Are You McFarland USA?

Last month, I saw McFarland USA. The movie is based on the true story of teacher-coach, Jim White, who took 7 impoverished teens from the migrant school of McFarland High School and turned them into cross-country champions for the state of California. What was interesting about White was his reputation as a teacher-coach that had overstayed his welcome at too many schools, and now, he was at his last stop in the teaching profession, McFarland, USA.

As the movie began, I thought to myself, "Oh great...  Is this another Freedom Writers or Stand by Me? Is this another Hollywood depiction of a heroic teacher who helps a few kids succeed in a hopeless American school?  Will I see the principal as another apathetic and overwhelmed leader?  Will I see another disconnected community with frustrated parents?"  After all, when was the last time, Hollywood actually portrayed a public school as something more than a death trap where only a few kids learned from the one and only teacher that could teach?  That is not the true story of American schools, so at the very least, I was skeptical.

Wow, was I surprised?

McFarland was nothing like any movie I had ever seen.  The students wanted a better life.  The principal was actively supportive of White and the team.  The parents and community rallied around the team and ultimately transformed McFarland as a whole because Coach White, the washed up coach, not only changed the lives of his students, but he was the catalyst that transformed a struggling school and community into a positive place that rallied around its periennial state champion.  In this case, it wasn't the campus or district leader that led the change.  It was the teacher who led, and the leaders who followed.  If White had waited for leadership to take the lead in building his team, he may have never had a championship team or even a team at all.  If he had waited for permission to create something new, he would have never changed the lives of his kids.  White didn't wait for a leader to lead his vision, because he was the leader.

So are you McFarland, USA?

If you're waiting on someone to create the conditions for you to make the ultimate impact on kids, please stop.  That someone is you.  If you are waiting on the community to rally around you, please stop.  Create a contagion that forces the community to follow you.  

Pride and success can only be built with a passion for excellence. With passion you can create something that has never been built before. You can change a culture that has been desperately yearning for it.  You can change lives.

Coach White built McFarland, USA for several reasons. Because he had no other career options, because his back was against the wall, and because he had unbelievable grit and determination, he was able to inspire an entire school community to believe in his commitment to one thing, excellence.   We must remember that we all have the ability to transform our schools and communities if we will believe in our passion and our abilities. 

There is a Coach White within each one of us, and it is our job to dig deep to find our inner leader and push ourselves to believe in the power of our position. No matter what role you play, you must always remember that you have the potential to transform an entire community if you will believe in your potential and passion.  The only question we have to answer is this. Will we wait for someone to give us permission to live our passion, or will we take full advantage of the opportunity that has been given us?

#TheChoiceIsYours

Are You Ending this Year OR Beginning Next Year?

April is here and May will be here before we know, so are you counting the days or making the days count?  The end of the year reminds us that things are coming to an end.  Kids are excited about summer and transitioning to a new grade.  Teachers feel a sense of accomplishment in how far they've taken their students, and administrators gauge the health of their school based on how many kids were academically successful.  But the real question is this.

Are You Focused on the End of the Year or the Beginning of Next Year?

Sure, we have to close up the year.  We have to get ready for graduation and prepare the school for dormant activities such as summer cleaning, maintenance, and inventory, but in order to ensure a successful school year next year, a bridge has to be built, and that bridge must connect this year's kids to next year's learning.  As we near the end of another school year, it is critical to ensure that every student masters the essential skills for every course, but the real reason for this focus on learning is not so kids pass standardized tests.   Students have to be prepared for next year and ultimately what we do in the months of April and May has a huge impact on that preparation.

Just because kids pass this year doesn't mean 

they're ready for next year.

Next year is all about being prepared for next year's skills, and the key to next year is getting kids to  master this year's essential skills. The essential skills are those few but critical skills taught this year which serve as foundational skills for next year's standards.   If left unmastered, these prerequisite skills could prevent students from reaching success next year.

To identify those skills, teachers must collaborate with next year's teachers and identify which skills need additional reinforcement now.  Furthermore, teachers should discuss instructional vocabulary taught as well as strategies that are used to teach those skills.  If teachers can align how they teach these critical skills to students, April and May can actually be a head start on next year's learning, and wouldn't that be a huge advantage to all kids especially those that need additional time and support?

For more on Vertical Alignment Meetings, click here.

But aside from prerequisite skills, students must also master 4 more skills.  These skills are referred to as the 4 C's:  Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Collaboration.  These are not separate skills from prerequisite skills.  In fact, the 4 C's should be leveraged through meaningful and challenging activities to help students master this year's essential skills to a deeper degree of understanding.  Teachers should be aware of how next year's teachers integrate the 4 C's into their instruction and incorporate those strategies also into their instruction now.

Mastery can't happen without Intervention and Extension

To ensure that every student masters this year's essential skills, we have to remember that kids are different; therefore, how they learn and process is different.  To help every student learn, intervention and extension should happen simultaneously on a regular basis.  Without intervention and extension happening during regular instruction, learning becomes the variable.  Here is how it can work:

• Intervention 
• Intervention is all about remediating the essential skills that students need additional time and support with. 
• Small groups can be pulled for students who share a common instructional deficit, or 
• Individuals can be pulled for remediation on an academic deficit unique to the student.
• During intervention, the teacher works with students directly and scaffolds concepts to help take kids from what they know to what they must know.

• Extension  
• Group work can be assigned to students and the work is tied to skills that need additional reinforcement.  In effective extension activities, every student must do their own work, but students should be encouraged to collaborate and communicate to help one another master the skills.  
• The goal is simple.  All kids will demonstrate their learning.
• Group work is not busy work.  It's challenging work that piques student curiosity and interest through critical thinking.
• Individual tasks can be given to students that are based on specific skills that need additional practice.  These tasks should also be familiar to the students so that it will require little to no support from the teacher.   
• Projects can be assigned to advanced groups or individuals as these tasks allow kids opportunities to apply their mastery of learning in creative ways.
• Extension activities should increase communication between students as this is where students make sustainable meaning of their learning.
• The teacher's role in supporting learning through extension activities is to monitor student engagement, provide feedback, and ensure that students complete the work.

The Future is Now
Instead of thinking about ending the year, I'd like you to think about April and May as the first 2 months of next school year.  As educators, our goal should be to guarantee the success of every child and the first step of that guarantee is to begin the transition process now by ensuring that all kids have a firm grasp of the essential skills. By personalizing our support for kids who struggle as well as challenging all kids to master this year's essential skills independently, we are giving every student the tools to begin that transition process on the right foot.

