“The Dewey Schools make a larger commitment in terms of investment in professional development than any school system with which I’ve worked during my career.” Dr. David A. Wells, Chairman of The Dewey Schools Board of Directors, asserts.
Dr. David A. Wells is a Co-Founder and Operational Advisory Expert of the Global School Consulting Group. He is a consultant approved and authorized by the Council of International Schools (CIS) to provide strategic planning and leadership training services to CIS member schools. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Wells has consulted with 60 schools and organizations in 27 countries. In 2019, he officially became the Chairman of The Dewey Schools Board of Directors. One of Dr. Wells’ main tasks at Dewey is to lead and advise on school system administration based on international best practices while still aligning with the context of Vietnam in general and The Dewey Schools in particular.
Teachers and Staff at The Dewey Schools (TDS) are probably no strangers to the image of the Teacher standing at the lectern during annual training sessions on school management and administration. Initially, he intended to advise the school in the early stages of establishing the School Board and developing the Administration Board. However, very quickly, he became passionate about the work and environment at TDS. This transformed him from merely signing the initial contract to desiring to become closely associated and aligned with TDS to achieve the grand vision set forth by the school, which is to empower and impart capabilities to generations of students with the knowledge and skills necessary to master the changes in the world.
When asked about his reasons for wanting to be associated with TDS, Dr. Wells shared: “I found in working with TDS that here within the entire EDUFIT company there is a high commitment to developing its personnel. And I’ve been very impressed by the commitment of the personnel to lifelong learning, continual learning and growing, and that’s a characteristic of the leaders here at the Dewey schools.”
For nearly six years of partnership, Dr. Wells and TDS have always shared a similarity in perspectives and goals in education. He shares: “When I was a young educator studying education, I studied about John Dewey and the common quote from John Dewey that “we learn by doing.” And the quote that really stands out to me as I’ve gotten older and as I’ve learned more and understood more about education is that genuine learning is through experience. With this philosophy, TDS has made a decision in its very charter to be a pioneering school and to be innovative as a school system. And that is reflective of what the best schools around the world, but certainly in the US, are seeking to do.”
With enthusiasm, passion, and dedication to education, he hopes to continue sharing his wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise. He says: “The vision for growth of TDS, I don’t believe, is measured by the number of campuses or even the number of students but rather by the commitment to providing all of the resources students need in order to grow and develop for their future and for the impact that they can have in their homes, in their communities, certainly in Vietnam, and ultimately around the world.”
