1. Distribute the blog posts from my school visits to individuals or teams of faculty, staff, and trustees. Ask them to think of a bunch of questions that fit the simple form: “What if our school did _______________________just like ____________________ (fill in the name of the school they are reading about) is already doing.” I [...]
As I have mentioned before, some organizations innovate because they want to and some because they have to, and some a combination of both. I spent the afternoon at The Collegiate School in Richmond and confirmed what I have suspected for some time: my friends Head Keith Evans and Academic Dean David Colon and their [...]
One of the predominant themes of this journey has been that if a school wants to increase the rate of innovation, either out of desire or necessity (or both), they create a structure, name it, provide resources, and give it a charge. This post is about a school that is doing just that, out of [...]
I was pleased to lead a two-hour workshop yesterday for about 50 business officers from the Southwest region of independent schools. Rather than the normal “sit and get” that conferences usually provide, I asked for this extended block of time to create an active learning session. Many walked into the room more than a bit [...]
I had a pretty high opinion of Sidwell Friends School before I visited this week, and was not disappointed. Head Tom Farquhar freely admits they are not “the most progressive school”, but I brought away some important lessons regarding both process and product. I had put this school on my visit list not due to [...]
I am pretty good at both thinking and seeing outside of boxes, but there was a time yesterday during my meeting at Flint Hill School outside of Washington, D.C. that I just wasn’t getting it. We are all burdened with perceptions based on experience, and I am not an exception. I got stuck on a [...]
If you are in range of Atlanta on Nov. 6, I am honored to be with SAIS for their monthly Lunch and Learn from 11:30-1:30. According to regional director Holly Chesser spaces are filling up quickly, so contact her to reserve a spot. I will give a summary of my journey to date and then [...]
The school I visited on Friday in Boston is the smallest I will see on this trip, just 43 students in grades 6-12 on the third floor of a brick building on Beacon Street. Many will be tempted to dismiss the lessons from such a school as not applicable to their own issues and opportunities. [...]
Organizations innovate either because they want to, need to, or both. This is the story of a school that really needed to innovate, back to the wall and the wolf at the door. After getting past that, they have used those trials to create an organization that is flat, nimble, and open to trying new [...]
If you work at an independent school and think that what your school does in preparing students for their future is worth $20,000-$50,000 a year, read on. If you work at a public school and think that the politics, demographics, and inertia of public education commit public education in America to either mediocrity or a [...]