The culture exists to manage the organization in its present state. If we could talk to culture, the future would be clear: The culture would tell us, just repeat the past.” - Gruenert and Whitaker, 2015 When educational leaders are new to their position, or newly
As lifelong learners ourselves, at Lemm Elementary School we are always listening to our teachers and investigating strategies to support our teachers and student learning. Several years ago, our teachers were complaining about students not caring about learning, never doing their homework, parents completing most
A few weeks ago I published a blog post (found here) lamenting reasons why teacher evaluation must change. The issue is compelling. BUT - nobody wants to only hear about what is wrong with something. In our district, we refer to this behavior as “admiring the
In an era of relentless educational change, it is somewhat counter-cultural, I suspect, to write a book with the title of Reduce Change to Increase Improvement. My purpose in doing so, is to disrupt the assumption that change is always desirable, and to challenge educational leaders
In the counseling world, the therapeutic alliance is a term we use to describe the unwritten contract between a patient and a therapist with regard to working towards a common goal. But in the real world, we just say “we’re getting to know one other.” No
Setting up for a summer presentation in an elementary cafeteria, I had a conversation with the cafeteria manager, who explained that his goal was to give his students and staff the best possible experience in the cafeteria. We didn’t talk about food; we talked about
We are part of an administrative team at a middle and high school of 750 students in San Diego. We are fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing team of educators, students, families, and community partners. Like every school, we are collectively faced with the
How do we prepare teachers and kids for an unknown future? As school leaders, we have a responsibility to lead with the future in mind. This requires us to relate, innovate, and invigorate. No longer can school leaders focus on just one of these skills;
The power of a growth mindset can transform teaching and learning, but it also is critical for school leaders. A growth mindset is not exclusive to teachers, students, and parents. In fact, school leaders with a growth mindset empower the school and provide rich and
When I meet my students, they can see right away that I am a “white” teacher, and I can see that they are “black” and “brown” students. These are the first things we witness about one another. I wonder what the students assume about me