principals

Competency-Based Education

Living the Portrait Together: The Power of Parallel Pedagogy

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Jun 1, 2026

Equity & Access

How System Leaders Can Intentionally Design to Build Math Identity

Guest Author

May 26, 2026

Smart Teachers

Kinds of Thinking (& Prompts for More Thinking)

Guest Author

May 7, 2026

Ed Policy

The Quiet Quitting Principal: What Districts Can Do to Re-Engage School Leadership

Guest Author

Apr 28, 2026

Two business professionals walking forward together on a path disappearing into fog, viewed from above.

Leadership

Leadership is A Human Act: Stewarding Transformation Through the Fog

Guest Author

Mar 24, 2026

Diverse teens collaborating on an architectural blueprint outdoors, sketching and reviewing plans together

Learning Design

Centering Learners by Design: Shaping the Future of Education

Katie Martin, Devin Vodicka

Oct 3, 2024

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This podcast highlights developing trends in K-12 education, postsecondary and lifelong learning. Each week, Getting Smart team members interview students, leading authors, experts and practitioners in research, tech, entrepreneurship and leadership to bring listeners innovative and actionable strategies in education leadership.

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Educators reviewing colorful sticky notes on a glass wall during a collaborative educational transformation workshop

Leadership

Charting a Course for Educational Transformation: The Power of Aligned Portraits

Rebecca Midles

Sep 28, 2023

This blog dives into the transformative journey of educational leaders, anchored by four dynamic portraits: the Portrait of a Learner, the Portrait of a System, the Portrait of a Leader and the Portrait of an Educator.

Equity & Access

Getting Through: Being An Equity-Focused Leader

Guest Author

May 15, 2020

By: Dedy Fauntleroy. Everything is rapidly changing—especially education. What are the implications for the equity-focused leader? Beyond the necessity to lead virtually in the moment, how do we move forward, how do we recover, and how should our leadership shift as a result?

Leadership

Where High School Starts with Leadership and Design Thinking

Tom Vander Ark

Mar 13, 2020

Imagine a high school that started with design thinking and leadership training. Imagine having the opportunity to prototype a solution to a community problem and earn a provisional patent. For students at a Kansas City high school, it's a reality.

Competency-Based Education

Holacracy: Organizing for Change at D51

Chris Sturgis

Feb 2, 2020

Holacracy is a system for agile self-organizing. At District 51 change management was and is being facilitated by a holacratic structure.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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