Articles of Note & Summer Reading
As we enter summer, it’s time for schools to reflect on the year that was, recharge and reignite their passions, and redirect their focus for the upcoming school year. With this in mind, I found some articles to share that are perfect for summer. Read one or read them all; it’s your time, do what makes you happy. I am including a few more articles than in my last post. Since it’s summer, you may be looking for some light beach reading other than your current novel. If so, these are for you.
One issue I keep seeing over and over again is AI and its growing influence. If you haven’t scheduled any back to school training on its uses in school, think about doing so. In addition, a few pedagogy articles jumped out at me that I want to share. Finally, I found some great governance and leadership articles, and a summer reading list for you.
Enjoy!
Managing Director, Leadership Search Practice
AI:
From Learning on Purpose, “Building Our AI Capacity”: A Playlist for Educators” by Eric Hudson, put together a “playlist” of resources and activities. It’s a resource list within my resource list! Love it! He focused on pieces from reliable sources that are relatively short and accessible. Many of these resources are full of useful links themselves, so you can dive as deep as you like. Give as much time to hands-on play and practice as you do to absorbing resources. The most effective way to build your AI capacity without being distracted by AI hype is to use the tools yourself.
SAIS shares in its June Signals newsletter, “AI Sandbox: A Summer Learning Playground”. Another resource-rich article discusses the structured sandbox method. Inspired by the freedom of summer vacation, this playground approach invites school leaders and educators to rediscover their curiosity while developing practical AI competencies in a low-stakes environment. It also provides a curated list of tools for different purposes such as note taking, lesson planning, music and video creation, and AI Courses.
Teaching and Learning:
Jackie Mader writes in The Hechinger Report about how the state of Nebraska invested in having special education students learn alongside their peers. As independent schools, we rarely have the resources to pull out students, so this is actually our norm. It’s nice to see an article that so strongly supports this model and how it’s being done successfully. Research found more progress in reading and math for children with disabilities in inclusive settings, as well as a positive effect on academic and social skills. As well, research has found inclusion makes students with disabilities more likely to graduate on time and can boost attendance and cut discipline referrals.
EdTech Chronicle presents a timely argument as to “Why Writing Instruction is Essential to Literacy”. Author Soo Kim, posits that while literacy is critical, it is not being fully addressed from the writing perspective, and more emphasis needs to be placed in this area for true literacy to be achieved. It is suggested that schools should provide professional development opportunities for teachers designed to help them explicitly integrate writing instruction into their classrooms. A key concept in this would be providing more time for them to assess students’ writing ability at the same level they already devote to reading exercises. This can be accomplished by spreading out writing instruction across different subjects, allowing students to be immersed in writing concepts throughout the day and not just during English.
In the Edmentum article, “Before It’s Too Late: Why Middle School Intervention Is Critical”, it states, “If a student enters high school still struggling with core math and reading concepts, the impact is immediate and often long-lasting.” This is a short but impactful read. Middle Schoolers need developmentally informed intervention and technology that understands Middle-Grades learners. Effective intervention should be: Just-right challenging, Scaffolded for independence, Focused and digestible, and Motivating and engaging. We should look for solutions that: Provide adaptive diagnostics, Deliver personalized learning paths, Include immediate feedback, checks for understanding, and embedded assessments, and Respond in real time to student performance.
Governance and Leadership:
Matt Renwick from Read by Example articulates how to coach leaders out of the urgency cycle and back to instructional focus. Does this sound familiar? Leaders get inundated with urgent tasks they cannot handle within one day. They use the following day to catch up on all the paperwork from yesterday. In the meantime, they are not present in classrooms or common areas. This becomes a pattern. There is less accountability or support due to a lack of visibility. A lack of consistency across classrooms leads to incoherent practices in the building. Frequent student behaviors and other time-intensive outcomes become daily experiences. Some strategies to reset their focus and reclaim their time include:
Build Trust by Making Frequent Visits. Psychiatrist and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry finds that trust is built initially with a client by the quantity of interactions as much as quality. This starts with cultivating trust through frequent visits.
Listen to Learn. Leave your agenda at the door when you come into a school or an office. Ask lots of questions. Supporting leaders to address their immediate challenges can help them feel listened to while getting some quick wins.
Notice and Name Their Emotions. When we are mindful as a coach, we instead notice and name what’s happening and how they are likely feeling about it. Often, they haven’t paused long enough to even recognize the emotional weather in their professional lives. We can help them do that through noticing and naming the emotions they are experiencing.
Investigate the Systems vs. the People. It’s easy as a school leader to take all the responsibility for the challenges a school is experiencing. Yet this work is not a one-person show. It is important to eventually shift the leader’s attention away from individuals and toward the system influences that are leading to negative outcomes.
In a very strong article by Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell, Head of Currey Ingram Academy, Independent school leaders are navigating an increasingly complex financial terrain where sustainability pressures, program excellence, and facility upkeep converge. For all Heads of School and those interested in becoming a Head, this is a must read. It addresses a side of the job that is not often discussed or taught to incoming or even standing Heads. From the article, “In pursuing financial sustainability, independent schools must embrace a more expansive view that sees every dollar, building, partnership, and decision as part of an ecosystem of mission and stewardship. This article has underscored the value of data-informed planning, the importance of addressing deferred maintenance, the strategic use of depreciation, and the creative potential of maximizing facility use.”
And as a last treat, summer reading suggestions!