3-2-1: On having high standards, the secret to willpower, and how to be strong yet flexible
3 Ideas From Me
I.
“One easy way to show you care about others is to ask them questions about their life.
What are they excited about?
What are they working on?
What are they hoping for?
Simply asking the question and listening thoughtfully is an act of generosity. You’re giving them the gift of attention.”
II.
“Whatever you’re doing, do it well. If you’re writing a thank you note, take an extra minute to mention something beyond the typical thank you. If you’re exercising, do each set as well as you can. If you’re in conversation, really listen and don’t just wait for your turn to talk.
Having high standards adds up. You can nearly always find an extra minute to do it better. And most important, you prove to yourself that you’re the type of person who does things well.”
Austin ISD is closing 10 schools amid enrollment challenges
Segura said during the board meeting that developing and carrying out this school closure plan has been “a very difficult process.”
Most of the schools impacted by closures are at the elementary level, according to the district.
Segura also said he wished the district didn’t have to make this decision, “but the pressures are gargantuan.”
Austin ISD instructed 72,700 students across 113 schools in 2024-25.
Want to be a better leader? Walk away
It’s widely understood that leadership is hard, and for many reasons. One of the most obvious yet overlooked aspects is that as the leader, you’re always in the game. Given quick thought, doing otherwise wouldn’t appear to be an option. Indeed, such immersion, such constant closeness, is assumed to be the very thing that heightens a leader’s ability to perceive threats and seize opportunities that would otherwise be missed. But what if the opposite is true? What if it’s walking away that matters more?
Week In Review: Fallout from the Education Department’s breakup
We’re rounding up last week’s news, from 8th grade algebra to the latest legal pushes on religion in schools.
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is transferring management of six programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration continues pushing toward the agency’s closure. The move, the administration said, will give states more control over education funding decisions.
Among the program shifts are the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to the U.S. Department of Labor, and international education and foreign language studies programs to the U.S. Department of State.
Parents Should Continue to File Disability Rights Complaints, Say Special Ed. Advocates
Parents of students with disabilities have long seen federal civil rights complaints as their last, best hope of ensuring schools meet their legal obligations to address their children’s needs. Changes and staff reductions at the U.S. Department of Education have eroded trust in that process, advocates said.
Their message to those parents: File the complaints anyway.
“Families feel like, ‘If it’s going to take a long time to get a resolution, what is the point?’” said Robyn Linscott, the director of education and family policy for The Arc of the United States, an organization that advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Where this superintendent developed a love of people and purpose
Bill Runey says his journey to the superintendency began with a “love of people and a love of purpose” instilled in him by his parents, both of whom were public educators. Runey was 14 when his father died, and the large turnout for the funeral was evidence of the power of the man’s leadership, Runey notes.
“After that tragedy, my mother’s resilience taught me early on that success is measured by the positive impact that you have on the lives of others,” says Runey, who has been superintendent of Massachusetts’ Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District since 2022 and an educator for 37 years.
“Those lessons have shaped how I approach leadership, even to this day,” says Runey.