The guests are NAIS President Donna Orem and Michael B. Horn, celebrated author and speaker on the future of education, who talk about redesigning the purpose and future of schools, collaborations between K-12 and higher education, and creating a culture of well-being in school communities.
Use these prompts to spark discussions with your leadership teams. (You can also read the full episode notes here.)
Key Takeaways
Michael talks about “designing with the end in mind” and exploring the purpose of schooling. In his Forbes article, he says: “I’d argue that the goal at a high level is producing students who are prepared to maximize their human potential, build their passions and lead choice-filled lives, participate civically in a vibrant democracy, contribute meaningfully to the world and the economy, and understand that people can see things differently—and that those differences merit respect rather than persecution.”He later goes on to discuss the five domains that support a school’s central purpose and priorities: content knowledge, skills, habits of success, real world skills and social capital, and health and wellness.
- How do you define the purpose of your school?
- Is that purpose known and understood by the full community?
- How might you more clearly articulate it and weave it into to more communication?
- What gives you hope?
- Where does hope show up in your communication to your school community? In your opening messages to students? Faculty? And the board?