My Short Video Provocation Via Big Think
September 1, 2020Looking for a short, provocative video to stimulate some virtual discussions amongst your school stakeholders this fall? I was honored to have this 5 min video published by Big Think, a media outlet that covers ideas shared across a broad range of sectors. It has had close to 10,000 views this week; hope it might…
To the Heroes Getting Ready to Open School: “Good Night and Good Luck”
August 5, 2020A half century ago the shortest period of time that really mattered to most of the world was 23 minutes. That was the time it would take for an intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple nuclear warheads to travel from the Soviet Union to the United States, or vice versa, signaling the end of the world…
A Very Simple Recipe For Opening Schools
July 20, 2020We all want schools to open in the fall. Whether or not that happens will be a direct result of one thing: the degree of courage to do the right thing across our communities. Over the last month, many who previously doubted the science of pandemics have become believers. Governors who rushed to open their…
A Simple, Powerful P/ATH to Change
July 9, 2020This summer, and even more so in the fall, the issue of systemic racism in America will, and should, come to schools around the country. How might we help channel that energy in positive directions? Three weeks ago, P/ATH, a tiny start-up non-profit produced a 59 second video with messages urging action against racism from some…
Let’s Make School Year 2020-21 the Year of Listening
June 29, 2020Hopefully we are all growing and learning during this time of social awakening in America. Hopefully we are beginning to understand that all lives can’t matter until black and brown lives matter. And hopefully we are learning some skills that help us each to move with humility from where we have been to where we…
Changing Education Is No Longer An Option
June 11, 2020For at least two decades, the real reason for radical school transformation has not been “jobs of the future”. It has been the accelerating rate of change in the world around us. For those who ignored or were complacent with that rate of change, perhaps the last 12 weeks have opened their eyes. Just a…
I Killed George Floyd
June 8, 2020I killed George Floyd. I didn’t put my knee on his neck, but I, a white man of privilege, did not do enough to stop his murder from “becoming”. I am complicit in the crimes of systemic racism in America. For my entire adult life I thought trying to not be a racist was enough.…
A Call For Educators To Take a Stand
June 2, 2020Americans from across the political spectrum were horrified and saddened watching the video of George Floyd’s death more than a week ago. And Americans from across the political spectrum are horrified and saddened by the scenes of senseless violence and destruction perpetrated by rioters in our cities. We don’t have to agree on everything; heck,…
More Learning Resources As You Plan the Post-COVID Future
May 22, 2020Here is another trove of resources you might want to share with your teams as you plan for both the fall, and for the longer-term impacts we will certainly feel from the pandemic: Education Re-entry: https://chiefsforchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CFC-TheReturn_5-13-20.pdf InfusingSEL https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_keys_to_infusing_sel_into_what_you_already_teach Family Wellness: https://www.washoeschools.net/distancelearning Supporting Community: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/health/covid19/supstucovid19/MDE032385 Virtual Portfolio Defense Tools https://envisionlearning.org/introducing-two-more-virtual-portfolio-defense-tools/ Performance Assessments: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/promise-performance-assessments-report Remote Learning Plans:…
Three Major Articles on Early Lessons From COVID-19
April 29, 2020For those who don’t follow me on Twitter or have not checked that lately, here are three articles I have published via major education sites in the last three weeks. They look at various high-level lessons we are learning from the COVID-19 shut down as viewed through the lens of education: COVID-19 and K-12: What…
What Are the Covid-19 Problems We Are Trying to Solve?
April 7, 2020The first step of problem solving is finding a problem to solve. Covid-19 “found” us, so we move on to the next step: finding the right problem to solve. Educators, students, and parents are overwhelmed with a melange of challenges that they never imagined or planned for. How can we sort through all of what…
Using a Crisis to Win the Future
April 2, 2020In February, 1943, poorly trained and untested units of the American Army were roundly defeated by German and Italian forces in the Battle of Kasserine Pass in North Africa. Allied forces were pushed back more than 50 miles and suffered large casualties. It was a grim first entrance into the European war theater for the…
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