Are you finishing this year or preparing them for next year?  If we truly believe in learning for all, we will commit to student learning beyond the confines of a school year.

Celebration: The Accelerator of Learning

Celebration is the fuel in your school, and the more fuel that you have, the further your organization can go. If you think about school improvement, it is a big bus on a long journey, and if we never stop by the gas station to fill up, the bus won't get that far.  Teachers and students need to be motivated to accelerate in their growth, and that can only happen when we remember to celebrate continuously. 

In this post, I will share my ideas on how we leaders must praise what we preach, promote our values, and acknowledge effort and commitment to learning. Whether it is a student who just passed a big test, or the secretary who makes everybody's job easier, school improvement will only accelerate when we celebrate. 

14 Ways to Accelerate Learning through Celebration.  

Virtual Celebrations

Instagram - Benjamin Gilpin has one of the best Instagram accounts for celebration. Every day he is sharing pics of how fun his school is and how much the kids are learning. 

Twitter - My school district's Twitter account (@tatumisd) is constantly celebrating students and staff accomplishments that are academic or athletic.  Our district and campus leaders are celebrating any event where our kids are growing or our staff are going above and beyond. 

Blog - Every week in my school blog, I make sure that I celebrate our staff and students with pictures and stories of our great educators who are making great and innovative things happen in the classroom. 

Face to Face Celebrations

Now virtual celebrations are great and everybody in your community can see them instantly, but people also need to feel appreciation through face to face contact.  Here are some ideas. 

Handshake & a Smile

Nothing is more meaningful and more personal than looking someone in the eyes, shaking their hand and thanking them for the great things that they're doing.  Make a point to do this every week.

Handwritten Note

The art of writing a handwritten note is becoming a lost art form. That is why it is a great tool to celebrate hardworking people. Receiving a handwritten note of appreciation fills the soul. 

Sonic Drink

Surprising your staff  individually or collectively with a drink from Sonic or your favorite fast food restaurant is a great way to celebrate. To expedite the process, you send out a Google form to get everyone's order and then you can turn the responses into individual stickers via a mail merge.   This helps you get the order fast and helps the restaurant get everyone's orders correct.

Google Form Questions

• Name
• Drink Order
• Room Number (helpful for large faculties)

Group Celebrations

If you don't have the time, and you want to celebrate the work of the entire school, group celebrations are a must. 

Staff Incentives 

Celebration Room 

Todd Nesloney shared a post about his celebration room at his school. (Click here). He has a dedicated space where every person can be recognized and encouraged by every person in the school.

After School Party
At your next faculty meeting, surprise your staff with a faculty party. You can still have the meeting but having a party will make a huge difference. 

Random Jeans Day

This is a huge deal in many schools. Given at just the right time when they least expect it will put a pep in their step.   Given too much, it will lose its effectiveness.

Student Incentives

Celebration is best for kids when it is earned. As a teacher or principal, students need is to set goals for them and provide a celebration for when they reach the goal. Here are a few examples that you can use. 

Dance Party

This is a great way to celebrate elementary to middle school age kids who have displayed excellent behavior or hard work in learning for a month or 6 week grading period. Set a goal, and the kids look forward to the punching their ticket to dance party when properly promoted. 

Dodgeball with the Principal

What kid (elementary to high school) doesn't want to pelt the principal with a dodgeball?  So use great behavior or academics as the goal to play with the principal.  If you don't like dodgeball, kickball works just as effectively.

Surprise Bell  

To celebrate good attendance at the elementary and middle school, I had a surprise bell incentive and the kids never knew when it was coming. The bell would ring and we would check attendance. The classes with the best attendance for the day received treats, extra recess or some other incentive.  Celebrate attendance.  After all, it will motivate them to make being at school a priority.

Extra Minute in Passing Period

To promote school-wide attendance at the high school, I had a standing daily goal of 98% daily attendance. For any day that the goal was reached, students had an extra minute added to their passing periods on the next day.

Teacher Developed Class Incentives
In a school where teachers are creating celebrations for student learning, kids are super focused.  When teachers want to create an incentive for their class, encourage and support it.  It will accelerate the learning in that classroom.

What gets Celebrated gets Accelerated

Nothing gets people more involved and engaged in working and learning than acknowledgement and appreciation. Celebration is the best way to acknowledge hardwork and show appreciation for a job well done. Some detractors would say, "well they should do a good job because they're expected to."  That is true; however, how much better would kids and adults do if they worked in a culture that honors achievement and celebrates success at the organizational level all the way down to the individual level?

Being a School of Excellence is a Choice

Student success is a non-negotiable in every school, but there is a stark difference between ineffective and effective schools.  All schools have a goal of guaranteeing the success of every student, but effective schools deliver on that guarantee by creating the necessary teamwork to reach that goal.  Ineffective schools have rhetoric.  Effective schools have results.  Ineffective schools have action, but effective schools have action that is purposeful and precise.

If you think about it, effective schools view themselves as living breathing organisms, and they view every person within the organization as a vital part of the organism.   After all, every person has a direct impact on kids.  If all staff members within an organization are vital to student success, then we must recognize that effective schools must focus on the effectiveness of teachers as the primary factor that impacts student success.  

Schools of excellence are living organisms.  A living organism survives because all of its organs, tissues and cells have specific functions that work interdependently to not only help the living system survive but thrive.  Excellent schools don't survive.  They thrive, and the leaders of these schools (both formal and informal leaders) mine for expertise and greatness in every person within the organization.  And when the expertise is found, these leaders empower the expert, whoever it may be, to lead their peers toward excellence. In essence, excellent organizations have a distinct desire to constantly convert followers into leaders.  When everyone is leading their area of expertise as well as learning from each others' expertise, then every person is leading and everyone is growing.  When every person is learning, then ultimately every adult is guaranteeing success for every child and every adult.

So How Do We Reach Excellence?
The notion of school improvement can no longer rest on the back of the lone leader telling everyone what to do.  If we want every student to truly reach their unique pinnacle of excellence, then every teacher, teacher leader, coach, campus administrator and district administrator must put their heart and soul into collectively creating a living system that guarantees the excellence of every educator first.  When a school can create a system that thrives on producing excellent educators committed to the success of all kids, then I'm pretty sure that student achievement will take care of itself.

