Burning questions

I don't know about you all, but leadership in my short experience so far is a lot of fumbling through and figuring things out as I go.  Not all the time (thanks, grad school!) but a lot of the time.  So I have some burning questions to run by you that I'm wondering if anyone has found some solutions/strategies for yet.  Buckle up, they're biggies--

1.  How much communication is enough (transparent, honest, open) without being too much (burdensome, overwhelming, scary)?  Are there things better left to leaders to know without broadcasting, or is constant info-flow the best strategy?


2.  How do you balance vulnerability (being a real person, relating, sharing) with confidence as a leader?  Are they exclusive, or is there a way to balance both?  Do those you lead prefer you to be vulnerable and real or confident and stoic?


3.  How do leaders cope with giving so much more than receiving, and with the lack of appreciation or recognition for their work?  (They say it's lonely at the top... I think a big part of that is not having anyone above you to recognize your achievements or celebrate your successes.)


4.  To what extent is employee morale the responsibility of the leader?  How do you build others up in those times that you're feeling worn down yourself?


5.  How do you help fellow leaders grow professionally (as in, the others on your leadership team) when you're still learning and figuring it out yourself?

Thanks, everyone!  I look forward to gaining some insight from fellow leaders!

Igniting my Fire.

As I reflect over the course of this year in the Leadership Program and all the meaningful relationships and joyful experiences I have had, I wanted my last post to be about the reality many of us maybe facing-- Being Tired.

and I am not speaking in the sense of physically tired (although this maybe applicable, especially during the week), but the type of tired one gets when balancing graduate school, careers, job opportunities, job displacements and/or personal matters.

If anything, this post is more about encouragement.  As we wind down the semester, I am in need of encouragement.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel, however, the tunnel is so far away, yet so close.

Does anyone have any great resources, motivational speakers to listen to or short-texts I can read to revamp my spirit and energy level as we finish this prepare for graduation, prepare for the Georgia Milestones and continuously set and meet high expectations for students even when others lose their momentum also?

I listen to "Every Child needs a Champion" maybe once or twice a week, however, I fall back into the mindset that this isn't applicable in my capacity.  This then forces me to reflect on my experiences  working with children, working with adults and growing leaders.

I am on a quest to ignite my fire as I complete this school year.   Do you have any flames I can continuously burn?

Identifying Conflict

At the end of yet another interesting week at my school, I stumbled across Elena Aguilar’s blog focused on the necessity of addressing healthy and unhealthy conflict in a school leadership team. Blatant conflict doesn’t really occur at my school, especially on the leadership team; however, covert conflict runs rampant. If an individual doesn’t like an answer he or she gets to a question or request then, oftentimes, that individual will seek out someone who will provide an answer or response that the individual wants. This occurs regardless of the respondent’s ‘rank’ or area of responsibility. I was on the receiving end of such an occurrence this week; a department chair asked a question about AP exam logistics and when my answer did not fit within her parameters, she went to two other people until she got the answer she was looking for and I was directed to do what she wanted, essentially.

This wasn’t the first time this has happened to me, and it definitely wasn’t the first time that I’ve witnessed something like it occur. Sadly, these types of actions seem to be a large part of the school’s culture, and they are only serving to perpetuate the toxic nature of our culture. The first time I was involved in this sort of conflict, I was informed by one of my leaders that “well, that’s just how _____ is.” This sort of dismissive reaction has left me with the following questions (both of which are mostly rhetorical in nature):

• Who’s really in charge here - the teachers, the students, the parents, or the school administrators?
• How do we make decisions as to our courses of action - do we do everything we do in order to raise student achievement?

I’m not saying that adults in the building should be literally or figuratively duking it out; however, when we don’t acknowledge and address issues they can become a cancer within the building. In my school, since our students perform well on their own, we, again, have this idea that perception is reality & that everything is going well. Aguilar, in her post, emphasizes the need for a leader to identify and address conflicts. I especially like her suggestion that a leader define what healthy conflict looks like:

• We wrestle with ideas.
• We ask questions to probe for deeper understanding.
• We change our minds.
• We demonstrate curiosity.
• We hold student needs at the center of our work.

When conflicts aren’t addressed, it perpetuates the status quo, and, especially in education, the status quo is something we should seek to avoid.

To Tenure or Not to Tenure...that's the question

I am in charge of new teacher support. I affectionately call my group of teachers "The Blue Crew". Our Blue Crew members range from having 1 year to 3 years of experience in the classroom, and it is my responsibility (and major project) to ensure that they have the resources and support necessary to be successful in the classroom. Two of my Blue Crew members are up for tenure this year, and my principal wants to know what I think. Herein lies the rub...

