Educational Design Associates is a consulting firm established in the early 1990’s to help schools and other organizations better align with their purpose and more effectively deliver on educational and direct-service goals.
We work with many organizations and agencies in addition to schools. The theme of educational design that underlies all our work recognizes that living organizations and fully engaged staff are, by definition, growing and changing. We use a wide variety of creative strategies that foster increased aliveness and effectiveness through learning and growth.
Please bear with us as we develop our new website. Should you wish to open a discussion about what we can do for you, please send an email to: info(at symbol)EducationalDesign(dot)Associates. We will respond promptly.
“You displayed a willingness to learn about the cultural differences of those with whom you were working. You have been able to form meaningful relationships with the people in the program because you model strong leadership skills and also take the time to listen and learn.” — Tribal Counseling Services Director
“Your expertise and enthusiasm were of great benefit to the team members and their supervisor. The participants expressed their sincere appreciation for the light you shed on a very sensitive situation. Your personal efforts and dedication were instrumental in putting the team back on the right track.” — Community Service Agency Training Coordinator
“You did an excellent job, and I especially appreciated your ability to continually keep us on track and relate everything back to our goals…” — State Agency Program Director
Opening Up to Emergent Leadership
Something surprised me in a group discussion recently. I love surprises: They have so much to teach us! Our group was meeting on Zoom, planning a workshop on a tight timeline. We were down to our next-to-last meeting, and it was time to finalize a plan. The...
It Leads… Where We Lead It.
(this is the second part of a two-part essay; if you haven’t already done so, please read “Where Does It All Lead” to get the most out of this piece.) On a rocky hillside, trowel in hand, I went along the rough trail, eyes searching the ground. Every so often I would...
Where Does It All Lead?
Grief – raw and fresh Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meditating on the topic of grief. My heart has been heavy with the fate of those kids in Texas… who will never again collect fireflies. Never go off jumps on their bikes. Never catch snowflakes on their...
Not Out of the Woods Yet
Is it any surprise that walking in the woods is good for you? There is a Japanese term – “shinrin yoku,” I think – that, when translated into English, becomes “forest bathing.” It refers to the healing practice – and now a health trend reaching far beyond Japan – of...
Changing the Narrative
We are awash in a drumbeat of constant messaging about repeated defeats of progressive legislation – and how Republicans are certain to sweep the fall elections. This narrative, this flood of messaging, is corrosive. It is hard to deny that Congress is beyond...
Idling in Isolation — or Incubating Change?
The world looks far different today than what most people could have imagined just two months ago. The normally crowded Red Square at the local university sits vacant. The spread of the pandemic, the extent of the lockdowns, and the enormity of the economic...
A Worldwide Teachable Moment
The world is eerily quiet. Car traffic, jet travel, institutions of all types, and commerce in general are all in uncharacteristic repose. Much of the machinery of the world has ground to a halt, while our medical systems are in overdrive. For those...
Impeach Facebook!
For years the transgressions have been piling up. Privacy breaches. Data mining exposés. Obvious violations of trust. Denial used as a battle weapon. Hollow apologies. Despite all this, most Facebook users have...
Icarus & the Family Vacation
The author, right, with his brother Pete I just got off an airplane from a trip back east to visit family. I’ve made this trip nearly every summer of my life, which pretty much defines it as a tradition. It’s a wonderful recurrence of love, connection...
A Call to Action
Absent development, the Yintah represents some of the world's most beautiful land. Sometimes, out of the vast swamp of issues that vie for our attention, something rises up and calls us to immediate action. A travesty taking place right now in the...