Creating a school of excellence isn't easy, but it is a choice that we all must make, especially if we want to turn the rhetoric of "All Kids" into actual results.

Focus on '1 in 5' for 2015

Last year, I wrote a New Year's Resolution challenge call "Will your PLC put the 1 - 4 in 2014?"  It challenged collaborative teams to keep the focus on the 1 thing that matters most, All Kids Learning Every Day, and in order to do that collaborative teams must guarantee learning by focusing on the 4 questions of a PLC.

1. What do we expect all kids to learn?
2. How will we know if they have learned?
3. How will we respond if they don't learn?
4. How will we respond when they do learn?

This year, I would like to raise the stakes a bit.  Since we are leaving 2014 behind and entering 2015, I would like to encourage you and your team to keep your eyes on "1 in 5" for 2015.

What is 1 in 5?

It's pretty simple.  One in every five students starts high school but never graduates.  This statistic has improved from a few years ago when the stats showed that 1 in 4 failed to graduate, but let's be honest. 4 out of 5 kids graduating from high school is still not good enough?  That leaves behind 1 in 5 who will graduate but it will be into a life of poverty, a life of governmental dependence, a life of poorer quality of health and a higher probability of entering the pipeline to imprisonment.

Who are the 1's?

Well there's no sure fire method to predict who will drop out, but here is what research shows.  

• 1 in 2 fatherless children will drop out.
• 1 in 3 teenage mothers will drop out.
• Minority students are twice as likely as white students to drop out.
• Kids who fail to read on level by grade 3 have a strong chance of never graduating.
• Students of poverty are 2 years behind their affluent counterparts; thus more susceptible to vanishing from high school.
• Students with unaddressed language barriers are likely to leave without a diploma.
• Students who are highly mobile have probably the greatest chance of falling through the cracks.

Are you starting to see the 1's who are in danger of dropping out?

Ending the Drop-out Rate Starts with You

Whether you are a kindergarten teacher, a senior English teacher, bus driver or any role in between, you can reduce the dropout rate and there is only one thing you need to do.

CONNECT WITH AT-RISK KIDS!!!

The warning signs are pretty obvious:  withdrawn, history of failure, persistent discipline issues, learning difficulties.  You may not be the one who can fix those problems, but you are the one who can build a relationship with 1 to 5 kids who are in the danger zone.  You can be the one who reminds them daily that they have worth and can reach their dreams.  In short, focusing on the 1 in 5 is deeper than focusing on preventing the dropout rate.  It's about you and never forgetting that we have the potential to be the ones that can save lots of kids from becoming another statistic.

In 2015, #URthe1

The reason you made it to your current places in life is because someone inspired you and never gave up on your potential.  Whether it was your parents or your educators, chances are that someone played a vital part in shaping you throughout most of the years that you were in school.  Every kid needs regular motivation to succeed, but at-risk students don't always have consistent people invested in them or constant motivation to help them hurdle the overwhelming obstacles in their path.  That's why they need you and me, and why we should never underestimate our potential to turn statistics into success stories.

#HappyNewYear

The Ultimate Belief

'Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe."

-Voltaire-

After beating Roger Federer in this year's Wimbledon tournament, Novak Djokavic said the following , "You have to believe in yourself".  This "duh" statement is so true. You can't accomplish anything if you don't believe in yourself.  Novak works as an individual, performs as an individual and succeeds as an individual; therefore, all he has to do is believe in himself and nothing else.

But this statement doesn't fully apply to education. Educators work in a comprehensive system; therefore, educators can believe in themselves all they want to, but there is a truckload of other factors and people that affect how one teacher can perform.  In other words, if every teacher in the system is to reach the pinnacle of success, it'll require beliefs that are much deeper than a tangible belief in ourselves.

So how does this apply to teachers, leaders, teams, schools and districts?

There are 3 levels of belief:  Belief in Self,  Belief in the Team and Belief in the System.  Let's explore the three levels.  

Level 1 - Belief in Self

Belief in yourself is not the ultimate goal for educators but the first step. If an organization desires to reach the pinnacle of excellence, a bunch of people who believe in themselves is a great goal but if the focus is on kids, individual belief isn't enough because believing in yourself and no one else can only impact 1 year in a child's life.   If you don't believe me that believing in yourself isn't enough, then watch "Freedom Writer's", "Mr. Holland's Opus" or any other Hollywood movie of a teacher with the ultimate belief in themselves who worked in a disastrous system.

Level 2 - Belief in the Team

Teams that trust in each other believe in each other. They have positive presuppositions about one another's motives, abilities and contributions. They lean on each other in times of difficulty and hold each other to high standards because of that belief.  A team of individuals who believe in themselves and in one another is a huge step up from any belief in yourself because it takes courage, trust and confidence in something bigger than yourself.  Furthermore, teams that believe in themselves expand a positive influence and impact directly onto more students, but this is not the ultimate belief. The team only impacts one segment of the system, not the entire system. There has to be something bigger to affect every kid in every day of their education.

Level 3 - Belief in the System

Most people are cynical of the system simply because they can't see it. No matter your role, you can't see every facet of a comprehensive system that you are a part of, therefore, for most people, they believe in the system with the following mindset, "Seeing in Believing".  Without tangible and immediate evidence, they don't have faith in the system.  Those who possess the Ultimate Belief know that the system is not perfect, but they also know that they are a part of that system.  That means they believe they can improve the system.  They understand that their role, no matter how small, is vital to improving the system.  Belief in the system takes a deep rooted understanding that what you are doing has the potential to influence every person in the system (including the leader).  Finally believing in the system means transcends belief and leads to faith in the system.  You believe that what you do have a ripple effect beyond anything that you can see or touch.

So Do You BEL13VE?

Believing beyond your own abilities requires seeing your role in the context of the system. While some believe their role can only impact things they can see, those with the ultimate belief see their efforts to the power of 13, the number of years it takes to prepare every child for college or career ready life.   What they do matters because not only do they have the faith.  They keep the faith.

While your on the Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"

The Pursuit of Excellence

Teams aspire for excellence. Businesses thrive on excellence. Leaders seek it. People want it, but here's the quandary.  What the heck does excellence actually mean and how do we reach it?

I have discussed this topic with so many people this past summer, and one thing is certain. Nailing down a common definition of excellence is like nailing jello to the wall.

