Brian M. Stack's School Leadership Blog

This article was written originally for MultiBriefs Education . As he approaches fifteen years of age, my son Brady has now started reminding me regularly that he will be able to drive soon. In the State of New Hampshire, the law will require him to complete 46 hours of drivers education (including classroom, driving, and observation hours) before he can be eligible for a drivers license. Why does the state treat every young driver the same? I know plenty of young drivers who can demonstrate proficiency with their driving skills after half that number of hours. I know plenty more that need double, perhaps even triple those minimum hours. For a life or death skill such as driving a car, why do we continue to rely on such an antiquated, one-size-fits-all training and assessment model? The Department of Motor Vehicles, much like our colleges and universities, could learn a thing or two from high schools that have moved away from time-based models. For years, schools have relie...

This article was written originally for MultiBriefs Education . Remote learning is not a new concept in education. For many years, it went by the terms “distance” or “correspondence” learning. With the increase of online technology options at the turn of the millenium, the terms “virtual” and “online” learning became more prevalent. Over the years, some students have thrived in these environments while others have not. My own fourteen year old Brady is a great example. This past summer, he opted to take an online class at New Hampshire’s online school VLACS . He found that he struggled, but not because he couldn’t handle the academic work. His struggle came from what we discovered to be gaps in his command of self-direction and independence, a real-world skill that educators have wrestled with for years to find ways to help students master. Historically, students have been able to choose whether or not they want to learn in a remote/distance/virtual environment or not. For many...