This is my 20th year in education, and before I stepped into my first leadership role, I kept returning to a question that I share in my book The Leader Inside: "Lauren, what type of leader do you want to be?" My answer was simple: "The type of leader I always needed." When I think …
Continue reading Turning Classroom Observation into Dynamic Hubs Where Learning Comes Alive
My husband has been coaching our boys in sports for years. He loves baseball. He loved it as a child, played Little League and throughout high school. Like many kids growing up in New York, he idolized Don Mattingly and spent countless hours watching the Yankees. But perhaps what shaped him most wasn’t what happened …
For much of my time as a student, learning often felt like the consumption of information. Read the chapter. Listen to the lesson. Take notes. Study for the test. Repeat. Can you relate? To be clear, knowledge matters. Learners need background knowledge. They need vocabulary. They need the foundational literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking, …
Who recognized a gift in you that you could not yet see in yourself? Not the accomplished version of you.Not the leader you have grown into.Not the title you hold today. But the earlier version.The person you were. Take a moment. Really take a moment.Picture that person. Because someone did. There’s a quote by Dr. …
Recently I sat in a classroom where high school students were presenting a group project. They had just read Julius Caesar and were comparing some of the main themes with other historical themes that have transpired in our world. I was excited to see students standing in front of the classroom not only bringing a …
In my last blog post of 2025, I wrote a piece titled Five Lessons I’m Carrying Forward. The first lesson I shared was this: Confidence isn’t certainty. It’s comfort with failure. Teaching and leading ask us to learn in public. Lessons may not always land.Conversations may feel messy before they feel productive. Priorities may need …
Continue reading Three Definitions of Confidence (And Why They Matter in Schools)
I believe one of the most important responsibilities we share in educational leadership is creating the conditions for others to do important work. Creating systems and structures may not always be the most inspiring part of leadership, but it is the work beneath the work. It doesn’t always feel visible or highlighted on a social …
What helps you lead well when the days feel full and the expectations feel high? If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you care deeply about your work. You care about doing it well. You care about the people you serve. You care about growing, even when growth feels uncomfortable or unclear. And while many …
When leadership and learning feel heavy, what helps us decide how to move people forward with care and intention? This is a question that continuously rests on the shoulders of those leading complex work in schools. And if you are reading this post, perhaps this resonates with your own thinking. In his new book, Forward, …
I’ve been reading two books this summer that speak directly to the important work we’ve been doing, while also sparking new thinking and reaffirming what it means to be in education. Fearless Instruction by Creative Leadership Solutions highlights research and high-impact practices from an all-star group of leaders and educators, and Instructional Innovation: Cultivating Teacher …
Continue reading It Starts With Us: Four Leadership Moves to Elevate Teaching and Learning
Empower. Collaborate. Connect. 