TRAILS’ Post

“You’ve been working in schools for so long; you must be tired by now.” That’s what someone said to me the other day. Truth is: I’m more rejuvenated than anything else. 🩷 Because, as Principal, I set the tone for my leaders and school. 🩷 Because it’s up to me to communicate a clear vision for our school. 🩷 Because I’ve worked at schools where the leaders were toxic and/or unclear with the vision, and I’ve seen the negative impact on student culture + achievement. 🩷 Because, as a kid growing up in the NYC foster care system, I attended a lot of those underperforming schools that were poorly led. 🩷 Because, now that I’m a Principal, I have the opportunity to disrupt the status quo + create a joyful and high-performing school. 🩷 Because I’m already doing that at my school. 🩷 Because reading proficiency has doubled under my leadership and is now 85%. 🩷 Because math proficiency has nearly tripled under my leadership and is now over 90%. 🩷 Because my students and staff deserve a Principal that’s fired up. 🩷 Do I get tired? Yes. But I take care of myself, rest up, and keep showing up to do good work. #leadership #schoolleadership #schoolprincipals —— Hi, I’m Alicia. 💜 I help school leaders build joyful + excellent schools for students and staff. Currently hiring for: — Dean of Student Experience

Ever since I was a kid, I was the one who always volunteered to clean the blackboard. 🧽 Chalk dust in the air? No problem. I loved putting my hand up and saying, “I’ll do it!” 🙋♀️ Little did I know, that same proactive approach would get me my first leadership position. Years ago, our head nurse brought us all into a room on a Wednesday and asked who would be interested in taking over her role. Without hesitation, I raised my hand (of course 😅). She told me to go home and think about it. By Monday, I was the head nurse. 🏆 Talk about quick transitions! So what’s the lesson here? It’s not just about waiting for the right moment. You have to be ready for it! 🚀 👉Don’t wait to be asked—step up. 👉Share your ideas, even if they’re different from everyone else's. 👉Keep learning, whether it’s mastering a new tool or leveling up your leadership. 👉Build relationships now. The people you connect with today may be your biggest advocates tomorrow. It’s not about luck—it’s about preparation. The more ready you are, the more opportunities will come your way. So, raise your hand. Take the lead. You never know where it’ll take you! 💬 How are you preparing for your next big opportunity? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #techleadership #leadershipdevelopment #executivecoaching #careergrowth #promotionselected #ambitiousleaders

Discovering the keys to fostering educator engagement as an early childhood manager is a journey filled with ups and downs. Looking back, when I was an early childhood manager, the weight of frustration as I struggled with disengaged educators on my team was draining. Their lack of contribution not only affected the quality of care, but it also affected the morale of the entire team. Despite my efforts, every attempt to reignite their passion fell on deaf ears. Doubts crept in as I questioned my ability to inspire change and I wondered how I could get these educators back on track. Fast forward to today, and the transformation is profound. I've learned invaluable lessons on how to cultivate a culture of engagement among a team of early childhood educators. Consistency, clarity, and accountability have emerged as pillars of success in fostering a thriving and engaged team. I've learned that setting clear expectations, providing comprehensive induction processes, and holding educators accountable to these standards are essential. By establishing a culture grounded in shared values and consistently upholding these principles, engagement naturally flourishes. My desire to share my knowledge is stronger than ever: To mentor and empower fellow early childhood leaders, imparting the importance of setting expectations and holding educators accountable. This is the cornerstone of transforming disengaged educators into one of enthusiasm and engagement. Though the journey of keeping educators engaged can be challenging at times, the destination is one of fulfillment and success. Are you ready to re-engage and revitalise your team? Drop a 'YES' below, and let's get your educators re-engaged and contributing to your team. 🙌

Explore remarkable leadership opportunities at Candou Ventures portfolio company, ApplyBoard. Give this post a "Like" to share the news with your LinkedIn network. #CandouVentures #career #leadership #leaders #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #entrepreneurs #InternationalEducation #education #university #HigherEducation #HigherEd #colleges #universities

⭐️ 100% ⭐️ In the most recent staff survey, 100% of staff members noted they feel positive about working at our school. (And there was over 90% participation.) 💛 It wasn’t because of snacks in the teacher workroom — Though that helps. 💛 It wasn’t because of lots + lots of dress down days — Though staff DO dress down on Fridays. 💛 It wasn’t because of drastically reduced work hours — Though we do encourage staff to leave right after work and we never email after work hours. What was it? 💙 Setting clear goals — Everyone knows what our priorities are + how we’re going after them. 💙 Consistent coaching — Everyone gets observed + coached on a weekly basis. 💙 A lot of support — Leaders help with planning + executing lessons so teachers see immediate success. 💙 Deeply listening + taking feedback — When teachers give us feedback, we implement it because it helps make our school better. 💙 Consistent appreciation — Leaders consistently show teachers how grateful we are for them. Investing in teachers and giving them a high level of support will always lead to amazing outcomes. —— Hi, I’m Alicia. 💜 I help school leaders build joyful + excellent schools for students and staff. Currently hiring for: — 3rd Grade Lead Teacher — 4th Grade Lead Teacher

