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135 - Leading A Student-Centered Agenda: 10 Lessons from Mark Benigni
Getting Smart Podcast
English - February 07, 2018 08:00 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBCourses Education Business Management edtech leadership professionaldevelopment superintendent education futureoflearning learning principal professionallearning teacher Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Today, Tom Vander Ark is chatting with Superintendent of Meriden Public Schools, Mark Benigni. As a long-time resident and former Mayor of Meriden, Mark is committed to bringing about positive change in the local schools. In fact, they’ve already accomplished a lot so far. Mark has been Superintendent for over seven years and Meriden has been nationally recognized as a blended and personalized learning leader.
In this episode, Mark and Tom discuss the shift to student-centered learning, more voice and choice through personalized learning and experiences, extended learning time in several of their elementary schools, and the creation of a highly collaborative leadership climate and culture.
Key Takeaways:
[1:18] Where they’re located in Connecticut and a little bit about the schools.
[1:39] The changes Mark has seen in both the city of Meriden and the school system.
[2:10] Their school system that serves an economically challenged population.
[2:57] What Mark thinks he got right in his first couple of years as a new Superintendent.
[5:13] Working collaboratively with other school districts — Mark’s take on working with other urban Superintendents and districts in Connecticut.
[6:34] Looking back, what Mark would do differently in his years as a Superintendent.
[7:38] Personalized learning efforts at Meriden Public Schools.
[9:20] How Mark framed and managed the shift of becoming a blended and personalized learning leader.
[11:32] Background on the initiative from a few years back when they refocused on student-centered learning.
[13:30] What a good example of student-centered learning looks like in Mark’s district.
[15:10] How are Meriden schools thinking about the shift to competency-based learning.
[16:41] How competency-based learning is a long-term shift and the steps they’re taking towards it.
[19:45] What’s on the horizon for Meriden.
[21:07] Would Mark encourage other people to take on the position of a Superintendent?
[21:49] What Mark would encourage people to learn if they’re interested in becoming a Superintendent.
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