B.Y.O.T Bring Your Own Thoughts
The latest on all student-centered models, leadership development, strategic planning, teacher retention, and all things innovation in K-12 education. We answer questions before you think to ask them.
District Leadership | Innovative Leadership | Organizational Leadership & Change Management | Superintendents
Have you ever taken up a hobby with enthusiasm, only to abandon it because life got in the way? Maybe you started knitting with dreams of creating beautiful scarves, but now the yarn sits untouched in a box tucked away somewhere. Or maybe you once eagerly hiked every weekend, but now your hiking boots sit in the back of your closet, gathering dust. What obstacles got in your way? Was it time, support, energy, difficulty, resources, ability? Or perhaps your priorities changed?
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District Leadership | Innovative Leadership | Organizational Leadership & Change Management | Superintendents
Why is change so hard? Navigating change in schools isn't just a leadership challenge—it's a personal journey for every educator and administrator involved. Educators often find themselves adapting to new standards, implementing new initiatives, or integrating innovative tech, which can feel like steering a ship through stormy seas. In this blog, we will dive into some of the reasons why people and organizations are resistant to change and what we can do to effectively manage large-scale change to achieve our goals.
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District Leadership | Innovative Leadership | Organizational Leadership & Change Management | Superintendents
“Congratulations!” This is a common note sent via email and shared on LinkedIn as so many of my friends and colleagues transition into the first year of their superintendency on July 1st. As I reflect on my 10+ years having the privilege of working alongside district leaders and observing what works and where some have experienced pitfalls, I want to share some thoughts on the importance of building your leadership bench.
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District Leadership | Innovative Leadership | Teams & Culture
One of the best things about living your professional life in education is the assumption implicit in the field that everyone has something valuable to contribute, and there is always an opportunity to level up. Over the past few years, we have seen this belief confirmed in classrooms, schools, and districts all over the country as teachers, counselors, campus administrators, and district leaders have taken on numerous challenges and endlessly changing demands and limitations in the wake of the pandemic.
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District Leadership | Equity | Innovative Leadership | School Districts | School Leadership
Did you know that New York State has nearly 800 public school districts? (Source: nysed.gov). This ranks New York in the top 10 states with the highest number of school districts per state (Source: nces.ed.gov). Within those districts exist some of the largest and smallest in the country. In a small village between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains, Ellenville Central School District (CSD) serves 1,475 students in seven different communities. On the drive to Ellenville, you will face highways that bleed into long, windy roads, and just before you approach the village, seemingly out of nowhere, you will be greeted with a beautiful view of a mountain in which Ellenville sits at the base of. When you talk to an Ellenville Blue Devil, there is no shortage of pride and love for their sprawling community. This district is committed to its students and bettering itself to create more equitable outcomes.
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Innovative Leadership | School Districts | Strategic Planning
At Education Elements, we pride ourselves on being a responsive organization. Like many organizations, we can fall short of true responsiveness, but we are proud of how nimble, engaged, and positive our team is as a result of responsive practices. Our true north lies in seeking feedback to best understand the experiences of our community members. Feedback, in every way it is offered, allows us to make improvements suggested by those who have a stake in the work. Obvious, right? This may be an easy concept to grasp, but the gathering and processing of feedback from all relevant community members can be a complicated, time-consuming, and confusing process – and that’s in a small company with a team aligned around the idea. For schools and districts looking to implement change, whether it be by the introduction of new or additional technology, shifting pedagogical approaches, curriculum adoption, team reorganizations, or strategic planning, community engagement can be a paralyzingly large task.
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