#NotVeryEasy

After discussing it in length so many people and reflecting on various responses, I have learned one thing about excellence.  I know what it is not when it comes to education.

Here's what excellence is not. 

1. Every kid hitting the same level of performance. 

2. Every kid behaving in the same way. 

3. Every student passing a standardized test. 

4. Banners of student achievement

5. Trophies and accolades. 

Excellence is not tangible.

So What Is Excellence?

Well, if we can synthesize these antonyms of excellence at a little deeper level, I think we will find that excellence could possibly mean this. 

1. A mindset of constant improvement

2. A relentless pursuit of superiority

3. A passion for greatness 

4. A thirst for personal fulfillment 

5. A hunger for something beyond our wildest dreams 

So How Do We Reach Excellence?

Well if we can agree on the descriptors of excellence, then how can we reach it. 

1. Start thinking in terms of quality and improvement.

2. Search for examples of excellence
3. Constantly follow and learn from others who do great things.
4. Keep a to-do/project list and stick to it.
5. Celebrate progress.
6. Set goals, reach them and repeat.
7. Embrace failure and learn from it.
8. Share ideas with others.
9. Consume feedback daily.
10. Make the pursuit of excellence your lifestyle not your latest fad.

Excellence Quotes

I find much meaning through quotes. Years ago I came across the leadership work of Vince Lombardi, the great Packer coach of the 1960's. He created the first NFL football dynasty through his constant pursuit of greatness. He described excellence with these two quotes.

Excellence must be pursued.  It must be wooed with all of one's heart and all of one's might.

Perfection can never be attained, but if we chase perfection, we will catch excellence.

Culture Cultivation

Culture eats structure for breakfast. Great PLC leaders always address this first. This tweet from Mark Clements @edunators makes it crystal clear. So how do effective leaders value culture? They realize that structure cannot be built until culture is developed first. They also realize that culture is best established and maintained through one on one conversations with as many stakeholders as possible.

A great strategy to use especially when you are new to a school is to set up 15 minute meetings with your staff and central office staff members that support the campus. The structure of the meetings is quite simple. Ask your guest these 4 questions and make sure you have a pen and pad ready to take notes. Taking notes shows that you are here to listen and that you value what your guest is saying.

1. Tell me about yourself - This ice-breaker communicates that you value the staff and what to get to know them personally. By getting to know the individual staff members personally, you are making major deposits in your campus culture bank account.

2. What are some great things happening on the campus that you want me to continue? - This question sends the message that you honor the work that has been done and that you don't want to change things that work on the campus. The answers to these questions also tell you what traditions are important to the school community.

3. What is something that needs to be changed or improved? - This question is critical because the leader must listen for patterns in all responses. Patterns will show what problems are isolated or prevalent among the campus. You must be looking for important patterns such as if communication is clear, if communication is 2-way, if teachers are supported and if there are structural or cultural barriers that prevent learning.

4. The last question is critical if you want to know what your expectations are as the leader from the campus. Ask your staff, "If you could give me one directive to make sure that I follow, what would it be?" I love asking this question because it is the strongest culture building question that you can ask. You are giving the employee the opportunity to tell you what they think is the most important thing that must be done on the campus. It also shows that you, the leader, are approachable, desire feedback, and truly need every employee to have a voice to make the campus the best place to work and learn.

Culture is massively important and highly successful leaders keep culture at the forefront at all times. The more positive and collaborative your culture is, the more successful your structure can make the campus. Structure with a negative or even toxic culture will certainly guarantee no improvement and quite possibly a decline in student achievement. So go forth and cultivate your campus culture one person at a time.

From Engagement to Empowerment

Bill Ferriter wrote this bit about student empowerment versus student engagement (Check out his blog). The crux of his post centered on the fact that if we want to empower students in their learning, we have to construct content in such a way that challenges students to take ownership. He went on to say that engagement is good, but the problem is that students can't be empowered to learn content that is owned by the teacher. They can only be engaged in the content.

So how does this apply to principals and teachers? 

Well, the first thing that principals need to understand is that engaging their followers is not the ultimate goal but the first step.   Leaders guide followers in committing to a mission that clearly defines why they're all there.  I mean if you can't engage followers in directing their moral compass, there's no way you're ever going to empower them to realize their true purpose. Engagement is about connecting people to what must be accomplished and that's an important first step to empowering followers. 

Engagement also requires promotion. 

Here are a few questions to see if you are engaging your staff.

• Are you promoting the things that your school is trying to do for all kids?  
• Are you creating a sense of excitement about the future of your school?
• Are you celebrating the behaviors that are helping your school move forward?
• Are you showing evidence that what you are doing is working?

When you are doing these types of things as a leader, people are interested in becoming engaged because they are attracted to what you are trying to create. Everyone wants to be a part of an organization that is focused on making progress because deep down inside everyone wants to be a part of an improvement movement. 

From engagement to empowerment. 

Once people are engaged, they are primed to be empowered. Empowerment is hard for leaders because it requires leaders to give up control. As people become actively involved, they naturally need the opportunity to take actions and make them their own.  Control must be shared with those that get it and more importantly want it, so they can help engage and then empower others who are impacted. If people are not given control of how to improve the school, you can't say they are empowered. To move from engagement to empowerment, the leader needs to focus on these questions. 

• Are people asking for permission to do things differently than you described?
• Are people not changing and adapting to the needs of kids because they feel like they're not allowed to?
• Do people feel like they need to do their work in the same way as everyone on their team?

If you answered yes to any if these questions, your staff is not quite ready to be called empowered. 

The Essence of Empowerment is Control

Who's in control in an empowered culture?  It is pretty difficult to be empowered when you feel like you have no authority to select the path of your own personal progress. Empowering leaders facilitate shared control in an environment where risk-taking is rich and responsibility is shared.  In an empowered culture, people don't need permission because they have a purpose.  Once leaders realize that they must replace their chore of constant control with inspirational motivation, idealized influence, and intellectual stimulation, they will begin to move their organization from engagement to empowerment. 

8 Steps to Add Value to your School

Values are defined as ideals and customs of an organization toward which the members have an affective regard. They are long standing traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, and they are shaped little by little through the decisions and actions of influential individuals. If we pause to analyze the complete definition of the word beyond its societal meaning, a value is defined as the relative worth, merit or importance of something.

