Spring 2010
Dear Brewster Friends,
I was at a meeting at the end of January when another head of school
who was chairing the gathering made the comment that this was a “time of
year when clarity sets in.” I was immediately struck by his words and
wrote them down, as it was one of those moments when a few words said a
great deal. I am not sure whether he knew at the time just how prescient
his words were. When I heard these words we had just been through our
winter Board of Trustee meeting where we talked about our budget for the
next fiscal year, enrollment trends, and, most importantly, strategic
planning. And, with strategic planning, we discussed the importance of
creating a compelling vision with equally compelling strategic goals
aimed at helping us give meaning and direction to our future. While we,
like many, had just gone through what we all hope is the worst of the
financial crisis and current recession, it was apparent from our
discussions that, if we are to move forward, it will take crisp, focused
thinking and a sound bearing … more simply put, great clarity. Closely
aligned with the need for clarity is creating conditions for success
particularly during times of great stress and what sometimes feels
rather chaotic.
One of the areas of clarity that has captured our
attention is within the realm of academic support. It has become
increasingly apparent from our studies, and feedback that we are
receiving from various quarters, that one of the distinguishing aspects
of a Brewster education is how well we serve the variety of learning
needs of our students. For some, it is specific and focused learning
support, for others it would be more akin to a tune-up – the engine is
working okay, but with a little tweaking and adjustment, it can hum on
all cylinders. We are finding that more and more families and students
are looking to us for that kind of educational experience – not a
full-blown instructional support plan but an opportunity to get things
on track in a more intentional way. As we have begun to explore where
what we do so well can position us moving ahead, we have started to take
a closer look at how we can further round out our students’ educational
experience. We strongly believe in and are committed to our academic
support program, yet are recognizing through our own research and
analysis that there are other educational goals that all students want
to achieve that we need to be paying more attention to as we help our
students become their best. We, like many independent schools, talk
about educating the whole student. While we have a solid character
development program exemplified by our recognition system, we feel that
we can and need to do more. The question becomes, how can we build on
what we do to offer greater value to a Brewster education?
Our
thinking has brought us around to examining more closely the question,
“How can individuals with a high degree of intelligence, often measured
by IQ, have difficulty in the personal aspects of their lives?”
Much
of the focus and discussion on the answers to that question stem from
early work by noted Harvard educator Howard Gardner in the area of
multiple intelligences, with others building off his work: Daniel
Goleman on emotional intelligence and Karl Albrecht on social
intelligence. In Gardner’s original work on multiple intelligences he
posited that individuals have a mixture of intelligences in varying
proportions and degrees, and as a result, educating students with a
singular approach may not be the best method. Examining each of the
aforementioned works reveals a direction that we have begun to give
serious consideration, and that is, how can we assist students as part
of their education here to address the ‘blind spots’ that they might
have?
As Albrecht has stated, “It seems reasonable to posit that
the ability to behave skillfully in a wide range of social situations –
talking to one’s boss, taking part in a meeting, sharing experiences
with a spouse or significant other, interviewing for a job – rests on
something more than simply knowing a set of specific skills or
procedures.”
Goleman talks about it in terms of self-awareness,
self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Since a
desired outcome of what we are looking to offer as part of a Brewster
education is one that encompasses the whole person, we have been taking a
close look at how we can apply this dimension to each student’s
experience in a way that adds tangible value to attending Brewster
Academy.
While the challenges to how we address multiple
intelligences are many, one that leaps to the top of the list is how we
are going to ascertain what each student needs within this realm.
Closely tied to this is the need to do so in a manner that is consistent
with how we match a student to our curriculum. In fact, this is where
our efforts are currently being directed, in how best to assess the
other components of intelligence beyond IQ. While the programmatic piece
that is developed in response is critical, we believe that knowing
where we are at the start of a student’s matriculation and where we end
up is of equal importance. Thus another important supporting ingredient
is how we assess and determine the efficacy of our program.
We
believe that offering this component to the student experience will
further distinguish ourselves within the independent school world. Given
what we know about the skills needed to navigate in the 21st century, a
whole person education of substance and meaning that is tailored to the
needs of the individual student brings great coherence to what we do
and offer. So, yes indeed, this is a time of great clarity and great
expectations for ourselves and for the students whom we are educating. I
invite your feedback and look forward to seeing you on campus during
the academic year, at Reunion, or whenever you are looking to connect
with this great school.
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Michael E. Cooper
Head of School
Referenced Works:
Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success by Karl Albrecht (2006)
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner (1983)
Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee (2002)