Guest Post: Guiding Principals - How to Recognize Innovative Leaders
EWA's 66th National Seminar was recently held at Stanford University, and we asked some of the education reporters attending to contribute blog posts from the sessions, including one examining President Obama's universal preschool proposal. Today's guest blogger is Hattie Brown Garrow of the Virginian-Pilot. Stream any session from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes. For more on school leadership and governance, visit EWA's Story Starters online resource.
Want to know whether a school is truly innovative?
Talk to the students. Are they able to reflect on what they’re learning? Or do they simply say what they’re doing? Observe group work closely. Students must work together for an assignment to truly be collaborative. The “divide and conquer” strategy doesn’t foster deep learning.
And if every student project looks the same, that’s not innovation.
That’s the advice of Michelle Spencer, principal at New Technology High in Napa,
Want to know whether a school is truly innovative?
Talk to the students. Are they able to reflect on what they’re learning? Or do they simply say what they’re doing? Observe group work closely. Students must work together for an assignment to truly be collaborative. The “divide and conquer” strategy doesn’t foster deep learning.
And if every student project looks the same, that’s not innovation.
That’s the advice of Michelle Spencer, principal at New Technology High in Napa,