Teacher A: She teaches lower grades, and so to me does not possess a sense of urgency when it comes to education at all. She used to be our school's PreK teacher and was amazing, so my principal offered her a K/1 position so she could loop with her kids and get higher pay. Needless to say, these past two years have not been anywhere near as amazing as her year in PreK. Her struggles that we work through are (1) designing her own curriculum versus having one created for you as is done in PreK, and (2) knowing what is rigorous of K/1 students and not limiting them which is also done in PreK. Overall, I think she just lacks the drive behind being a career educator and is doing it until something else better comes along...But, is that reason enough to not tenure someone? She shows up to work, and does alright, but is it too much to ask for excellence?

Teacher B: This girl is a box of chocolates - you never know if she is going to cry in front of her kids, be out for 2 weeks, walk out of the room in a panic, or get into an argument with a parent. Despite all of this, her scores are ridiculously high, her students are some of the most behaved in the building, and she is highly effective. Not to mention, I think it is tough finding such an amazing, fifth grade teacher who can handle our students so well. But, she is completely unreliable, emotional, and inconsistent. Should her professional character even influence the tenure process?

                                      

I owe my principal my final decision about the two, but I feel like I still don't even know how to make this decision or even if I am basing my decision on the correct information. I have read a lot about tenuring awesome teachers, bad teachers, and how that effectively it is almost impossible to non-renewal an ineffective educator: http://teachertenure.procon.org/ (for all sides of the debate).

Here is what I think I will recommend...
Teacher A: She can have one more year since she did PreK, and I would option that year. In that year, her students must show growth, and she must demonstrate her instructional development and professional learning if this is her chosen profession. If she is not capable of demonstrating those things, then I would non-renew her.

Teacher B: I would say yes, but I would also inform her that her professionalism will prevent a lot of things from happening to her in the future. For example, she really wants to be grade level chair, but it is hard to make someone so inconsistent a grade level representative. So, I would tenure her for certain but make sure that she is growing professionally as well.

What would you do? Tenure or not tenure...?

The Multiplier Effect

The Multiplier Effect by Liz Wiseman, Lois Allen, and Elise Foster.

     Is your leadership team diminishing the smarts and capabilities of your staff or are they working to multiply the smarts and capabilities of the staff? My principal was introduced to The Multiplier Effect at a DoE training in the Fall. She loved the book so much that she introduced it to the department chairs in order to build capacity. Over the last few weeks, each department chair has presented a chapter of the book and we have talked about how we can use the information in the book to better ourselves and our departments.
     In the book they discuss the 5 disciplines of multipliers (see below). They compare leaders as "diminishers" or "multipliers" of the abilities of a staff. We are working at McClarin is to determine where we each stand as a leader and how we can move from a diminisher to a multiplier. If you are looking for a resource to drive your direction as a leader, I highly recommend the book.

     We have all worked for diminishers in the past (or perhaps in the present). Where does your leadership team/principal stand? Where do you stand? I am looking forward to using the information from this book in my work as a leader!

Just wanted to share this great resource!

Communicating

Blog 5

 

How do you communicate suggestions to your principal without offending him or her?  How many of you feel comfortable talking to your principal about issues in your school?  I have a dual role in my school; as a teacher and as a leadership team member (Special Ed Department Chair).  I often want to go to my principal about issues that I have as a teacher myself and issues brought to me as a member of leadership.  I really like my principal, but there are things that he as a leader could improve upon as with all leaders.  I have an Assistant Principal I can talk to, but I don’t feel as comfortable talking about certain things with my Principal.  I often go to him about departmental issues with no problem and would like to share some culture issues with him.  I have shared reading material from class as hints, but don’t think it is seen as hints.  What should I do?

Creative Versus Comfortable

In my educational career so far, this school year has probably been the most taxing on me - initially, I chocked it up to a massive amount of change in both my personal and professional lives that seemed to come all at once. With a new school and grad school, my personal life took a bit of a backseat - or a spot in the wayback, to be exact - & I started to become more critical of my surroundings. At first, after conducting the culture survey for EPEL 8650 (The Principal), I just believed that I was working in a toxic culture. As first semester wore on, I became more and more frustrated - things didn’t seem to be changing and I did not have the power to change them. 

Honestly, I became a little judgmental in regards to what I would deem “unacceptable behaviors” from educators, let alone adults. I kept my opinions to myself with the exception of a few trusted friends who did not work in my school or district. 

