3-2-1: On leisure vs. luxury, unlocking growth, and the many versions of a good life
3 Ideas From Me
I.
“Achievements are great. It is satisfying to accomplish something. It feels good to win. And many achievements make the world a better place, too.
But also remember to ask, “What am I really trying to accomplish here?” You may realize the goal is not to write a best-selling book or earn that promotion or get into medical school, but rather to build a life you enjoy. And there are many versions of a life you enjoy.
It is often the case that if you can release the narrative of “I have to do this” to be happy, then a different (but equally lovely) life is waiting for you.”
Ed tech pushback risks shortchanging students, these school leaders say
ORLANDO, Fla. — As school leaders navigate the movement to reduce screen time and devices in classrooms, some say K-12 policies that outright ban tech use are not always the best approach.
Alana Winnick, educational technology director at Pocantico Hills Community School District in New York, shared how principals can help students and staff improve their digital wellness instead of focusing on device bans altogether. Winnick’s remarks came during a Tuesday session at the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ National School Leaders Conference.
Schools and districts nationwide are increasingly questioning their 1:1 device policies and implementing screen time limits, Winnick said.
The story the facts don’t tell, and why regaining it matters so much
In leadership, there is a strong and understandable tendency to make decisions based on facts and figures. The more data we can get our hands on, the more we often resolve, the more validated the business story we’re building must be. Rarely do we notice when the stats, measures and plans subsume the story. Metrics matter, but so does our story. To be sure, it matters in that it allows us to look back and claim what we’ve already done. Yet, it also matters for clarifying where we are and where we want to go. A story I heard recently put a powerful visual on this leadership truth. Before I share it, consider the vital role of story in leadership for a moment.
When it came to leadership, Peter Drucker was considered something of a guru. He was often asked to predict which companies in the present were most likely to succeed in the future. In response, Drucker was fond of asking a single, seemingly simple question: What business are you in? It sounds innocuous. The initial response of many leaders was much the same, some version of: “We compete in industry X, with product or service Y, and” as if to validate their answer, “we have a current market share of Z, which we hope to grow to Q in the next 5 years.” While the answer isn’t unimportant, Drucker didn’t place much value on that first reply. What he sought was a deeper response.
Shrinking student populations cause spike in public school closures across U.S.
School closures have spiked 35 percent across the country over the past four years, propelled by a shrinking youth population and the end of covid-19 relief funds that had propped up education funding in some places.
For the fourth year in a row, the number of school closures rose nationally last year, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics released last week. Districts closed more than 1,000 schools in 2025-26, compared with 755 in 2021-22. And more closures are planned, including districts in Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Broward County in Florida.
“We call it the big shrink,” said Marguerite Roza, who tracks school funding as director of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab. “Enrollment at public schools is declining, partly because there are fewer kids in the U.S.”
Can the Prospect of 3rd Grade Retention Improve Early Literacy? Yes, Study Says
Third grade retention policies could lead to better student scores, even before any children are held back, a new study suggests.
The findings, from researchers at American University and Syracuse University, add another wrinkle to an ongoing debate over retention policies tied to reading scores, which require students who aren’t proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade to repeat the year.
Eighteen states currently have retention policies on the books, some part of recently passed “science of reading” laws, according to a tracker maintained by the advocacy group ExcelinEd.
Interactive: School Spending Is Up. Teacher Pay Isn’t. See What’s Happening in 8,900 Districts
School spending is up. So why aren’t teacher salaries?
For example, from 2002 to 2022, per-pupil spending in the Los Angeles Unified School District rose 108%. That’s in real terms, after accounting for inflation.
But that money didn’t lead to higher pay. In fact, the average salary earned by district employees rose just 5%.
These trends are not unique to Los Angeles and are, in fact, playing out in most schools and districts across the country.
We set out to document the disconnect between rising school spending and stagnant salary levels.
Nationally, average teacher salaries have been remarkably flat for a very long time. In inflation-adjusted terms, they’ve been hovering around $70,000 for decades.