Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Devin Vodicka We must move away from a mechanistic view of the universe to one that recognizes and supports living systems. This shift in perspective begins to make clear a number of implications for our work as educators.  In a mechanistic mindset, the view tends to be narrowly focused on closed systems with theContinue reading “On Mechanistic and Living Systems”

By Devin Vodicka “The people who educate our kids are really exhausted. That’s teachers, school counselors, food service workers, and it’s principals and superintendents.” NPR – Schools will usher in another new year defined by the pandemic The educational news stories at the end of 2021 are alarming. The situation is so pervasive that EdSurgeContinue reading “Self-Care Strategies for Learner-Centered Leaders”

By Devin Vodicka Several years ago when we were running competency-based K-8 microschools in San Francisco and New York City we were confronted with the challenge of helping our students navigate competitive admissions procedures as they applied for selective high schools.  We quickly learned that the vast majority of the high schools wanted to seeContinue reading “Let’s reimagine college admissions to create equitable learner-centered pathways”

By Devin Vodicka We work with hundreds of schools across the country and in my conversations with others I am often asked what I am noticing as we interact with educators who are immersed in very different contexts.  Given all of the complexities of the pandemic, it has been very challenging to make any generalizationsContinue reading “Cross Currents in Education: Waves and the Undertow”

By Devin Vodicka This week I had the privilege of attending the League of Innovative Schools meeting in Washington DC.  It was one of the first in-person events that I have attended since the pandemic began and it was a wonderful opportunity to connect with others, share insights, and to celebrate the ten-year-anniversary of DigitalContinue reading “Networking and Learning Together: Celebrating a decade of Digital Promise”

By Devin Vodicka This past week I had the opportunity to engage in two very interesting conversations about the Science of Learning through my involvement with the Global Science of Learning Education Network.  First was an engaging live chat with Glenn Whitman, a history teacher at St. Andrew’s where he also directs the Center forContinue reading “From Research to Practice: How might we implement insights from the Science of Learning?”

By Devin Vodicka There was a very clear theme in my conversations with school administrators this week: They are overwhelmed.  The context is ever-changing with rising COVID cases in many communities, floods in New York, fires in California, and severe staffing shortages that are affecting everything from substitute teachers to principals and district office administrators. Continue reading “3 ways overwhelmed school administrators can create more time to lead”

By Devin Vodicka An excerpt from Learner-Centered Leadership “You have to come see this!” It was late July during the first month of my time as superintendent. The call was from Catina Hancock. She had just been named the interim principal at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts after the previous principal unexpectedly resigned.Continue reading “Systems have a profound influence and systems can change”

By Devin Vodicka  I love my Toyota Prius.  In addition to feeling good about the fuel efficiency, the interior dashboard displays are customizable and they provide an array of visuals and numeric data that help me to understand how fast I am going, how much fuel I am using, and how efficiently I am driving. Continue reading “Focus on the horizon: The dashboard is not the destination”

By Devin Vodicka As a sports fan, there is something about the start of a new season that breeds hope and possibility.  Every year the standings are reset and all teams go back to a uniform starting line.  In the offseason trades, draft picks, coaching and management changes inspire optimism about how the new teamContinue reading “New beginnings in two learner-centered communities”