When I started my journey of school leadership, I thought being a risk taker was better left to other professions or hobbies people liked to pursue. Eventually, I learned that for change to occur taking risks is often needed. However, taking some chances, even if they make sense and appear reasonable, can be daunting. The
Becoming a unifying leader requires a deep knowledge of your community and a willingness to be a collaborator. Your success in this endeavor lies, in part, in your ability to listen thoughtfully to your community members in order to learn about their needs and refine the lens through
What word would you fill in the blank space of this sentence with, if you were talking with a student in your classroom in an appeal to their capacity to empathize with their peers? “Please treat others as _____ would like to be treated.” Did you think
What descriptive words come to mind when you imagine a classroom teacher, a site principal, a central administrator? Doug Reeves explores an inverse relationship between the size of a district’s strategic plan and its magnitude of impact on student achievement. I write today to study the inverse relationship between power and trust between a senior leader and his/her employees. First let’s define trust
A new year brings a rebirth, a time to start new and to challenge ourselves to stretch and grow. As a school leader, I work to use this time to challenge myself to discover and learn new things. Plus, school leadership is not meant to
It’s human to want to feel competent. No one likes to be criticized, and we sometimes push back when we get feedback from a co-worker that suggests our performance leaves room for improvement. But the truth is, feedback is essential for individual growth and development. Without
As I wrote this post on the way to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, wind and rain buffeted the plane. We were unable to land because of severe turbulence, so we circled in a holding pattern over New York City. I’d planned
Many schools and districts are working on strategic plans that include at their heart a vision of graduating students who are lifelong learners, with indispensable ‘must-have’ skills such as creativity, problem solving, and collaboration. Thanks to the work of Sir Ken Robinson, Tony Wagner, the
Potentially divisive initiatives such as equity initiatives carry special risks for schools and districts. Oftentimes educators can find themselves in a quandary: failure to address inequities with a sense of urgency can lead to lawsuits, negative outcomes for the most vulnerable students, or federal and
When you’re in the midst of school improvement planning to address some of the biggest pain points in your school—like literacy, equity, or leadership—there are plenty of options to choose from. You could attend events, fly in expert consultants, or send your staff to workshops