#258- Always Asking the 'Why' Behind Learning & Leadership with Kevin Bartlett

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Kevin Bartlett, the Founding Director of the Common Ground Collaborative. This episode is part of my 'Perspectives on Pedagogy' podcast series which are education-based in nature, but rooted deeply in what it means to lead and learn with purpose and intentionality.

A quote comes to mind when I think about Kevin:
 
"A great educational leader possesses a unique set of qualities and skills that enable them to effectively guide and shape the educational institutions they oversee."

Kevin does just that and has done it for decades in the field of education. He has a long history of creating true change in educational institutions. Throughout his decades of experience in the field of education, Kevin has learned to combine visionary thinking, strong communication, empathy and his genuine commitment to learning and growth into everything he does both personally and professionally in his life. 

He leads with integrity and is a true advocate for inclusivity which is evidenced by the schools he's helped transform over the years. Not only does he speak his truth with clarity and conviction, he is probably one of the biggest supporters of teachers I have ever come across. As a very experienced educational leader, Kevin has committed himself to making the professional lives of teachers more meaningful, manageable and rewarding. He knows how difficult a teacher’s job is and, as a consultant, he works on the ground with them, in their own space. He choses to teach and learn alongside them rather than from an ivory tower preaching about what good teaching practice is. 

In our conversation today, Kevin shares his thoughts on educational leadership and what each leader's role/responsibility is in creating schools that truly prioritize meaningful learning. We also dive into Kevin’s story and what drives him in the work that he does. 

Kevin also shares a genuine example of what a great school actually looks like in action, using one of the organizations that he works closely with through his consulting role. You will hear all about this school in our podcast today. 

I want to thank Kevin for his time and energy and agreeing to come on my podcast. It was an honor to have this conversation with him. I hope that any educational leader out there listening to this learns something new from Kevin today that they can immediately applied in their own leadership practice.

Thanks for listening and please share this episode and my new podcast with any educator who you feel will benefit from tuning in.

About Kevin:
Kevin has held leadership positions in the UK, Tanzania, Namibia, Austria, and Belgium, where he was most recently Director of the International School of Brussels from 2001-2015.

Kevin has co-designed accreditation systems for the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEAS&C) and is currently engaged with a small team developing ACE, an innovative new accreditation protocol for NEAS&C.

Kevin is a regular author of articles on a range of topics, a keynoter/workshop leader at multiple international and national conferences, and on-site consultant on a wide range of topics.

He is a writer and trainer in the field of curriculum design and leadership for learning for the Principals’ Training Center. As a curriculum designer, he was the initiator and early leader of the IB Primary Years Programme.

Connect With Kevin:
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Website