In this age of reality shows, many people’s lives become transparent to the world. One of those shows is “Hoarders.”  This is a show in which a person’s gathering and keeping “stuff” becomes such an obsession that their normal lives are highly impacted. As they work through the issue of sorting, organizing, and getting rid of all of their possessions, it becomes a traumatic time.

The same is true in our schools. We may not be physical hoarders, but we may be educational hoarders. Continuing to add to the requirements of each staff member without helping them through the process of focusing each activity while letting go of less effective strategies, drives us to be hoarders, and not to be the most efficient for each student.

One of the powerful ideas of PLC is the idea of “what do we STOP doing” in favor of more focus on the learning and the results of that learning. When we help our staffs become an efficient system that focuses on the critical learning of each student, we enable them to look at all of the activities and strategies that are being implemented to evaluate their effectiveness. Taking the staff through the conversations about each activity, program, and tradition that directly meets the learning needs of each student can be time consuming at the onset, but will lead to a stronger staff that enhances the results for each student.

The conversation and commitments regarding what we continue doing, what we let go of and the rationale of each, help the staff feel more empowered to impact, guide, and own the school. These periodic conversations produce the results that are so important for our students. There also ceases to be a “they” did it to us conversation that moves to this is what “we” decided to do together to make a difference conversation. We keep the essential. We let go of the non-essential.  We have time to focus deeply on the learning and the relationships that make a difference.

No matter when in the process each school has the conversation, it is critical to have the STOP doing conversation. Becoming a non-hoarder of educational ideas, strategies, and processes gives us the freedom to focus on what is critical, brings a deeper calm, and is worth the trauma of the whole process. The positives of the STOP doing conversation outweigh the trauma. We must be strong, focused, and kind. But we must face the hindrances to student achievement. We must help our staff be an efficient system that is focused on the results of each and every child. We must be non-hoarders.

I, and most of the folks I know, seem to start each year thinking positively about the future and determined to change bad habits, lose weight, exercise more, eat right, learn a new skill and/or read all those journals and books stacked up on the night stand.

Because I love my friends and hope to keep them, I have not asked how they progressed on their 2011 Resolutions, but I am sorry to report that history would show I usually start the year strong, maintain some momentum for awhile, and then move back to old habits or change to some totally different project to convince myself I am doing something of worth and making positive change. If I truly examined my behaviors, I fear I would be forced to admit I am fooling myself and no one else!

Why is change so hard?

Last year, the WSLA Coaches and Instructors studied an excellent book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The authors related change to an attempt to move an elephant that does not want to be moved. (Which sounds a lot like my 2011 Resolutions!) Switch gave the WSLA coaches and instructors helpful, practical strategies. If you have not read the book, I highly recommend you resolve to read it in 2012—for professional as well as personal growth.

Because one of my 2012 Resolutions involves reading those books stacked on my shelves and tables–and as mentioned earlier, I usually start strong–I dove into a book given to me by a colleague: Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely. 

Although initially concerned that my friend viewed me as someone who makes irrational decisions; I began to feel a little better about why she had chosen this book for me as I read the author’s conclusions from numerous studies examining human behavior. I found myself reflecting on my own work, and realized the book offered a resource to share with WSLA team members leading change in their districts.

There are many insights to be gained from the book—too many to mention, but because WSLA is about learning, and change happens when we learn, I am focusing this writing on his thinking about why change seems to be hard for most of us, most of the time.

Mr. Ariely conducted several short, interesting studies using various stimuli to provoke change in human behavior, and concluded it is very hard for humans to change because we are all relatively satisfied. As such, we often “…fall in love with what we already have—what we own,” so when asked to change, we are much more likely to focus on what we will lose if we make the change rather than what we can gain.

As teachers and administrators are asked to reflect on their current practice, and seek to discover ways do the work differently in order to help each student achieve, we need to consider which skills leaders will need in order to help everyone in the system “own” and therefore “love” the new work. What can leaders do to convince others there will be gain rather than loss with the needed/expected change?