The problem is not that schools lack values. The problem is that values in a school are all over the place. To get everyone on the same page, leaders make the fatal mistake by dictating what every staff member’s values must be to work at the school. When leaders take this approach, schools fail to capitalize on the abundance of values that already exist within the organization. By using the collaborative process to align values throughout the building, staff members can align individual values which can congeal into campus values that would by far supersede any expectation written by the best campus principal.

Campus values are commitments that staff members make to ensure that every student reaches academic success daily. They reflect the behaviors that all staff members must exhibit instructionally as well as systemically. Values are specific details that help flesh out the mission and vision. They help teams clarify how they will work together.

How you behave is based on what you value. Throughout the year at every campus in the world, problems arise that either conflict with campus values or haven't been addressed in the value statements. As teams dig deeper into the source of the problems, teams will find that sometimes the pressures of the day dictate how they solve problems rather than pulling back and looking at the MVVG (Mission, Vision, Values and Goals) for guidance. When leaders allow the pressure of the day to guide them to a solution, campuses stand a chance of getting off of the path of actualizing their moral imperative, and sometimes it causes teams to go backwards and never reach their goals. When personal emotions guide teams in resolving problems, rather than commitment to campus values, the team will develop fractures in its culture that will take much time to heal. If the problem becomes extremely personal, the culture can be broken, and once the culture is broken, the campus can no longer focus on kids.

8 Steps

Last August, my former campus took a closer look at the campus values which were written 3 years ago and truly exemplify what the campus must exhibit in actions and words. Rather than reviewing them and moving on, I asked the staff to do the following activity. 

1.  In groups, take one value and analyze it. 

2.  In your own words, write the definition of the value.

3.  Individually write what the value looks like if someone could see the value in action but could not hear it. 

4.  Individually write what the value sounds like if someone could hear the value in action but could not see it. 

5.  Write down behaviors that do not represent the value. In other words, tell us what the value is not. 

6. Once individuals have completed writing their thoughts, they need to have a discussion about which descriptors best define the value. 

7. Using the frayer model (See Picture Below), write down what the value looks like, sounds like, what it is, and what it is not. 

8. The group shares its thoughts with the campus and asks for feedback. 

Once everyone has shared their thoughts with the campus, the value frayer models are turned into posters and posted throughout the school and shared with the community. An activity like this helps returning members deepen their understanding and hopefully commitment to values, and it gives new members an opportunity to contribute their ideas to make the values more meaningful. 

Values are nothing but words on a wall, but when campuses take time to review, reflect and revamp them, there is a strong chance that they will use them to align actions which in turn adds value to the organization. 

It's Mirror Time

May is about wrapping up the year, but without looking back on what you did, loose ends are left unaddressed.  Loose ends unresolved lead to changes unsustained and improvements overlooked.  That's why May is "Mirror Time".

Reflection is the most important yet most overlooked stage of change.  Think of it this way.  When the power is out when you begin getting ready for work, there is no light; thus, no opportunity to look in the mirror before leaving for work.  Without the opportunity to 'reflect' on the work you have done getting ready to look presentable, you stand a strong chance of showing up to work with one brown shoe and one black shoe.  Your hair could be sticking up in the back.  Your collar could have one side buttoned and one unbuttoned (sadly that happens to me even when the power is on.)

Where is your Organizational Mirror?

In progressive organizations, systems exist where reflection happens frequently.  The more frequent the organization and the staff within the organization examine their products and the processes that create them, the more progress can be made.  Reflection offers opportunity to tweak, revamp and even replace the blemishes we call ineffective actions.  When we reflect, efficiency expands as effectiveness becomes exponential.

The organizational mirror is not found in the leader's office but in every employee's work space and mindset.  At the end of each day, the question should focus on this thought, "How can we get better at doing this?"  Organizational mirrors can't function until the culture is grounded in trust, mutual accountability and positive presuppositions.  From there, everyone can have the confidence to look at the man in the mirror.

Mirrors work Best with Light.

Mirrors are pretty useless when used in the dark.  Organizations must have the light switch on.  Light is created when the school vision and mission work simultaneously together.  If organizations have a working light, they can look more closely in the mirror.  The more commitment to the mission and vision, the brighter the light will shine and the more people will feel compelled to find their blemishes.  Once blemishes and glaring errors are discovered, reflection can commence.  Solutions can surface to remove causal factors that contributed to overwhelming obstacles. 

CLICK HERE for a Google Doc to guide your reflection.

Mirrors + Light = Current Reality

Once you clarify the organization you desire to create, and you design a process to reflect on your progress toward achieving that goal, you are ready to grow.  Without reflection, organizations stagnate.  Without vision, organizations flounder, and without both, cultures crumble.  Take a look in the mirror.  You may not like what you see, but you will definitely see what you need to do to improve the way your organization looks and functions.

4 Ts of a Transformational School

In a progressive organization, change is the constant not the variable. It is the process, not the product. Change is intentional not inventional.

But leaders should remember that change is a mindset that must be nurtured from infancy to adulthood. You can't run until you can walk, and you can't walk until you can crawl. No different than raising a child, change must be reared with patience and encouragement as well as guidance and teaching. 

If change is to become the constant for your organization, the leader must create the conditional actions for transformation to thrive:  trusting, thinking, teaching and triumphing.

Does your organization have the 4 T's?

Trusting

Because the leader has established a culture of trust, people within the organization understand that trusting one another is essential to change. Trust isn't built overnight, and it can be decimated in a day; therefore, organizations must regard trust as a fragile yet powerful component, and they must maintain it like a garden. Trust is essentially the health needed to move the organization forward. 

Thinking

All people in an organization think about something, but thinking within a transformational organization is extremely concentrated. Thinking about the organization's mission forces all to be focused on purposeful steps necessary to make change a reality. All people within this organization of excellence reflect critically on their own work and determine how to better improve the organization through their work. Thinking is not a sometime thing. It's an all the time thing, and transformational people are constantly thinking about their work and its impact on the end product. 

Teaching

Transformation is about growth, and growth can't occur unless someone is teaching others. Throughout the organization, training and cross training are not appendages of the organization but the heartbeat of the organization. To truly be a transformational organization, teaching is not the leader's responsibility but everyone's responsibility. If people want the organization to grow and prosper, everyone must recognize their own personal strengths and share their strengths with everyone else. 

