Blogg-Ed Indetermination

I have written before about the wonderful book, Disrupting Class, by Clayton Christensen, et al. The book seems to be making the rounds in the blogosphere, and its three authors are appearing in interviews and web casts

This is a good thing. The book deserves a wide readership and, even more importantly, deep discussions amongst school leaders. Thus it was that I was excited to tune in to last week’s EdTech Talk with during which the book was discussed with Patrick Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools.

(Full disclaimer: I work for an independent school that is a member of NAIS).

Bassett is one of the most wired and savvy education executives I know and therefore I was not surprised that he has not only read Disrupting Class, but he understands and embraces the implications of the authors’ assertions regarding the future of education.

It may be even more surprising that Pat represents a sector of education that many people many believe represents the ivy walls, tradition, and conservatism. But Bassett is not that that kind of leader. Indeed, he is recommending Disrupting Class as recommended reading to all NAIS members and believes it critical that we engage in thoughtful discussions at all levels within our organizations. He believes that NAIS schools have a leadership responsibility to help define future schools along five themes of sustainability, and that programmatic sustainability requires schools to change to reflect 21st century practices such as those discussed in Disrupting Class.

Listen to Bassett’s remarks: www.edtechtalk.com/21cl_88