Leading Amidst Criticism: Inoculate, Reframe, and Communicate

The author argues that despite demonstrable successes of public education, school leaders have not framed an effective defense against decades-long charges of school failure.

Drawing on leadership literature from Aristotle through today’s airport best-sellers, the author suggests that school superintendents have an obligation to make a case for public schools through a strategy of inoculation that acknowledges some shortcomings, reframing to point out the strengths of public schools, and communication that introduces audiences to the complexities of public schools in today’s world.

The case to be made: we have the best public schools in the world, international rankings compare apples and oranges, and many children in the United States are living in Third World conditions.