Brian M. Stack's School Leadership Blog

Recently, I was excited to share the work that my team and I have done in New Hampshire on competency based education with a group of South Carolina educators as part of the Transform SC institute on Meeting the Needs of Every Student With Competency Based Progression . My preparation for this institute was an opportunity for me to reflect on what has now been a six year journey with competency education with Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, NH . This past month, our school district was recognized for the second year in a row as a “leader in competency education” by Tom Vander Ark’s organization Getting Smart , noting that Sanborn was one of 30 School Districts Worth Visiting in 2015 .  Throughout my journey as a building principal navigating the uncharted waters of a new competency education model, I have shared my thoughts, my reflections, and my research through articles on Competency Works . It has been three years since I wrote one of my first articles entitle

Today, in a presentation to a group of South Carolina educators on competency education hosted by the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness , National Center for Innovation in Education Executive Director Gene Wilhoit praised the House for their overwhelming support on Tuesday of ESSA, the Every Student Succeeds Act . The act sailed through the house in a 359-64 vote and is expected to have similar support in the Senate. He stated that ESSA reauthorizes the 2002 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law in a way that will open the door for innovative, personalized, and student-centered learning to take center stage in state and local school district education reforms in the coming years around the country. His comments were met with applause from the 100+ teachers, administrators, and business leaders who had come together to discuss next steps for South Carolina’s personalized learning reforms. Wilhoit held up the 1,000 page ESSA document, explaining to the crowd that he and his colle