The document proposes 10 hacks or solutions to common problems faced by teachers and schools. Each hack is presented in the same format: describing the problem, proposing the hack solution in 1-2 sentences, outlining next steps, and providing an example of implementation. Some of the hacks include moving meetings to the cloud to save time, creating a "Pineapple Chart" public calendar of open-door lessons for peer observation, designating quiet zones for teachers to work, using a tracking notebook for student behavior monitoring, and employing student tech experts to help with technology problems. The overall document advocates for low-effort solutions to improve collaboration, communication, classroom management, professional development and other issues.

2. MEET ME IN THE CLOUD
Replace Meetings with a Backchannel and a Bin
THE PROBLEM: LONG, TIME-CONSUMING MEETINGS
• Faculty/Staff Meeting
• Department Meeting
• Grade Level Meeting
• Committee Meeting
• Parent/Teacher Meeting
BACKCHANNEL:
A discussion platform that
allows for back-and-forth
conversation between
multiple parties.
THE HACK: MOVE MEETINGS TO THE CLOUD
HACK 1
In a typical school, teachers will spend at least two
hours per week in meetings. By moving the meetings
to the cloud, you will improve communication, the
ability to share information, and use your time more
effectively. It is simply a different environment, one
that doesn’t require your physical presence. By
combining backchannel discussions with the easy
accessibility of cloud storage, you can truly replicate
the dynamic of face-to-face meetings.
1

3. MEET ME IN THE CLOUD— continued
HACK 1
For busy teachers and administrators whose work depends on robust collaboration,
but hate setting aside hours and hours to do it, moving meetings to the cloud can
be a real game changer.
2
“Time is what we
need most but what
we use worst.”
— William Penn,
English Entrepreneur
1. Whole group gathers
2. Agenda and other
documents distributed
3. Opening remarks and
announcements
4. Other presentations
5. Small group discussion, if
time permits
6. Voting or consensus
7. Action items and plans for
follow-up
8. Adjustment
All people and all
discussions inthe same
place at the same time.
People in different places,
discussions happen as needed,
asynchronously.
Bin
(cloud storage)
Backchannel
(discussion tool)
 Agenda and other documents uploaded
 Links to videos or other presentations
 Action items and plans to follow-up
Traditional Meeting Cloud Meeting
Whole-Group Chat
 Opening & closing remarks
 Whole-group discussion, voting, consensus
Small-Group Chat
 Discussion of items only relevant to a few
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation

4. PINEAPPLE CHARTS
Boost Teacher Collaboration with a Public Chart
of “Open Door” Lessons
THE PROBLEM: LITTLE TO NO PEER OBSERVATION
THE HACK: POST A CALENDAR OF “OPEN HOUSE” LESSONS
HACK 2
Observing each other teach is one of the easiest and fastest ways to refresh our
practice, learn new strategies, and build rapport with one another but most of the
time we never leave our own classrooms. Everyone is busy, time is valuable, and no
one has enough extra time to find out what another teacher is doing and plan a
visit to observe a lesson that is relevant to you.
The pineapple is a traditional symbol of welcome. When it’s
displayed on welcome mats and on door hangings, the intended
message is “Come in!” A Pineapple Chart is a systematic way to
put a “welcome mat” out on a central message board that lets
other teachers know that you’re doing something worth watching,
and when, and if they’d like to come by, your door is open.
3

5. PINEAPPLE CHARTS— continued
HACK 2
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
1 Taylor: Reciprocal
Learning
2 Hughes: Socratic
Circles
Silva: Video Editing
in iMovie
Silva: Video Editing
in iMovie
3 Vasquez: Ellis Island
Simulation
Vasquez: Ellis Island
Simulation
4 Turner:
Impressionism
Miller: Frog
Dissection
Miller: Frog
Dissection
5 Wilson: Measuring
heart rate
6 Robertson: Poetry Patsel: Kahoot Quiz Robertson:
Discussion of Lord of
the Flies
7 Patsel: Kahoot Quiz
If something is on the board, teachers know they have explicit permission to
stop by to informally observe—even if just for a few minutes. Peer observation
is one of the most powerful, affordable forms of professional development.
4
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation
“Alone we can do so
little; together we
can do so much.”
— Helen Keller

