Part 6: Leading in a Time of Crisis – a Conversation with Superintendent Dr. David Schuler
“I knew that we would be focusing our remote learning plans on the academic side of things, but I was very, very concerned about the social emotional and mental health of our students during the social isolation time. And so we spent a lot of time and effort just focusing on how we could ensure the connectedness between and across our students and staff during these challenging times.”
Today on Getting Unstuck
Most of us are living in an unprecedented time. Not since World War II, have we experienced something that can literally impact every person on the planet. Getting through the COVID-19 pandemic is taking incredible resources and resourcefulness. It is also forcing us to look at one another and work with one another differently. And one place of work where that is extremely evident is in schools, here in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K..
What follows is one conversation in a series of conversations we’re having with educators across the country on how they are leading their schools in this time of crisis. Because these educators are extremely busy helping their schools and communities to pivot, we’ve intentionally limited these conversations to 15 minutes.
It’s our hope that these conversations will provide nuggets of solid advice and emotional support to other educators on the front lines of change.
Superintendent, Dr. David Schuler
In this episode we hear from:
Dr. David Schuler, Superintendent of High School District 214
Arlington Heights, IL
Listen for:
Beyond coordinating the logistics of online instruction, the work is all about
Providing social and emotional support to students, faculty and staff, and the community.
Managing the district’s content expectations for the rest of the year, and why it’s critically important to start planning for the first quarter of next year.
Leveraging local government and businesses, and supporting the community’s first responders.
Encouraging experimentation and allowing people to fail.
“As educational leaders, this is our time to step up. There are few people in a community that have a greater impact on families than principals and school superintendents. It is our obligation and our awesome opportunity to walk people through this and give them the confidence that we will get out on the other side of this in a positive way.”
Could a book on how to lead change in schools be more timely?
We’re pleased to announce …
…that our book Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change is now available from Corwin Press or Amazon. If you purchase from Amazon, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Thank you!
From our publisher:
In Shifting, educators and leadership experts Kirsten Richert, Jeff Ikler and Margaret Zacchei empower educational change leaders to proactively and coherently navigate complex change in schools to achieve the desired outcomes. Using a three-part framework—Assess, Ready, Change—this book leads educators to examine a school’s imperatives and readiness for change, identity the tools and abilities required to manifest change, and take action by defining the roles and processes necessary to effectively implement both sweeping change and smaller day-to-day adjustments.