After a few weeks of marinating on this approach, I only found myself sinking more and more into a pit of gloom; those individuals whom I was silently judging weren’t affected - they just continued on as they have done for a while. I started to consider if I was the problem - maybe I thought too highly of myself. I spent the end of the semester trying to just roll with each day, and I was able to make it to winter break. When I returned, I found myself searching for an answer for my dissatisfaction - why didn’t I like coming to work?

And when did I start thinking of my career as work???

Realizing that the only person that I could change was me, I started doing a lot more self-reflection, and in my readings and podcasts and journaling I realized that I’m a creative in a comfortable’s environment. Many of my peers are aversive to my ideas because they are comfortable where they are - in their practices, in their classrooms, in the building - they do not want to rock the boat. The student’s perform well, so perception is reality - we’re considered an incredible school…some even refer to us as the kids getting a private school education at public school prices.

Perception is reality.

Or it isn’t.

I could launch into a rant about the things that I would change, but I want to get back to this idea of creatives and comfortables. Creatives like to think outside of the box. They like to be challenged. They’re problem solvers. They’re risk takers - well, I’m getting back to being a risk taker. They don’t settle for good-enough. They strive for let’s-make-it-better. 

A few years ago, I went from being a creative to being a comfortable. It wasn’t a decision that I wanted to make, but for me it was a question of surviving where I was teaching - a high-performing school with a if-it-isn’t-broken mentality. Over the course of my first year, I was told to “go-with-the-flow.” 

So I did.

I made it a year before I started getting antsy.

Although not the original source of my epiphany regarding creativity, Adam Dachis’ insights on “Why Comfort Is a Productivity Killer” really resonated with me, especially when he describes being “‘comfortable’ in a job I mostly hated, but I didn’t realize it because [it] was so simple…I could go home and be lazy at the end of the day and no harm done—you know, except for pretty much giving up on what mattered to me.” OUCH! I’ve read and taught enough dystopian novels to know that perfection does not exist…or it doesn’t come without a cost (that I don’t want to pay)…but I need an environment that is not only going to allow me to be creative, but one that encourages and supports me in doing so. Margie Warrell, in her Forbes piece, poses some great questions that I feel every school leader should ask her or himself:

• Do I keep doing what’s always been done, or challenge old assumptions [and] try new approaches to problems?
• Do I proactively seek new challenges or just manage those I already have?
• Do I risk being exposed and vulnerable, or act to protect my pride and patch of power?
• Do I ask for what I really want, or just for what I think others want to give me?
• Do I ‘toot my horn’ to ensure others know what I’m capable of, or just hope my efforts will be noticed?
• Do I speak my mind or bite my lip, lest I ruffle feathers or subject myself to criticism?

I have a place that I want to be in the near future…and it’s time to get out of my comfort zone. What about you?

Leveraging the Veterans

I must say I am extremely fortunate to work with a group of passionate, talented and experienced educators. Within my first few weeks of being an administrator I had identified 3 key teachers that hold up the entire school. Our entire staff is hard-working but these three teachers take on extra roles, organize entire programs and lead grade levels and teams of teachers. All of them have been at the school more than 8 years, two of them have more years in education than I have on Earth and one is the former principal of our school...I know!

I am also fortunate that none of them have undermined my authority but instead have been extremely supportive. They all participated in my research project and often offer to help with additional tasks.

How do I build on this relationship with critical veterans without forming a "special" group? I want them to know they are valued without showing favoritism. How do I garner their support without making other teachers feel slighted? I know this sounds like a great position to be in but I really feel like we could use our veteran teachers a lot more. This would really push my school from good to great!

Photo credit: Buffer Blog Buffer Blog

Resources Needed!

After I compiled my list of dispositions that I needed to work on (our last major assignment for 8970), I realized that a common theme for me throughout this entire Ed. S. program has been my need to delegate better and differentiate between important/immediate tasks and what I can put on the back-burner and/or delegate to others. So, with that being said, what resources or tricks do y’all use to do this? I know what it says in The Principal 50, and that book was a fire-starter for me on my journey of figuring out that this is a primary area of weakness for me. But I need more! Do any of you have systems you use that work for you? Or do you have a resource that I can read or a podcast I can listen to in order to get some varied assistance with this topic? One podcast I listen to often is from Lee Cockerell, former VP of Disney. He spoke at the Leadership Kickoff last summer for my district, and his leadership podcasts are quick and easy (about 10-15 minutes for most of them), and extremely insightful. But, again, I need more. I feel like the more I inundate myself with resources, the more successful I will be at getting this beast under control! 

Accountability.

