Archive for September 2019
Leading in the Gap
Leadership for Learning – Leading in the Gap Top Challenge In recent polls, nearly 90 percent of superintendents say that their biggest challenge is boosting the academic achievement of underprivileged and/or struggling students. What can school districts do to close gaps? Some of the most common approaches Speakers Schedule a prominent speaker to talk to…
Read MoreParent Engagement and 9th Grade Success
Parent Engagement – 9th Grade Success Ninth Grade Success A colleague in a neighboring district once explained that instant success often comes after years of hard work. HS graduation matters today more than ever. 70% of future family wage jobs will require ‘some’ college and before students can get post-secondary training, they need to graduate. …
Read MoreMentors Extend Our Reach
Mentors: To Go Far … Go Together If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. – African Proverb Mentors help us go farther … and many times go faster. Virtually none of us would be where we are today without the help of others. The question is…
Read MoreLeading High-Performance School Systems: Lessons from the World’s Best
Leading High-Performance School Systems … by Marc Tucker http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Leading-High-Performance-School-Systems.aspx A New Higher World Standard Marc Tucker heads the National Center on Education and the Economy. For thirty years he has made the case that our students will need High Skills for High Wages. Here in Leading High-Performance School Systems he points out that basic jobs…
Read MoreDare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts By Brené Brown https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557595/dare-to-lead-by-brene-brown-phd-lmsw/9780399592522/ Vulnerability Brené Brown came to fame with her YouTube presentation on vulnerability. In this book she shares that story and how this book came to be. Her early work was in organization development and leadership. Then she became famous for…
Read MoreTurning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great by Jim Collins https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062933799/turning-the-flywheel/ This is a great 30 page read, 40 pages including the appendices (a brief summary of the major ideas in Collins’ six previous books). In this monograph, Turning the Flywheel, Jim Collins, adds far more detail to what the flywheel is and…
Read MoreFrom Good to Great: Lessons Learned
From Good to Great: Lessons Learned I recently interviewed Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and a new monograph, Turning the Flywheel. As, I have been writing and re-writing those interview notes, I have also been eagerly applying those ideas with school districts and non-profits. Here are some of my take-aways: The AHA! The…
Read MoreChecking for Understanding – Making Shared Meaning
Checking for Understanding – Making Shared Meaning Creating consistent success requires entire departments and buildings and grade levels to work as a team – which requires exceptional coordination and two way communication. Like a good athletic team, we want to maximize our impact by coordinating our efforts. Here are some lessons learned about how we…
Read MoreStarting Strong – Launching the New Year
Starting Strong – Launching the New Year One of the highlights of my time as superintendent in Seattle, was “opening” the monthly PD sessions for principals. These openings were my opportunity to: a) say good things about what I had seen in buildings; b) add context to current events; c) share and reshare the importance…
Read MoreMoving from Alignment to Coherence
Peter Senge and Systems Improvement I am a long-time fan of Peter Senge’s work. When AASA asked me which author had had the greatest impact on me – my response was Peter Senge and his book, The Fifth Discipline. I spent time with Peter Senge in Boston and devoured his material on common purpose, shared…
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