Research in The Atlantic Monthly, which?makes the compelling case that smartphones may be destroying a generation of children, is must-read for any educator concerned about threats to the future success of K-12 education.
School leadership in the age of Trump
This spring I have been struck by two compelling examples of school district leadership: one by a white man leading a district attended by mostly black and brown students; the other by a black woman leading a district attended by mostly white students.
Strategic planning with a Regional Information Center
The South Central Regional Information Center team engages in a high energy, collaborative strategic planning process. “We’re nailing it, absolutely hammering on our immediate priorities,” reports its director. “It’s been an awesome experience for the whole SCRIC team.”
Is New York’s Education Department capable of transforming itself?
With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, New York’s Ed Dept has a huge opportunity to reinvent itself. But is it capable of transformation?
Charter versus public: why not steal from the best regardless?
Instead of acrimoniously debating charter versus public, we need to identify the highest performers — both public and charter — and then steal from the best, regardless.
Strategic planning has big payoff for school districts
School superintendents are faced with difficult resource allocation decisions. Where will I get the biggest bump in performance per dollar spent, they wonder. In this post are examples from four very different school districts. Impressive performance gains at each demonstrate why wise school superintendents invest in strategic planning as part of their continuous improvement efforts.
Minimum qualifications for NY’s Commissioner of Education
The New York State Education Department has posted the job of Commissioner of Education. The stated qualifications are boilerplate and underwhelming. I suggest that NYSED’s HR department amend the posting to add the following.
Applicants for the position of Commissioner of Education must demonstrate
– The ability to inspire the state’s professional educators to extraordinary levels of performance.
– Evidence of having eliminated wasteful, bureaucratic burdens on school districts.
– A history of transparency as a leader.
Strategic planning specifically for a BOCES
Have state and federal mandates drained the energy and passion from your BOCES? Is morale low? It doesn’t have to be that way. Reenergize your BOCES. Retake your future. Reengage, recharge and reinvest your faculty, staff and community. Articulate a new mission, vision and core beliefs. Set strategic targets. Articulate priorities, allocate resources, plan and execute.
All Kinds of Kinds transforms a junior high
With vision, ingenuity, passion and a riff on a country music song, North Park has transformed itself through a program they call All Kinds of Kinds.
Andrew Cuomo’s tax freeze surprise for school districts
Andrew Cuomo’s tax freeze surprise could be a game-changer for New York’s 700 school districts.