EXPLO Elevate shares good ideas, practices, and wisdom to help schools and their communities flourish.
Dear Friend,
This is shaping up to be one interesting and historic summer. An attempted assassination on a presidential candidate. A sitting president deciding not to run. A woman at the top of the Democratic ticket. The future is uncertain, and as always, we are left with the fact that education – in its broadest form – is the only protection and path forward for our communities and our nation.
A Call For Civility
The topic of civility has been on my mind for several election cycles and indeed it was the topic of several of my opening of school letters during my times as an upper school head and head of school. As a school leader, I never felt inclined to support one party over another or one candidate over another publicly. However, I did feel called to assert that we must seek a higher bar for discourse in our country. The education of our nation’s children is the musculature of our democracy, and the example adults set for the education of our children is arguably its first pillar. It is an understatement to say we have been setting a poor cultural standard on this front.
Introducing Early Early College Admission, UChicago Style
As if early decision wasn’t creating enough stress in the world of college admissions, we now have early, early decision. The University of Chicago has quietly announced its new Summer Student Early Notification (SSEN) program. Students who have attended a University of Chicago summer program are eligible to apply through SSEN by October 15, 2024. They will receive a decision within three weeks. Through a work around on the Common Application, if a student is denied through SSEN, they can still apply Early Decision to another college or university.
As early as grade 9, students can work on boosting their chances of admission to UChicago by attending a UChicago summer program. I expect other colleges and universities will follow suit. It’s a great way for institutions to bolster pre-college summer enrollment and its attendant revenue, which has been on a downward slide. Plus, because it’s binding, early early decision will likely drive up yield, which then helps college rankings and bond ratings.
But what is good for colleges and universities is not necessarily good for students and families. I’m afraid the SSEN program simply adds to the ongoing and expanding insanity of the college admissions process.
Advice from Students
Over the last two weeks, I have interviewed 20 students in grades 4 through 12 from around the globe about what makes for engaging learning, their views on school, and what they wished their school leaders and teachers understood. These were all students who go to good or excellent schools and they themselves are strong students. Whether the student was in grade 4 or 11, from New Jersey or Japan, enrolled in public or independent school, several themes emerged over and over again.
They are generally bored in school. Many stick with their studies because they feel they need to because it is what is expected of them and for older students because they want to matriculate at a good college or university. But in the main, they are generally not excited about school. Too many worksheets, little relevance to the real world, and not nearly enough experiential learning. They want more choice and voice, they want to know that what they think and do matters, and they want more freedom to try new things, experiment, and fail without having to worry that stumbling will result in a poor grade. They would like their teachers to exhibit more of a sense of humor and to appreciate that there is a role for play in school and not just on the playground.
What would your students say about your school?
Building High Quality Role Plays
I’m lucky that over the years we’ve built a strong and creative curriculum development team. One tried and true method we like to use is the role play. (One caveat: all role plays are not created equal. Students sniff out poor ones very quickly. There is an art and science to writing good ones.)
Role plays are an excellent way for students to put on the mantle of being someone else as they work through an issue or problem in a playful and engaging way. Students are often willing to take risks they otherwise would not, speak up when they otherwise might not, and discover unknown strengths as the scenario unfolds. We’ve become experts over the years at writing these narrative driven role plays for everything from international relations, to medicine, to archaeology, as well as math, chemistry, and robotics, to name a few. Even though we have quite a team, and we play off each other as we create narratives, we nonetheless jumped at generative AI for an assist. Here’s a good article from Ethan Mollick and Lilach Mollick to get you started.
Grow Their Independence, Reduce Their Anxiety
The latest issue of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders contains a novel independence intervention to treat child anxiety. It involves having kids do daily independence activities, which leads to less anxiety and avoidance in just five sessions. This is a simple, effective, low cost intervention that can be done at home and involves parents.
Introducing Our New Senior Advisor, Dr. Karl Haden
When faced with adversity and challenges, a strong character can guide us as we walk through difficult terrain. Helping communities – adults and students – build character is something Dr. Karl Haden has been doing for decades. I’m thrilled Karl is joining EXPLO Elevate as a senior advisor. He is collaborating with us on designing programming on character education and charter-based leadership. Karl is the author of The 9 Virtues of Exceptional Leaders and 31 Days with the Virtues and more than 80 articles in educational policy and ethics.
It’s a busy summer for us working with schools in Florida, California, Massachusetts, China, and South Carolina. Our fall is filling with governance retreats, strategic planning, new program development, and coaching. If you have needs, please reach out.
Navigating Alternative Educational Programs
Every school leader should be aware that parents are increasingly seeking out alternative educational options. With the growth of educational savings accounts, as well as Navigators, engaging with alternative educational providers becomes easier for more and more families. Here’s the latest from EXPLO Elevate’s strategic partner, Tyton.
Tyton Partners recently released Part 3 of their Choose to Learn 2024 initiative, "A Breakthrough in K-12 Parent Navigation". This installment examines "Navigators," organizations that help parents find alternative educational options. The report reveals that to meet parent needs effectively, Navigators must blend a variety of products, tools, and services while also achieving financial sustainability. Tyton Partners identifies eight key attributes that define high-impact Navigators, providing a comprehensive blueprint for new and existing Navigators in a high-demand market. Tyton Partners concludes by calling for sustainable Navigator models to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all K-12 learners.
Decades Later, The Story of Mr. Largo and the Hot Dog is Still Being Told
Long, long before children were belting out “Let It Go” from Frozen, a bunch of 5th graders studying circuits chanted, "Let it Go" to a new young teacher. He did and the result was a genuine explosion.
Wishing you all the best in these remaining days of summer.
And as always, thanks for reading.
Moira
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