I am writing this blog post as COVID is ripping through the school districts and communities in Pennsylvania. It is safe to say that we are at least at the beginning of the dreaded “second wave” of COVID infections. What schools are facing in the second wave is significantly different than the challenges of the first wave. In a lot…
The following blog post comes from ideas that are in my forthcoming book, School Leadership: Learner-Centered Leadership in Times of Crisis which will be published in December. Becoming a learner-centered school leader is easy in concept and difficult in practice. believe me, I have experienced the difficulties involved in making this transition. I believe there are three key mantras you…
Freedom versus obligation. I was in a discussion on Friday with my friend Duff Rearick when the topic of freedom came up. Now, there have been books, dissertations, and entire careers in academia dedicated to defining freedom. This short blog post is not going to try to answer the question, “What is freedom”. What I am going to do (hopefully)…
The following are my thoughts on the effects of COVID-19 on our education system. This comes from my experience in Pennsylvania working with school leaders throughout the Commonwealth. #1 Educators are now frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19 In the Spring when COVID first impacted us, the frontline workers were our health care professionals who treated us, the workers…
“Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I have listened to Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Mountaintop” speech dozens of times over the years. The concepts that he talks about in the speech resonate as well today as they did in 1968 when he gave the speech. Recently, I was listening to the speech again…
Culturize by Jimmy Casas is a book that has practical advice for school leaders on how to create a school culture that is positive for students and teachers. Mr. Casas spent many years as a building principal working in schools that were challenging. His book offers an easy to understand framework for how to achieve a positive culture in your…
“Looking back, I see that public school teachers are not just educators but civic soldiers on the frontlines of democracy. They told me I was smart and could be anything – an overreaching statement in a country that has proven to be a plutocracy rather than a meritocracy but one that I believed. Armed with the education and encouragement they…
I started blogging in May 2010 when I was the superintendent at the Ridgway Area School District in Elk County Pennsylvania. I recently went back and reread some of those posts. My first few posts are embarrassingly barren. I shared some basic information about Board meetings and explained the Board’s non-negotiable goals for achievement and instruction. Below, you will find…
Virtual Reality in Education Let’s talk about the possibilities of virtual reality (VR) in learning. The coming virtual reality revolution will lead to dramatic changes in who benefits from learning experiences and how learning occurs. In other words, VR will have a significant impact on people and systems. A few years ago, I took part in a conversation with educational leaders from across…
Congratulations…you are a school leader. You are now leading a building or a district (or helping to do one of these). As you think about all of the possibilities of potential actions you can take as you grab the reigns, may I suggest something? Reaction Mode How will you build the necessary momentum within your school or school district to…