The current issue of the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) magazine, Independent School, is entitled “Evolution or Revolution: The Pace of Change in our Schools.”   It is a terrific issue, and has many great pieces, several of which I intend to write about in future posts.    (read to bottom (more) to see the section of this issue highlighting our own work at St. Gregory). 

One especially interesting article, both in general and to us at St. Gregory, is by Ted Fish, calling for “Teaching Leadership to All: The Educational Challenge of our Times.”

At no other point in our history have the choices we’ve made had the potential to create such a deep and lasting imprint upon so many others, or cause so much harm. In such a world, developing good leaders has never mattered more.

Ted has a stake in this enterprise, as he is the executive director of Gardner Carney Leadership Institute, which teaches teachers to teach leadership.   In the piece, he sets out a useful, interesting set of strands for guiding the development of leadership learning in K-12 learning.

These three strands define a simple map for how we can teach leadership in our schools:

  • Leadership is concerned with taking courageous action, so students need practice taking risks and making mistakes.
  • Leadership is tied to caring and the betterment of others, so students need practice understanding the emotions of others and developing empathy. (more…)