Webinar: The Aerodynamics of Exceptional Schools

November 8, 2022
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Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy  

In any school, just as in air travel, four forces work to affect our progress: lift, the tools we select to meet student needs; thrust, the energy and enthusiasm we put into improving our practice; weight, the raw materials we have to work with—socioeconomics, budget constraints, student readiness; and drag, the resistance to change from colleagues, students, and parents.   

We come together at events and conferences to improve our lift by discovering new technologies and practices. But our excitement can be dampened when we meet the forces of weight and drag that await us in our schools. What's missing is thrust: We know what it's going to take to improve our schools, but we have to get better at convincing other stakeholders to get on board. Lessons from change management theory and advice from teachers who have been there will give us the tools we need to encourage our colleagues, get buy-in from students and parents, and make our schools truly exceptional.