At GLP, we believe that staying abreast of new ideas, trends, and information is essential to visionary leadership. This is the third edition of our new monthly newsletter that seeks to help leaders cut through the noise and find resources that are worth reading. Please forward to colleagues who may wish to subscribe — and let us know what you think!
|
|
1. Prioritizing Learning as the Ultimate Skill
|
|
Are we fostering "learnability" in our schools? Organizations are increasingly displaying a “demand for employees who can demonstrate high levels of ‘learnability,’ the desire and ability to quickly grow and adapt one’s skill set to remain employable throughout their working life,” writes Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
in
Harvard Business Review
. While organizations may ostensibly value a culture of learning, formal education structures are often lacking, leaving it up to individual employees to seek out opportunities for continued growth. The kind of learning that Chamorro-Premuzic advocates for in this article (learning that is organic, social, and embedded in relevant contexts) mirrors the environments that produce deep learning for students as well — and his recommendations align neatly with Mehta and Fine’s research (covered
in our April Blueprint
). And for schools considering how to reinvent, we wonder, what are the possibilities for expanding their impact to adult learners?
|
|
We think schools can be more creative and innovative when they look to other industries for insight. In his latest book,
financial futurist Brett King argues
that the banking industry has “always thought banking was different” and didn’t have to adapt to challenges facing other sectors (sound like schools?). But change is quickly coming, King claims, and the transformations might be led by non-traditional sources. For example, Uber launched a Visa debit card in 2018 so that it could more easily recruit drivers without bank accounts. Even though Uber didn’t want to be in the banking business, it nevertheless had to disrupt the banking industry in order to achieve its own goals. “Either banks remove friction,” King writes, “or someone else will.”
Schools might benefit from King’s vision for the future of banking, in which “friction” is reduced to the point where “banking functions become embedded within other industries." His thesis is echoed in Brandon Busteed’s predictions for higher education. Busteed, the President of Kaplan University Partners,
writes in
Forbes
that employers are increasingly embedding college degree program in their benefit package for employees. At companies such as Walmart, Discover, and Starbucks, employees can be hired straight out of high school, immediately start working, and earn a college degree along the way. Just as Uber disrupted banking despite not being a bank, these large employers are disrupting the higher education space in their quest to attract, retain, and develop their talent pool. In an era where high school graduates are facing the twin challenges of soaring tuition costs and the increased necessity of a college degree for employment purposes, this model may offer a sustainable pathway forward for many “worker-students” and fresh insights for organizations interested in cultivating "learnability" — schools included.
|
|
3. How to Speak "Freddish"
|
|
If you grew up watching Mr. Rogers on television, you can probably quote many of his most memorable sayings and songs from memory (“won’t you be my neighbor?”). It’s less likely that, as a child, you were closely attuned to how Rogers used language in more subtle ways — ways that can serve as excellent examples for speaking with children.
In the
Atlantic
, Maxwell King (former director of the Fred Rogers Center and current CEO of the Pittsburgh Foundation) outlines the specific ways in which Rogers made choices about communication that were developmentally-informed, educational, and inspiring. While King focuses on how Rogers’ approach was successful for an audience of young people, these principles might inform our communication strategies with listeners of all ages: clarity, respect, and a healthy mitigation of the dogmatic and didactic tendencies that we can so easily lean into. A wonderful checklist for educators as they consider the "how" and the "what" in their interactions with learners and each other.
|
|
In the
Atlantic, Columbia University president (and First Amendment scholar) Lee Bollinger rebuts the popular sentiment that free speech is (in President Trump’s words) “under siege” on college campuses. First, while many critics depict college students as intolerant of opposing viewpoints, researchers have found that college students are, in fact, more likely to favor an environment that might include views that offend them than the general U.S. adult population. Additionally, while college campuses may be sites in which students vocally debate where to draw the line between free expression and offensive speech, these exchanges should not be seen as inventions of the current student generation; rather, these questions have always been at the heart of the principles embedded in the First Amendment. Although Bollinger focuses his article on college campuses, these ideas are relevant for educational institutions serving learners of any age. Civil discourse and the free exchange of ideas are alive and well on campuses. Perhaps some training in "Freddish" would help to preserve this essential condition for learning.
|
|
Governance, Leadership, and Management
|
|
Some schools feel that strategy work is the domain of the board alone; in contrast, other institutions might view strategy as something that is designed and decided primarily by senior administrators. Roger L. Martin outlines the case for a third approach
in
Harvard Business Review
. For Martin, designing and deciding an organization’s strategic direction is an “iterative process” in which both leadership and board members work together to identify challenges, propose solutions, seek feedback from stakeholders, and make revisions. Martin’s advice aligns neatly with
our approach to strategic design
— and reminds us that boards contribute essential talent when they work in partnership with school leaders to design and execute an inclusive process. For more guidance on the role of the board and a constructive board/leadership partnership,
see our latest white paper on adaptive school boards
.
|
|
Summer is the perfect time for school leaders to start cultivating practices of mind and body that will serve as sustainable foundations for a successful school year.
In
Harvard Business Review
, Jackie Coleman and John Coleman outline key habits that can guide leaders through challenging moments. For the authors, engaging in personal and professional reflection, intentionally building and maintaining relationships, and taking time for one’s physical and mental health are all crucial practices. While these tips may seem like common sense, they can be difficult to sustain in the daily demands of school life. Summer is a time to build some muscle — and think deeply about how to practice these habits even when it gets busy again.
|
|
Subscribe to the Blueprint
|
|
If you're not already on our mailing list and you'd like to receive future editions of the Blueprint, click the button below to subscribe!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
