By James Wickenden and Jennifer Fleischer, Talent Consultant at DRG Talent Advisory Group
Making predictions is always risky because the chances of being wrong are greater than the chances of today’s Congress working together harmoniously and productively. Nonetheless, both our government and we are willing to try. In so doing, we are relying on our collective past experiences to give us a few ideas about the future.
In total, we have worked in schools and with schools for over 70 school years. From the classroom to the board room, and from the thickest of the weeds to the 30,000-foot views, we have seen schools and their stakeholders manage goals, initiatives, fads, lasting change, and crises throughout this time. We’ve had the opportunity to partner, consult, learn, and advise with school people at all levels. The major issues schools wrestled with during the early 2000s are quite different from the issues that are now confronting the leaders of both public and independent schools.
For example, in the early 2000s, the following issues were frequently discussed by trustees, Heads of School, and teachers:
- Developing 21st Century Skills; Developing character;
- Linking pedagogy to brain research on how students learn;
- Using…