Kids need to feel that their passions and ideas matter. Unfortunately, our system is set up to mold kids into who we want them to be. Schools are guilty of this and even well-meaning parents are guilty of it. We have our own versions of success in our minds and trying to steer children on our path is setting them up for failure and for feeling unseen. This week on the podcast, Luthern Williams is sharing how his school, New Roads School, is doing things differently. And he proves that small, private, and even budget-conscious (or budget-restricted) schools can offer a path for all learners and keep inclusivity and access at its core.
Luthern shares how New Roads has managed to offer 35 electives for middle school students and 65 electives for high schoolers and what this has done to boost the possibilities these students have. We also talk about how radical inclusion doesn’t just benefit the student, why children need to be invited to show up authentically, and why so many children are having mental health issues today.
This episode truly dissects a school and a leader who are living in their values.
Luthern Williams, a visionary educational leader, is the Head of School at New Roads School in Santa Monica, California. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an Ed.M. in School Leadership from Harvard University. Previously, Luthern was the Assistant Head of School for Program and Middle School Director at New Roads School. Luthern has over twenty-five years of experience as an administrator and English teacher in independent schools in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles. He served as the Director of College Preparation and College Admissions at College Launch, an educational consulting company; the Director of Studies at the Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California; the Upper School Director at Beaver Country Day School in Boston, Massachusetts; and the Director of Diversity at the Winsor School in Boston, Massachusetts.
Throughout his career, he has drawn on his extensive knowledge of education to align schools’ programs with their missions and to build educational models where all children thrive; learn love, respect, empathy, and compassion; and develop the tools to create a world based on the inherent dignity and worth of each individual. To prepare teachers to educate for this “New World,” Luthern has contributed to the design, redesign, and development of one of the premier teacher induction and professional development programs for independent schools in the nation as well as created professional development processes in many independent schools. In addition, Luthern has trained teachers to devise strategies and assessments for students with various learning styles as well as culturally sensitive teaching methods and curricula.
He has done talks, interviews, presentations and workshops about education on the local, state, national, and international level, including speaking on a panel for the United States Department of Education, Office of Nonpublic Education. He has consulted nationally on education, and he has written articles in this field. In addition, he has served as Board Chair and Board member on nonprofit boards. Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors of California Association of Independent Schools, Private School Axis, Los Encinos School, and the Advisory Board of the National Diversity Coalition. Luthern is deeply committed to democratizing meaningful access to high quality education for socio-economically disadvantaged students and developing schools, built on wellbeing, that are catalysts for societal transformation.
