A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 28, 2019

A great deal has changed over the past few years not just in society, but also in education. Back in 2009, I began calling for an evolved construct of leadership that would better serve schools in meeting the diverse needs of learners and stakeholders alike. The time has come for a new edition of Digital Leadership.

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A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 19, 2014

Social media not only helped me find my voice, but it helped me find the voices of so many passionate and amazing educators from across the country and globe. Surrounding yourself with smart people willing to share could possibly be one of the best decisions you could make whether as a leader, educator, or learner.

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A Principal's Reflections

JULY 26, 2015

Image credit: [link] Without further ado: Leadership is not a popularity contest. A testament to true leadership is one's ability to not just initiate change, but also sustain it. A testament to true leadership is one's ability to not just initiate change, but also sustain it. Technology will not revolutionize education.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 18, 2024

The ability to prioritize is paramount for effective leadership. Educators develop a sense of direction and purpose when priorities align with the overall mission and vision, something I elaborate on in Digital Leadership. How time is used in support of student and educator growth is worth its weight in gold.

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A Principal's Reflections

MAY 14, 2017

Building people up is at the heart of empathetic leadership.” - @E_Sheninger No significant relationship can exist without trust. So how does this connect to leadership? Empathy is not a typical component of core training and coursework in the field of education. “ It is easy to knock people down. Below are some highlights.

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A Principal's Reflections

JANUARY 7, 2024

As we navigate the shifting currents of the educational landscape, it's clear that transformative change is not just necessary—it's inevitable. To foster an environment where every student thrives, we must reimagine our approach to education from the ground up. Several key aspects underpin effective leadership in this context.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 18, 2021

Cultures of excellence are created and fostered when feedback is used to commend effort while providing considerations for growth regularly. Most educators need and want feedback to grow. However, once feedback is prioritized and consistently provided, the stage is set for a culture of excellence.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 14, 2016

In my opinion that is the case in education. Educators and stakeholders alike have been brainwashed into thinking that a successful school or district is one who achieves through quantitative measures. How does the current process of observation and evaluation of staff ensure accountability while improving instruction and leadership?

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 7, 2019

Education can seem like a balancing act between what we as adults feel is essential and what interests our learners. Success lies in a shared ownership approach to design relevant cultures of learning. Herein lies the vital role leaders play in designing relevant cultures of learning.

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

Instructional leadership was a routine part of the job along with the budget, master schedule, curriculum development, meetings, email, phone calls, and many other duties. With the evolution of social media yet another responsibility was added to my plate in the form of digital leadership.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 1, 2015

Image credit: [link] The right culture focuses on technology as a tool to enhance learning in a variety of ways. As with any holistic initiative, the key is sustainability and a resulting change that sees all aspects of digital learning become an embedded component of school culture. This is a problem.

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A Principal's Reflections

MAY 20, 2018

“ Leadership has less to do with position than it does disposition.” – John Maxwell I am currently working on a new edition of Digital Leadership for Corwin and I am very excited, as it will be in color. A great deal has changed since Digital Leadership was published in 2014. What should be removed?

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 28, 2018

Leadership is far from a science. Since effective leadership means different things to different people, I wanted to dive a little deeper into this debate to glean a better understanding as to what great leaders do. Image credit Whether you are more on the side of art or leadership is beside the point.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 20, 2024

" Leadership clarity is the light that cuts through the fog of uncertainty, guiding others toward a clear and purposeful path." While putting out fires comes with the territory, the real work lies in developing a learning culture prioritizing relationships and student outcomes. The “why” always matters.

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

I love the following quote from Laura Garnett : Leadership is shifting from telling everyone what to do to empowering others to come up with the best and brightest ideas that have either never been thought of before or implemented and acted upon in a respective environment. Empowerment is the secret sauce. So how can you empower others?

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

No matter where an educator is in their career and regardless of experience, there is always room for growth and the majority of educators are more than open to this. This is what instructional leadership is all about. Below are some strategies that I utilized to help create a culture where there was accountability for growth.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 16, 2019

Tom Murray and I presented a call to action, highlighting the need to transform teaching, learning, and leadership in Learning Transformed to meet the demands and challenges inherent in the 4th Industrial Revolution. In the updated edition of Digital Leadership , I took it a step further. However, things do need to change at scale.

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

These focused on topics such as school law, instructional leadership, change management, school finance, and curriculum development, among many others. Leadership is hard. Making decisions in a time of crisis is also a topic that is regularly explored in leadership courses. Initiating and sustaining change is even harder.

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

Contrary to the belief of some, educators work extremely hard for little financial incentive when you look at the amount of hours that are put into the job. It all comes down to learning, no matter how you slice and dice it, both on the part of the students and educators themselves as professionals. Did I always succeed?

