All AboutFor Leaders

Thoughts for administrators, directors, coaches, and other leaders of gifted and talented programs.

A Leader’s Job Isn’t Giving Presentations

If I were advising folks who are new to a leadership position in education, I'd give one piece of advice.

Are you ignoring the most cost-effective feedback about your program's effectiveness? Talk to some past students!

I didn't learn by listening to speakers or reading books or going to conferences or by scrolling through lists of resources.

Endless 100%s tell us one thing: we are aiming too low.

If you’re hearing these phrases around the school, you are certainly alienating the parents of your most advanced students.

Any whole-group talk should either lead into a classroom demonstration or debrief a classroom demonstration.

Does your PD solve a problem? Or does it just give more information?

I was a very popular speaker, but then someone pointed out my big flaw.

You cannot make decisions by looking at a spreadsheet.

The message from teachers is pretty darn clear! They don’t need yet another differentiation framework.

I once sat through a keynote presentation that told me, “Everyone should code.” I will never go to another conference again!

Imagine a restaurant with one goal: “Pass The Health Inspection!”
Imagine a school with one goal: “Meet Grade Level Standards!”

If you haven’t taken the time to clearly define your problem, you will chase your tail adding more and more onto teachers’ plates.