Daniel Keegan

On Catching Fish

By growing a workplace culture that is inclusive and respectful of staff individuality, creativity, and autonomy, Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle provides evidence that productivity and customer service need not be compromised. The best schools, too, are built on the foundation of community and a common set of beliefs which promote student growth, teacher agency, curricular vision, and instructional creativity. It is my belief that more "fish should be thrown" and that educational leaders need to create the spaces for all staff to be creative and innovative.

On Grit

"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before."

Jacob Riis

The Stonecutters Credo

This quote serves as a strong reminder of the role of grit in the lives of our students and the professionals who support them each day. As a school leader, it is critical that I set high expectations, while building scaffolds that allow students and staff to meet lofty standards. Equally important, however, is the promotion of skills which will allow students to persevere in the face of adversity; to accept challenges willingly; to reboot after perceived failure. In the words of Dr. Kevin Sheehan, our students and staff need to learn to "fail well."

Playing in the Sandbox

As the eleventh of twelve siblings, I was forced to learn the rules of the sandbox very early. With one television set and one shower in our Levittown home, it was made clear to me at a young age that diplomacy and respect for the needs of others were values that would allow me to successfully navigate every group I would belong to and those that I would lead. As a school leader, I know that personalities will be diverse, instructional methods varied, and ideas on testing and assessment divided. It is the responsibility of the school leader to listen to all stakeholders and be open to conflicting viewpoints; ultimately, however, the leader must establish core principles that set the foundation for our schools.

Citizenship

Though there are learning standards which guide our educational practice, curricula to frame our assorted disciplines, and assessments which measure student growth and competence, schools must never look past the critical importance of promoting the rights and responsibilities of our students as citizens.Through word and deed, our schools must promote the democratic principles which gave birth to public education.  

Technology & Innovation

Having piloted, championed, and supported the incorporation of the iPad in the 1:1 digital environment over the past four years, I am steadfast in my belief that the smart, focused, and targeted use of technology can strengthen individual students, classrooms, and schools. From changing the instructional paradigm through flipped/blended learning (Zaption, Edpuzzle, Vialogues) to the promotion of "student as creator," (iMovie, Thinglink, Comic Life, Book Creator), our students and teachers should be provided pathways to explore and innovate - not as an extension of instruction, but as an integrated part of a classroom's culture.

Teacher Development

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts"

- John Wooden

A district's recruitment and assessment of teaching candidates is critical to strengthening the learning community. Matching intelligence, demonstrated successes, and pedgogical strengths with a district's researched and articulated vision is challenging yet essential. Be these candidates disruptors or standard bearers, it will require ongoing mentoring, coaching, modeling, and the creation of spaces for peer-to-peer learning to support professional growth and advance our teachers' instructional toolbelt.

Testing & Assessment

"The secret to quality is love."

"How Measurement Fails Doctors and Teachers"

- Avedis Donabedian

To assess in order to assign a grade or to sort students into arbitrary and reductive categories perpetuates a falsehood that our schools are inflexible and unable (or unwilling) to use data to help students grow. The best teachers design creative assessments that are standards-based, promote ongoing assessment and feedback, and built around student content and skill development - not singular numbers or letters that serve to close a topic or unit.

Community Engagement

What is our brand? While it is corporate language, what is it that we want the world to know? Should our community know that we raise thousands of dollars each year through school-based initiatives? Should they know that our students contributed nearly 2,000 hours of service to our community? Should they know about our academic successes, evidenced by participation in regional and national competitions? Should they know that we have multiple programs which have garnered state and national recognition over the past few years? While this is the "bragging" part of the social media experience, shouldn't WE tell our story? It is a great story!

Celebration

In her TED Talk "Every Kid Needs a Champion,” Rita Pierson implores educators to stand up for kids; to support our students even when they are pushing us away; to help students see the endless possibilities that exist outside our classroom doors. I am excited by the possibility of becoming an instructional leader, but I am even more excited to help students to recognize the champions in themselves and in the teachers that walk the halls with them each and every day.