Let’s be honest. Teaching and learning have changed somewhat over the years, but schools as institutions can still “feel” very similar to how they did when my grandfather was a school superintendent back in the 1940s. So what are some ways we can reimagine school? It takes a real visionary to think outside of this rigid box, wouldn’t you say? Our guest on this episode, educator and author Paul Halford, is one such visionary. Paul guides us through his perspective on reimagining schools.

Paul Halford has worked in education for over 50 years including 35 in management. His diverse career included Catholic, Jewish, Anglican, Islamic, government, international and alternative schools. He has twice been nominated for National Excellence Awards. In 2004 and in 2006 his schools received National Awards for Excellence and Improvement. He has led International schools in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia.

Our guiding question for this episode was: “How do educators and schools go about reimagining themselves?”

In this show, Paul covers several topics, including:

• Paul’s reasons for writing his book, My Educated Life: Lessons from Leading and Reimagining Schools
• Schools’ search for legitimacy
• Paul’s early career working at a parent-designed alternative school in Australia
• The importance of trust, care, and hope in schools, as modeled by school leaders
• Leadership tools to promote trust, care, and hope
• Connections to the work of school change pioneer Michael Fullan
• The process of reimagining schools moving forward

Resources mentioned in the episode:

My Educated Life: Lessons from leading and reimagining schools by Paul Halford

Michael Fullan The New Meaning of Educational Change

This episode was recorded on March 20, 2025.
Categories: School Life | Leadership | Change

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.