My first flight was brutal. Buffalo to South Carolina, and it felt like we were in a crop duster bouncing down a gravel road. But since it was my first flight, I thought, “Well, I guess this is just how flying works.” Fast forward a few years, and I realize, no, that flight was chaos. But because I didn’t know…
School leaders must stop myopically thinking of themselves solely as instructional leaders. Instructional leadership at the Cabinet level is dead. That mindset is too narrow for the moment. We need to embrace a new frame…civic leadership. Civic leadership means recognizing that our role is not just to manage curriculum or improve test scores. It means understanding that we are one of the…
I played sports in high school and college. Now, I was not the most reflective, thinking individual as a teenage boy. However, I did make a connection between whether I had “butterflies in my stomach” before I competed and how well I performed on the basketball court or baseball diamond. If I was not at least a little bit nervous,…
Psychologists have long studied the idea of a “secure base,” a concept rooted in John Bowlby’s attachment theory. The research is clear: When people feel secure, supported, and encouraged, they perform at higher levels. They take risks, grow, and thrive. The Secure Base Model is built on three essential elements: When these three forces work together, the Secure Base Model…
One of the privileges I have serving as an Executive Director of an intermediate unit is my interactions with superintendents. I can not overstate my respect for all of the wonderful people who decide to lead a school district. The job is maddeningly beautiful, difficult, complex, rewarding, and emotionally draining. Despite all of this, we have outstanding people raising their…
Dear Building principal, Let’s start with the obvious: your job is ridiculously complex. Full stop. In my opinion, the hardest job in public education right now belongs to you, the building principal. Period. So before anything else, let me acknowledge that and give you the credit you deserve for taking on a role that brings both intense stress and immense…
This blog is written as an open letter to school superintendents. Dear Superintendent, How are you and your district navigating these rapidly changing times? Are things “humming along,” or are you noticing the cracks in parent and public perceptions that may be signaling far bigger change is on the horizon? I hope you’ve already started to sense it—that what used…
Last week, I took a long walk—the kind of walk that lets your mind wander and explore paths you didn’t plan to tread. Have you ever experienced that? I started out thinking about work, but soon my thoughts shifted to something broader: my philosophy of education and how I see the world. It was one of those moments where clarity…
Recently, during a meeting, the idea of instituting a statewide Student Information System (SIS) for Pennsylvania was proposed. Proponents enthusiastically outlined the potential benefits:A statewide SIS would reduce the accounting burden on local school districts and standardize the collection of student data.It would allow for better tracking of mobile students, particularly those requiring additional services, across districts.It promised increased efficiency…
Last week, I had “one of those” weeks. It seemed like every action I took, every decision I made, and most conversations I had did not go the way I wanted them. In other words, the closer Friday came rolling around, the more inept and incompetent I felt. Have any of you had a similar experience? If you have not, that’s…