Sunday, April 8, 2012

We're All in this Together - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

We're All in this Together - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators:


We're All in this Together

The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, Massachusetts form a regional school system where the two towns each fund their own K-8 programs and then jointly finance the cost of Algonquin Regional High School. Imagine the possibilities for conflicts of interest as each town provides public education at taxpayer expense. During my tenure there as Director of Technology there were ongoing complex challenges working jointly with the two municipalities. The binding golden rule that keeps this excellent school system moving forward is championed by its excellent Superintendent, Dr. Charles Gobron, “We’re all in this together!”

Whether the district leadership team is working across the budgets of the two towns or aligning curriculum and instruction K-12, Dr. Gobron’s credo helps to keep the team vision on unity and common ground. Yes people tend to protect their own turf. Of course there are pedagogical disagreements. Like on any leadership team, there are personalities and agendas that do not always mix well. But through it all, the focus always comes back to what is best for the common