Categorizing resistance to change as “irrational quirks in our human nature,” Mr. Ariely found that one strong resistance to change occurs because most of us are likely to wrongly assume others see the transaction (the request to change) from the same perspective as we.

As I reflect on these simply written but complex constructs, I am reminded that one characteristic of effective leaders is having the ability to view things from various perspectives—being able to move away from what the leader personally sees/feels/thinks/believes to “seeing” the work through the eyes of others. If leaders refocus their own view, will leaders be better at “seeing” ways of helping others focus on what can be gained rather than what will be lost? Can leaders get a better view to see what is needed to help others own and love the change?

With the goal of helping others own and love new ways of doing the important work to help all students learn, perhaps you will join me in resolving in 2012 to improve our skills at “ seeing” and understanding different perspectives. Let’s start the year strong!

Happy New Year!

Since the beginning of time, our educational institutions have had an annoying habit of getting on the latest bandwagon or movement with the hope of seeking the magic bullet that will solve our learning problems. Trends come and go. The words, titles and acronyms change, but the one thing that seems to not change is finding the program that will ensure learning for all students. Educators have a tendency to burn a lot of time, energy, and resources each time we jump on the bandwagon, and then move on when the movement doesn’t produce what we thought it would, or we can’t sustain it or the political pressure to be current prevails.

I believe we miss out in discovering the magic bullet because we don’t practice RIFing. No, I am not talking about the process for laying off staff.  I’m talking about “Relentless  Intentional  Focus” (RIF).  There are few districts that have intentionally selected a particular focus, placed all of their resources, time and energy to make it happen and relentlessly tied everything that the system does to this focus and sustain it over time. Once this happens, it is amazing the results that occur.

If you are interested in reading about a district who is living this process called RIFing, I strongly encourage you to read a new book titled Every School, Every Team, Every Classroom by Eaker and Keating. I can already hear your comment, “Oh, it’s another book about Professional Learning Communities.  We already do PLC work so what’s new?” My response is that you’ve missed the whole point of the book. Sure, it uses the concepts and practices of PLCs as the focus. What is compelling is that the overpowering  factor in the success of this school district is its relentless commitment and tireless energy to implement a system wide focus and make it connect to everything they do. It is not one of many initiatives to improve learning. It is the initiative that will impact student achievement.

Every School, Every Team, Every Classroom is chock full of practical ideas, examples and resources on how a district accomplished this single focus from the school board, to the administrative team, to each and every school and team onto the classroom and community. Have they totally succeeded? The answer is not yet, but they’ve made tremendous gains. I do, though, believe they will improve learning for every child because they have relentlessly pursued this process with a razor sharp focus that is permeating their entire system.

As you settle in for the holidays, perhaps a good book is just the right thing for relaxing. One of my favorites is Beyond the Wall of Resistance: Unconventional strategies that build support for change by Rick Maurer. The author is a consultant specializing in helping organizations recognizing the power and value in resisting to change. Yes…the power and value of resistance!

In preparation for our last regional WSLA workshop in Spokane, I was reminded of this favorite book that my past district had used as a book study. The focus of our workshop was reviewing the “Theory of Action” concept using Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning by City, Elmore, Fiarman, and Leitel. In chapter two, the authors explain why change is so difficult in the organization:

“Organizations resist ‘vision’ not because of some perverse instinct on the part of people to resist change but because the existing structures and practices provide a story line that people understand and the vision often fails to provide an alternative that they find equally persuasive and understandable. A theory of action can be thought of as the story line that makes a vision and a strategy concrete .” (pg. 40)

So as leaders of school systems in the midst of constant change, just how you positively move through walls of resistance as your theory of action becomes the new story line to meet the vision.

