Blog Posts
The School Smile Quotient
March 22, 2022
Let’s measure success by smiles, not test scores. As a school leader, how do you measure the quality of your school? It’s an important question to reflect on—and often. Take a moment to think of two or three indicators that determine success in your building. In my experience, enthusiasm for learning is key. As a former principal and current leadership consultant, I frequently hear questions about school quality posed by […]
Multiple Intelligences Newsletter, Vol 31, No 4
February 12, 2022
Dear MI Advocates, Here’s a belated Happy 2022! Let’s hope that life is a bit more boring than it was in 2021. But things aren’t boring in education at all. Beyond the debates and inequities that the pandemic has caused, we are seeing a reconsideration of the role of standardized tests, at least in college admissions decisions. The headlines* yell significance: “Harvard Has Dropped Its SAT and ACT Admissions Requirements […]
Leading Your School as “Chief Empathy Officer”
January 20, 2022
Empathy sets exceptional leaders apart from pedestrian ones. Take a moment to identify the best school leaders you have worked with or encountered—hopefully, several come to mind—and list the qualities that made them so effective. What sets them apart from those perceived as just OK administrators? No doubt, these exceptional leaders are hard workers, knowledgeable about best practice, and focused on student and faculty growth. But in my experience, what […]
Multiple Intelligences Newsletter, Vol 31, No 3
December 15, 2021
Greetings MI Fans! I hope that things are going well for you – as well as possible in these Covid days. The last thing we should do is ignore this terrible disease, but the reality is that life goes on (thankfully!). So this issue of Intelligence Connections focuses on assessment. I begin with a video that looks at MI, SEL, and place. Thanks to the Michigan chapter of The Association […]
Embracing SEL for Success
November 18, 2021
Sometimes as school leaders we are so focused on making progress—improving student academics, streamlining workflow, and engaging professional development, etc.—that we neglect to pause and ask ourselves if we are charging up the right hill. Sure, schools have always been about academics, but the world is changing and we need to reexamine how our teaching impacts our students’ well-being and ability to build community above all else. The Questions We […]
Multiple Intelligences Newsletter, Vol 31, No 2
November 15, 2021
Greetings MI Fans! This issue of Intelligence Connections focuses on the Spatial Intelligence After reading Frames of Mind, my awareness of MI caused me to look more directly at the role that intelligences play in our lives. My focus on SEL and in identifying the Formative Five success skills comes directly from learning about and studying the personal intelligences. “Who you are is more important than what you know” reflects […]
Hey Principals, Let’s Show Some Gratitude
October 19, 2021
What offers great benefits at little cost? Gratitude, taking the time to express appreciation. I suspect this doesn’t surprise you. And yet, many people underestimate the power of gratitude. How recently have you taken the time to thank someone in writing, either in a personalized email or, better, in a handwritten note? When was the last time you truly thanked someone? And by “truly,” I mean more than giving a […]
Ending “Transactional” Teacher Observations
September 21, 2021
Teacher observations: As a school leader, you might see them as an opportunity to help teachers reflect on their pedagogy. We know observations can lead to important changes, but we cannot stop at focusing only on the lesson being taught. Observations should not be mere transactions, short visits that result in us sharing our judgments and handing out recommendations to teachers. Rather, they should be part of a transformational exchange […]
Multiple Intelligences Newsletter, Vol 31, No 1
September 1, 2021
Greetings MI Fans, Note: This issue has a small homework assignment! I hope that your school year has begun well and that you can sense your students’ smiles, queries, and frustrations through their masks. Just like a good performer, good teachers use their interpersonal intelligence to read their audiences and then adjust and modify their presentations based on what they discerned. Good teaching is always an interaction. No surprise, this […]
Decluttering the Teacher-Centric Classroom
August 1, 2021
Classroom spaces should tell us about our students, who they are, and what they value. The building was bursting with energy: Empty boxes and welcome banners filled the halls. Teachers were creating and mounting bulletin boards, unpacking boxes and assembling learning materials, and decorating their classroom doors. I still remember how each year our faculty worked late into the night preparing for opening day. And sure enough, when students arrived […]