What questions should schools ask as they embark on a process of innovative change? What are critical expectations they must have of their community? What are the big challenges they will face? Here is a lis of questions and challenges you can use to provoke the discussions of "are we ready" and "are we serious" [...]
What if we could evolve a new "teacher" who was 1/2 great leader-learner and 1/2 entrepreneurial start-up fiend? What if we could weave those two strands of personal and professional DNA together? Isn't this the model we want our students to follow? Schools that are moving quickly off of the traditional assembly line model of [...]
Why is Silicon Valley the Magic Kingdom of innovation, and what lessons can K-12 schools learn about how innovation succeeds in times of rapid change? I have been pondering and studying this and will write a series of short blogs based on the findings of some long-standing experts from the Valley, translated into ideas and [...]
Another great #satchatwc twitter chat yesterday focusing on our roles as leaders in schools, an outpouring of ideas and ideals about the importance of leadership. There was a lot of good advice and many poster quotes. But I left feeling that sometimes we miss one of the main points; there is still an enormous amount of implication [...]
"If school change is not systematic and systemic, it is interesting, appealing, and maybe exciting, but not, ultimately, important." I just sent out that Tweet, and it can sound as if little changes don't matter, as if I fail to recognize that small changes, taken together, are the pioneering elements of systemic change. That is [...]
Schools are increasingly understanding the need to have an in-house innovation leader; leaving the job of promoting innovative practices up to the site CEO means innovation always gets stuck behind the daily obstacles of keeping the school lights on. Over the last year or so, I have had a number of calls, particularly from independent schools: [...]
Have we crossed a tipping point towards the death of the American Dream? It is a sad, perhaps even horrifying thought to those whose historical window largely spans the last 75 years, or perhaps sees the genesis of that Dream in the almost miraculous prescience of the founding American generation of the late 18th century. The latest book [...]
Does your school mission challenge you to meet the needs of the individual child? Do you, like most educators in K-12, want to expand the degree to which students are allowed to make choices, to own a greater portion of their learning? Do you recognize that early start days, particularly for teenaged students are detrimental [...]
I recently received an RFP from an outstanding school that wants to truly engage their community in meaningful change. They are looking for a consultant to help on the work, and in discussing my thoughts with a colleague, she suggested I redact my response and post it for general interest. Here it is: First [...]
Can your school community achieve a mission or vision when they don’t know what the words that form these mean? Building a strong brand and a sparkling value proposition is not about saying you can do everything. It is about laser-sharp clarity about what you are going to do…and then doing it. Over the last [...]