Mauer uses five touchstones or reference points: 

1. Maintain Clear Focus
2. Embrace Resistance
3. Respect Those Who Resist
4. Relax
5. Join With the Resistance

Each touchstone is clearly described with specific strategies for your consideration. There is an emphasis on staying positive during even the most difficult discussions with challenging individuals.

In the final chapter entitled, “ACT!,” the importance of critical mass is outlined. Signs of critical mass are: 

1. People take initiative on the change without direct leadership.
2. People speak well of the change.
3. Leadership for the project shifts from us to them.

Enjoy your time with family and friends in the coming weeks. As you gear up for returning to work, think about the five touchstones and how they might help guide the challenges ahead.

In Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools, authors Glenn Singleton and Curtis Linton challenge educators to a personal and systemic examination of a primary and essential question: “To what degree do you and your system have the will, skill, knowledge, and capacity to understand and address issues of race as they relate to existing racial achievement disparities?”

Citing the persistence of the racial achievement gap even within the same socioeconomic levels, Singleton and Linton reject the notion that poverty alone explains why students of color—with the exception of some Asian students—consistently achieve at levels lower than their white peers.  They invite educators to “break the silence” and begin actively to focus on understanding and addressing the historical impact of racism on our students.

In Washington, the Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee Reports from 2010 and 2011 recommend that we expand our focus beyond the “achievement gaps” evidenced in student test scores to more complex and systemic “opportunity and access gaps.” 

Writing in the January 2010 report, Closing Opportunity Gaps in Washington’s Public Education System, committee member Wanda Brown argues: “The term ‘achievement gap’ puts the blame on students of color—that they are to blame for not achieving at the same rates as their white peers. The achievement gap is evidence of the inadequacies of our education system, not our student’s ability to learn. All students can learn – the question is whether we give all students equitable opportunities or access to the tools they need to learn. In this context, the most appropriate term is ‘opportunity gap’ or ‘access gap.’  The Committee’s 2011 Report encourages Washington’s school districts to “focus on opportunity gaps, both obvious and hidden,” as a means of looking systemically at the educational opportunities and experiences for young people without placing blame on groups of students, teachers or families.

The Committee’s formal recommendations ask the Quality Education Council to recognize the importance of “all educators (classified staff, classroom teachers, counselors, building, and district administrators) developing cultural competence skills.”

That will be no easy task.  Developing cultural competence requires systems and individuals to go beyond the pro forma diversity training that has become part of standard professional development for most school district employees.  It requires time specifically devoted to a deep exploration of topics that many Americans—particularly white Americans—have difficulty discussing: the connections among race, racism, privilege, and denial of opportunity and access to the persistent underachievement of students of color. 

As we devote energy and resources to the improvement of instruction and student learning, all students can be equally well-served by a parallel investment in the courageous conversation Singleton and Linton suggest is the first step toward developing cultural competence within our educators and education system.

Hope is the belief and a feeling that a desired outcome is possible. When students have hope for tomorrow, they are inspired to improve their learning. High levels of student hope are associated with increases in learning, connectedness in school, and better attendance. Highly effective leaders and teachers know with good relationships in place, coupled with a climate of hope, all other instructional strategies seem to work better.

Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief that a positive outcome is related to events and circumstances in one’s life. It is the feeling that what is wanted can be accomplished or that events will turn out for the best. In education, hope comes into play when circumstances are dire, or at least when there is considerable uncertainty about how things will turn out. Leaders know the greater the emotional connection between the teacher and the learner, the greater the amount of learning. These leaders work hard to ensure students are provided a hopeful learning environment, where high expectations are complemented with high support and encouragement. These leaders support the proposition espoused by Rick Stiggins that, “The threat of accountability only works for those who have hope for success.”

Educational leader and historian, James Comer, commented, “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” He and other noted educational leaders support the belief you can’t motivate a student you don’t know. These authorities contend that there is no learning without trust and respect, and neither is granted automatically by students. They must be earned.

