I don’t know about you, but when I see kids having a blast in school while they are participating in well-designed learning experiences…I get fired up! Recently, I got fired up over something I saw and came up with these three principles of learner-centered leadership. 1. Kids are more than numbers. Our world today attempts to quantify everything. Because algorithms play such…
When our kids were young, we took them to the Outer Banks In North Carolina for beach vacations. I can still remember Anna as a 1-year-old rolling around in the sand looking like a sugar cookie! We rented a house on the beach that had a sand dune between the house and the ocean. Since we rented the same place…
We all love to have problems facing us all day at work, right? Well, if you do not agree with this statement, let’s look at the value of problems through the lens that Dan Rockwell suggests. You see, problems can be used to help move your organization to become better, as well as help with your own interpersonal growth.So let’s…
I worked with Dr. Coiner when I was the superintendent at Penn-Trafford School District. Dr. Coiner was an excellent learner-centered leader then (10 years ago) and is an even better leader now! This week I was catching up with Dr. Coiner and I asked her what advice would she give a new principal who was just starting their job. Her answer…
l “Remember, the act of schooling is an inherently political act.” –Dr. Bill Boyd Let’s be honest; politics makes us uncomfortable at times. After all, we just want to make decisions for the kids’ best interest and move on to the next thing. The rub occurs when there are competing visions of what is in…
Do you have a book in your life that you continually go back to and read again and again? The books that can continually draw you back are important. These books are important because the concepts, stories, or insights gained from reading the book are continuously relevant for your life. Books that stay relevant are “evergreen” books…books that (like the…
I am going to get right to it in this post. This post is not meant to be a research-based paper. It is only some thoughts to help make you think.I have been thinking a lot about two different spheres competing for defining the purpose of education in the United States. The first sphere consists of the communities in which…
There are things in life that are simple, and there are things in life that are complicated. Leaders who have a clear understanding of their vision and purpose, coupled with strong personal, professional, and leadership goals find that simplicity is prevalent. For example, suppose you are a leader of a school district and a vendor comes to you with the…
Today’s blog post in an exert from my book School Leadership: Learner-Centered Leadership In Times Of Crisis. I know this sounds weird, but I was rereading my own book yesterday and discovered some things that I really liked! One idea that I discuss at length in the book revolves around being future-oriented, or reactive, and compliance-driven or agile. At the…
Outlook on LIfe What is your outlook life? Are you a “glass is half full” or a “glass half empty” kind of person? This is no small question, I realize. There is also no judgement associated with whatever you answer. The truth is that we probably spend some time staring at the old glass and see it both ways, depending…