In 1623, the English poet and thinker John Donne wrote perhaps the most enduring words of his career: “No man is an island, entire of itself.” That line—part of a larger meditation on life and death—has become one of the most famous descriptions of the connections that bind humanity together. “Every man is a piece of the continent,” he continues, “a part of the main.”
When Donne wrote those words, England was more divided perhaps than ever. The Protestant Reformation had sparked unprecedented religious division. The political tension between Royalists and Parliamentarians was heading toward a civil war. So the people of the time probably did see themselves—or at least their social groups of choice—as islands, isolated from those with opposing viewpoints.
But that, Donne believed, was a mistake. “If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,” he writes. Less poetically: If we don’t come together, we’ll fall apart. We’re stronger together.
Four centuries later and an ocean away, we have a lot in common with Donne’s England. It’s not just that we’re politically polarized; we’re also socially isolated. According to the Survey Center for American Life, U.S. adults report having fewer close friends than they once did—and report talking to those friends less. Even at work, we’re often siloed on our own teams, cut off from the work happening elsewhere in our organizations. So how do we avoid thinking of ourselves as isolated islands, but rather as parts of a larger continent?
In this issue of SchoolCEO, we hope to shed some light on that question. Here you’ll find strategies for cooperating with your teachers union, communicating with your board and collaborating with the district down the road. You’ll learn better ways to bring teachers into your school communications strategy. And in our newest research, you’ll see how three major district leaders—superintendents, communications directors and technology officers—can break down silos between their teams and work together to build community trust.
No school leader, central office team or even school district is an island entire of itself. When it comes to public education, we all sink or swim together. If we zoom out on the continent we all inhabit, we’re likely to find a huge expanse of common ground.
In 1623, the English poet and thinker John Donne wrote perhaps the most enduring words of his career: “No man is an island, entire of itself.” That line—part of a larger meditation on life and death—has become one of the most famous descriptions of the connections that bind humanity together. “Every man is a piece of the continent,” he continues, “a part of the main.”
When Donne wrote those words, England was more divided perhaps than ever. The Protestant Reformation had sparked unprecedented religious division. The political tension between Royalists and Parliamentarians was heading toward a civil war. So the people of the time probably did see themselves—or at least their social groups of choice—as islands, isolated from those with opposing viewpoints.
But that, Donne believed, was a mistake. “If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,” he writes. Less poetically: If we don’t come together, we’ll fall apart. We’re stronger together.
Four centuries later and an ocean away, we have a lot in common with Donne’s England. It’s not just that we’re politically polarized; we’re also socially isolated. According to the Survey Center for American Life, U.S. adults report having fewer close friends than they once did—and report talking to those friends less. Even at work, we’re often siloed on our own teams, cut off from the work happening elsewhere in our organizations. So how do we avoid thinking of ourselves as isolated islands, but rather as parts of a larger continent?
In this issue of SchoolCEO, we hope to shed some light on that question. Here you’ll find strategies for cooperating with your teachers union, communicating with your board and collaborating with the district down the road. You’ll learn better ways to bring teachers into your school communications strategy. And in our newest research, you’ll see how three major district leaders—superintendents, communications directors and technology officers—can break down silos between their teams and work together to build community trust.
No school leader, central office team or even school district is an island entire of itself. When it comes to public education, we all sink or swim together. If we zoom out on the continent we all inhabit, we’re likely to find a huge expanse of common ground.