Gratitude for Leadership and a Cohesive Community
By Lauren Wells In the midst of two uncontrolled pandemics, COVID-19 and racial injustice, Newark, New Jersey, is unique as a place where Black lives matter and everyone belongs. I chose to live in Newark a decade ago because of this. Now, as COVID-19 cases surge around the world for a second time, Newark […]
Leading in a VUCA World
By Art Costa, Bena Kallick, and Allison Zmuda When we walked into school each day prior to COVID-19, we were accustomed to living in an unpredictable environment. Many of us have developed some of our greatest strengths through that unpredictability. Through the many challenges, we become more creative, inventive, and flexible problem solvers. When […]
New Rule: Navigate VUCA with Habits of Mind
By Bill Sommers So, as I sit here in my home under COVID19 stay at home restrictions, one question keeps reverberating with me in how to lead during this time: “How do we respond in a VUCA world that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon?” When I was a principal, a […]
Mediating Uncertainty with Patient Inquiry
By Giselle O. Martin-Kniep “The most effective people are those who can ‘hold’ their vision while remaining committed to seeing current reality clearly.” Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization Patience, as defined by the Marrian-Webster dictionary 1: bearing pains or trials calmly or without […]
Leading in the VUCA World: Not Much Has Changed
By Dr. Jeff Dillon Leading in a VUCA World initially seems unattainable when education is so firmly built upon traditional pedagogical instructional models. As educational leaders, we take comfort in this model because it is predictable and safe. Why would a leader leave this place of self-comfort to embrace the VUCA World? The COVID-19 […]
When Teachers Become Solutions to The Problems Schools Face
By Thomas R. Feller, Jr., Ashley Smith and Lauren Bowers John Hattie wrote “the greatest effects on student learning occur when teachers become learners of their own teaching, and when students become their own teachers” (emphasis ours) (Hattie, 2012). Based on our combined 50+ years experience in multiple districts and states, as well as […]
Two Educational Leadership Frameworks: A Toolbelt and a Pair of Glasses
By Scott Weinstein If you are an educator, you are familiar with the phrase, “one more thing!” It is a fair sentiment by educators describing the plethora of initiatives and different forms of accountability that often leave teachers scrambling and dealing with time-consuming work that frequently does not have a tangible impact on their […]
Developing Self-Directed Teacher Leaders Using Habits of Mind
By Thomas R. Feller, Jr., Seth Brown, Ph.D., and Lauren Bowers Sometimes the best solutions to a wicked problem come from a well formed question. One wicked problem our district has been facing is the loss of some of our best teachers. Upon some internal investigation we discovered that many teachers who left […]
