Elliot Washor's TGIF 02.20.2026

Are you with me now? A. J. Ryder

This week almost all of the grantees for the California Secondary School Redesign work met over Zoom. After introductions it became clear to me that most of the organizations and districts in the room have been doing the work of school redesign with very little if any long-term systemic change. This took me back to last week’s piece on the NBA draft lottery and how no one can fix it even with everyone understanding that it needs fixing. As journalist David Aldridge points out, “Maybe the problem is the lottery and not the attempts at reforming it.”  Hmm? And once again this week the NBA lottery system is making more news with no real way to reform it. I can understand their problem. As we do the California Secondary School Redesign work, perhaps, like the NBA lottery, the problem is the education system and not the attempts to reform it. Hmm?

Taylor and I had a great talk with the folks at The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), Their mission is to treat the root cause, restore health and reignite practice. At ACLM, BPL board member Dr. Marsha-Gail Davis is a director at-large. On the call, one thing they really loved and will help us seek funding for from Healthcare providers their partners is BPLiving Fellows. This fellows program comes from the 10 years of work of Harbor Freight Fellows only it is in the fields of Lifestyle Medicine. Just like the skilled trades there is a need to get high school students connected to professionals where they work and mentor them. ACLM staff felt we will be able to get this started as a national program quickly. More to come.

“Call me” sung by Petula Clark

 On Thursday I received an email from Debbie Meier. All it said was “Call me,” Deb is almost 95 so, I picked up my phone and called her. We had a great catch-up about the state of education and her continued efforts to fundraise for a documentary of the 50^th anniversary of the first graduating class of Central Park East Secondary School in Harlem. We also came up with an idea of getting some of the original founders of schools like ours who are still alive from all over the country together for a Zoom. I’m in the process of doing it – George Wood, Howard Fuller, Larry Myatt, Adria Steinberg, Linda Nathan and Bob Stein were some of the names mentioned. Of course, Dennis will be on the Zoom from Costa Rica. After the call, I started looking up people to contact and came across many who have passed away. These were folks who made a tremendous difference in their schools and moved our collective work forward.

One of those principals was Charlie Mingo. He wasn’t just an outstanding school leader—we also shared many good laughs over the years. With 60 Minutes back in the news, I’m reminded that Charlie was once featured for his work at DuSable High School, located across the street from the Robert Taylor Homes. They were ultimately demolished in the early 2000s.

Charles Mingo was principal of Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable High School in Chicago. At Jean Baptiste, Mingo's innovations included redesigning the school's structure, dividing it into ten houses, each with 125 students and six teachers who remained together throughout all four years of high school. This significantly enhanced the academic achievement of the students, most of whom lived in a public housing complex across from the school. Because of the positive environment fostered by Mingo, many students from outside the district applied for admission to his school. Mingo was a member of the Coalition Essential Schools Project and was an outspoken advocate for innovative approaches to improve the learning environment. "All children can learn regardless of economic and social deprivations," said Mingo.

Is there something wrong with my TV? When I turn on the TV to watch the Olympics all I see is Curling. No disrespect but, You gotta be kiddin’. I'm always interested in the Olympics but not for the reasons people watch the Olympics for. I'm never really interested in who wins the gold, silver or bronze medals. What I am interested in is the stories of the athlete’s journey’s the discuss learning how hard it is to do something well whether they won a medal or not. For decades I’ve followed stories of Olympians who never told anyone they were in the Olympics. Sounds odd but there’s a pattern. This week an article came out about what Olympians do with their medals.  Turns out many don’t display them. Instead they end up in dressers or closets in their socks.

“Mikaela Shiffrin, one of the greatest Alpine skiers of all time and the owner of three Olympic medals, is a sock drawer person. So is Ryan Lochte, whose 12 medals make him the second most decorated male swimmer in the history of the Games. The IKEA dresser drawer where Christopher Mazdzer keeps his 2018 silver medal holds not only assorted hosiery but also other important possessions like belts and ties.”

Chris Fogt, who won a silver medal in bobsledding at the 2014 Games. “But after you get it, and you get a little older, it’s almost like the journey was more important.” Chris Fogt silver medalist in bobsledding 2014. Amen.

This week we had about 20 principals and assistant principals from Winnipeg joined Jeff Palladino and Sue Hart, two of our Big Picture Learning principals to discuss how they started their schools with all the bumps along the way. There was a great Q&A session and everyone seemed to get loads out of the meeting. In a few weeks I'm going to do the same thing except this time it's gonna be focused on K - 8 work. Jessica Rishe from SMASH and Gabby Logan from Beyond the Box will meet with the k-8 Winnipeg group.

Next week we are visiting Lincoln High School with Melissa Agudelo, the principal to look at their program and how it aligns with our California Secondary School Redesign grant. Also we will be having meetings with the presidents of both the boards of trustees of the California State Colleges and the University of California to use the IBPLC for Admissions.

Be Well