
(This post is being written in support of Dr. Scott McLeod's Leadership Day 2009)
New Jersey is in the process of changing their high school graduation requirements. (I have blogged on this previously). The state has also recently updated its new core content curriculum standards for 2009. To introduce these standards and to "prepare administrators to get students ready for the world of work and college in the 21st century", several summer professional conferences have and will take place.
These conferences are hosted by the NJDOE and special guest presenters include either Alan November or Ian Jukes; both well know technology evangelists and futurists. This past week I attended one for these sessions featuring Mr. November.
Mr. November shared that "Learning is a social endeavor" and he felt that "...schools do not foster all the social experiences we should." He implied it was administrator's jobs to change that. I agree with his first point and I need to modify the second. Learning is a social experience and most would agree that collaboration to attain and present knowledge is one of the keys to understanding. However, schools by their nature are social. However, the social piece isn't usually highly academic. What I think Mr. November meant was that schools should turn the need and drive for kids to be social (both live and virtual) into academic learning experiences. This includes traditional experience as cooperative learning and Project Based Learning as well as new technologies like blogs, wikis, social networks and more. It is the job of the principal (and higher admins) as chief learners to encourage and convince teachers that this kind of learning and tools are not only helpful, but research based and necessary.
November continued to share that there are several key skills for leaders to have. They include:
-command of information
-make people into a high performing team
-many tech tools to enhance teams (i.e. google docs)
-be "Fearless learners"
I agree with all of those things. I especially like the phrase "fearless learners".
The piece I found disheartening was that this presentation was coupled with a description by the state of new end of course standardized tests in multiple subjects that all high school students will need to pass to graduate, along with talk of the other tests that students take Grades 3-8 as part of the NCLB requirements.
We have a disconnect here. I applaud the state for bringing in forward thinking speakers to inspire our principals and to make them think. The message is convoluted when the same meeting uses high stakes testing as the end goal.
My thought on leadership day is this: be a fearless learner, stay grounded in reality by doing what needs to be done now, but work towards what should be done in the future.