6. TEACHER QUIET ZONES
Escape the Chaos and Maximize Planning Time
HACK 3
“The monotony and
solitude of a quiet life
stimulates the
creative mind.”
— Albert Einstein
5
THE PROBLEM: NO SANCTUARY
THE HACK: CREATE TEACHER QUIET ZONES
A typical school day brings a cornucopia of noise and distraction.
Some teachers have given up trying to get anything done at school,
opting instead to take work home.
A room or section within any school building can be designated as a Teacher
Quiet Zone (TQZ). Unlike experienced professionals in so many other
industries, teachers don’t have the luxury of an office with a door,
a place to concentrate, reduce stress, and get things done.
Since few schools will ever be able to foot the bill for a
separate wing of private teacher offices, a Teacher Quiet
Zone can go a long way toward meeting those same needs.
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation

7. TRACK RECORDS
Make Classroom Management Enduring
and Real with a Simple Notebook
HACK 4
THE PROBLEM: MANAGING MINOR MISBEHAVIORS
THE HACK: REPLACE PUNISHMENT AND REWARD WITH A TRACK RECORD
Classroom management is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. If a
teacher can’t get students to stay on task, treat each other civilly, follow basic
instructions, and behave in a way that permits others to learn, there’s little else
they can do.
Instead of setting up a system of consequences for poor choices and rewards for
good ones, let a student’s track record become the motivator. A track record is
an accumulation of behaviors that constitute a person’s general reputation. A
“Track Record” notebook is for documenting poor choices as well as the good.
After an observation is recorded, you can share your documentation with that
student privately.
6

8. “The content of your
character is your
choice. Day by day,
what you choose,
what you think
and what you do is
who you become.”
— Heraclitus, Greek
Philosopher
TRACK RECORDS— continued
Jane Doe
Date + –
9/14 Offered a pencil to another student
9/30 Volunteered to give first speech
10/7 Tardy 2 min.
10/8 Tardy 2 min.
10/13 Stayed focused during silent reading
10/14 Tardy 2 min.
Sometimes the best solution to a complex problem is the simplest. Try the
straightforward act of recording noteworthy incidents and showing your
students that, ultimately, who we are really is the sum of the choices we make.
7
HACK 4
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation

9. STUDENT TECH GURUS
Fix Small-Scale Tech Problems
with a Team of Students
HACK 5
8
“Don’t limit a child
to your own
learning, for he
was born in
another time.”
—Rabindranath
Tagore, Bengali
Writer,
Philosopher, Artist,
and Composer
THE PROBLEM: NOT ENOUGH TECH SUPPORT
Classroom management is one of the most challenging
aspects of teaching. If a teacher can’t get students to stay on
task, treat each other civilly, follow basic instructions, and
behave in a way that permits others to learn, there’s little
else they can do.
THE HACK: EMPLOY STUDENT TECH GURUS
Because many students are already comfortable with
technology—often more so than teachers, students can be
trained to provide tech support. This added support means
more lower-level problems get solved at a greater speed.
Imagine how much more effective this process could be if it
were formalized (i.e., a Student Help Desk).

10. Nolan, Maddie, Tristan, and Natalie serve as the 6th Grade
Student Help Desk at Richardsville Elementary
STUDENT TECH GURUS— continued
HACK 5
9
A student tech support team can be hand-picked, trained, and made available
whenever needed. Apart from troubleshooting, a team of student tech gurus
can also work proactively, training other students and staff in basic skills, so the
whole school learns together.
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation

11. MARIGOLD COMMITTEES
Nurture New Teachers with a Circle of Mentors
HACK 6
THE PROBLEM: POOR TEACHER RETENTION
It’s no secret that teacher retention is a huge issue for schools.
This creates a vicious cycle of wasted time as schools must
look for, interview, hire, and train new teachers every year.
THE HACK: ESTABLISH A YEAR-LONG WELCOMING COMMITTEE
FOR NEW TEACHERS
Every school has a few teachers who have that “it” factor: They love their work,
they love the students, and they never seem to run out of enthusiasm. Their very
presence inspires others. Many of these same teachers are also naturally good
mentors. Properly implemented, new teachers would benefit from the support
and wisdom gained by consistently spending time with these motivational peers.
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation
10

12. 11
THE IN-CLASS FLIP
Bypass the Hurdles of Flipped Learning
by Keeping It in School
HACK 7
THE PROBLEM: FLIPPED LEARNING CAN FALL APART AT HOME
Flipped learning has become wildly popular in education. Unlike a traditional
course setup, where content is delivered in class and students apply and practice
their learning through homework, the flipped classroom turns that arrangement
on its head.
THE HACK: “FLIP” YOUR CLASS . . . IN CLASS
The In-Class Flip moves the flipped learning model inside the walls of your
classroom. Using technology, the content delivery portion of a lesson—the
“home” part in a true flip—would be set up as a station in the classroom. This
allows students to receive the content in the same way that they would at home,
while freeing up the teacher to engage with remaining students as they apply the
learning from a video or from previous lessons.