Triumphing

Transformation is not about growing by leaps and bounds but growing inch by inch. Transformational organizations look for the inch and celebrate the triumphs along the way. Celebration again is not just the leader's responsibility but everyone's responsibility. Everyone looks for the gains, and they seize the opportunity to initiate celebration. Celebration is the fuel of growth, and transformational organizations celebrate like its 1999. 

Putting the 'S' in the 4 Ts - Sustaining

The final responsibility of a transformational organization has nothing to do with change. It has everything to do with sustaining the change. Change cannot be sustained as long as the leader owns and directs the change. Sustainability requires leaders to hand over ownership to those that it impacts, so they can find the next change that must be initiated. That is what we call empowerment. If followers are empowered to own the change, it will be sustained, and that is when change truly becomes transformational. 

6 Steps to Effectively Implement Change

People often rush to make change without making a plan. Here are some important ideas to make change without losing the trust and support of your team.

Communicate the philosophy of why change is important and necessary; then, Collaboratively, have your team define the vision of the organization.

Honor the work that has been done by using data to define your current reality. Be sure to use multiple data points to define where you are because where you are is where your change begins. Data will help identify practices that are effective and need to continue to support the change.

An Action Plan must be developed to define the new strategies and steps necessary to get your team from where you are to where you want to be. Utilize your staff to make your action plan.

Norm staff behaviors so all will agree how they must work together to implement the action plan. Norming your behaviors and actions will build trust and reduce confusion and conflict when problems implementing the change arise.

Goal-Setting defines where the team expects the change to take them along each step of the action plan. Set short term goals that lead toward a long range goal.

Evaluate your progress regularly. Celebrate your victories and make adjustments. If you don't take time to evaluate your progress, you will never know if you are moving closer to your target.

Change is hard because it requires so much commitment and organization. Taking time to plan ahead and then gathering input and support from your fellow staff members will pay huge dividends in the long run. Change can be successful with strong leadership, strong teamwork and a strong plan.

Is It Time for your School to Change Gears?

My jeep is my therapy. The minute I take the tops off, I anticipate the wind blowing through my receding hair line. (The benefits of growing old ;-)). But without putting the jeep in gear, nothing happens. No progress is made. No journey can occur. No wind can blow through my failing hair. 

Isn't school improvement the same?  Every school can put the bus in gear, but some fail to take it out of park.  Others keep it in reverse and then others get stuck in powerlessness of neutral. So what gear is you organization in?

P

Park is the preservation gear of the status quo. Nothing changes because no movement can occur. Park is a good gear if you want to stop and analyze your current reality, but you really don't want to stay there for long. Organizations stuck in park rely on "the way we've always done it" and the fear of abandoning the comfort familiarity. 

R

Reverse is the best gear to revert back to your old ways of thinking. If you have actions that are moving people in the wrong direction, reverse is necessary. However, this gear is very common for organizations who use fear tactics to make progress. The problem is that this kind of movement causes retreating instead of proceeding. In a matter of minutes, organizations stuck in reverse kill beliefs and actions that took years to create.  Organizations stuck in reverse take action with no rhyme or reason typically because the action is dictated by the boss. Little is accomplished and that which is accomplished has little effect on the bottom line, kids. 

N                              

Neutral frees up organizations to move forward or backward but without the vehicle's power. This gear represents organizations that go with the flow. They rev up the engine of actionless rhetoric but roll whichever way the gravity of least resistance takes them. Sadly, they end up in places that rarely improves the lives of students. Organizations stuck in neutral roll with the initiative or buzz word of the day. They make decisions aligned to the path of least resistance, and little is accomplished because they fail to commit to any initiative long enough to see it through. 

D

Drive is the gear that gets you to your destination, excellence. Organizations in drive are full of people who are driven by their quest to guarantee success for every child. Being in drive requires all members to engage the transmission of aligned action. Drive is action. It is purposeful progress, and it demands painstaking persistence.   Organizations stuck in drive align all actions to the betterment for all kids. They carefully select a few powerful initiatives and commit to actions that first are doable and second are aligned to their weaknesses. Driven organizations understand that all actions must be sustained by every individual. Collective capacity is the horsepower of organizations in drive. 

What gear is your school in?

No matter what gear you're in, anyone can change gears at anytime.  You shouldn't be stuck in one gear all the time, but you must understand that drive is the only gear that gets you to your destination.  The decision on which gear to put your organization in shouldn't be based on what gear you're currently in, but on where you want your organization to go. Once you guide followers to decide on and commit to kids first and themselves second, everyone will know what gear the school must be in, DRIVE. 

If Jamaica can Bobsled, Low-Socio Kids can Compete...

The Jamaica Bobsled Team is nothing short of inspiring to watch.  Think about it.  They lack resources.  They come from a country that doesn't have tons of economic support beating down their door.  Heck, they don't have snow or ice.  There should be no reason why they should be in the mountains, let alone competing in the Winter Olympics.

But they don't know that.

Sure, they don't have years of tradition, prestige, and gold medal excellence like Russia, Switzerland, USA and Canada.  They don't have a world class training facility, and they don't have scores of coaches and contracted service providers to help them win.  There should be no reason why I'm watching them on NBC tonight.

But they don't want to hear that.

Here's the point.  Kids of all sorts of backgrounds, languages and experiences walk in our doors.  Some come from world class homes, and some kids come from homes with no water or electricity.  Kids walk in the door 2 years behind their affluent counterparts due to lack of experiences and vocabulary.  Neglect and abuse plague many kids and mask their potential to compete with their peers.  Lack of financial resources and adequate nutrition negatively impact students' ability to learn.

But we accept this...

Jamaica Bobsledding was nothing until someone believed in the concept of this tropical island competing in a sport it was not prepared for.  It took a lot of hard work and soul-searching for Jamaicans to believe they belonged with their affluent counterparts of the tundra.  It started with one person, a vision and a team, and it resulted in a shattered paradigm and a country transformed.  Now, they are the most recognizable bobsled team at the Olympics.

And we can do this...

Low socio-economic student CAN learn with their affluent counterparts.  We have to stop accepting this paradigm and create a new one that requires us to stop teaching in the one-size-fits-all model.  Kids deserve meaningful differentiation, personalized learning opportunities and targeted responses in the eyes of failure.  All kids can learn as long as they have educators who cannot see barriers and are prepared to do whatever it takes to help kids learn.

