Case Study: Unconventional Wisdom

Mineola Union Free School District (Long Island, N.Y.)

How a district courageously broke with convention to create new norms for engaging, future-focused learning

The courageous and bold leaders and teachers in Mineola Union Free School District in Long Island, New York do not cling to conventional wisdom.

To their leaders and employees, just because something has been done a certain way for a long time is not reason enough to keep doing it—especially when student outcomes are not improving and engagement is low.

Instead, they embrace a practice of questioning and challenging procedures and systems at every turn, aware that sometimes you need to break a few things to unearth unconventional wisdom about what it takes to engage students in a truly future-focused education.