Industrial Lessons: Why Schools must evolve or be left behind
Recently, I was driving through Eastern Ohio after my son's hockey tournament when something struck me: the landscape was full of shut-down and abandoned steel mills—massive buildings that once stood as symbols of strength and prosperity, now silent and forgotten. The sight stayed with me. It made me ask, What happened to all of them?
So, I researched it. And what I
found was not just a history lesson-it was a warning.
Those mills didn’t fail because
people stopped working hard. They collapsed because leadership failed to adapt.
Because systems stayed rigid while the world changed around them. They ignored
innovation, dismissed new global realities, and clung to "the way we’ve
always done it." That refusal to evolve led to their downfall.
And then it hit me: we're in
danger of repeating that same pattern in education.
Schools that:
Ø
Resist innovation because “this is how we’ve
always done it”
Ø
Operate in silos without real collaboration
Ø
Ignore changes in technology, student needs,
and future careers
Ø
Prioritize systems over students
...are on the same path as those
abandoned mills.
We’re not here to protect a
structure -we’re here to prepare kids for a future that’s changing fast. That
requires us to be flexible, creative, and open to new ways of thinking. It
means questioning habits, welcoming ideas, and building something modern,
meaningful, and sustainable.
This isn't about fear-it's about
purpose. We can be the opposite of those shuttered factories. We can be a
system that thrives because it grows, because it listens, and because it
refuses to accept "good enough."
Let’s not wait until we’re forced to change. Let’s lead it.
Sincerely,
Superintendent of Schools
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