Student-teaching is complete, graduation is quickly approaching, the job search has commenced and for some of you lucky few been completed, and you are filled with a combination of conflicting emotions. At the end of Matthew 28, Jesus gathers the 11 remaining disciples and gives them the “Great Commission” to go make disciples. As your professors and student-teaching mentors send … Read More
Effective Messaging: Summary vs. Significance
School leaders know the importance of supporting the admissions efforts of their school with well-developed plans in order to effectively communicate with prospective parents before, during and after “sales efforts” (admissions team activities) have taken place. Marketing efforts can increase the pool of families exploring your school as an option and also prepare prospective families with information that makes them more … Read More
Socratic Seminars and Student Anxiety: The Naked Truth
“I felt naked.” Those were the words of one student after leading her classmates in a discussion on the previous day’s reading. “My dad told me if I get nervous talking in front of others, I should picture everyone else naked. That didn’t work. I was the one exposed, not them.” While she was prepared, engaged, and articulate, she nevertheless … Read More
Webinar – Embracing Everyday Diversity (Part 4): The Right Hand Paradigm
This is the fourth and final conversation with Justin Jones-Fosu entitled “The Right Hand Paradigm.” Diversity surrounds us in simple and complex ways, and in this wrap-up conversation he helps us think about how something as simple as being right-handed impacts our understanding of the world and each other. Sonia Avilucea, Joel Gaines, and Mike Chen join the conversation as … Read More
Are Your Students Crew or Passengers?
We are Crew, not Passengers. This is the motto of the organization I worked with for 20 years, Expeditionary Learning, now called EL Education. It comes from Kurt Hahn, the fonder of Outward Bound (the taproot of EL Education), and refers to people gathered together for a long boat journey where everyone is needed to row. Crew is at the … Read More
Mastering the Master Schedule: Fulfill Your School’s Mission (Part 2)
Review In part 1 of this post, I proposed that it is worth asking foundational questions about how the schedule can serve the mission of the school. I believe intentionality around the basic areas of the daily life of students and teachers can affirm or inhibit the direction of the institution. Now, we look toward the nuts and bolts of … Read More
Loose Ties Are Abundant, but Risky, at the Top
The decor varies greatly in the offices of the 550 CEOs, government officials, and heads of NGOs interviewed as part of our research on leadership — but hands down, photos are the most popular accessory. There are some shots of families and vacations, but most of the pictures show these senior leaders with prominent people. Playing golf with Jack Nicklaus. … Read More
Asking Questions Is Central to Project-Based Learning
20 slides were projected one at a time for fifteen seconds each. I’ve seen students present under such circumstances, but this was new for me. I recently had an opportunity to deliver such a talk to a large crowd before Sir Ken Robinson took the stage at a Learning Revolution event. Because I was there as a representative of the … Read More