Dr. Ed Harris is beginning the school year with a new view of a familiar campus.
Dr. Harris, who is serving his first year as Head of School, has been at Kinkaid for nearly two decades. He previously worked as a teacher, History and Social Sciences Department Chair, and Director of the Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Finance.
Now, his new position has expanded his perspective beyond the areas of the school he has known most closely.
“I always knew Kinkaid was a special place with incredible people, both students and also faculty and administration, but I had seen everything from a very narrow perspective,” Dr. Harris said. “Now, being able to see the whole picture of the school simultaneously, I say, ‘Oh my goodness! It is really an incredible place.’”
Dr. Harris first came to Kinkaid as a government teacher after retiring from his law practice. Although he had long envisioned a career in education, he originally expected to teach at the college level. An unexpected opening at Kinkaid, where his children were already students, brought him into a high school classroom instead.
After several years of teaching, Dr. Harris became chair of the history and social sciences department, a position he held for 12 years. He later helped develop classes and programs for CLEF, combining his experience in education with his background in corporate law and business.
Since all four of his children also graduated from Kinkaid, Dr. Harris has experienced the school as an educator and a parent. He and his family have also called the Memorial area home for all 22 years they have lived in Houston, first residing in Hunters Creek Village and now in Piney Point Village.
“I think my various experiences have given me a unique perspective about what it means to be Head of School, and an appreciation for the student, parent and faculty experience at the same time,” he said.
As Head of School, Dr. Harris’ priority is building on programs Kinkaid has already established, particularly through the Center for Wellbeing and Success, Center for STEM and CLEF.
Those programs, he said, provide opportunities for new classes, activities and initiatives as the school responds to a rapidly changing world.
One ongoing development that Dr. Harris expects to play an increasingly significant role in education is artificial intelligence. He said Kinkaid is approaching AI deliberately, with the goal of preparing students not only to use new technology but also to develop abilities technology cannot easily replace.
“What are the skills that AI can’t replace?” he said. “Critical thinking, writing, communicating, story telling, problem solving, and teamwork.”
Dr. Harris refers to these abilities as “durable skills,” and he hopes Kinkaid students will develop them both inside and outside the classroom. Student leadership, clubs, projects and other activities provide opportunities for students to collaborate, solve problems and take responsibility for their own initiatives.
Dr. Harris said he expects the school to continue expanding those opportunities.
“You’re going to see, from the student experience, greater emphasis in identifying and creating opportunities for students to have those sorts of experiences that will help them develop the skill sets that they need to succeed,” he said.
While Dr. Harris’s responsibilities have changed, he also hopes to remain visible in the part of Kinkaid where he spent much of the past 20 years: among students.
“It was a challenge not being in the classroom on the first day of classes for the first time in 20 years,” he said. “I miss being with the students in that way.”
He plans to visit classrooms and give guest presentations while also attending athletic events, visual and performing arts productions and other student activities.
“It’s where my heart is, with the students,” Dr. Harris said. “The students are the focus of everything I do.”
Dr. Harris has already used his new position to encourage students across all three divisions to become more connected to the people around them. During beginning-of-year assemblies, he challenged students to “be a good friend and make more friends” and to get to know people they may see on campus every day but know only in passing.
The message reflects something Dr. Harris said he has experienced himself since taking the position.
“I’ve known people for years, but I haven’t known them,” Dr. Harris said. “We can go through life walking by people in a very small space, the Kinkaid School, every day, and really not get to know them, and we’re missing out.”
As he looks ahead, Dr. Harris said his central commitment is to Kinkaid’s mission of promoting educational excellence and balanced growth. For Dr. Harris, that means helping individual students pursue their interests and reach their own potential rather than measuring everyone against the same definition of success.
“My paramount interest is making sure that every student reaches their potential at Kinkaid by doing things that they’re interested in, finding things they’re passionate about, finding fulfillment as they flourish in their school years before they head off to college,” he said.
