Happy New Year! I hope that you all had some well-deserved rest and relaxation over the holidays.  As we enter 2013 with some uncertainty again around the country's economic situation and still some unresolved questions about the 'fiscal cliff' - did we really go over the cliff?  Would it have been as destructive as they predicted? Perhaps we just rolled over the side and the impact was not nearly as jarring as we expected?  Is it really behind us?  The question about our school's financial sustainability remains a primary concern for independent school leaders. Online learning and resources are avenues to explore which may provide opportunity to alter your current staffing model as well as your education models. 

MISBO has asked Elizabeth Slavitt from Khan Academy to open our 2013 Winter Webinar series. This may seem odd as she is going to speak about the role Khan Academy can have in the classrooms of your schools. Most of you are not in the classroom daily and may not see the direct significance, but I urge you to take an hour of your time to learn about one option to the traditional learning model. I first heard Sal Khan speak several years ago at a NAIS Annual Conference. At that time online and blended learning concepts were just beginning to be developed and discussed. I found Sal's message about learning and mastery to be very inspiring.  However, I left the session (with about 4,000 other attendees) feeling that a large number of the educators in the room felt very threatened by this new idea of education. They clearly did not believe that online learning tools had a place in independent schools.

Fast forward several years and I believe that this has changed. I talk to schools everyday which are embracing innovative new methods to deliver learning to students in the format that best helps that individual student to learn. This short 2-minute video which is part of a longer CBS 60 Minutes piece about Khan Academy simply describes Sal's vision - click here to watch. If you have another 5 minutes, watch this video about how Khan Academy is being used at Marlborough - an all girl's independent school in the Los Angeles area - click here and choose Marlborough to watch.

I look forward to starting 2013 with a great learning opportunity for all of us - please invite anyone who may be interested at your school to join us on Wednesday, January 9th at 2:00 pm ET to hear about the impact Khan Academy is having in schools across the country and around the world. Click here to register.

Sincerely,

Marc

Marc Levinson

Executive Director, MISBO

marclevinson@misbo.com