Edu Change & Student Advocacy

     A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece called 5 Things That Schools Can Learn From the Food Truck Phenomenon . Some thought it was funny. Some thought it was pertinent. I thought it was appropriate. One, I am routinely advocating for education, as well as educators, to look outside the field of education for ideas and innovation. Two, I loved the inspiration, innovation, creativity and customization that the food trucks were offering and wanted education to be inspired to do the same.       Well now, I’m taking it one step further. I have been a craft beer lover for over 30 years. The huge and recent popularity of craft beer in America has motivated me to beg the question: What Can Education Learn From The Craft Beer Movement? Well, here are three main ideas: Keep It Simple Smarty (I never liked the word ‘stupid’)      Just like Food Trucks, Craft Beer establishments have moved in the direction of simplicity. They are a...

If you ask educators about essential skills for all students, lifelong learning surely tops many lists. It has always been important, but it’s now a real expectation for all of us to stay employed, engaged and relevant. Additionally, educators have always known that the true joy of learning is all about the ongoing journey of continual improvement. But talking about it is very different from living it. If we want our students to succeed, we, as leaders, need to model lifelong learning—for our students, teachers and communities. Here are a few areas in which we can do that: Reading Although we require our students and teachers to read, it’s amazing how many leaders are not actively reading—for personal or professional purposes. And when reading professionally, we should be reading about education, as well as other forces and thinking in our universe, such as business, culture, entertainment, politics and more. With the number of reading opportunities offered by blog...