If Jamaica can bobsled, low socioeconomic kids can learn with their affluent counterparts.

The Good and Bad of Competition

One of my favorite feeds is the Connected Principals site.  This site has lots of weekly ideas from prinicpals around North America.  The other day I came across a bit by Johnny Bevacqua, call Collaboration and Competition, and I was intrigued by Johnny's thoughts about the detriments of competition in a collaborative environment.

Competition without collaboration promotes closed systems.  It closes classroom doors and prevents innovation and new ideas.  A focus on competition can lead to an undermining of the common good, the narrowing a common vision and atrophy the growth within schools (and organizations).  Competition at all costs, can undermine the efforts between those who actually share a common purpose.

Leaders must be in tune to the emotions, confidence and needs of the people within the organization.  If trust is an issue on the campus, leaders must construct competition in a way that forces people to rely on one another rather than compete with one another.  If teams lack confidence, leaders can't create competitions where these same teams can be labeled losers at the end of the race.  When people are at different places in their knowledge and experience, results can't be the way to determine who wins.

Here are some thoughts that I have about competition.

Competition is BAD for the Organization when:

• Being THE Best is the Focus of the Competition
• The Result is the Gauge
• Losers are Labeled
• Bitterness and Resentment become the emotions of the competition
• Players become more isolated as a result.

Competition is GOOD for the Organization when:

• Being YOUR Best is the Focus of the Competition.
• Growth is the gauge.
• Everyone has the Opportunity to Win
• Satisfaction and Pride are the prevalent emotions of the competition.
• Players become closer and more supportive of one another.

Throughout my life, I have been one of the most competitive people that I know.  I always strived to be the best at what I do and as a result, winning built my confidence while losing fueled my passion to improve.  Here's the reality.  Not all people are motivated by losing.  In fact, they are turned off by being labeled a loser.  The agony of defeat drives people out the door.  Leaders can't assume that the mantra of friendly competition helps everyone grow.

As leaders reflect on their own motivation behind competition, they often overlook the discouragement that others find in it.  In their attempt to build people up, they unintentionally shut them off .  By taking time to know the emotional needs of the people within the organization, leaders can create competitive situations that bring people together and keep them focused on the ultimate goal, actualizing the mission of their work. 

In short, competition is good when everyone becomes better at what they do and closer to the organization.  Competition is bad when it alienates people for not being the best at getting better.

Confronting our Can'ts

Very few words can terminate one's ability. All too often in education when we fail to achieve our intended result, we rush to believe that the task is impossible. We jump to rash diagnoses such as:

• He can't read. 
• She can't sit still and focus. 
• They can't multiply. 
• These kids can't write. 

Even worse, when we allow thoughts like these to enter our minds, we automatically disable the belief in ourselves to close the gap. We say things like:

• I can't teach him.
• I can't reach her.
• We can't truly help all kids. 

And when these statements enter our minds and leave our lips, they become a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Now, let's analyze the statements above for a second and synthesize the word, can't. Do we really believe so little in our own abilities to educate kids that we honestly embrace the thought that these kids can't learn to read, write, sit still and multiply?  Even worse, do we allow these statements to condemn these kids to the lower bar of expectations? 

Can't is such a crippling word. It halts progress. It preserves the status quo. It allows opportunities to never actualize because not only have our beliefs disabled our own abilities. We have crippled all hope for kids who in reality presently struggle with learning.

So here is what I recommend.

 If Can't is such a powerful word, let's use it to our advantage. How about we all rise up and use these 4 strategies to cripple the naysayers and hope-killers. 

1. Cancel Can't from your Language all Together. 

Our thoughts become our words. Our words become our actions.  Our actions become our habit, and our habits become our character. If we refuse to allow can't to enter our thoughts, it will never be allowed into our responses to difficult situations. 

2.  Analyze the Can't 

People say can't when they don't know what to do. In most cases, what they really mean is the following: this kid struggles with something, and I don't know what to do for him. Leaders, who believe in the power of can, help Can'ters identify the point at which they don't know how to respond.  Then, they help them develop a plan to address the problem. 

3. Nullify Can't with a Can't of your Own

Negative people drive me crazy. Can't seems to roll out of their mouth at every difficult turn. Leaders must step up and tell them that Can't will not be a part of our system. Can'ters can not be allowed to use their disabling attitudes to hold us back, impede our efforts and stifle progress any longer. 

Can We Do This?

Yes we can.  Of course, kids are behind. Sure, they lack behavioral controls, and yes, they don't know how to do things. That's why they come to school. They come because they can't, and they are counting on you and me to turn their Can't into a resounding Can. It won't happen until we transform their Disabler of Can't into an Enabler of Can. 

Can't never could and never will help a kid. So what can you do about it?

The Epitome of 'Every Day'

'Every Day' is the one of the most overused mantras in schools.  It has been cliche for years. Schools use 'Every Day' as a slogan for what they do for kids.  We serve kids every day.  We educate kids every day.  We work hard every day.  But, let's be honest.  Isn't that what we're expected to do?  What I mean is, I send my kids to school and expect that they learn every day from a school where learning and hard work occurs every day.   Every school pretty much does this for kids every day, so the term, every day, really doesn't have much of a powerful meaning.


One of my favorite songs is "Every Day" by Rascal Flatts.  If you watch this video and listen to the lyrics, you can instantly see why the phrase, 'Every Day' needs to mean so much more.

So I propose a new definition for the mantra, 'Every Day'.

'Every Day' - n.

1. The action of service in such a way that it changes a student's life.
2. A deep rooted commitment to never giving up on a child no matter what the circumstances may be.
3. A stubborn refusal to allow a student to fail.
4. A constant effort to build life-changing relationships with those that you teach and work with.
5. A selfless action of being a rock for others.
6. An unwavering belief that one has tremendous power and a moral obligation each and every day to not only change lives, but save them.

So as we get into the 2nd month of school (3rd for my friends in North Carolina), I challenge you  to transform your work into an 'Every Day' mentality.  Look beyond the tasks, deadlines and obstacles and accept the challenge to save lives, elicit excellence and inspire students and fellow colleagues in a such a way that they are compelled to find their purpose in life.

Think about it.  If we adopted an 'Every Day' mentality, don't you think that learning content, raising test scores and meeting state accountability would take care of itself?  

