I came across an article last week that is incredibly practical. It highlights the importance of a specific skill in helping leaders navigate change. The skill is adaptive thinking. Most, if not all, of us want to be adaptive thinkers. We want to ensure that our decisions, connections, and experiences are not based on a rigid, brittle worldview. As leaders, our…
The General Assembly granted all school leaders in Pennsylvania a gift in January. I think we have to be real about this. It occurred when the School Code was changed to move away from 180 days AND 900/990 hours of instruction to 180 days OR 900/990 instructional hours. I can’t think of a piece of legislation that did so much by changing one word.…
In the ever-evolving landscape of public education, stress and anxiety have become common companions in our professional journey. Yet, within these challenges lies a transformative opportunity for growth and satisfaction in our roles as leaders. The key? A commitment to self-reflection. There is something important that we forget about stress: we can overcome it. Regardless of the level of stress,…
Something to think about… Actionable Insights for School Leaders 1. Identify the Power of Ideas in Education – Reflect on the Origin of Educational Ideas: Consider where the dominant ideas in education are originating. Are they serving the best interests of our students and communities, or are they skewed toward the agendas of influential organizations? – Action: Engage in forums…
In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we often find ourselves caught in a relentless cycle of decision-making. It’s easy to navigate from one choice to the next without pausing to reflect on the deeper reasons behind our actions. By day’s end, we may feel busy but wonder if our efforts were truly effective. To break free from…
I spend quite a bit of my time thinking about how to make our schools better. More specifically, I think a lot about how to make schools better for kids, not just better in a general sense. Invariably, the concept of “change” gets intertwined with making schools better for kids. The “change” concept is where many an article, book, and…
Last week, I attended the National Conference for Education Service Agencies (AESA). I am ashamed to admit that it has taken me 32 years in my profession to finally learn how to get the most out of a conference. I guess it is better late than never! Here are my rules for getting the most out of a regional or…
This post was inspired by the Not So Boring Newsletter that is linked below. Although the newsletter is not about education, I adapted some of the content for the education sphere. Have you seen something like this happen (or has this happened to you)? You get a great idea that would be the best thing that ever happened to schooling…
Your purpose lies beyond your work. It is the reason you think you exist. Most leaders do not take the time to really consider their purpose, or they lie to themselves about their true purpose. As a matter of fact, it is easy to put words on a piece of paper claiming your purpose is “to help learners learn” or…
I know I promised a simple explanation of two things in last week’s blog: a crypto digital wallet and a SMART contract. Well, things get messy sometimes. The more I research a SMART contract, the harder it is for me to come up with an easy explanation. So, I need another week to continue down the rabbit hole of SMART…