Meet Scott Smoler
Scott Smoler, Founder, Head of School
MSA: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you land in the world of education and what has your journey entailed?
Scott: I first ventured into education when exploring schooling options for my two children. Reflecting on my own educational experiences, I sought an approach that tapped into their natural motivations and personal interests. This led me to choose the Montessori School of Tokyo. However, as I was considering future high school options, I realized there was no existing model that emphasized authentic, project-based learning tailored to students' interests and strengths. Driven by a desire to create such an environment, I collaborated with the UWC ISAK Japan international high school to pilot a unique program for their 10th-grade leadership class, which was a great success. The success of this project, coupled with the absence of a high school that embodied these principles, and the support of like-minded co-founders, culminated in the creation of The Innovation Fellowship. My journey in education has been deeply personal and driven by a commitment to fostering environments where students can thrive by engaging in meaningful, passion-driven learning experiences.
MSA: Thanks for sharing that with us. What were important early influences that shaped who you are as a teacher / leader ?
Scott: My journey was profoundly shaped by a dissatisfaction with traditional schooling, where I often found the work uninteresting and lacking relevance. This realization became even clearer once I entered the workforce and discovered the joy of engaging in meaningful, authentic tasks. I realized the importance of authenticity and purpose in work, which traditional schooling often lacks, focusing instead on simulated tasks just for generic skill development and knowledge acquisition. Another crucial influence was my professional experience, where I witnessed firsthand the value of coaching and mentorship. These experiences taught me that the methods we use to guide students should not be so different from those used by mentors in the professional world. Altogether, these influences inspired me to create a learning environment that prioritizes real-world relevance, student interests, and personal growth.
MSA: Describe a specific change project you have been a part of. What were the main obstacles? How did you overcome them?
Scott: One significant change project was, prior to starting TIF, my involvement with UWC ISAK Japan, where I helped reimagine their Grade 10 Leadership Program. Initially, I had many ideas about how to improve high school education but lacked a platform and access to students. After connecting with a UWC ISAK board member, I was invited to join the task force responsible for redesigning the program. The main obstacle was aligning my ideas with the school's values and getting buy-in from stakeholders. By directly engaging with each task force member, incorporating their feedback, and collaborating closely with the program's main coordinator, we successfully implemented a new, impactful curriculum grounded in my ideas. This experience ultimately inspired me to expand the program and create TIF, a school dedicated to authentic, student-centered education.
MSA: What does "learning in community" mean to you? How do you stay connected and in-the-know about all things education?
Scott: "Learning in community" means expanding the educational experience beyond the classroom. At TIF, students start by engaging in "zero-to-one" projects based on their passions. Once they validate their interests, we connect them with external mentors who are experts in those fields. This not only provides students with valuable knowledge and guidance, but also gives them access to professional platforms. In turn, mentors feel a connection to our school, creating a network of support. As we grow, this model can foster a thriving community of diverse professionals and engaged learners, enriching the educational landscape.
MSA: Speaking of growing, what is a critical topic / question in education that everyone will have to attend to in the future?
Scott: A critical question facing education is how to future-proof learning in a rapidly changing world. With exponential advancements in technology, especially AI, the traditional model of education is being challenged. Schools must rethink what knowledge and skills are essential. At TIF, we tackle this by making education hyper-personalized and aligned with the latest global developments. By anchoring learning in students’ passions and connecting them with cutting-edge fields and companies, we ensure that the skills and competencies they develop are always relevant. This approach keeps education dynamic and prepares students for the uncertainties of the future.
MSA: Thank you for sharing your change story with us Scott!
Contact: scott@innovationfellowship.org | Linked In
Meet Aidan Kelly
Aidan Kelly
Program Director, Lift All Boats
MSA: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you land in the world of education and what has your journey entailed?
Aidan: My first two years as a teacher, I worked at a school that was very, very bad because it was designed to be very, very bad. It was a GED program for high-school aged students where no one got a GED. Students had to formally drop out of school to attend, so it was a one-way street; once they came to us, they weren't allowed to transfer back to a normal high school. Most of the faculty said terrible things about our students--they called them lazy, stupid and worse--and made little effort to teach them. There was another TFA teacher at this school, Joy, and in our second year, we asked if we could run a self-contained academy: the students assigned to us would get all their academic content from me or Joy. We were told the statewide GED passage rate from schools like ours was 6%; at our school, recently, it was 0%. That year, 50% of our students got their GED, and more passed the test the next year when they became old enough to test. And we didn't know ANYTHING; we just worked as hard as we could, kept trying new things, collected and responded to data, and kept telling our students we believed in them. There was nothing wrong with our kids. They just needed the adults responsible for their education to give them what they needed to flourish.. I think about that experience a lot. I took away two lessons that still drive me: 1) don't underestimate what students can do. If they have a history of failure, it's because they have a history of being failed. If they're properly supported, they have the chance to thrive. 2) don't underestimate how comprehensively a system can fail young people. The floor is very, very low. The vast majority of educators love their kids and work hard on their behalf, and no one enters the profession to fail kids. Nevertheless, schools like the one I worked at exist, and they don't exist entirely by accident.