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A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

When one looks at education in general there is very little change from over 150 years ago. Back then the education system was designed to serve an industrialized world that was in desperate need of skilled factory workers. Fast forward 150 years and you will notice that the world has radically changed, but education has not.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 2, 2023

The advent of social media introduced yet another responsibility into my already packed schedule: digital leadership. As a school administrator, one must be proficient in many different areas, but it's essential to maintain sight of the most crucial aspect of the role: pedagogical leadership.

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A Principal's Reflections

JULY 3, 2022

I shared the following in Digital Leadership : You won’t find an effective leader who isn’t an effective communicator. Former Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski shared the following: “Recognize that yours is not the only voice that your team wants or needs to hear, and be unselfish with your leadership.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 25, 2023

Leadership embodies consistent qualities and characteristics that remain unchanged while the tools, research, and societal shifts influencing the work have evolved. Leadership combines artistic and scientific elements, aiming to mobilize people toward a shared objective. Leadership is a collaborative endeavor.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 14, 2022

Thriving cultures that produce results make every effort to keep this on the positive side. Pile on the positive feedback Sometimes there is never enough of a good thing when it comes to building up culture. Listening is one of the best tools that can be leveraged to gather crucial information on the pulse of a culture.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 9, 2019

Then there is the most dangerous view in education that the way we have always done it is the best way. As such, teaching, learning, and leadership must change if growth and improvement are the goals. Here is where the Pillars of Digital Leadership come into play. For one, comfort tends to be the enemy of growth.

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A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 27, 2022

When it comes to leadership, there is no one right way or quick fix. From a learning standpoint, this requires a focus on pedagogical leadership , something I learned over time when I was a principal, which required taking a critical lens to my practice if I was going to help my staff do the same.

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A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 18, 2022

There is a nice mix of concepts including personalization, educational technology, leadership, and school culture. Moving Beyond SAMR with the Rigor Relevance Framework Shifting our Focus Your Ticket to Move Effective Lessons Supporting and Rewarding Teachers with Time The Ever-Evolving Leadership Lens.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 19, 2022

While there are many challenging aspects when it comes to leadership, one that typically rises to the top is dealing with difficult personalities. Whatever that might be, discovering the root cause is essential to proactively address the situation so that it doesn’t further impact the culture of your school or district.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 30, 2023

To succeed, it is crucial to foster a culture of open-mindedness where people are motivated to change on their own accord rather than being coerced into it. A crucial decision that leaders make is choosing the right people for the job and empowering them to take on leadership roles, even without a specific title.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 17, 2024

It thrives under the guidance of a passionate, skilled educator who is constantly evolving alongside their students. Nevertheless, just like their students, educators thrive in personalized learning experiences. Online courses and learning modules allow educators to access content at their own pace and on their own schedules.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 5, 2018

This reason alone is why careful thought and attention have to be made as to how schools and educators are evaluated. As a result, the learning culture does not evolve or becomes stagnant for both learners and educators. To create a thriving culture , some hard battles against tradition need to be fought.

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A Principal's Reflections

MAY 1, 2022

With all the disruption we have and will continue to see, changes to how we educate kids must be considered. It provides a baseline as to what has been found to really work when it comes to student learning and improving culture. Discounting this shows a lack of understanding of what real change looks and feels like in education.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 28, 2020

The concept of leadership hasn’t changed, although the conditions under which leaders work and learn sure have. Prior to COVID19, the vast amount of uncertainty in education lay in societal changes resulting from the 4th Industrial Revolution. In times of uncertainty, strong leadership is needed more than ever.

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A Principal's Reflections

JULY 9, 2014

Image credit: [link] Almost ten years ago, I was presented with an opportunity to begin my educational leadership career at NMHS. Little did I know that these ten years would profoundly shape me as a leader, educator, and person. Each and every one of them has played a huge role in transforming the learning culture at NMHS.

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A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 27, 2020

From a blogging perspective, I kicked it off with a post on what could be as a means to pump up educators as they continued to move towards embracing innovative strategies and ideas. It is always an honor to share the incredible work of educators in the field. The year began like any other. This happened on March 12, 2020.

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A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 24, 2019

In the case of education, the choice is to either adapt or evolve in ways that lead to improved outcomes aligned to teaching, learning, and leadership. The desire or imperative to change depends on a combination of perspective, culture, and achievement. It isn't about one educator, classroom, or isolated practice.

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A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

I recently read this Education Week post by Jill Berkowicz and Ann Myers titled We Have 21st Century Learners Who Need 21st Century Leaders. Students deserve leaders willing who are willing to extend themselves beyond their comfort zones in order to create a culture that aligns with a new vision for learning. I couldn''t agree more.

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