2024 will be a challenging year for the sector, but ApplyBoard continues to expand and develop. Join an edtech company that has invested GBP25 million in 2023 in research and development, the outcomes of which will come to fruition throughout 2024 onwards. #jobs #highereducationleadership #internationalrecruitment #highereducation #admissions #internationaleducation #highereducation #EducateTheWorld #ApplyBoard #Edtech

🎉 5️⃣ years at Apple! Leaving Citrus County School District was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my professional career, but one of the reasons it was just a little easier is Apple’s core value of education. Steve Jobs once said, "Technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing." Education is about so much more than what happens in the classroom—it’s about creating opportunities, sparking curiosity, and helping kids (and adults!) reach their full potential. I’m grateful to be part of a team that’s all in on making a positive impact in schools and communities around the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #AppleEducation #EducationMatters #EdTech #InnovativeLearning #EducationalLeadership #TransformingEducation #EdTechInnovation #DigitalLearning #StudentSuccess #InspiringChange #LeadershipInEducation #EducationFirst #EducationCommunity #EmpowerEducators #CelebratingMilestones

Empowering Educational Thought Leadership Virtual Conference Calling all principals, principals, tech leaders, heads of school, executive directors, asst. supts and superintendents! February 23 and February 24 from 12 PM - 4 PM EST Get ready for a dynamic two-day experience packed with invaluable expertise, actionable concepts, and cutting-edge revelations. Join us as Educational Collaborators brings together the foremost innovators to tackle the pressing challenges facing school leaders today. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gPrzE7Cm Use discount code: ECFRIENDS Conversation Strands: Curriculum and Assessment: Ways to integrate innovative practices in curriculum and assessment and provide participants with ideas that will bring authentic, meaningful learning experiences to students. Leadership: Strategies, resources, community support, and collaborative opportunities for establishing and maintaining an institutional culture focused on classroom innovation. Primary Education: Emphasis on the unique challenges and opportunities involved in supporting students in primary education potentially including early childhood education, child development, and privacy concerns for young learners for grades PK-5. Secondary Education: Emphasis on the unique challenges and opportunities involved in supporting students in secondary education, which could include testing, the use of social media, digital citizenship, or community service opportunities for grades 6-12. Technology: Focusing on developing technology solutions to solve tough issues that face schools. #CollabConvos #edtech #k12

Curious Cardinals has thrived almost entirely through organic growth, and while we're proud of that, we know we're nowhere close to achieving the scale of impact we envision. Our product delivers immense value, shaping students' futures in profound ways. In the past 12 months alone, we've had 1,857 college students apply to be mentors without any marketing/recruiting. There’s no shortage of accomplished young leaders - ranging from presidents of clubs at Stanford, Harvard, Yale, etc to Rhodes Scholars and D1 athletes - who want to join our movement. But we want to do more. Our vision is to scale our impact globally, making Curious Cardinals a household name brand and embedding our personalized learning and mentorship model into the social infrastructure of the world. To achieve this, we’re seeking an ambitious growth leader to help ignite our momentum. You'll work directly with me and our dynamic Community Growth driver, Johnathan Bridges, playing a crucial role in realizing our vision. We are looking for a data-driven, curious, ambitious, and passionate leader who ready to roll up their sleeves and dive into the trenches to accelerate our growth flywheel. Most importantly, we need someone motivated to revolutionize K-12 education and impact the lives of millions of students worldwide. If this resonates with you or someone in your network, please tag them or reach out. Let's do this thing! 🚀 #growth #startup #hiring #joinus

Here’s the second of four pathways to becoming a “supercommunicator,” that I learned in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal from an excerpt of Charles Duhigg’s  brand new book (see my previous post for more on the first pathway of how to ask deep questions): PROVE YOU ARE LISTENING: “to prove we’re listening, we need to show it after a person finishes talking. One way is known as ‘looping for understanding’: Ask a question (preferably a deep question). Repeat back, in your own words, what you heard. Then – this is important – ask if you got right.” In Chapter 5 of my book On The Same Team: Bringing Educators and Underrepresented Families Together, I share my 10 stances of being an effective team leader and facilitator of gatherings in schools. The second one is “listen deeply” and I share 7 concrete examples of how we can consistently do that in conversations with colleagues and families. #education #familyengagement #schoolleadership #educationalleadership #collaboration #supercommunicators #learning #school #students #teaching #community Charles Duhigg Solution Tree Edutopia - George Lucas Educational Foundation ASCD https://lnkd.in/gU3wmzUw