Why the Union Leader Endorsed Me

sasquatch music festival 2009

I am proud to announce that the Union Leader has endorsed my campaign for school board, saying I’m part of a “handful of great candidates.”

In Ward 6, Jon DiPietro wants to open up the school district to reform. He says lots of people have new ideas, but the challenge is “to find the second person to join in to give permission to the crowd to embrace change.” He points to success at Parker-Varney Elementary School as a model to replicate across the Queen City.

– New Hampshire Union Leader, October 25. 2017

So, what did I mean about finding “the second person to join in to give permission to the crowd to change?”

Leading Change

The key to lasting change isn’t getting the first person to try something “crazy.” In the U.S. in particular, there are plenty of innovators and change agents willing and able to try new approaches. But if real change is going to take hold, others need to join in.

Take a look at the following video in which a dance party breaks out. At first, it’s a lone guy performing a strange dance by himself. Eventually, a second person joins him. The first dancer welcomes him and incorporates him into the dance. This is critical because it gives social permission for others to join in. Other concert-goers trickle in until a tipping point is reached. The tipping point happens when so many others are dancing that there is more social pressure to remain sitting than to join into the dancing.

We need to reach this tipping point in Manchester School District. At the moment, we’ve got a couple of “crazies” dancing. We need a few more to join them if we want to see a dance party of innovation so that real change takes hold. I’ve been leading change in non-profit organizations for years, earning multiple leadership awards. I’m not a great dancer but I do know how to get dance parties started!

Here’s one final video for inspiration. It’s Steve Jobs narrating an Apple commercial that never aired. In the final version, Richard Dreyfus was the narrator.

https://youtu.be/8rwsuXHA7RA

This post is dedicated to the crazy ones who want to embrace change in education.

How to Change the World In Your Spare Time

I’m speaking with a lot of people who are expressing apathy and helplessness. They’re not voting in local elections because they feel like nothing ever changes. I totally understand that perspective but, at the same time, I don’t accept it. So someone on Facebook challenged me to explain how ordinary citizens can change our government. … Read more

Jon DiPietro Files Right to Know Request [Press Release]

nancy tessier breach of confidentiality

For Immediate Release Date: 9/26/2017 Contact:  Jon DiPietro [email protected] / 603-759-7551 Manchester, NH– Jon DiPietro, candidate for school board in Ward 6, submitted a Right to Know request to Manchester Board of School Committee Clerk Maura Leahy today. He is seeking access to documents related to the breach of confidentiality by at-large Board of School … Read more

Manchester School District Survey Results

Most important issues in Manchester School District

I July and August, I conducted a survey of Manchester residents, asking them about Manchester School District issues. This article presents the results of the 175 responses to that survey. Overview The two most important issues as ranked by the respondents were Standards & Curriculum and classroom sizes. Both of these issues were ranked significantly … Read more

Students and Teachers Get Some Relief. Finally.

The full Board of School Committee met on Aug-14 and approved a recommendation to standardize the districts standardized testing. That’s not a misprint: For years, the Manchester School District’s formative assessments were an inconsistent Frankenstein’s Monster that soaked up far too much classroom time and delivered precious little instructional value to teachers. That will change in … Read more