Final Question

Does your school have the 'Every Day' mentality?  Do you have an 'Every Day' mentality?  If so, please share what y'all do, so we can help others come up with practical strategies to make 'Every Day' truly count.

How Google is Strengthening our Learning Community

School is about to start and even though I haven't seen a whole lot of people over the summer, I really feel connected to my school community.  I have been in contact more with new teachers than ever.  Parents have been able to stay informed more than ever, and I owe this all to Google.  Here are the awesome tools that I am using to strengthen my ties with my entire learning community.

Blogger

Blogger has been the very best service to keep everyone informed with detailed information.  I use my Principal's Page to communicate weekly information to my parents and the community, and I push it out through my Twitter and Facebook accounts.  This year, I am replacing my normal staff email with a staff blog so I can encourage more dialogue through the comment feature.  I also have teachers that will be implementing blogs to improve parent communication

Reasons to Use Blogger

• Comments - Strengthening your community means encouraging dialogue.  This will do that for you.
• Gadgets - Gadgets are the coolest thing ever because they connect parents and the community to their personal social media preference of staying informed.
• Follow by Email - Parents can receive your posts by email each time you publish them.
• Share - Parents can share your posts by Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.
• Translation Feature - This dropdown feature is AWESOME for your non-English speaking parents.
• Embed Hyperlinks & Videos - You can't do that on a paper newsletter.
• Blog Archive - This feature keeps your posts in order for easy reference when looking for a past announcement.
• Popular Post - This feature keeps the top read posts at the top of your feed.
• Multiple Authors - Instead of multiple people sending multiple emails that eventually get lost, overlooked or never read, why not have the same multiple people author one blog so your readers only have to look to one source for all of the information that they will ever need. 

Blogger has been a huge life-saver for me this year, and it has really made parents and the community feel like they are a vital part of our learning community.

YouTube

I use my YouTube channel to flip my communication to parents and staff.  This past year I have flipped many things like: 

• Parent pick-up procedures 
• Our discipline management system
• Promoting our Summer Learning Connection program
• Showing staff how to set up a Blogger and Twitter account

This Google tool has cut down the amount of time I have to spend communicating to the learning community, but it has massively increased the effectiveness of my communication.  I plan to use this tool a whole lot more this year.

#SmarterNotHarder 

Google Docs

Google Docs are an awesome way to collaborate with minimal conversation.  Using Google spreadsheets and word docs in our learning teams and with our administrative team has increased our collective efficacy because more people are in the know about exactly what is happening.  From placing staff in specific teams to creating tools to monitor student performance, multiple people can look at the same document, edit the same document, and comment on the same document in real-time.  This is the smartest thing that teams and campuses can do to focus on learning and maximize collaboration.

Google Forms

What a great way to gather information from people!  If you want to get everyone to sign up for an event, create a google form, send it out through your blog and your social media outlet, and let a Google Doc spreadsheet collect the information for you.  The data entry is done for you by the people that complete your form and then you can export the form into a MS Excel spreadsheet.  From there, you can mail merge for labels, sort by column or do anything else that will help you strengthen your learning community.  I have used Google Forms for the following:

• Staff Favorite Drinks from Sonic (#Homerun)
• Parent Sign-Up for Summer Learning Connection
• Staff Sign-Up for Twitter and Blogger Training

It's so easy, even a caveman can do it. 

Why Google?

Why not?  Google has taken the middle man out of communication, the student.  Let's face it.  When we send a piece of paper home with a child, there are many factors that determine if the paper will reach the parent's hands.  If I believe that it is important enough to copy and send home, I want to guarantee that parents will receive it.  Sure, some parents don't have access to technology, but that's not a good enough reason to not utilize this valuable tool.

For staff communication, Google removes the barriers of miscommunication and misunderstanding that teachers face when they read an email from the principal.  Email cuts out the paper concern, but doesn't remedy the factor of clarity.  Each Google tool has a specific purpose to eliminate ambiguity from communication.  The only question becomes this. Which tool do we use to remove which barrier to clear communication?  You learn that by actually using this tools regularly over time.

So what are you waiting for?  Take a chance. Get started.  The worst that can happen is that your community will know a little more than they knew already.  If you truly believe in your learning community, you should also believe that your moral responsibility is to do whatever it takes to build the strongest learning community possible.  That is why you should strengthen your learning community with Google.

The 3 Uns of Change

Change is occurring daily. It is happening by the minute, by the second. Can you see it?  Do you hear it?  Can you feel it?

Change requires movement. It is progress, and it requires activity. Are you ready?  More importantly, are you accepting of the change. 

Change is a regular occurrence in education. With the advent of each new educational concept, change is required. Acceptance is mandatory. Failure to acknowledge or accept change may result in students being unsuccessful. What worked for last year's kids may not work for this year's kids. 

I had the opportunity to attend the Texas ASCD conference in Frisco, Texas. While there, I had the opportunity to listen to Lee Crockett speak. Lee's presentation on 21st century learning and the necessity to embed technology in learning was powerful, to say the least. To drive the point further, he illustrated that the change needed in education today was one of the most imperative in our nation's history. 

When describing the reasons that this necessary change will fail to be implemented by people, he narrowed it down to the prefix, Un.  People who fail to implement change fall into one of the following Un categories:

1. Unaware

For one reason or another, people are purposely or accidentally oblivious to the fact that a change is taking place and as a result fail to adapt. To become aware, one must engage in constant search for new knowledge. Awareness requires seeking which also requires us to drop the blinders of our own experience. 

2. Unwilling

People are set in the paradigm of personal performance and refuse to accept the moral responsibility to make a change that will ultimately benefit kids. To become willing, one must commit to meeting the ever changing needs of kids; and therefore, commit to new and innovative ways that others have found more effective in helping kids learn. If one is willing to make the change, they are more committed to kids than themselves. 

3. Unable

The skills necessary for implementing change can be underdeveloped or nonexistent. If so, those wishing to make the change must commit to learn the skills of change by engaging in professional development. Ability is as much about mindset as it is anything else. If you possess a passion for learning and becoming more effective, you will discover and engage in meaningful personal development which will enable you to move with the change. 

Change is a-coming.  Change is here. By first being aware of changes taking place, we can be willing and able to go with change.  Furthermore, transforming our paradigms of stagnation into a mindset of change and regularly adapting our craft to meet the unique needs of our kids culminates awareness, willingness and ability into a perfect trinity that we call learning.