Leadership at the Center Archives

12 09, 2022

Bringing a Coaching Stance To the Design of Your Meetings

Bridget Nahabedian2022-09-12T16:06:59+00:00September 12, 2022|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Bringing a Coaching Stance To the Design of Your Meetings

In an article published in the MIT Sloan Management Review, Steven Rogelberg, Cliff Scott, and John Kello analyzed how much time American workers spend in meetings and how valuable they find such meetings. According to their research, the average American worker spends six hours weekly in meetings. These same studies suggest that managers and senior managers spend far more, participating in as many as 23 hours of meetings per week. There is limited research on how much time educators spend
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27 06, 2022

Bouncing Around Between My Ears: Big Ideas Borrowed From Others

Bridget Nahabedian2022-06-27T02:10:54+00:00June 27, 2022|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Bouncing Around Between My Ears: Big Ideas Borrowed From Others

This year I am celebrating thirty years as an educational professional. Perhaps my age makes me prone to nostalgia, but lately, I find myself reflecting on the numerous thought leaders, scholars, colleagues, family members, and friends who have influenced my thinking and my work. On a daily basis, I draw upon the lessons of others, mapping their words and ideas against new situations and novel dilemmas. Inevitably, their wisdom clarifies and illuminates. What follows is an initial list of the
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18 10, 2021

In Partnership of Your Vision

Bridget Nahabedian2021-10-21T23:32:12+00:00October 18, 2021|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on In Partnership of Your Vision

Over the last eighteen months, I have logged long hours observing and working closely with numerous school district leaders. In the early months, my first impression was sincere appreciation--appreciation for stress, the hours logged, the unanticipated challenges of COVID, and the constant uncertainty. My appreciation and admiration remain. In addition, I’ve also had the luxury of watching a smaller group of district leaders do more than meet the challenges of the moment. They are advancing a bold vision of what
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26 05, 2021

In Honor of Dudley Williams, Model of Public Service

Bridget Nahabedian2021-10-19T18:55:49+00:00May 26, 2021|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on In Honor of Dudley Williams, Model of Public Service

On May 21, 2021, Dudley Williams, Board Chair of the CT Center for School Change, died after a long battle with cancer. Dudley was a consummate leader, guiding the Center's board with grace, seriousness, humor, and vision. Under his leadership, the Center transitioned between two Executive Directors, expanded its reach, and deepened its impact. It is an understatement to note that Dudley was respected and beloved by his fellow board members and Center staff. Beyond the Center, Williams was CEO
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22 03, 2021

Stand with the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community

Bridget Nahabedian2021-10-19T18:35:05+00:00March 22, 2021|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Stand with the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community

Last Tuesday, eight people lost their lives in three Atlanta-area shootings. The victims’ names are Delania Ashley Yaun, Hyun Jung Grant, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng. Six of the victims were of Asian descent. This mass murder has captured media coverage, but violence and harassment of Asian Americans is not new. According to the Stop AAPI Hate Project, 3,800 anti-Asian bias incidents were documented between March 19, 2020 and
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1 03, 2021

Looking Beyond the Pandemic

Bridget Nahabedian2021-09-24T18:57:37+00:00March 1, 2021|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Looking Beyond the Pandemic

Events of the last year have many of us contemplating the future of public education. This is both healthy and necessary. A year into the pandemic, we’ve learned much about both technology and the centrality of schools in the lives of young people. But “returning to school” or “embracing instructional technology” in a post-COVID world is a rather limiting frame for considering our work ahead. Before and through the pandemic, myriad and related forces were launched or rapidly gained steam,
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18 02, 2021

Thank you, Richard, for everything.

Bridget Nahabedian2021-09-24T18:57:56+00:00February 18, 2021|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Thank you, Richard, for everything.

In Memoriam: Richard F. Elmore (1953-2021) Last Wednesday, the field of education lost one of its most energetic champions as well as one of its most insightful and constructive critics. Richard F. Elmore, retired professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, passed away last week, leaving behind a rich and lasting legacy. Among his many contributions to the field is one that is rather immediate for some of us in Connecticut. Two decades ago, he accepted an invitation from
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3 06, 2020

Making Sense of It All

Bridget Nahabedian2021-09-27T12:48:17+00:00June 3, 2020|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Making Sense of It All

It is June 3, 2020. Days into protests across the nation and world, human beings are angry, confused, frustrated, and in pain.[i] Today I sat down to pen a statement on behalf of CT Center for School Change, but I struggled. During the last several days, I’ve used writing as a source of sense-making, a way of puzzling through my thoughts and feelings. Writing has proven useful, though difficult. My thoughts are jumbled. My feelings are in flux. So instead
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28 04, 2020

Myths of the Pandemic: Education and Schooling in the Context of COVID-19

Bridget Nahabedian2021-09-27T12:54:42+00:00April 28, 2020|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Myths of the Pandemic: Education and Schooling in the Context of COVID-19

Over the last several weeks, I’ve partnered with numerous districts, schools and leadership networks. I’ve watched and listened carefully as they make sense of the pandemic and its impact on schooling. And as the father of two teenagers, I’ve watched my own district plan and re-plan how they will best meet student needs in a distance learning reality. Simultaneously, I’ve watched the media, community members, and pundits discuss the pandemic’s impact on schools. As I’ve listened, I’ve heard and reheard
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27 03, 2020

Leading Distance Learning: Lessons from Virtual Principals and Research

Bridget Nahabedian2021-09-27T12:55:32+00:00March 27, 2020|Leadership at the Center|Comments Off on Leading Distance Learning: Lessons from Virtual Principals and Research

School leadership matters, and though it can come from different sources and be distributed across the organization, we know that school administrators are essential for creating a school vision, supporting high-quality teaching and learning, developing educator capacity, fostering a strong culture, and driving improvement. Over the past few decades, thousands of articles and books have been written on the essential elements and practices of effective instructional leadership. And, seemingly overnight, the context of all that research changed. The old reality
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