Happy Lunar New Year Leaders,

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you're having a fantastic start to the Year of the Dragon. This year is extra special for me because I was born in the dragon year. According to tradition, I have to wear red all year for good luck. Luckily, my brother and his partner gifted me a beautiful red bracelet, so I'm all set!

I'm really excited about the content I have for you this week. I just had one of my biggest interviews yet with Dr. Arran Hamilton, where we talked about the power of de-implementation. It was such an insightful conversation, and I can't wait to share it with you. On top of that, I also have a new episode where I discuss the mechanisms of great professional development. With these two resources, you'll have all the tools you need for success in your school.

I hope you enjoy everything I have in store for you this week. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead filled with happiness and prosperity!

This week I also wanted to share with you some fascinating data. Look at the graphic below and you will see that the international school sector is huge by every measure, according to ISC Research.

What does this all mean?

• Each school generates over $4.2M in fee income annually on average.

• The average annual fee per student is close to $9,000.

• Average number of students per school is 500.

• The average number of teaching staff per school is 50.

• This gives an average teacher:student ratio of around 10:1.

• This one is interesting: The amount of revenue generated from each teacher (generally the biggest expense of most schools) is $90,000.

Last week, I spoke with Dr. Arran Hamilton, an author and researcher in education. We discussed the idea of doing less to achieve more in education. Dr. Hamilton, who has worked with John Hattie and Dylan Wiliam, shared insights on de-implementation in schools. Our discussion showed that not all educational practices are equally effective, and by de-implementing, we can improve student learning.

In this episode, I discuss a tool to enhance professional development in schools. I introduce the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and their report on effective professional development. I explain the three ways to identify professional development: forms, programs, and mechanisms. I then explore the 14 mechanisms identified by the EEF for effective professional development. I also suggest four additional mechanisms for international schools and introduce a PD scorecard for gamifying professional development.

Did you know I also co-host a fort-nightly livestream on coaching in education with the brilliant Jim Thompson?

This week Jim and I were joined by Aimée Skidmore, an international educator and coach based in Switzerland. Aimee explored what coaching done well means to her and how vulnerability is essential in any coaching relationship. Check it out below:

Hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter. I’m always looking to improve the content and format so if you have ideas, please get in touch and let me know how to improve.

Have a wonderful week and until next time, keep leading with passion and purpose.

Shane