Digital Leadership

CISD administrators are engaged in a book study this summer - Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Time by Eric Sheninger. The administrative team and librarian at Castleberry High School focused on Chapter 10: Rethinking Learning Environments and Spaces. In this chapter, Sheninger shares about the over crowding of schools in his school district and the challenge the district faced in finding more space for high school students. The community was against opening a second high school, so a vision of a new learning center emerged as a result of input from key-stakeholders. Their vision became a reality; the district launched the Clark Hall project.
To meet the needs of learners and to prepare for their transformative building, the district first had to address current network problems - the inability to handle digital technology for today's teachers and students. The system was upgraded to support the expectation for technology use in lessons.
Clark Hall was not structured to resemble of traditional school. Instead, it provided open and flexible spaces for learning and promoted interdisciplinary projects. Along with a flexible space came flexible scheduling allowing teacher more time to interact with individual students. This facility houses fourteen classrooms, each with its own conference room for small-group work. To offset the expense of this state of the art three story structure, the first floor is leased to help pay the mortgage.
Strategic partnerships were formed with organizations, such as YMCA and a local career center. The YMCA provided exercise equipment which is used to provide evening classes for its members and some of the school's physical education classes.
As leaders, we need to reflect on how our learning spaces are utilized. Do they provide what today's digital classrooms need, not only to engage students but to also prepare them for success in today's society? To learn more, check out Sheninger's book.