Schools in the New York area are back in session, and another year is underway across the United States. This school year brings a lot of opportunities for students, staff, and families, and a number of important goals to set our sights on. Here are three aspirations I will be reaching for throughout 2026 – 2027.
A whole new (graduation) world
New York is undergoing massive changes over the next few years as the state rethinks its graduation requirements. Shifting from an assessment and credit structure to one driven purely by competencies, there is a lot of opportunity for students, staff, and communities to come together to change teaching and learning for the better across New York. This will be a whole new world for many of us working in New York, as so many New York educators went through a New York system that looks exactly like the one in place now. And, despite that, we all know that the more authentic and engaging the opportunity for students, the more connected learners will feel to our schools. In truth, a fully competency-based model has never been done before, and there is a lot for me to learn about the successes and challenges other states have had in incorporating competency-based education into their systems. One aspiration for this coming year is to dive more deeply into competency-based education as a model, and the potential pathways we can take to support all students in a new (graduation) world.
The only constant is change
One thing is clear: Heraclitus was correct when he shared (supposedly) that the only thing we can count on is change.
Our lives are constantly shifting, and while that is hard for us as humans, it is a necessity of life and the world we live in. This past year, I found myself in a number of situations where change was a big part of my personal and professional life. These included a new science kit lab for members of our team, a daughter driving, new responsibilities for many of our staff members, and a wife without a gallbladder. All of these things required change, and in some cases, had a significant impact on how I live and lead.
Also in each case, everyone involved had to shift their thinking and their actions to address what had changed. Simply put, these changes are a way of life, and while always challenging, ultimately, they can make our lives better in the long run. One aspiration for me in 2026-2027 is to continue embracing change and helping others navigate it. Sometimes it isn’t just about how change affects us; it can also be about how we support others as they shift in their way of being.
Perfect is the enemy of good
Voltaire’s idea that we can get mired in perfection and never actually accomplish anything is worth noting. The only way to truly achieve is to be open to making mistakes along the way. Nobody likes it, of course, but I’ve found in my life so far that putting something out there is always infinitely better than getting stuck or worrying that a partially thought-through idea isn’t “good enough” to explore. In both my personal and professional life, most of my successes have come from giving it a go with ideas that are only partially hashed out. People love to come together to work around something, at times even more so than when a plan is already fully fleshed out. This year, I want to continue thinking and acting through a lens of innovation and worrying less about how “complete” things are. I want to enjoy the collaborative nature of rallying around cultivating and improving ideas.
I have lots of other aspirations, of course. If anything, I tend to give myself too much to strive towards. These three, though, are areas where I want to strongly focus as the year begins, and where I think I can have the most impact on those in my professional and personal circles. I wish you a continued great start to the year, filled with much learning and opportunity.