Author: Mark Erlenwein

Principal & Alumnus of Staten Island Technical High School. Technology Enthusiast, Instigator & Innovator. Pro Wrestling Fanatic. 2022 SAANYS Secondary School Principal of the Year for New York State, Cahn Fellow: 2018 Cohort. Loving Father & Husband.

Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of a Crisis: What Education Must Fix Before the Future Arrives

College and or Career Readiness in the Age of AI in 2025 - The Coming Workforce Winter and What Education Must Do Before the Job Market Freezes by Mark Erlenwein, Principal - Staten Island Technical High School I’ve been in public education long enough to have seen pendulum swings, policy cycles, silver bullets, and reforms … Continue reading Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait of a Crisis: What Education Must Fix Before the Future Arrives →

Suplexes, Scantrons, and School Spirit: How Wrestling Raised a Principal

by Mark Erlenwein (Special thanks to Dr. Lavie Margolin and John ‘Poz’ Pozarowski for the fun interview on Episode 261 of “The Business of the Business” podcast, which inspired writing this article.)   If you had told four-year-old me, perched on my father’s shoulders outside Madison Square Garden, waiting to rub WWF champion, Bob Backlund’s crew-cut … Continue reading Suplexes, Scantrons, and School Spirit: How Wrestling Raised a Principal →

No Early Voting at Schools – NYC’s Brightest

https://youtu.be/bJ-FhsjbLNo NYC’s most recognizable city workers go by the monikers of finest, bravest, strongest and brightest. The NYPD, police department, New York's finest, protects lives. The FDNY, Fire Department, New York's bravest, saves lives. The DSNY Sanitation Department, New York's strongest, keeps our streets clean. The NYCPS, New York City Public Schools, New York’s brightest, … Continue reading No Early Voting at Schools – NYC’s Brightest →

Ahead of the AI Curve: Navigating Rapid Technological Change

(Click here to view the original article on NASSP's Principal Leadership Magazine • December 2023) In November of 2022, ChatGPT appeared, giving context to Elon Musk’s “civilization destruction” prophecy that AI will permeate—and possibly destroy—all aspects of society. With meteoric impact, the first notable ripple of concern quickly turned into a tsunami of anxiety in classrooms around … Continue reading Ahead of the AI Curve: Navigating Rapid Technological Change →

Plasmapause – A 30 Year Journey to my first EP Album

We’re in the plasmapause, a place of equilibrium, where the forces of the earth meet the forces of the sun. I imagine it as a place of stillness, where the particles of dust stop spinning and hang motionless in deep space. - Jo Ann Beard We all have side projects, passions and hobbies, things we … Continue reading Plasmapause – A 30 Year Journey to my first EP Album →

Testamania Running Wild – Designing and Implementing Equitable Assessment Practices Around Innovative Instruction

“Ladies and gentlemen, this contest is set for one fall. To my left, hailing from the first floor supplies room, weighing in at .006 pounds, standing at 11 inches tall, can only be used with a #2 pencil, and scored with a Scantron machine; Bubbles the Answer Sheet! And its opponent, hailing from all conceivable … Continue reading Testamania Running Wild – Designing and Implementing Equitable Assessment Practices Around Innovative Instruction →

Innovative Tools & Ideas to Re-Imagineer Schools for 21st Century Learners

Universally, the company that sets the standard for excellence at the highest level in terms of truly creating a unique and magical experience for “children of all ages” is Disney. As Walt Disney himself once said, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make … Continue reading Innovative Tools & Ideas to Re-Imagineer Schools for 21st Century Learners →