If principals are proven to have the second-largest impact on student achievement, what can we do to set them up for success? The SchoolSims library of simulations for school leaders has been shown to assist in the development of diverse, successful principals who are knowledgeable about teaching, individuals, and organizations.
There is no doubt that COVID-19 is creating a new normal for everyone across the globe. Historically, times like these have often led to the most extraordinary outcomes. The Washington Post recently published an article on how Sir Isaac Newton used his time at home during the black plague to do his best work. Our current circumstances are quite similar and the most innovative leaders in education will use this disruption to not only think about how and what content is being delivered to students, but also to identify alternative learning opportunities for educators as well as the current and aspiring leaders in their districts.
When faced with extraordinary circumstances we think about each other and come together to work out solutions that are in the best interest of our clients, partners, and employees. The unprecedented outbreak of the Coronavirus COVID-19 and the global public health crisis it has spawned is one of those extraordinary circumstances. As many of our clients move to remote modes of teaching to ensure the safety of their communities, we thought it important to point out that SchoolSims simulations can be utilized asynchronously.
Why have so many strategies and interventions to achieve school reform been largely unsuccessful? Research has shown that in most cases, it is because of administrators who, through no fault of their own, lack the breadth of experience necessary for success. In any major organizational change effort, especially in an organization as complex as the education system, leadership is a key. In fact, the role of leadership in education is one of the more daunting positions in any industry.
What’s the most effective way to learn? Learning by doing. But how do you learn by doing when you can’t “do” until you learn? Since we also believe that Experience is the Best Teacher™, our simulations essentially accelerate time and manufacture experience.
We expect administrators to learn on the job, but responding to conflicts in a virtual world helps them learn without real-world consequences. American schools are facing a crisis in the lack of professional learning for school leaders.
There is a silent crisis undermining school improvement efforts. As in any major organizational change effort, leadership is a key ingredient to success. However, in educational leadership, the abilities to communicate, coordinate, and make decisions are not enough to address the “painful” trade-offs regularly faced by leaders in education. Their challenge is not just about making good decisions, which is daunting enough. They must also manage highly-public and often emotionally-charged issues among a diverse student and adult population. The state of our leadership pipeline, though, and our efforts to support their work, call for a dramatic shift in approach.
Preparing new school leaders and further developing those who’ve already found roles in administration is a broad task. There’s no single tool or approach that covers everything. The responsibilities of school leaders are varied and the decisions they make affect different constituencies with sometimes competing interests. As a result, it’s impossible to train new and aspiring leaders how to respond to every specific challenge they may face in the course of their careers.