What Tests Measure

“The tests are not measuring how much students learned or can learn,” says Tienken. “They are predominately measuring the [social] capital of the student.” Social capital is "the potential ability to obtain resources... or information from one's personal connections."We can focus on improving curriculum all we want, but at the end of the day, we … Continue reading What Tests Measure

Genius Doesn’t Behave

Many years ago I worked in the Education Department at The Metropolitan Opera. We went into schools and helped youth write, create, and produce their own operas. One of the great things about this program was that each student got to choose what they wanted to do and how they wanted to contribute. Some were … Continue reading Genius Doesn’t Behave

Artistic Vocabulary

https://youtu.be/BEa49Be84y4?si=RhJIohPKTvC8yk6s It such a joy to listen to an expert in their field demonstrate the vocabulary and history of their field. This interview with jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and talk show host Dick Cavett is an excellent example of this kind of demonstration. This demonstration includes:The Stride Piano of Art Tatum The Two Fingered Percussiveness … Continue reading Artistic Vocabulary

The Upper Limit Problem

Upon Felicia Hatcher's suggestion, I've been reading Gay Hendrick's "The Big Leap." The main thesis in the book is that many of us live and work in our Zone of Excellence but we are blocked from moving to our Zone of Genius. In our Zone of Excellence we do work that we are excellently skilled … Continue reading The Upper Limit Problem

Equity, Creativity, Leadership, Technology

Equity is the ultimate goal. We want an equitable economy and society.Creativity. We need to dream together. And we need to build things and share them. Leadership. We need strength and persistence to move through the hard parts. Technology. Like it or not, technology scales ideas. If we don't use it to scale what we … Continue reading Equity, Creativity, Leadership, Technology

Fashion Design + Engineering

https://youtu.be/OZu-O80Zh_k?si=zOBO54TGqJ8VUbqL I love this segment on the design work Usher's team created for the halftime show. At first, they talk through concepts for each scene, which describes an evolution of the artist represented in different fabric, color, and detail. And then, they talk through the engineering of it all -- how the garments need to … Continue reading Fashion Design + Engineering

Commit to the Work

https://youtu.be/jEh94WFXZSc?si=sXTjDRYek_gnSHcN&t=3561 I listen to a lot of interviews with comedians. Comedians are writer-performers, and the good ones talk beautifully about tools of the trade. Writing and testing unfinished material on small stages is part of the process. They call this process "working out." The word "commitment" comes up a lot in these interviews. Often it's … Continue reading Commit to the Work

Team, Partners, Advisors, Sponsors

Relationships create change. Knowing who plays what roles in the change that we are creating is helpful to articulate. Knowing how and when to engage people in different roles is essential as well. TEAM: The core team consists of the individuals we communicate with every day or week. We are continually striving to understand stakeholders … Continue reading Team, Partners, Advisors, Sponsors

Keep Going

There is a gap between knowing how and why to show up in a particular way and then training ourselves to do it and be consistent with it. It takes practice. It takes commitment. And it takes giving ourselves and each other grace and space to practice, stumble, get back up at, get better at … Continue reading Keep Going

Dream and Build

The recipe is simple, really. Find the community around the cause. Dream with them. Help them build the thing that elevates their superpowers.