Patrick Larkin Defines Educational Leadership
Burlington assistant superintendent Patrick Larkin discusses his path from teacher to district leader and his school's early move to iPads for all.
Patrick Larkin, assistant superintendent for learning at Burlington Public Schools, discusses his path from classroom teacher to district leader in education.
Many of you know Patrick Larkin from Connected Principals fame. Larkin took time to discuss many of his experiences in education and the career path that took him from classroom teacher to Assistant Superintendent. Check out Larkin’s latest op-ed, in EdWeek, about the number of learning opportunities October has for everyone in education including Connected Educator Month.
Patrick Larkin is the Burlington Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Learning. Prior to this position, Larkin served 15 years as a building level administrator at the high school level. In 2012, in recognition of his exemplary use of digital tools as a school leader, he was recognized as one of three national Digital Principal Award winners by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). As the Burlington High School Principal, Patrick led his school in the transition to a 1:1 environment for the 2011-2012 school year and became one of the first schools in the nation to distribute iPads to all staff and students.
About this episode
Patrick Larkin, assistant superintendent for learning at Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts and one of the voices behind Connected Principals, talks about what it means to be an educator today. The conversation moves from personalized professional learning and the squeeze on teachers’ time to mentors found online, the mindset students will need for changing careers, and the good news about today’s students that rarely makes the headlines.
Treating teachers the way we treat students
Every district, Larkin says, is talking about how to improve professional development and give people what they need when they need it. Schools want individual plans that meet each student’s needs, and it took him time as a school and district leader to see that the same principle applies to teachers. Leaders need to model the personalized learning they expect in classrooms. The growing quality of online resources helps, letting new and experienced teachers alike follow what they want to learn, with leaders helping them find the best material.
Less time, less choice
Larkin describes a shift seen across the country: more professional development is now mandated, whether by federal requirements, state rules or new teacher evaluation systems. In Massachusetts, for example, every teacher had to complete a course in sheltered English immersion within a short window, which took up much of the district’s professional development time. The result is less time in which teachers can choose what they learn, and he notes that choice is as important to adult engagement as it is to student engagement. Districts are responding with creative incentives, such as letting teachers earn professional development points or salary-scale credits on their own time. The menu of options is broader than ever, he says, but the formal time to offer it has shrunk, and districts have to work with teachers’ unions to make it manageable without overburdening anyone.
Mentors, near and far
Larkin credits his path from classroom teacher to assistant superintendent to mentors who encouraged him to look beyond the traditional job description. Not everyone has such role models nearby, he notes, but connected educators can find mentors online in whatever they care about. For any new principal or aspiring superintendent, he could name someone elsewhere in the country who would gladly share what works. He is modest about his own reputation, saying that most of what he is credited with are practices learned from others, and argues that helping educators become connected is the first step toward helping students navigate the same resources.
The mindset students need
One frustration he names is the comfort of doing a job the same way for decades, an attitude found in every profession. Students, he points out, are likely to change careers several times, so they need to know how to connect with people and find the resources to learn, unlearn and relearn.
The headline he would write
Asked what headline he would write, Larkin says the current generation of students is remarkable. Negative news sells in every field, he notes, and education coverage often dwells on falling test scores, which in his view will matter little in a job interview. Schools need to point students toward opportunities to connect and do far more to share and amplify what students accomplish, so that other schools are inspired to try the same. He describes himself as optimistic about the next generation.
Where to find him
Larkin is on Twitter at @PatrickMLarkin and writes the blog Learning in Burlington. Through connectedprincipals.com, he and his colleagues were hosting weekly Monday-night Twitter chats on school leadership with the national associations of secondary and elementary school principals, open to students, teachers and anyone interested.
The full conversation is in the player above, part of edCircuit’s Connected Educator series.
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