In my prior blog, “School Buses, Lord of the Flies, and The Right People”, I received comments and questions about my own experience riding school buses, how to develop exciting non-bus orientated analogies, and what dispositions I look for in candidates; however, the most significant interest and conversation revolved around the following comment: Recruit Talent: No offense to those that … Read More
School Buses, Lord of the Flies, and “The Right People”
In his blog from April “The Right People in the Right Seats” Tim Van Soelen encourages Christian schools to attract talent into their school through the lens of Collins’ research on Good to Great businesses. This sparked a question from a number of friends who were in the midst of hiring for next school year, which was: How do we … Read More
Support and Experiences: The College Advantage
As a college counselor at a highly regarded academic institution, my students are consistently seeking for the best in collegiate education. However, the cultural pressure to attend a highly selective university often outweighs the benefits students may gain from other less notable possibilities. Frank Bruni has written recently in an Op-Ed about what is happening near me in Palo Alto … Read More
Leadership Lessons from a Hospital Room
I have been having many fun conversations about education recently, and have other blogs that I am working on entitled “NCLB Reauthorization and Private Schools”, “I Hate Homework”, and a follow-up to “Innovation and Digical Schools”. However, March 2015 is Multiple Myeloma Awareness month, and I thought I would share some leadership lessons from my journey through the early days … Read More
Innovation and the ‘Digical’ School
My View: Innovation in Christian SchoolsEducators in general and Christian schools in particular are often ridiculed for their lack of innovation, forward thinking, and risk taking. That criticism is what brought a small group of us together in 2010 to improve our own schools, and we found a group that was anxious to do something in an attempt to encourage … Read More
Navigating the Ed Policy Storms: Are you Connected?
Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity, and time. – Alan Collins Over the past few months, I proposed that each Christian school leader must answer the following questions about their institution in order to navigate a way through the current turbulence in education policy: Why does your school exist? (Part I) What makes your school distinct? (Part II) How … Read More
Navigating the Ed Policy Storms: Measure Success
It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, then do your best. – W. Edward Deming A few months ago, I proposed that each Christian school and Christian school leader must answer the following questions about their institution in order to navigate a way through these turbulent times in education policy: Like all quality institutions … Read More
Navigating the Ed Policy Storms: What Makes You Distinct?
As I study the Education profession, work within schools and visit schools, I’m more convinced that Christian schools need to mind more attention to “how” they do the work of schooling. Most schools can show me a mission or vision statement on a wall or recite for me a motto of and for why they exist. I explored this in … Read More
Navigating the Ed Policy Storms: Why Does Your School Exist?
Over the past few months I have shared my thoughts on the chaos that current education policy has both become and created (“Ed Policy Chaos: Why It Matters”). My argument is that charter schools are not a viable option to those of us who support greater levels of educational choice within the American education system (Part I and Part II). … Read More
Ed Policy Chaos: Why it Matters to Christian Schools
Introduction:Education policy in the United States has moved from a period of change into a time of chaos. The predominant policies and actions of the past fifty years have been turned on their head through federal government legislation, private money, and exceptions to nearly every pre-established rule. In a sense, we are exiting what I call the “Teacher Union Era” … Read More