GLP BLOG
GLP's Summer Reading Short List
Summer reading lists abound...and often the same books seem to circulate among us. We thought we would take a stab at suggesting three terrific titles we think matter for school leaders today--so stick them in your beach bag, at your bedside, or on your e-reader. And let us know what we’ve missed; we will share your suggestions!
Visit to Stanford’s d.school - Learning and Space Reimagined
We were so excited to visit Stanford’s d.school (Institute of Design at Stanford) in late February and, frankly, it was better than we imagined!
NAIS Annual Conference: Change is in the Air...Now What?
Last week Liz and I headed to Orlando for the NAIS Annual Conference, three days packed with a variety of sessions exploring how independent education can change to become better for our students and families while still maintaining the critical aspects that make each school unique. Creativity, innovation, sustainability and student engagement are just a few of the myriad of topics educators from across the country and world presented on. There’s an incredible buzz in the independent school community about opportunities to improve and innovate in order to better prepare students for a new era - whether around teaching, curriculum or assessment. Our question is: now what?
A Conversation with Tony Wagner - Start by Defining the Problem
People often ask me what I like best about my job and my first answer is usually something about how I get to work with great people. Yes, I love schools, and yes, I am passionate about education, fascinated by leadership and and always thinking about how change happens, but most of all, I love these things when I can talk about them with great people and make amazing things happen.
Why All Teachers Should Learn To Lead
Ten years ago, when I started consulting to schools on strategy and change management, one of the first things that I noticed was how little, if any, leadership development training or coaching was offered to teachers who were not on a clear path to administration. And even for those rising stars, formal and informal leadership development efforts were limited to their academic endeavors, an isolated training event or an organically grown mentoring relationship. Leadership as a practice was clearly distinguished from teaching as a practice.
GHS Innovation Journey, Entry #2: Who is Your School For?
Designing a new school generates a lot of questions. One of the first we ask ourselves is: who is the school for, exactly? There is often an underlying assumption that an alternative model will serve some special category of learners like kids with learning differences, kids with educational goals other than attending college, or kids with certain social and emotional needs.
Breaking the Classroom Mold
I recently stumbled across a post by Maria Popova, “How Children Learn: Portraits of Classrooms Around the World”, showcasing photographer Julian Germain’s documentation of classrooms all over the world between 2004-2012. The photographs capture the unique culture of the students and region, from their clothes/uniforms, decorations, types of desks or tables, etc. But for all of the differences, what stands out the most is that the classrooms all look practically the same.
Going to the NAIS Annual Conference? Please Get Strategic With Us!
Liz and I will be at the NAIS Annual Conference in Orlando next month and are excited to co-facilitate a three-hour workshop on Wednesday afternoon (February 26th) with The Latin School of Chicago...