Profile of a Principal in Liminal Times

By Mary Coverdale, Director of The Learner First, Australia. It’s becoming common to use the anthropological term “liminal” to describe the period of time we are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. It means the space and time between…

Time's Up For Domestic and Family Violence

By Kym Amor, Foundation Principal, Foxwell State Secondary College. Originally published by Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP). The morning of 19 February 2020 is a day I will never forget. Sitting in my office with…

The First 125 Hours

Late January 2020 saw the final countdown to the opening of the newest State Secondary College for the Gold Coast region of Australia, Foxwell State Secondary College. It had been a nine-month journey since my appointment as principal when I…

Thanks for All You Do

By Mary Coverdale, Director of The Learner First, Australia. As we celebrate Anzac Day here in Australia, I pay tribute to the army of educators who have become first responders in this time of COVID-19. Their ability to adjust and adapt to…

From Mission to Practice (Part 1): Change the Game

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…

Success in School vs. Success in Life: An Action Plan to Bridge the Gap

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…

A Contribution Solution

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…

Continuing the Well-Being Journey: You Can't Give What You Don't Have

  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…

Setting out on the Journey to System-Wide Wellbeing

Goldendale School District is a district of three schools (one primary, one middle, and one high school) and 920 students located in Washington State. To help kick off the 2019-20 school year, teachers and other school- and district-level staff…

My Learning Desire

“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…