ASKING QUESTIONS, EXPLORING OPTIONS, CHANGING THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.

Alumni News

Great Organizations Are Learning Organizations.

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Hey all!

A friend of mine once shared a thought-provoking comment with me that has a profound effect on my leadership journey.  She mentioned it so casually that if I wasn’t really listening I could have totally missed it.

“There is no professional development like working for a great organization.”

Think about that for a second and you can’t help but admit it is totally true!  Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot as an undergrad and as a masters student…and of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how outstanding my experience was at REEP.  However, your professors don’t give you frequent feedback, constant coaching or high levels of support to actually implement what you learn…and that’s what great organizations do for their people.

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Alumni News

The Next Level.

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Last March I began a journey that was more than I ever could have imagined.  As a member of Rice REEP’s 3rd cohort, I was given a platform to re-examine some of my views, apply newly acquired knowledge with my students and teammates, and showcase my personal interests and talents.  Overall, I feel that the classes, activities and discussions were at times challenging and thought-provoking. However there were a couple of instances that really stood out.

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Alumni News

Spotlight on Zach Verriden, REEP Alum & New Blogger.

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Hey all!

I know that there are so many incredible folks like you around the country working to improve educational outcomes for kids…and how cool is it that we can connect via the REEP blog?!  My name is Zach, and I look forward to trying to figure this out together.

I currently serve as the principal of HOPE Christian High School in Milwaukee, WI.  I am new to the gig, and Milwaukee, and REEP blog for that matter, but not new to education reform!

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Alumni News

The Phenomenon of Change.

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As I gear up for my last few weeks of travel, I thought I would share some thoughts that I’ve had on the concept of change.  I recently finished reading Switch by Chip and Dan Heath.  This book was recommended to me by educators and other MBAs who I really respect, so I was excited to read it.  If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.  The book hooked me with the subtitle, “How to change things when change is hard.”  Chip and Dan Heath provide examples of change management ranging from a Teach For America teacher first entering the classroom to a school leader in a successful turnaround environment.  But, this isn’t a book just for educators, and I loved how the book not only addressed organizational change but also societal and individual change.

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Alumni News

Creativity vs. Control

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Hello Friends!  September has been an exciting month. As a Fisher Fellow with KIPP Houston, I will spend the fall semester traveling across the country in residencies at various schools. Since I wrote my last blog post, I have been mostly here in Houston at some of the nine KIPP Houston middle schools. I have spent longer blocks of time at KIPP Academy Middle School and KIPP 3D Academy with shorter visits to some of the other campuses. It has been an amazing start to my journey, and I’m looking forward to even more learning as I travel from East Coast to West Coast from October through December!

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