we are exponentially more success than just fixing weaknesses. But now let's compare that to a strengths based approach. When we focus on student's strengths and what they do well. Then students experience success, which gives them confidence. Confidence makes them willing to try new and harder things. That willingness is where rigor actually comes from. Rigor is not forcing difficulty on students who feel incapable. It is students choosing challenge because they believe they can handle it. You do not get students to stretch by reminding them what they cannot do. You get there by helping them experience success first. When we miss that, it is no mystery why so many students leave school defeated and done with school. Let's focus on their strengths, so success gives them the confidence to reach their potential.

@unfoldthesoul YES! Keep speaking the TRUTH! 👏👏👏

It’s easy to accept the pity and start singing along. But as educators, we can’t join that choir. We have to own the learning, take responsibility for the work, and keep doing what the job demands—even when it’s hard.

@unfoldthesoul POWERFUL!!! 🤣

I once randomly ability-grouped teachers during a PD session—high, middle, and low. Then I asked one question: are you all excited to learn now? If it shuts adults down that fast, imagine what it does to kids.

@draetown @Hartford_Public @FOX61News This is wonderful 👏🏽.

More than 50 years after her life was tragically cut short, Anitress Terry, a senior at Weaver High School, was finally honored with the diploma she earned but never had the chance to receive from @Hartford_Public. Just weeks before graduation in 1972, Anitress lost her life in a sudden accident while leaving school. She was a young mother, a beloved friend, and a student with a bright future. This week, surrounded by family, friends, and her school community, her name was finally called. For her daughter, her best friend, and her 95-year-old mother, who waited more than five decades for this moment, the honorary diploma represented something powerful: remembrance and closure. While no recognition can undo the loss, this act affirmed that Anitress mattered and her legacy matters. Hartford Public Schools is committed to doing what is right, even decades later. A moment that reflects the very best of who we are. Thank you @FOX61News #HartfordRise #leading4excellence #setthebarmeetthebarexceedthebarraisethebar

@RachelEdohoEket @JenWomble @fetc @nickiatquest @express Great minds think alike 🥹.

What happens when two featured speakers at @fetc show up on stage in the same outfit? You take a lot of selfies together to document the moment! Nicki Slaugh and I love these pink suits from Express! Great minds think alike 🩷 @nickiatquest @JenWomble @express

Looking forward to presenting The Dad Difference: How and Why to Invite Fathers into Your School. My book with the same title will be out in the spring 2026. The coauthor is Dr. Chacko Abraham.

@MissSassbox It is The Dad Difference. My book on the subject coming out this spring 2026.

not only will she be super smart and confident because of her dad's brilliant positive reinforcement, but she also is going to be hilarious while doing it because of the shenanigans 😭

@BobSinclair025 You nailed it Bob!

Such a powerful post. The last line “The problem is what the job has become” sums it up. The principalship has changed drastically and the roles and responsibilities of the principal have grown exponentially and the impact on the health and wellbeing of principals has taken a toll resulting in higher rates of turnover.

@RachelEdohoEket @fit_leaders Gorgeous 🥹👏🏽

Date night in the Music City 🖤 Enjoying the time to slow down and make new family memories during the break! @fit_leaders #nashville #winter #music #city #memories

@unfoldthesoul Truth!

The status quo survives by lowering expectations. Real change starts when we stop hiding behind labels and start owning the work.

@unfoldthesoul @justinwmcmillan Absolutely! 👍🏽👏🏽

Too often, our systems treat an IEP like a label instead of a support. I don’t lead with an IEP—I shelf it until it’s needed to help a student reach the standard. The goal isn’t to define kids by paperwork, but to teach them as capable learners first.

@silentblossom_ 4

Test your brain 🤓

@smgaillard Amen. 🙏🏾

Cold Sunday morning. My weekly walk into church. Advent slows the steps and quiets the noise. Grateful for the prayerful peace that meets me here.