School improvement

Leadership Mindset and Skillset

In a recent post on effective leadership, we examined what is known and what is needed to develop effective leadership.1  There was a brief exploration on styles of leadership that could be deployed depending on the context and the needs of the group.  Beyond styles of leadership, there also needs to be certain attitudes and…Read more Leadership Mindset and Skillset

Have you experienced effective leadership?

There are innumerable words written in journals, books and periodicals on the topic of leadership.  Strong and effective leadership appears to be elusive as many of our experiences bear testimony to leadership that is weak or ineffectual in a variety of arenas such as businesses, organizations, teams or institutions.  Leadership can be transformative but often…Read more Have you experienced effective leadership?

New insights on leading from Dr. King

I trained and prepared to be a history teacher and loved teaching American history the most.  I enjoyed teaching the American Revolution, the creation of the Republic, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, and 20th century history.  The units, themes, ideas and words seemed to culminate in the Civil Rights movement for me.  I tried…Read more New insights on leading from Dr. King

Are you waiting for a title?

Ambition.  Prestige.  Honor.  Position.  These seem to be elusive destinations that some trek towards or elusive suitors to be pursued and won.  There are many individuals hung up on title and rank and feel their own self-worth is defined by the signature line on their email or the letterhead on the company stationery.  I know…Read more Are you waiting for a title?

National Assistant Principals Week — AP’s doing it for them!

I feel tired already looking at what’s coming up this week.  Just so you stay in the know as well, National Robotics Week is April 2-9, National Library Week is April 3-9. National Window Safety Week is April 4-10 and National Wildlife Week is April 5-9.  You can look it up.  I found it on…Read more National Assistant Principals Week — AP’s doing it for them!

Reflecting on lessons learned from first semester heading into the next.

How are you starting off this semester?  Is it a reset, relaunch, reboot or redux from the fall?  I wrote a short piece for my state association this fall that talked about how we were all first-year educators in the age of this pandemic at the beginning of this year (see "Leading Virtual Learning" at https://issuu.com/dawnccosa.org/docs/9.20_issue_better_schools).  Although…Read more Reflecting on lessons learned from first semester heading into the next.