Giving Compass' Take:

• Frederick Hess at Education Next shares several lessons learned from educators who have challenges with teaching and want to improve their schools 

• How can philanthropy help develop better understanding of the relationship between students and teachers?

• Learn about how to create a collaborative classroom. 

Over the decades, I’ve been struck at how often advice for school leaders is heavy on banalities and light on specifics. Anyway, when Kristyn Klei Borrero, a former principal and assistant super and now CEO of the professional development outfit CT3, reached out to see if I’d be interested in having her pen something on what she’d learned as a school and system leader, I said I’d be up for a piece which offered some concrete lessons learned. This is what she sent along and I thought it worth sharing. I’d welcome your thoughts and reactions.

I spent more than a decade leading turnaround initiatives for underperforming schools in Oakland and East Palo Alto, California. While I had a lot of formal education under my belt, there were many things I needed to learn to support my team. I hope the list below will help leaders avoid some common pitfalls.

  • Challenge: Prioritizing likability over mindset
  • Solution: Hire for a growth mindset

When interviewing candidates, leaders often fall for extroverted candidates who interview well, rather than looking past likability to determine a candidate’s mindset. While personality could be important, it is more important to hire candidates who want to grow, can take feedback, and who have ambition to learn.

Read the full article about teaching challenges by Frederick Hess at Education Next.