13. 12
THE IN-CLASS FLIP— continued
HACK 7
“If you run into a wall,
don’t turn around and
give up. Figure out
how to climb it, go
through it, or work
around it”
—Michael Jordan,
Basketball Player and
Entrepreneur
Students are divided into stations. Flipped learning gives teachers more
time to engage in small groups with students who need it. Mark Levezow,
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation
Station 1:
Warm-up
writing
activity
Station 5:
Application
of new
content
Station 2:
Review of
prior
learning
Station 3:
Hands-on
activity
Station 4:
Video
a 5th grade literacy and social studies teacher at Omro Elementary School in Omro,
WI says, “the students love it—they seem motivated to view the lessons.”

14. THE BOOK NOOK
Create a Culture of Readers at Your School
with Free Books for Everyone
HACK 8
“The things I want to know
are in books; my best friend
is the man who’ll get me a
book I ain’t read.”
—Abraham Lincoln
THE PROBLEM: NONREADERS
Are you frustrated by a culture of nonreaders at your school? Why do our children
continue to not read? One answer is simple: They don’t read because they don’t
have access to books. Low-income families typically don’t have many books in their
homes, and many live in communities without good libraries.
THE HACK: BUILD A BOOK NOOK
Like the bookstore, a Book Nook contains books,
but they are not for sale; they are free to all
students. Build a culture of readers at your
school and offer something that really gives the
community an opportunity to contribute to.
13
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a
blueprint for full implementation

15. 14
THE GLASS CLASSROOM
Put Learning on Display with Social Media
HACK 9
THE PROBLEM: WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASS STAYS IN CLASS
When we set up a demonstration, deliver new and exciting content, or give students
instructions, these experiences stay between us and the students. What if we could
tear down the walls and make our in-class learning activities transparent to parents,
colleagues, administrators, other students, and anyone who’s interested?
THE HACK: BUILD A TRANSPARENT CLASSROOM
WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
With class accounts, you and your
students can share photos, status
updates, reminders, announcements, and
daily activities. Parents, students, and
community members will become more
invested in what’s happening in class!
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation

16. THE 360 SPREADSHEET
Collect a Different Kind of Student Data
HACK 10
15
“One sees clearly only
with the heart. Anything
essential is invisible to
the eyes.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,
The Little Prince
THE PROBLEM: TURNING STUDENTS INTO NUMBERS
We collect data, analyze data, and make data-driven
decisions. Data can be useful, helping us notice
patterns—allowing teachers to figure out where help
is needed and yet, it is not enough. Students bring
with them many “other “ kinds of data (i.e., home
atmosphere, out-of-school school schedule, physical
concerns, and the passions and obsessions that may
consume them). These things are much harder to
measure. Most teachers don’t even try, focusing
instead on the things that convert into numbers.
THE HACK: COLLECT DATA ON THE WHOLE CHILD
Most teachers make an effort to get to know their students, and many regularly

17. THE 360 SPREADSHEET— continued
HACK 10
16
distribute surveys but often just
file them away. They might have
intentions of reviewing them later,
but that time never comes. There
is reliance on the day-to-day
interactions, and while getting to
know some students is easy,
others fade into the background.
A 360 Spreadsheet is a place for
teachers to store and access the
“other” data we collect on our
students, giving a more complete,
360-degree view of each student. The suggested categories offer vital information,
they are just suggestions. Teachers can and should collect whatever information is
most relevant to them, information that will help them connect to their students
as whole people and build stronger relationships .
This Hack has both a do-it-tomorrow fix and a blueprint for full implementation

18. HACK EDUCATION
17
Hacking Education won't weigh you down with
outdated research or complicated strategies. Barnes
and Gonzalez provide brilliant ideas woven into a
user-friendly success guide that you'll want to keep
nearby throughout the school year. Each chapter is
neatly wrapped in this simple formula:
 The Problem
 The Hack (a ridiculously easy solution that
you've likely never considered)
 What You Can Do Tomorrow (no waiting
necessary)
 Blueprint for Full Implementation (a step-by-step
action plan for capacity building)
 The Hack in Action (yes, someone has actually
done this)
This is not your average education book!
LEARN MORE Now Available!