Blog Posts
Multiple Intelligences Newsletter, Vol 32, No 1
September 20, 2022
Greetings Fans of Multiple Intelligences, I hope that your school year has begun on a positive note. Covid hasn’t gone away but life seems getting back to normal in schools. However – and it’s a big however – our students’ scholastic progress slowed during Covid, and many educators have told me that there is a corresponding loss in students’ personal intelligences, their ability to manage themselves and relate to others. […]
Why Surveys Are a Key School Leadership Tool
August 26, 2022
If you want feedback, you have to ask for it. Principals, how effective was your back-to-school preservice this year? Did teachers gain knowledge and learn new skills? Sure, everyone enjoyed the donuts in the teachers’ lounge, but how did people feel about the professional development sessions that were offered? Were they effective? Did they meet teachers’ needs? The past couple of years have been especially tough for educators, and I […]
Podcast: No Silly Questions
July 3, 2022
What does it mean to be intelligent? On No Silly Questions – An Education Podcast for Parents, Tom explains that there are many other smarts, beyond the classic book smarts and street smarts. And enormous possibility can exist for kids when we recognize their unique aptitudes, in school and at home. Hopefully this episode expands the perception of what it means to be quote – “good at school.” Listen […]
Multiple Intelligences Newsletter, Vol 31, No 5
May 9, 2022
Greetings MI Fans, Spring has finally sprung in this section of the Northern Hemisphere (MO) and it feels good to be able to use the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence outside. It’s not nearly as much fun to walk on a treadmill as to be outside. That said, years ago Howard Gardner convened the group of us who had written for his book, MI Around the World, and an educator from Norway talked […]
Is Teacher Appreciation Week Really a Good Idea?
May 3, 2022
Let’s appreciate and recognize our teachers throughout the school year. When I was a principal, I lived close to the school that I led and often saw students’ caregivers at the grocery store, gas station, and local park. It was always a treat to run into them because, very often, they would smile and say, “Tom, we just love New City School.” Hearing those comments about my school made my […]
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 […]