Coherent Central Systems and Rethinking the Principal Role

Gene Pinkard, Director, K-12 Leadership for the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program Think of a school principal. Depending on your age, you’re likely to conjure up Saved by the Bell’s Principal Belding, The Simpsons’ Principal Skinner, The Breakfast Club’s Dean Vernon or even Captain Underpants’ stodgy alter-ego. These characters are reliable comedic relief whose […]

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Solving complex problems outside of the silo: How the Pennsylvania Department of Education gained the knowledge and tools to run a coherent team

Victoria Ballerini and Dana Milakovic, Pennsylvania Department of Education The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) participated in the Coherence Lab Fellowship from 2020-2021. After the Fellowship, members of the PDE leadership team wanted to build the knowledge and skills of additional PDE team members to develop and sustain coherence and embarked in the Coherence Lab […]

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The Root Causes of Fragmentation in Public Education

Joselin Padron-Rasines, Consultant, Education First, & Sophie L. Ferrer, Principal, Education First The following blog synthesizes information first published in Education First’s report,  Addressing Fragmentation in Public Education, which is the foundation of the Coherence Lab.  Fragmentation in education is the lack of integration, coordination and collaboration that occurs within and across education organizations and […]

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Using a Coherence Mindset Helped Pennsylvania Respond to COVID-19 

Isabel Rahm, Director of Leadership Academy, Council of Chief State School Officers When the COVID-19 pandemic closed school buildings, there was a lot of fear and uncertainty. Education leaders across the country shifted into crisis response to ensure the health and safety of their students, and to get students and teachers set up for remote […]

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Coherence Reshaped the Pennsylvania and Ohio Departments of Education

Dr. Debora Carrera, Executive Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Education, & Dr. Marva Kay Jones, Assistant Chief of Organizational Effectiveness, Ohio Department of Education There’s a deep motivation that grounds the work of teachers, principals, state superintendents and education officials at all levels: improving the learning experience of the students they serve. Yet, their ambition […]

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