Leadership

Over the course of this past year, we have continued to witness the innovative and compassionate response of educators across the nation as they continue to accommodate the educational and social needs of their student populations.

Tue Dec 05 07:54 AM

Happy Thanksgiving from The Akribos Group! May the holiday bring you good things in abundance that stay with you all year long!

Wed Nov 22 07:37 AM

We are living through an inflection point— a wake-up call, a call that has the potential to bring about a fundamental reordering and rebuilding of the entire education system. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is reasonable to expect that all children should have free access to a system of learning that is grounded in the latest research for how human beings learn, grow, and thrive, and one that mirrors, honors, and nurtures all children. It is also reasonable to expect that all adults within that system of learning are provided the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive as the mission driven professionals they are.

Tue Nov 07 12:52 PM

While I love to celebrate the successes attained by the students, staff, and schools that I work with as a consultant, part of my job is to focus on the “half-empty” glasses, facilitating the processes needed to “fill them to the top.”

Tue Sep 26 09:21 AM

As we get ready for the new school year, I want to share this with you in case you did not see it at the beginning of summer. I won’t re-state my argument here; just click through to this article that I published in June via Next Gen Learning Challenge. The big question that I hope you will ponder: Might it be time to refresh education around a taxonomy that addresses today’s hurdles and biggest learning challenges? Should we not retire what was, in essence, the taxonomy of the Industrial Age learning imperatives... With one that addresses the realities of today and tomorrow?

Mon Aug 28 08:08 PM

The Alabama School Grant Consortia Program is a partnership between the Alabama Association of School Boards, the Winning Grants Institute, and The University of Alabama Center for Community-Based Partnerships. The program is based on a concept model that has demonstrated highly successful outcomes in a multiyear delivery system. The program facilitator is David G. Bauer, acclaimed author and grants trainer.

Tue Aug 15 09:41 AM

A key takeaway from Wisdom Road is not a surprise: America has seen a dramatic loss of civil discourse in the last decade. The skills and practice of civility itself have become endangered by a toxic stew of political, social, and opinion-masquerading-as-news media. I believe that the very foundations of our democratic society are rooted in civility. Without the ability to be human with each other, not through digital interfaces, but face-to-face with others with whom we may have significant disagreements, the system is destined to fail.

Tue Jul 18 08:35 AM

Giving USA 2023: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2022 has just been released and the latest data on charitable giving is exciting. It is important that school districts throughout Alabama know these grant facts so that they can develop successful strategies to tap these remarkable sources of funds that never need to be repaid. Alabama school districts need to rid themselves of the notion that grant seeking is too much work and that failure is a given no matter what.

Tue Jun 27 08:32 AM

The Akribos Group is pleased to announce that Dr. Amy D McFarland has joined our team of Professional Associates. Dr. McFarland received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Washington State University and holds a Master of Arts in teaching and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Puget Sound.

Tue Jun 13 08:42 AM

By: Julie Jungalwala (formerly Wilson), Recognized Thought Leader and Akribos Guest Contributor The summer professional development season is upon us and I have been enjoying working with several schools as they continue the work of translating their pedagogical and curricular vision into reality. A key part of this work is deciding on the work to be done - all while holding it lightly and with a spirit of iteration. During these conversations, we typically add things to be done - very rarely do we discuss what we might stop doing. A helpful exercise I often facilitate is called KEEP/STOP/ START. Try it with yourself and your team and commit to the changes that emerge :)

Tue May 09 08:51 AM

You’re still celebrating being named to a new leadership role in your district and you’re ready to get to work and move your school(s) forward … now is the time to consider your strengths and weaknesses carefully and to introspectively analyze your leadership style.

Tue Apr 18 09:03 AM

Grant dollars have always been available for K-12, but I would submit that we are seeing a record amount of grant dollars being announced by multiple funding sources. What problem or challenge would you solve if you had the money? Those funds are likely available in the form of a grant.

Wed Apr 05 09:29 AM

Team building is an essential component in industry and in education. Teams offer a systematic structure to address prevent and solve many of the problems we face in education today that are too difficult for one person or one group to solve.

Tue Mar 21 12:05 PM

A flashback from Dr. Kevin Elko, Guest Contributor

Tue Feb 28 08:15 AM

School districts around the nation are faced with the challenge of finding sufficient qualified staff to fill all the positions needed to serve students with disabilities well; therefore, staffing must be strategic and data-driven in order to deliver needed services effectively and efficiently. Additionally, staffing represents the largest portion of any school district’s budget therefore determining staffing needs is a critical function in any school district. The level of service students with disabilities need should be the driver for special education staffing and NOT the programs available. Service needs are determined by IEP teams and measured by minutes of service needed for students to make progress toward meeting their IEP goals. It is important that district leaders have a means to extract total minutes of service, as determined in student IEPs, per school in order to determine campus staffing needs and to ensure student IEPs are implemented with fidelity.

Tue Feb 14 08:06 AM

For more than two decades, forward-leaning educators have focused on a set of skills that for some reason all started with the letter “C”: creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, etc. I want to add another “C” to that list, one, I would argue, that will be more important to the world going forward than all the rest. Civility. If we don’t get this one right, we may not have a framework in which the others will bear fruit.

Tue Jan 31 08:30 AM

In our world of uncertainty, especially for superintendents, there is one thing we can rely on: it is not a matter of if a crisis will occur, but when. A recent stint as an interim superintendent served as a reminder that the job has a unique set of challenges and adequate preparation is essential.

Tue Jan 17 07:55 AM

Over the course of this past year, we have continued to witness the innovative and compassionate response of educators across the nation as they continue to accommodate the educational and social needs of their student populations.

Tue Dec 06 09:44 AM

May the holiday bring you good things in abundance and may your blessings be multiplied this year. Happy Thanksgiving from The Akribos Group!

Tue Nov 22 07:56 AM

By: Faron L. Hollinger Ed.D.

Tue Nov 08 07:03 AM