10 Hashtags Every Education Leader Should Follow

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Shelly Sanchez Terrell October 28, 2015

Those leading schools or districts aren't alone — Twitter offers an amazing community to connect with other education leaders. Check out these 10 hashtags.

In this course, participants learn core principles, concepts, and methods of continuous improvement and explore the history of continuous improvement efforts. In a series of lectures, Master Black Belt in Six Sigma Shane Wentz, Ph.D., enables learners to enhance, optimize, and stabilize business processes and to augment quality control through varied methodologies. Participants gain the skills and knowledge to reimagine internal processes, engage in advanced problem-solving, and empower employees. The course covers high-level foundational principles of Lean, Six Sigma, and DMAIC processes before diving deep into Lean Six Sigma methods. Learners will analyze the tools of process mapping, Kaizen (a continuous improvement method/tool deemed a prerequisite for Lean transformation success), Lean (a continuous improvement philosophy that emphasizes streamlined workflows and reducing waste), and the process improvement methodology driving DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

Entrepreneurs fostering new ventures outside of well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystems like Silicon Valley face significant challenges. These markets are unlike Silicon Valley, and they will likely remain so. That doesn't mean they can't nurture and sustain new businesses. In transitioning markets that lack abundant private sector financing, creative approaches from government officials, donors, and business leaders can fill the void to support entrepreneurial activity. Northeast Ohio (where Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University are located) has become a laboratory for such innovative solutions. During our time together in this course, we will explore some of these creative approaches to promoting regional entrepreneurship. Northeast Ohio has seen a massive infusion of government and donor resources for over ten years. In that time, Northeast Ohio has promoted regional development (including job creation and follow-on funding) through alternative methods of financing startups. It has not been easy. The region has made progress, but it remains to be seen whether it has struck upon an enduring formula. A dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem takes many years, even decades, to develop. Government policymakers and donors typically seek quicker returns on their support programs, which makes long-term support for entrepreneurship challenging. This course includes case studies and first-person testimonials from entrepreneurs who have launched products and services ranging from medical devices to LED lights to whiskey. You will learn how these entrepreneurs discovered and procured resources from various programs and intermediary organizations. You will hear from business people still in the process of developing their companies as well as those whose ventures have flourished. Our focus will extend beyond Cleveland to selected markets around the world, including Greece, Vietnam, Tunisia, Argentina, Rwanda and China. You will learn about international incentives and other supports available to developing startups and small businesses across the globe. This course examines how different communities around the world approach implementing strategies and methods to support businesses. I will ask you to reflect on how to apply the principles we learn to growing entrepreneurship where you live. The social interactive features of the online platform will enable students from around the world to share ideas and learn from one another. Most MOOCs rebroadcast professors’ lectures; this course is different. Don’t expect to see me standing in front of the camera, talking and lecturing every module. Instead, the lectures will be relatively short in length. They have more of the feel of an engaging documentary than a static classroom setting. ## __What type of person takes the *Beyond Silicon Valley* course?__ - Active and aspiring businesspeople in communities looking to initiate new startup ecosystems or bolster existing ones - Current and prospective entrepreneurs who want to learn about funding sources, risk management, and the lifecycle of startups - Professionals who work in government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropic institutions, and various private funds that fund startups - Anyone curious about how to create and grow startup ecosystems outside the major tech hubs - The principles Beyond Silicon Valley teaches have been drawn from and applied to startups worldwide, from small villages to megalopolises. You'll study success stories spanning the globe from Vietnam to Kosovo to Botswana. ## __What will you learn in *Beyond Silicon Valley*?__ - How and where startups can find funding to get their businesses off the ground - What role government can play in encouraging startups and a healthy startup ecosystem - How anchor institutions such as universities and healthcare systems participate in startup ecosystems - How nongovernmental organizations support startups - How to raise funds from venture capitalists, angel investors, and accelerators - How to navigate challenging periods in the startup lifecycle - The importance of mentoring in successful startups

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Leading a group of teachers, a school, or a district or implementing an educational policy comes with enormous — yet incredibly rewarding — responsibility.