MSA: Thanks for sharing that with us. Could you describe a specific change project you have been a part of. What were the main obstacles? How did you overcome them?
Aidan: Coming out of the pandemic, a lot of the schools in the network I worked for were describing the struggles they saw from their new employees, especially from new or early career teachers. They seemed to be struggling to follow expectations, to mesh with their schools' cultures, to grow and take coaching like we expected them to. Everyone was confused and upset: these weren't bad people, and they weren't trying to be difficult, but a lot of them were unsuccessful, unhappy, and leaving their roles. It was a talent churn we couldn't afford. I decided to take a swing at an orientation week, in the summer, for new and early-career teachers. As I planned, I interviewed current employees who were early in their careers, both folks who were successful and thriving and those who were not. The differences were stark, but not in the way I expected: while I went into the interviews looking for disparities in placement (was there a grade level or content area that was simply too difficult for new folks to handle?), I found disparities in behavior. Both groups found their first years in the network to be very difficult, but the thrivers tended to actively seek out feedback, and then implement that feedback, which meant they got more feedback, which meant they got better and built strong mentee-mentor relationships with veteran teachers. The teachers who were struggling largely did not have those relationships, got less feedback, and worried that the feedback they did get came because of poor performance. In short, the thrivers were doing things that we used to *explicitly teach people to do*--to reach out for feedback, to implement it, to express gratitude for it. Without realizing it, as we reopened from the pandemic, we had dropped most of our "this is who we are, these are the behaviors we value because they lead to success for kids" language. The one school that had kept that sort of messaging had--you guessed it--a largely successful group of new teachers. So, I completely changed the focus of this orientation week. I cut most of the content I had written up to focus on a few foundational planning and delivery skills, with tons and tons and tons of examples and stories and messaging around feedback: why we value it, how to ask for it, what to do when you get it. I brought in successful new teachers, going into their second or third years, to share their journeys and advice and to emphasize the importance of seeking to learn from veteran teachers. Almost immediately, I heard from schools that new teachers were having an easier time adapting to their roles, that they sought out feedback, that they were easier to coach and grow. I find most of our change projects can be approached this way: find the bright spots, learn what they're doing, make those lessons explicit, teach them and reinforce them. Adults, just like kids, want to be successful and do well if they can!
MSA: What author / book / podcast has played an important role in your development? What are 1-2 valuable nuggets of wisdom you have gleaned?
Aidan: I think a lot about Daniel T. Willingham's _Why Don't Students Like School?_. The book attempts to make brain science accessible and applicable to teachers, and the first time I read it, I had an "a-ha!" moment every few pages. It revealed why some of my units and lessons and strategies really seemed to click with students, and why others fell flat. There are core parts of my approach to teaching--the importance of challenge, how the strategic use of rote learning supports the development of complex thinking, how to consider the strengths and limitations of working memory when introducing new material--that really took root when I read or re-read _WDSLS_.
MSA: What is a critical topic / question in education that everyone will have to attend to in the future?
Aidan: It's going to be critical for educators to ensure that the educational benefits of artificial intelligence accrue to all students, not just those who are already furthest ahead and most prepared for the world they are about to inherit. For instance, we are not far from students having access to custom AGI tutors who can personalize content better than any human instructor. There are many students in our classrooms who will take to these tools immediately. But there are others who will struggle to marshal the motivation and attention needed to drive their own learning in this way. A lot of the writing and thinking that imagines or plans for this future either ignores this group of students or problematizes them (these are the students "holding others back," or who "are not learning anyway"). It's going to take lots of good teaching to set these students up for success, using a combination of techniques we know and ones we'll have to come up with. Most of all, it's going to take a commitment to their success, to the belief that it's our responsibilities to help all students thrive, and to intervene whenever a student is at risk of falling behind, regardless of the mode of instruction.
MSA: Thank you for sharing your change story with us Aidan!
Contact: m.aidan.kelly@gmail.com | Linked In
Meet John D’Adamo Ph.D.
John D'Adamo, Ph.D.
Assistant Head of School / Head of Middle & Upper School - York Country Day School (York, PA)
MSA: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you land in the world of education and what has your journey entailed?
John: My Dad was a teacher and my Mom was an school administrative assistant, so I pretty much grew up in school buildings. I was always around teachers and other education professionals as a young person, and quickly developed the idea that I would be a teacher when I grew up. After majoring in English/Secondary Education in college, I landed my first job teaching high school English. I stayed there for 10 years, and still think of myself as a teacher when I look in the mirror. However, I did make the move to admin at that time, serving as an assistant principal and then principal at several schools over the next 13 years. It's been a wonderful journey that has led to valuable lessons and cherished relationships!