Children are the future

Neil Postman remarked, “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” Educational leaders remind us that while children make up a small percent of our population, they make up one-hundred percent of our future. When asked to describe a school, educational leader Lon Watters noted, “A school is a building of four walls with tomorrow inside.” What will “tomorrow” be like for our students? What role do leaders play in shaping that future? What role, if any, does the concept of hope play in establishing a culture of support for learning? Shane Lopez, educational researcher, addressed these and related questions in a recent study. His findings include:

• Children who succeed do so when they have people who believe they can succeed.
• Children who succeed have meaningful relationships with caring adults.
• Children who succeed are nurtured by a culture focused on success and strengths.
• Children who succeed have adults who believe they are capable of success, no exceptions!

Lopez concluded, “Helping students become more hopeful can improve their ability to learn as well as make them more resilient for future challenges.” He noted, “Hope drives attendance, credits earned, and GPA of students,” and student self-perception. “Hope scores are more robust predictors of post-secondary success than are high school GPA, SAT, and ACT scores.”

On June 6, 1966, Robert F. Kennedy, noted,

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

Research on successful school leaders suggests a proactive approach to developing positive school and classroom climates requires careful attention to (1) enhancing the quality of life at school and especially in the classroom for students and staff, (2) pursuing a curriculum that promotes not only academic, but also social and emotional learning, (3) enabling teachers and other staff to be effective with a wide range of students, and (4) fostering intrinsic motivation for learning and teaching. Creating a welcoming, caring, and hopeful atmosphere are key indicators of this climate—a climate that is a priority for highly effective leaders.

Abraham Lincoln was asked how long it took him to write the Gettysburg Address.  He replied, “All my life.” School leaders know their legacy is a daily, weekly, monthly and lifelong effort to ensure that all students and staff are provided a hopeful learning environment. Only then will there be strong increases in learning.

As educational leaders, we are charged with, what I believe to be, the world’s most important, challenging and rewarding work.  It is an awesome responsibility, a noble calling and a passion that requires us to rise above any challenge and do the best job we can for every child, every hour, every day. 

These are challenging and tumultuous times. Now, more than ever, it requires us to be laser focused on our mission and what’s essential.   It also requires us to pull together, support one another and demonstrate the power of teamwork! 

In the new book by DuFour and Marzano, Leaders of Learning: How District, School, and Classroom Leaders Improve Student Achievement, we are reminded  that effective district leaders: both direct and empower; create a common language; monitor the professional learning communities process in each school as they develop the capacity of principals to lead the process; limit initiatives; and communicate priorities effectively. 

Studies of high performing school systems have shown that the first steps effective leaders take is to clarify what is “non-negotiable”-–they articulate clear nondiscretionary student achievement goals and establish a common framework for achieving these goals. They are focused!

In Doug Reeves’ book, Finding your leadership focus: Transforming professional learning into student results, he presents compelling evidence from research on more than two thousand schools concluding: Focus is a pre-requisite for school improvement; of fifteen different leadership practices, focus had the highest relationship to student achievement; and focus combined with effective monitoring yielded “strikingly positive results.”

The Washington State Leadership Academy helps to focus our work on what is essential; guides the development high performing teams; and assists in developing the very best leaders of learning. 

Yes, these are challenging times. Yes, there is a lot of uncertainty in our work. Yes, we would benefit from stability in funding and accountability systems. But these children and families walking through our doors each and every day cannot wait. They deserve the very best. As educational leaders, we can rise above these challenges, focus our work, build high performing teams and remain optimistic. 

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” Dr. Martin Luther King

Several years ago, while attending a WSLA meeting, one of the instructors shared that he was among the thousands in the crowd in 1963 when Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream “ speech in Washington D.C. The instructor also shared the impact that speech had on his personal and professional life as well as how it shaped his leadership decisions in education. Dr. King had his vision for the American Dream – Freedom, Democracy, and Opportunity for All. He also knew that education was the foundation for making these dreams a reality. 

