Source: 
Beth Te Grotenhuis, President of Odysseyware and CEO of Glynlyon — Friday, December 12, 2014
"A rolling stone can gather no moss." – Publilius Syrus
Nearly three decades working in education have shown me that our industry can be both cyclical and reactive and that change is inevitable. These waves are often driven by local or national policy, leading thinkers in our industry and the ever-changing needs of current and future educators and students alike. The same seems to be true in districts, schools, and classrooms, where every few years a new initiative based on the latest research, pedagogy, or legal necessity is introduced and positioned as the ultimate solution.
Ongoing conversations with education leaders and teachers speak to the challenge our educators constantly face in adjusting to these shifts and changes, be it adopting new curriculum and standards or ensuring teachers receive the necessary professional development and planning to ensure these adoptions are successful.
As an education, technology, and curriculum company, it is a constant juggling act anticipating and responding to the changing needs of our schools and educators while remaining steadfast enough to block out the day-to-day static and noise and continue to trust in our internal vision and development plan. As a leader, there are a few principles I have followed to navigate these dynamics.
- Know who you are.
Every day it seems we receive a request for a new feature or course. If we based our development plans on this alone, we’d churn out features but not necessarily a great product. Whatever we do, we do so based on the overarching goal of empowering both students and teachers. Since Odysseyware’s inception, we have focused on both personalized learning and providing the option and flexibility to customize our curriculum. As more and more schools implement blended, flexed, and virtual instructional models, we believe that this ability to customize will become a “need to have” instead of a “nice to have” capability.
- Stay true to who you are but accept that who you are will change.
This summer marked the largest new product launch in our company history. We published new virtual labs, a blended learning library, a suite of high school test prep courses, and new CTE courses, among other releases. The CTE courses reflected our continued significant investment in Career and Technical Education, which we committed to before many of our competitors and when it was still unclear how much emphasis the industry would place on it. This was an example of anticipating a trend instead of reacting.
At the other end of the spectrum, we launched brand new high school equivalency test prep courses this autumn, which was necessitated by the need to match the form and standards of the new GED, HiSET, and TASC tests. These two examples speak to striking the balance between responding to new trends while remaining true to who you are and what you do best. Part of our corporate mission is empowerment and flexibility. Expanding CTE offerings encourage and empower students to prepare for career and college readiness. High school test prep and equivalency courses can help other students do the same.
- Focus on kids.
When in doubt, go back to basics. At the end of the day, let the fundamental question be whether your choices will benefit teachers and students. Will learning improve? Will access to high quality and flexible educational opportunities increase?
- Invest in people and embrace change.
The pace of technological change and the proliferation of mobile devices in our schools are not slowing down. If anything, we’re just witnessing the first wave. While this will hopefully usher in a new renaissance in teaching and learning, it will also shorten the time we have to make product decisions, as the demand to adapt to this new environment will be unrelenting. Surround yourself with good people. Invest even more in developing your employees and support them as our workplaces become far more open and collaborative. If your company requires an infusion of new skills, don’t be afraid to invest in the personnel it will take to remain relevant or approach management in new ways.
Much is being asked of our administrators, teachers, and students as they adapt to these changes. The very concept of a classroom is shifting. We should expect no less of ourselves.
Beth Te Grotenhuis recently led the development and execution of the largest new product release in Odysseyware’s history and was instrumental in the development of Odysseyware’s industry-leading online Career Technical Education courses. Since joining Glynlyon(Odysseyware’s parent company), she has shared the company’s mission to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for children and to be the best education partner in the industry. Today, as the president of Odysseyware and CEO of Glynlyon, she is more committed than ever to that vision. Beth has nearly three decades of successful leadership experience in the education and software industries. Under her leadership, Odysseyware has become one of the K-12 education industry’s most comprehensive online and blended learning curriculums. She may be reached at betht@glynlyon.com.