Paul Austin: ‘Reading’ Your School and Its Readiness for Change
Leading educational change requires being able to “read” the dynamics of your organization and holding space for the feelings of grief and loss that come with changing the status quo. Participants in this workshop will apply theory to practice as they reflect on the readiness of their schools for change, the dynamics of change leadership, and anticipate the opportunities and challenges that introducing or pushing for change might bring up for people. They will leave with an organizational “map” for tackling the change process, as well as new frames for thinking through how to leverage unique organizational assets and people in building momentum for change.
Paul Austin is Leader-in-Residence for the Rural Thrive project, part of the College of Education and Human Development’s Center for Applied Research on Education and Schools (CARES). Prior to that, he had a successful career of more than three decades in public, PK-12 education. Starting out as an educational technician serving children with autism, Austin also worked as a school social worker, special education teacher, school psychologist, special education director, assistant superintendent and superintendent. In his nine years as a superintendent, he served the communities of Regional School Unit 3 in Waldo County, Maine; Hingham Public Schools in Hingham, Massachusetts, and most recently, RSU 67 in Lincoln, Maine.