“Directors Should Support the CEO, But There Are Times to Be ‘Very Curious’,” by Adam Bryant, on LinkedIn

“In general, the CEO has to receive support from the board. The worst thing that can happen in a company is if the CEO is constantly looking over his or her shoulder and worrying about the board, as opposed to worrying about innovation and competition outside. Board members have to, by their very nature, be very supportive of the CEO and try to help the CEO succeed in their mission. […]

“You also have to know when to check your ego at the door. Some board members get very excited about moving into a certain market or they’ll get excited by the news about a competitor doing something or a politician making big noises about an issue. You can’t overreact and start taking up a lot of air time on narrow items.”

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Replace “CEO” with “Head of School” or “President” or “Executive Director,” and this interview contains a wealth of insights for school board members.

One particular gem: Bryant asks what makes for a great board chair:

“The first thing is to have a strong relationship based on trust with the CEO and with the CFO. It’s more like a triangular relationship because the CFO knows a lot about what’s happening in the company.”

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“Four Practical Steps to Deepen School & Community Connections,” by Monica Martinez, on XQ’s Medium page

“Some schools redefine where teaching and learning happens by co-founding or co-locating their school with community partner. Both Grand Rapids Public Museum High School in Michigan and Crosstown High School in Tennessee were founded in partnership with local institutions or organizations.”

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Innovation comes from creative connections and creative collisions.

You can design for those connections and collisions.

What’s stopping you?

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“You weren't born just to be ‘useful,’ Irish president tells students,” by Mike Colagrossi, on BigThink

“While attending the Irish Young Philosopher Awards 2019, the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, had some choice words for the burgeoning young students. Higgins cautioned against getting an education with the intent of being ‘made useful’ economically speaking:

‘Talk of a “knowledge society” and the demand to enable our young people to meet its needs has... come to dominate our view as the ultimate aim of a secondary school education. We need to be careful.’

“Higgins spoke of the the idea that ‘too many policy lobbyists have, often unknowingly, unthinkingly perhaps, accepted a narrow and utilitarian view of... education — one that suggests we exist to be made useful — which leads to a great loss of the capacity to critically evaluate, question, and challenge.’”

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

What is school for?

How might we rank order those priorities?

How might that rank ordering affect the way we design learning?

The consequences will reverberate across not just the few years that kids are in school, but in the many more decades they contribute to the world after they graduate.

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Question of the week:

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