Ecology of Education

Every year in the United States, an estimated 500,000 teachers leave their schools, with only 16% of the departures the result of retirement. The bulk of teachers leave for a variety of other reasons, including whether or not they perceive their school’s leadership to be effective. Without strong leadership, it is much easier for good [...]

We debate testing, tenure, and “great teachers” ad nauseum. We one up each other over who is putting students more first than anyone else. We parse choice, accountability, and common core until we can barely stand one another. We do this, not because we are gluttons for punishment, but because we know learning matters, and [...]

Over the past three years, I have been told a number of times that the work that we do at Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School is innovative, outside the box, and exciting. Sometimes the word ‘bold’ even creeps into the equation. Certainly the experience-based learning environment is highly engaging and plays to students’ passions, but [...]

The first annual Bammy Awards were held this past weekend in Washington DC to celebrate teachers and educators through recognition and acknowledgment. The black tie affair brought together the likes of Diane Ravitch, Linda Darling-Hammond, John Merrow and a host of teachers, bloggers, administrators, and assorted arm candies (as one husband referred to himself). With a red [...]

In the past few weeks, two major reports on teacher turnover and retention have been released. One was rolled out with extensive media coverage, and has been the subject of much discussion among policymakers and education commentators. The other was written by me, along with Teachers College doctoral student Clare Buckley. The first report, “The [...]

Quality technological leadership is very much aligned with effective leadership. The keys to success depend on being mission driven, employing the empowerment of others, communicating effectively, and cultivating a shared vision and purpose. A nuanced approach to staying on course and being open to change and developments are certainly plusses. What then distinguishes technological leadership [...]

In this thoughtful Harvard Business Review article, Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson asks us to see beyond Jobs’s legendary roughness with people and appreciate the leadership qualities that made him one of the most successful innovators of our time. “The essence of Jobs, I think, is that his personality was integral to his way of [...]

IF you listen to too much of the rhetoric about school reform these days, you may be led to believe that schooling is about achievement, first and foremost. However, for those on the ground floor, achievement is a byproduct of something more profound and simple — Learning. Life long learning. For most educators it is [...]

In Michael Fullan’s session, Leadership for All, he looks closely at what practices lead to effective leadership in change. The main chunk of his talk looked at what he called, “Ready-Fire-Aim” dealing with 9 insights of  leadership. 1. Relationships first (too fast/too slow): The art of change is hitting that sweet spot — don’t come in so [...]

In this TED Talk, Seth Godin shares his insights into Tribes, how they are created and why. Mixing compelling examples with insightful humor, he lays bare the changing (and yet unchanging) landscape of connecting with others through shared commonalities and uncommonalities. His urges us to unseat the status quo, follow our passions and, by proxy, [...]