BIG Questions Institute Update December 5, 2025, No. 194 (Read Online) The Craving for Real: How Gen Z Is Redefining Connection in a Digital World by Kathleen Naglee, Senior Consultant, Big Questions Institute Like a few parents I know, I found myself ordering a record player for my 19-year-old son this Christmas season. He, like many teens, is craving real objects of memory and truth, from vinyl records to printed Polaroid pictures. This emerging desire is also appearing in other corners of...
2 months ago • 4 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update November 11, 2025, No. 193 (Read Online) I’m Here Because of Jane Goodall I’ve just wrapped up two-plus months almost continuously on the road, supporting educators in Beijing, Bangkok, Istanbul, Virginia and Chicago, and spanning Colombia to British Columbia. In the midst of these months, I got to see Dr. Jane Goodall in person in New York, just one week before her passing. As the accolades and remembrances have poured in from around the world, I wanted to...
3 months ago • 5 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update October 23, 2025, No. 192 (Read Online) Dignity is Non-Negotiable I'm delighted to turn this issue of the BQI Update over to our friend and thought partner, Rosalind Wiseman. Rosalind has been on a quest to help people put words to experiences they struggle to articulate and bring dignity back into our families, schools, work, and communities. She is the best-selling author of nine books, including the New York Times bestseller, Queen Bees & Wannabes, the...
3 months ago • 4 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update September 25, 2025, No. 191 (Read Online) Worried About the World? Try Urgent Optimism Have you noticed how talking about “hope” or “optimism” these days sort of sounds … dumb, naive, or out of touch? The term “hopium” gets thrown around cynically, as if hope is an opiate for those who are fooling themselves. I get it. When I read the news, each day seems darker and more cruel. But when I am in community with caring people doing good work and service, it doesn’t...
4 months ago • 4 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update September 5, 2025, No. 190 (Read Online) Introducing VISTA: A New Approach to Leadership Evaluation and Goal-Setting You know the drill: This is your third new Board Chair and they have decided to launch a new Head of School evaluation. When you were hired you created an evaluation process because there wasn’t one in place. But it is being ignored. They have a corporate framework of KPIs in mind based on their international company that seems completely...
5 months ago • 4 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update August 7, 2025, No. 189 (Read Online) What Can Jacinda Ardern’s Legacy Teach Us About Leading Schools During Polarized Times? “I was a very ordinary person who found myself in a set of extraordinary circumstances.” Jacinda Ardern Back in 2022, when in-person meetings had just resumed, we were inspired to feature Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s example of leading through complexity prominently in our work with school teams. After all, she was one of the faces of...
6 months ago • 8 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update July 22, 2025, No. 188 (Read Online) What kind of support actually helps students thrive? Introducing the People-Based Learning Lens (Guest Post - resend with fixed links!) Hello readers - This is a special newsletter featuring the writing and artwork of brilliant friend, thinker, innovator, and educator, Dr. Jane Shore, and was originally published on her outstanding School of Thought Substack. "I’m grateful to the Big Questions Institute for inviting me to...
7 months ago • 5 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update July 19, 2025, No. 187 (Read online) What kind of support actually helps students thrive? Introducing the People-Based Learning Lens (Guest Post!) Hello readers - This is a special newsletter featuring the writing and artwork of brilliant friend, thinker, innovator, and educator, Dr. Jane Shore. "I’m grateful to the Big Questions Institute for inviting me to share this post with you. Like many of you, I’ve been thinking about what it means to support young...
7 months ago • 5 min read
BIG Questions Institute Update June 27, 2025, No. 187 (Read online) Holding Multiple Truths at Once When It Feels Like the Truth is Hard to Come By Plus, Some Summer Reading Recommended by Educators Around the World! Thank you to many friends and colleagues who have reached out to me since the bombing on Iran. Your concern is deeply appreciated. As I have tried to express, it’s difficult to put the complex emotions and their repercussions into words, as almost any statement has a quick...
7 months ago • 4 min read