As school district mission/vision statements and effective instructional frameworks are developed, we often use the word all when referring to our students and the district’s commitment to each student. However, when the test scores are disaggregated, does the data support the commitment level or does the commitment level support the data? Are school improvement plans created and maintained by every staff member or do the plans reside in file drawers? Does the proposal of eliminating opportunity gaps require a commitment level from the total community, or does this initiative of eliminating opportunity gaps rest solely with the education system?

As educators, I believe we have the most critical profession in the world—to teach the children—and our expertise will influence the global community. However, this work begins with the closing of opportunity gaps, one student at a time. We must fully understand our roles as high-impact instructional leaders to ensure that all students learn at proficient levels. We must adhere to district-wide instructional expectations and continue to build professional learning communities designed to increase academic achievement for all students. 

In our ever-changing world, we no longer have the luxury of dreaming or hoping for success. We must be prescriptive and accurate as we continue to plan, act, and assess our work in order to win the war on an underachieving society.

“Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” Dr. Martin Luther King

As a young principal I struggled to figure out the new superintendent who had just arrived to lead the school district where I worked.  It was physically and mentally exhausting to interact with the variety of new initiatives, research, direction changes and the verbal barrage that took place in intense meetings on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.  A wise colleague pointed out to me that some people need to talk in order to think and other people need think before they can talk.

My new superintendent talked in order to clarify ideas. The ideas were rehearsed verbally to try out messages and gain feedback about the important work being done. Today, I realize what a privilege it was to participate in those exhausting dialogues. As leadership was being practiced publicly, the challenge and opportunity to engage and learn was extended. The Washington State Leadership Academy (WSLA) offers a similar challenge and opportunity to its participants.

The education profession has traditionally been practiced in private. Our good ideas, research, evidence of progress and success are closely guarded behind classroom doors and isolated at grade levels and in buildings. A WSLA tenet challenges that tradition of private practice. Academy founders believe that systemic improvement will be enhanced by practicing our profession publicly.  Sharing our professional practice and communicating what we learn is important to extending cycles of learning. Creating and participating in environments where teachers, principals, central office and superintendents can freely exchange ideas, problems, evidence of success and/or the need to try something new is an important benefit of the WSLA process.

Hidden wisdom and hidden treasure – of what use is either?  Ecclesiasticus 20:30

Some of us are comfortable practicing in public without a rehearsal.  Others need to practice privately before going public. Regardless of whether talking helps you think, or you need quiet reflection before you talk, sharing your ideas, experiences and expertise with others is essential to advancing systemic improvement in the school districts where student learning is the focus.

Welcome back to a new school year! The challenges of this year can be both exciting and a bit breath-taking. If you are reading this, I assume that you are a leader in some way within your school or system. People are looking to you for clues as to how to face these challenges. You set the tone for your system. With or without saying something aloud, you are communicating each day as to whether the challenges are too over whelming to face or if they are giants that can be and need to be conquered. Stand strong! There are students and teachers that need your confidence, knowledge and resources at their disposal. You are the needed leader for the moment. Be everything that you can be and work as part of a strong team. We are making progress in educating our world and should never let the discouraging voices of the minority enter the culture of our school.

Now is the time to continue connecting the knowing with the doing. We have so much knowledge and experience of what works in schools. Let us take the time necessary this year to connect our knowledge with our plans and actions. We must be intentional in analyzing evidence of what is happening with each of our students, finding strategies that will produce the results we want, and using our results to produce even more excellent results. Be conscious of what and how the adults are learning in your system. Support and extend that learning so that everyone is aligned together to educate our children. Focus deeply on what we know for sure, add to that knowledge with valid research, and implement our new learning. Keep close track of the evidence of our learning and use that to guide more learning.

We are a gifted and knowledgeable profession that can face the giants that are attacking education and we can win the battle. Be strong. Be positive. Be courageous. Be excited. Be excellent this year!