top of page


Challenging Norms: Shifting from a Teacher-Led to a Student-Led Schooling Environment
Traditional schooling models often aim to develop students who are independent thinkers, self-motivated learners, and collaborative problem-solvers. However, the very teacher-led practices that shape these environments often hinder students from fully realizing these goals. Essentially, traditional teacher-led approaches may inadvertently stifle the very qualities they are trying to foster.

Greg Mullen
May 610 min read


School Reform: When Do the Ends Justify the Means?
A school might want to use this article to guide leadership teams in reflecting on and redesigning reform efforts (like funding,...

Greg Mullen
May 511 min read


Schools as a Microcosm of Societal Progress
Schools, as microcosms of society, have the potential to serve as breeding grounds for these changes, where future generations can learn to embrace interdependence, collaboration, and social responsibility—values that will ultimately lead to a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society.

Greg Mullen
May 36 min read


Fairness as a Core Value: When Fairness Feels "Unfair"
Fairness is one of those universal values that almost everyone claims—but few agree on. In the Mullen Bioecological Model, fairness is broken down into two key dimensions, each with two ends. When crossed, they form four distinct interpretations of what fairness actually looks like in practice.

Greg Mullen
May 110 min read


Creating a Self-Directed Learning Environment: Integrating Motivational Interviewing to Shape School Culture
In these three sections, we will explore how school leaders can integrate MI principles into their leadership practices, understanding Motivational Interviewing and its principles with specific elements of culture and core values according to the Mullen Bioecological Model for Who We Are and How We Learn.

Greg Mullen
Apr 3018 min read


Systems Do Not Exist in a Vacuum: Understanding the Role of Structural Relationships in Schools
One of the most overlooked yet powerful elements of culture in a school is its Structural Relationships. This is about how authority flows; roles distributed; responsibilities assigned. The visuals in this article are meant to illustrate how the structure of school relationships can support -- or sabotage -- a school’s success.

Greg Mullen
Apr 2511 min read


The Teacher-Coach Pilot Model: Transforming Education from Within
Despite having talented educators and dedicated school leaders, many districts—especially large urban areas like Los Angeles—still overlook one of the most effective solutions to these persistent problems: the Instructional Coach.

Greg Mullen
Apr 237 min read


Removing Your Ego in Personal & Professional Relationships
This article explores the value of removing ego from relationships across a variety of contexts, offering real-life scenarios and practical takeaways that reveal how the ego's influence can be realigned to foster connection, clarity, and personal growth.

Greg Mullen
Apr 1810 min read


The Five Categories of Motivation for Change
Change doesn’t happen overnight—and it certainly doesn’t happen without motivation. When schools are considering implementing change, it...

Greg Mullen
Apr 127 min read


Stop "Watering Down" School: Shift from Behaviorism to Heutagogy
This article is not just about writing standards in media; it’s a direct critique on how an overemphasis on behaviorist pedagogical models a

Greg Mullen
Apr 97 min read


Is Empathy Toxic? Confronting Misconceptions and Embracing Connections
Empathy is a surprisingly new idea in human history and, like many new ideas, has its advocates and skeptics. This article explores the...

Greg Mullen
Apr 88 min read


From Compliance to Socioemotional Growth: Rethinking Classroom Management
From Compliance to Socioemotional Growth: Rethinking Classroom Management

Greg Mullen
Mar 277 min read


Understanding the Five Layers of Professional Discourse in Education
By clarifying these kinds of key terms and phrases, can better identify how their interests correlate with the interests of others.

Greg Mullen
Mar 228 min read


What is "Self-Directed Schooling"?
Education is undergoing significant changes that are acknowledging a difference between "schooling" and "learning." Schooling refers to...

Greg Mullen
Mar 194 min read


Shifting from Behaviorist to Self-Directed Learning: Fostering Collective Responsibility in the Classroom
Traditional behaviorist practices in classroom management often serve as a philosophical basis that undermines the larger goal of...

Greg Mullen
Mar 1715 min read


Rethinking Pay Structures in Education: What If Teachers Earned What Administrators Do?
A flipped pay structure—where teachers earn salaries more in line with administrators and equal to their equitably similar responsibilities.

Greg Mullen
Mar 911 min read


What is "Collectivistic Capitalism"?
This model promotes policies that encourage economic security and civic engagement, ensuring that all individuals have a stake in society.

Greg Mullen
Mar 46 min read


Understanding Respect: The Influence of Core Values on Personal Attributes and Behaviors
Respect as a Core Value for Who We Are and How We Learn involves perspectives of Authority and Self-Worth influenced by six attributes.

Greg Mullen
Feb 13 min read


“Good Enough” in Survival vs. Flourishing: How to Recognize the Difference and Move Forward
Life often presents us with moments where we must ask: Is “good enough” truly good enough? The answer depends on whether we’re operating in

Greg Mullen
Jan 238 min read


Creating a Thriving Educational Ecosystem
The leaves and fruit represent the classrooms most directly involved with the immediate environment but if the flow of nutrients is weak or

Greg Mullen
Jan 219 min read
bottom of page