Let me reiterate what has been said countless times. Leadership matters. This is especially true in schools and school districts where so much is at stake and where nearly everyone has an opinion about how schools should be run. Let me also reiterate my continued support for the dedicated and kindred spirits who each day stare down the awesome challenges of leadership in today’s public schools. They are heroes all. Still, despite our best efforts, academic progress in our schools is slow and we must own that. Blaming our shortcomings on politicians or public policy is not bold and is not leadership. Blaming teachers is cowardly, blaming parents naïve. What did Gandhi tell us?  “We must be the change we wish to see in the…

INTRODUCTORY POST / A BLOG PROLOGUE: It is my hope that this blog will reveal itself to you and me in a delicate and deliberate manner, not immediately nor efficiently but slowly and over many months, beginning with this introductory post. I wish for both of us that its themes and practicalities emerge not in any way like an unremarkable first date arranged via a sultry online service but more like a good and lasting friendship that over many months evolves into a meaningful and enduring romance, made richer through intimate discourse and amorous stares as well as through the enduring understandings that can only be found through honesty, thoughtfulness, humility and grace. At its core, this is a blog about schools and the great…