Out of the Box Thinking Won’t Move Education Forward | Greg Martin | 15 Min Read

August 17, 2022

Sometimes the greatest impediment to change is trying to do it from within the structures, formats, restrictions, and histories of a system. In doing so, answers to challenges are limited to only what exists within the system, and “solutions” only utilize mindsets and tools that are already present. In this sense, thinking “outside of the box” tethers organizations and leaders to an already existing system, in this case, the box. To begin with our educational system, we need to define and address the goals, objectives, and purpose of education as a whole. This lack of clarity is one of the main obstacles to true reform and change. Education, from K-12 to university, is in dire need of reform at a time of significant societal change both in the United States and globally. 

As the world has changed, education has been unable to keep up due to mindsets fixed on what worked, not what needs to work going forward. In this sense, we have developed certain beliefs about what education is, what it is for, what it looks like, and how it is delivered, with only slight variations on the model since the early 1900s. This is…

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Greg Martin

Greg grew up in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, and attended the Peddie School, playing football and lacrosse. Greg graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, with a BA in Political Science. He then earned his MA in European History from Western Connecticut State University and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from Drexel University. Greg continues to research, write, and present on staffing models in American boarding schools. His work has been featured in the National Association of Independent Schools magazine. Greg is a regular presenter at the annual The Association of Boarding Schools Conference. Greg has also been a guest on the Enrollment Management Association's podcast several times and has contributed to The Trustees Letter on two occasions. Greg serves on the advisory board for the Independent School MA program at Mount Holyoke College. Greg currently serves as the Humanities Chair at Vermont Academy.