By Mary Coverdale, Executive Director of The Learner First, Australia. I work with courageous leaders. They have a profound sense of what’s right for their students and teachers—not just with regard to curriculum, but to the skills and dispositions that, when embedded in the classroom experience, can enrich the social and emotional “humanscape” of the […]
By Ellen Perconti, Superintendent of Goldendale School District in Washington State. The third-grade students were busy arranging and rearranging desks. They had just received news that the whole class could learn in the classroom together, after changes to Washington State’s distancing guidelines that shortened the acceptable distance between students from six feet to three feet. […]
This post is part of a continuing series by Ellen Perconti, superintendent of Goldendale School District in Washington State. Students’ success stems from system capability. Over the years, our education system has been built for low engagement, one-right-answer questions, a focus on completion, and compliance. These are the system values that breed “success” on […]
At first glance, it would be easy to see me as a poster child for our current education system. I have made a career of working in schools, and I am currently a principal of an elementary school in a high-performing school district considered one of (if not the) best in Missouri. I have worked […]
This is the third post in a continuing series by Ellen Perconti, Superintendent of Goldendale School District in Washington State. What is success? Over the last few months I’ve realized that this question is much more complex than it first appears. In education, we have children’s lives in our hands. As a system, how we define […]
This post by The Learner First’s Joanne McEachen and Matthew Kane was originally published by Getting Smart. Educational equity bears tremendous importance in traditional systems of learning. Everywhere, we dedicate significant time and resources, and in some cases even professional roles, to creating an equitable academic experience. Ideology cries out, “School should be fair!” […]
Ellen Perconti is the Superintendent of Goldendale School District in Washington State. For an introduction to Goldendale, see the first post in this series here. “You can’t give what you don’t have.” I’ve heard this quote multiple times in many different contexts. And, over time, I’ve come to realize how true it is. As […]
“While the previous industrial era demanded that nations provide one-size-fits-all mass education, the current digital revolution demands personalized, holistic education that will prepare humans to identify and develop their own talent, competencies and emotions . . .” – From “Education for Tomorrow’s World, Today” by Manjula Dissanayake and Dominic Regester Executive Team members Louka Parry […]
“12 years of doing what we’re told, as opposed to what we need, is detrimental to personal development, to the Mind, and, most importantly, to the Soul.” This is the message I hope stuck the most out of my speech at the Education Reimagined Symposium in Washington, D.C. in early 2019, because it still drives […]
From April 16-17, 2019, The Learner First will host the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) USA Cluster Deep Learning Lab in Redmond, Washington. The event will gather teachers and other education leaders from California, Michigan, Utah, Washington, Canada, and elsewhere around the sharing of learning and best practices, so that all students can learn […]