MSA: Thanks for sharing that with us. Could you tell us what motivates you to work in the field of education?
John: I believe that teaching is fundamentally an act of optimism. We believe that our efforts to connect with a student have the capacity for success and the potential for lifelong impact. That is a big deal! That underlying belief has the ability to change the world every single day.
MSA: Could you describe a specific change project you have been a part of. What were the main obstacles? How did you overcome them?
John: Like so many school administrators, I was at ground zero when COVID hit. As a principal and head of school at the time, I had to guide our community through that period of massive and sudden change. We had to identify funding, training, and communication vehicles that previously did not exist. We had to shape those resources into something new that no one at the time knew how to build. We overcame the tremendous obstacles in that moment by relying on community and trusting each other. We focused on the mission and what mattered most - our students and our staff. Lifting each other up become priority number one - just as it should even when it's not a pandemic!
MSA: What does "learning in community" mean to you? How do you stay connected and in-the-know about all things education?
John: "Learning in Community" is about staying connected. Recognizing that one person alone does not have all of the answers about education. We must continue to reach out to new sources of knowledge and growth in order to continually improve and learn. I keep topics of interest on my radar online and in social media, and I set aside regular time to discuss ideas with those in my circle. I also keep asking who else needs to be in my circle!
MSA: What is a critical topic / question in education that everyone will have to attend to in the future?
John: Generative artificial intelligence will be the biggest game changer of this era of education. When we look back at this period in history, it will be clear that it was a turning point for so many aspects of society. Educators must not sit out this conversation! It is imperative that we participate in the ongoing dialogue about this paradigm-shifting technology and how it will impact the lives of our students and our communities.
MSA: Thank you for sharing your change story with us John!
Contact: jdadamo1@ycds.org | Linked In
Meet Justin Cerenzia
Justin Cerenzia
Buckley Executive Director, Center for Teaching & Learning—The Episcopal Academy
MSA: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you land in the world of education and what has your journey entailed?
Justin: I didn't always love school—but I've always loved learning. To me, that gap highlights something crucial about how schools operate, or maybe how they ought to operate. My journey in education has been marked by saying "yes" to new challenges, staying endlessly curious, and nurturing a deep-rooted commitment to meaningful work, whatever form it takes. Above all, I’ve always prioritized viewing education from the student’s perspective, aiming to design learning experiences that resonate with their innate curiosity and potential.
MSA: Thanks for sharing that with us. Could you tell us what motivates you to work in the field of education?
Justin: I'm deeply curious, and education allows me to keep learning new things every single day—it's a job that constantly satisfies my intellectual curiosity. But beyond that, education uniquely offers a chance to make a lasting impact on the world. Every student interaction has the potential to ripple outward, influencing lives, communities, and even generations over time. That's incredibly motivating to me.
MSA: Could you describe a specific change project you have been a part of. What were the main obstacles? How did you overcome them?
Justin: A specific change project that stands out was pivoting our boarding school's entire operation during the onset of COVID-19. The obstacles? Honestly, everything—from transitioning quickly to remote learning, maintaining community and connection in a boarding environment, to navigating health protocols. We overcame these challenges by leaning hard into an experimenter's mindset, rapidly learning and adapting as we went. We communicated clearly and gave everyone the tools and space they needed to prepare. We stayed nimble, pivoted when necessary, and met uncertainty with pragmatic optimism and an unwavering belief in our community's ability to rise to the occasion.
MSA: What author / book / podcast has played an important role in your professional development? And perhaps share 1-2 valuable nuggets of wisdom you have gleaned.
Justin: Range by David Epstein has profoundly shaped my thinking and development. Epstein explores the power of being a generalist in an increasingly specialized world, emphasizing exactly why a liberal arts education matters. Two insights have particularly stuck with me: first, the immense value of joy and play in any intellectual setting; and second, the importance of approaching challenges with an intent to make sense, rather than immediately rushing to decisions. It's taught me to hold my hunches lightly, embracing curiosity and thoughtful inquiry over quick fixes or premature certainty.
MSA: What is a critical topic / question in education that everyone will have to attend to in the future?
Justin: A critical question we'll all need to grapple with is how artificial intelligence will influence the very purpose and daily practice of schools. As AI tools rapidly advance, their potential impact on teaching, learning, and assessment becomes both profound and unpredictable. But the future of education isn’t about predicting where AI will take us—it’s about intentionally designing where we want to go. It’s up to us to thoughtfully shape this integration, ensuring AI enhances rather than undermines our educational goals.
MSA: Thank you for sharing your change story with us Justin!
Contact: jcerenzia@episcopalacademy.org | Linked In