Being the kind of leader who makes a positive, lasting impact takes a lot of effort and persistence. As a leader, you need to be sure you are feeding your spirit, mind, and body, especially since you are the model for many teachers, parents, and students. Reaching out to those with relevant experience will ensure that you receive the motivation, support, advice, and mentorship to help you successfully transform your community.

One quick and easy way to connect with other administrators and locate resources is to take a few minutes each day to scan and contribute to hashtags, which are words or phrases that begin with a #-sign and are used to categorize conversations around a certain topic on social media.

Click on any of the recommended hashtags below to connect with other school leaders and be inspired by what they accomplish in their communities.

#LeadUpChat

Jeff Veal (@heffrey), a professional learning facilitator, and Nathan Lang (@nalang1), a national content specialist at a leading education publishing house, founded the LeadUpNow movement, which seeks to shift paradigms of leadership structures in education by encouraging thought-provoking conversations. The hashtag chat inspired by this movement, which has been nominated for a Bammy Award, takes place every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time. If you are a teacher who wants to find support, mentorship, and motivation to be a leader in your community, then this is the chat for you.

#CPChat

This Twitter chat belongs to the Connected Principals group, founded by George Couros (@GCouros), teaching consultant and principal of Parkland School Division. The group consists of a large network of principals, vice principals, and assistant principals from all over the world. The hashtag will take you to blogs, resources, events, and conferences to enable you to network with others in the field. You can also join the group’s chat on Twitter every Monday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. New principals looking to develop a personal learning network (PLN) will find a welcoming online community. This hashtag is also great for principals who want to learn how to integrate social media at their school with the aim of increasing family engagement.

#SATChat

This is one of the most popular Twitter chats dedicated to supporting school administrators. The chat is filled with resources and tools to help those in charge of leading schools. You’ll find an active community discussing various topics every Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time. The chat was founded by superintendent Scott Rocco (@ScottRRocco), educator Brad Currie (@BradMCurrie), and author and speaker Billy Krakower (@WKrakower).

Scott Rocco is also the creator of #ASuperDay — a hashtag that, on every third Wednesday of the month, is use by superindents to share a story of excellence they’ve observed at schools in the districts they lead.

#SuptChat

Another great hashtag for top administrators is #SuptChat, which is an international chat for superintendents and school leaders that takes place the first Wednesday of every month at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. This Bammy Award-nominated chat was founded by two superintendents in Illinois, Nicky Polyak (@npolyak) and Mike Lubelfeld (@mikelubelfeld). This option will connect you with leaders from around the world who are eager to make a difference in their communities.

#EdLeadership

Connect with superintendents, school board members, and other education leaders at the local and state level using this hashtag. Participants often post relevant articles or challenging questions to spark a debate in the community. Those seeking to continue their journey as a school leader will be able to find positions and ed leadership programs posted here.

#EdAdmin

Follow this hashtag to keep up with policies, news, and research related to school administration and leadership. Many instructional trends as well as education reform ideas are shared, discussed, and analyzed here.

#EdLeader21

This is the hashtag of the EdLeader21 community, which represents a large network of school and district leaders who integrate the four Cs — critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity — into education. The site itself is filled with free handouts, PDFs, and rubrics to support educational leadership.

#Leadership, #LeadwithGiants, and #LeadFromWithin

These aren’t specifically related to education, but provide leaders with motivational quotes and resources. Let these tweets inspire you while you sip your coffee in the morning and think about how to transform your classroom, school, or district. I find many of the quotes also keep me focused, grounded, and humble, which is important for being the kind of leader who makes a true impact.

This article is part of a new series on top hashtags for teachers, school leadership, and parents. Read past articles, 10 Hashtags Every Teacher Should Follow or 36 Hastags to Stay on Top of Current Teaching Trends. And check back for these upcoming posts: 15 Must-Follow Hashtags for Parents (Don't Tell Your Kids!) and Follow These 14 Hashtags for Education Technology Updates.