Washington Takeaways - Day One

Just finished my first day of meetings. Here are some of the takeaways from the morning sessions:

• 22% of our nation's minors are living in poverty. That's the highest rate for a developed nation.
• Gas and food prices are now number 1 and 2 on national polls about priorities. Education used to hold the top spot. It is now ranked 3rd.
• Excellent education depends on parent involvement and parent involvement is improved with effective strategic communication.
• Quick notification of a problem resolved saved the day when middle school students inserted an X-rated video clip into the morning announcements. The school's fast response via email calmed parents before the rumor mill got to them. A few parents wanted to see the video. ;)
• Big life lesson in a 10-word sentence, all 2 letter words: "If it is to be, it is up to me."
• Lincoln asked if the nation could survive half slave and half free. Since education is the proven passport to first class citizenship, now we should ask can our nation survive half educated and half uneducated?
• Civil rights progress didn't become actionable until MLK nationalized the issue. Blacks had been mistreated for decades, but with nationwide awareness, injustices became apparent to Americans throughout the nation, not just those in Selma or Birmingham.
• Which generations do these statements match: Just Do It, Just Did It, Won't Do It?
• Gen-X parents want reliability, trustworthiness, speed and convenience. Their trust is not unconditional. They take note of slights. They seek options, custom solutions, warm, group discussion and feedback. Baby Boomer admins should remember these three R's: relationship, relationship, relationship.

And the afternoon:

• Five trends that will impact education over the next five years: technology, pathways, environment, safety, diversity.
• Who spends only 3% of their time thinking about the future? Most executives.
• Care more about doing what's right than fear of being wrong.
• Bring unique value in seeing patterns, take the helicopter view, spot emergent trends
• The important role of strategic counselor
• Getting to the heart of the matter: passion, advocacy, communication prowess
• Students who used high frequency ring tones to bypass adults with hearing loss
• Check out myclass, tumblr, kickapps, makingmyway.ca
• Affirmation for experience with facebook, myspace, blogger, twitter, flick
• Multiple pathways: primary research, spotlight non-traditional stories
• Showcase vocational success and non-academic awards
• Conservation ethic: use, allocation, exploitation, protection of resources
• Avoiding greenwash, green sheen and green noise: really do it, not just talk
• Valuing the opinions of front lines: students, teachers, custodians
• Share bad news before students tell their version
• If the house is on fire, first tell the people inside
• Immigrants or Newcomer Families?
• Diversity as a honor, a privilege to be where the world comes to learn
• Diversity a real-world, competitive advantage for students