About
I was the founding principal of DC International School, a public charter school. Before that, I was an assistant principal and central office leader in DC Public Schools, and I taught English and other subjects from 4th to 12th grade. I now consult and teach school leadership at American University. My articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Educational Leadership, Principal magazine, and more. My book What If I’m Wrong? and Other Key Questions for Decisive School Leadership is now out from ASCD. I attended Yale University, University College Dublin, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. At home, my wife Alison and I are raising a son and a golden retriever.
ARTICLES
School as We Knew It is Over. What Comes Next? (Medium, July 2020)
Don’t Send Kids Back to the Factory Line (Medium, March 2020)
Charter Schools May Be the Answer, But What's the Question? (Edsurge, September 2019)
Big Tech, Little Change (Educational Leadership, February 2019)
Data Was Supposed to Fix the US Education System. Here's Why It Hasn't. (Harvard Business Review, January 2019)
Think Like a Principal (Principal, January/February 2018)
The Culture-Friendly School (Educational Leadership, December 2016/January 2017)
ARTICLES
Teaching Must Get More Flexible Before It Falls Apart (Edsurge, January 2022)
What Highly Effective School Leadership Really Looks Like in the Pandemic (Edsurge, November 2020)
Big Decisions Matter for Principals (article about book in Harvard Ed., May 2021)
What to Expect from Your Principal (McGraw Hill / Medium, October 2020)
School as We Knew It is Over. What Comes Next? (Medium, July 2020); shorter/updated: COVID Has Made It Clear: We Can Do Better (Harvard Ed., May 2021)
The Unintended Impact of Evaluation (Principal, January/February 2020)
Thinking Critically about Race as a Step Toward Equity (Principal Leadership, January 2020)
Charter Schools May Be the Answer, But What's the Question? (Edsurge, September 2019)
Big Tech, Little Change (Educational Leadership, February 2019)
Data Was Supposed to Fix the US Education System. Here's Why It Hasn't. (Harvard Business Review, January 2019)
Think Like a Principal (Principal, January/February 2018)
The Culture-Friendly School (Educational Leadership, December 2016/January 2017)
Consulting
I’m available for leadership coaching and strategic consulting to solve problems and innovate for schools and children. I've worked with public and charter schools, including new schools in their founding phase and long-established schools seeking improvement. I've also planned and led workshops for leaders and staff. Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page if you'd like to discuss what's possible.
CONTACT
Do you want to discuss consulting, stay up-to-date on my writing, or just be in touch?
Follow me: