Intelligence is . . .

 Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change

Stephen Hawking passed away this week.  He was a remarkable man who taught the rest of us that disability can come along at any time, that resiliency is very important, and that we CAN adapt when change is required.

Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author, and a Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.  His accomplishments in his fields of study were remarkable.  And he did his work from a wheelchair using eye gaze to operate a sophisticated computer to speak, read, write, calculate, research.  He was quite a remarkable man, admired by many for a variety of reasons.  This week, I am moved by a Hawking quote and how it demonstrates the power of our SAIL framework for school improvement.  

     Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change

I’ve been listening to principals this week, as they describe their schools’ progress through the SAIL process: to identify problems, analyze the root cause, determine target goals, establish adult learning frameworks to build capacity AND analyze the resulting data.

Repeatedly, I am hearing about the revelations that school teams are making as they dig into their practices, change their practices, and analyze the outcomes.  When a school uncovers their ‘Ah Ha’ moments, it’s so powerful. Finding that they made growth happen is so rewarding and it took thoughtful work to make calculated change. Or. . . maybe we aren’t thrilled with the outcomes, but we have uncovered something that shifts our theory a bit and we are digging in again to learn from our courageous endeavor and try another layer of change.  

The SAIL process works.  And we have come a long way in our concerted efforts to make large strides in improving student outcomes by adapting to change.  That’s intelligence.

     Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change ~ Stephen Hawking