How do current and aspiring school leaders approach difficult conversations happening in schools? On January 21st we facilitated a simulation where the principal of an elementary school receives concerns from staff regarding the clothing being worn by one of your novice teachers. Before you are able to address this issue, additional concerns surface about this teacher’s instruction. In this simulation, you will need to facilitate difficult conversations with this teacher to address these concerns. Simulation events like these help to improve critical thinking, decision-making, and judgment.

Hosted by Dr. David De Jong: Chair Educational Leadership, University of South Dakota Thursday, January 21st at 4:00 PM EST

In this simulation webinar, you are the administrator for a growing school district that is considering adding another elementary school. You will need to anticipate and address the impact this may have on financial and geographical segregation. How will you manage the dialogue with stakeholders across the district to elicit perspectives and optimize a solution? Managing Diversity in a Growing Community was facilitated virtually by Dr. Trent Grundmeyer from the Educational Leadership Department at Drake University.

In this simulation, you are a middle school principal responding to challenges associated with advancing technology. You must identify and successfully deal with challenges associated with cyberbullying and its impact on school learning environment, students, faculty/staff, parents, and the community in general. You will become acquainted with and comfortable applying the growing body of law and court cases addressing cyberbullying and first amendment rights.

Now that most school buildings have been shuttered for the remainder of the school year, there are lessons to be learned with respect to leadership, maintaining a positive school climate and student achievement from accredited cyber schools as well as rural school districts who have always worked, led and taught in a distributed format and through online access.

SchoolSims provides a powerful and affordable way to deliver highly effective leadership training. Current and aspiring school leaders are offered a chance to experience real-life scenarios that depict true events but in a simulated setting. Since there aren’t always right or wrong answers when it comes to human behavior, experimentation is encouraged within the simulation as there is no way to fail. Participants practice critical thinking and are encouraged to discuss the reasons behind their choices which allows for peer-to-peer learning. Watch this simulation to learn more about the efficacy of simulated learning for K-12 leaders, click here.

SchoolSims provides a powerful and affordable way to deliver highly effective leadership training. Current and aspiring school leaders are offered a chance to experience real-life scenarios that depict true events but in a simulated setting. Since there aren’t always right or wrong answers when it comes to human behavior, experimentation is encouraged within the simulation as there is no way to fail. Participants practice critical thinking and are encouraged to discuss the reasons behind their choices which allows for peer-to-peer learning. Watch this simulation to learn more about the efficacy of simulated learning for K-12 leaders, click here.

SchoolSims provides a powerful and affordable way to deliver highly effective leadership training. Current and aspiring school leaders are offered a chance to experience real-life scenarios that depict true events but in a simulated setting. Since there aren’t always right or wrong answers when it comes to human behavior, experimentation is encouraged within the simulation as there is no way to fail. Participants practice critical thinking and are encouraged to discuss the reasons behind their choices which allows for peer-to-peer learning. Watch this simulation to learn more about the efficacy of simulated learning for K-12 leaders, click here.

SchoolSims and CALSA partnered to facilitate our Uncovering Hidden Inequity simulation. This session was hosted by Dr. Jeanette Chien (SDCODE) and Ken Spero of SchoolSims (formerly Ed Leadership Sims).

At each decision point, we created breakout rooms to determine a consensus course of action. Upon returning to the larger group, the risks and potential outcomes of the various options and the reason for each group’s decision will be discussed.

We held a remote professional development session focused on School Budget Challenges. The session was hosted by Dr. David De Jong, Professor in the Division of Education Leadership at the University of South Dakota. Current and aspiring school leaders from around the country participated. At each decision point, we created breakout rooms to determine a consensus course of action. Upon returning to the larger group, the risks and potential outcomes of the various options and the reason for each group’s decision will be discussed.

If simulations approximate experience, why isn’t everyone using them? People think instruction equals learning but it is NOT the same thing. We learn from our experiences and the best learning comes from making mistakes and failing (constructively). The stakes are high in schools, as children and families are involved. The situations are complicated with a lot of stakeholder demands and little overlap. There is often no way to satisfy all demands. View the webinar with ParentSquare to learn more.