Purposeful obfuscation, head in the sand, or fear?
by thenotebook on Jan 10 2014 Posted in Commentary
by James H. Lytle
On Monday, Jan. 13 the School Reform Commission is scheduled to discuss a universal application and enrollment process that would begin next fall. Yes, this is an important matter deserving of public, parent, and student attention. But why is the commission devoting its January meeting to this topic when so many larger ones remain unresolved?I think there is an explanation, but not a comfortable one. Our elected and appointed leaders – the governor, the mayor, City Council, the SRC, the superintendent – are approaching the School District’s dilemmas as what psychiatrist and leadership guru Ron Heifetz calls “technical problems,” problems that can be solved by applying current know-how. In Heifetz’ view, people expect those in charge to know what to do, and those in charge think that leading means accepting responsibility for solving the problems.
But the complexity of the District’s problems might better be considered as what Heifetz calls “adaptive challenges,” those that “require experiments, new discoveries, and adjustments from numerous places in the organization or community.” Heifetz argues, in his book Leadership on the Line, that “Without learning new ways – changing attitudes, values, and behaviors – people cannot make the adaptive leap necessary to thrive in [a] new environment. The
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Monday's SRC meeting to address possibility of universal enrollment
by Bill Hangley Jr. When the School Reform Commission meets Monday for its monthly public strategy session, its goal will be to discuss the pros and cons of an unprecedented proposal: unifying the enrollment process for Philadelphia’s public, charter, and parochial schools. But behind the scenes, a lengthy process involving a working group that included multiple stakeholders appears to have create
Notes from the news, Jan. 10
Federal jury acquits Brown on 6 counts, deadlocks on 54. Inquirer Feds to retry Philly charter school founder after jury deadlocks on most charges. NewsWorks Philly schools can't afford to cut more programs, credit agency warns. Inquirer One year later: West Philly High School sale still pending. City Paper How to discipline students without turning school into a prison. Atlantic Yes, schools can