I am sure everyone has come across really good parents and really not so good parents.  However, it really grinds my gears when parents are not held accountable for certain concerns and issues at the school level.   It bothers me that people have diminished the education profession to nothing more than being a baby-sitter.  All accountability now is placed on teachers and parents are given a slap on the wrist.

There is a motion in place in Cobb County to hold parents more accountable when children participate in extra-curricular activity.  I see the pros and cons of this, however, I do not believe the cons out-weight the pros and the big picture.

I am interested in hearing how do you build parental involvement and support at your school as well as hold parents accountable for their children for things such as attendance, behavior, homework, performance, overall parenting?

Closing the Gap

I decided to focus my lit review from another class on Closing the Achievement Gap. It was a topic that was relevant at my school where we just got back part of our CCRPI score. I'm not a numbers girl. It's hard for me to see ranges, increases, decreases, percentages and then compare in my head. But when I see flags, I'm on it! We had some significant red flags and they were concentrated around our subgroups. We acknowledge as a school the areas we need to address and work on, but how do we make it better?  It wasn't until I started doing my literature review that I realized there's a wealth of information out there on how to improve. One article, How One District is Systemically Closing the Achievement Gap, caught my interest. The premise of the article is that student work needs to be engaging and authentic and teachers need to be highly qualified. In addition, the belief should be there that all students have the ability to succeed. It's more than just presenting the material. There's so much more that goes into making academic gains and I think it starts with the heart! I often miss being in the classroom. I liked finding the connections with students; finding out what the latest and greatest TV show, fad, clothing style, dance, music, etc...was and then weaving it somehow into my lesson. I see teachers now that identify with students, and some that don't. Some teachers make learning relevant and some that just present the material. I'm wondering what we can do as a school, a school system, a state, or even as a country to really bring the achievement gap to the forefront and make an impact on low-achieving students who have the potential to succeed. What do you do at your school to close the gap? What strategies do you use? How do you make connections with students?

The E-Myth trilogy concludes: Part III

Before I launch into the timeline below, I want to offer the disclaimer that it is completely from my own limited perspective.  As I typed it out, I noticed I was focusing on the things I personally did and the changes I personally tried to enact.  Looking back now, I see that this "heroic technician" attitude is symptomatic of an organization in its infancy, trying to graduate to adolescence.  I tried to take everything on myself.  Albeit I did work with others in the organization, and I sought counsel from my mentors, but largely I took action independently, trying to "save" the school.  Too many business-starters or school-starters make the mistake of doing it all on their own.  I was being a statistic.


Cloverleaf's timeline on our journey from infancy to adolescence:

• May 2013.  I left off in my last blog with the proposal naming one of our founding parents as interim executive director-- an attempt to fill the hole in the "manager" role that our organization lacked.  She was willing to serve in the most "managerial" role in the school, yet we brought her in knowing her background was in higher education, not management.  She had been a professor, and her ability to run the school as a strong manager was limited.  But she was the best we had at the time, and we were desperate.  She was willing to lead the school on a volunteer basis for the 2013-14 school year as long as the school worked toward paying her a salary in the 2014-15 school year.
  
  
• October 2013.  Role tensions and management gaps remained.  I approached the executive director about a promotion from teacher to "lead teacher," taking on scheduling, meeting facilitation, and most of HR (including navigating employee grievances).
  
  
• February 2014.  I pitched a new org chart to the board that would allow the educational director and I to split time, half in the classroom and half in administration.  I would shadow the executive director to learn the role with the intent of taking it over for the 2015-16 school year.
  
  
• August 2015.  I took over as executive director & renamed the role executive director & principal to better capture all it entails.  Over the course of the next few months I unearthed a series of managerial mistakes from the past: an employee was never issued a contract and subsequently quit with no notice, leaving us understaffed.  The bookkeeper had embezzled $4500 from us, and our accountant didn't catch it in his audit.  My own insurance benefits had never been submitted to payroll, so I owed the school $1200 in backed payments that I didn't know about.  Our renovations team was less familiar with county code than they had indicated, resulting in a 5-month delay on our school move and a 3-fold cost increase.
  
  
• January 2016.  By this point, we had remedied most setbacks.  We hired a new support teacher, new bookkeeper, and new accountant.  We straightened out employee benefits and our financial books.  We fundraised over $100,000.  We made it through the extended renovation project (including an extended stay at our old location that was falling apart, a 4-week stay at a temporary location, 2 "homeless" days of fieldtrips, and a flood on day 1 at the new space).
  
  
• February 2016.  I called an emergency board meeting because the school was running out of money, and the staff was exhausted after the many trials.  The board treasurer and I worked together on an in-depth financial analysis to identify exactly what moneys we'd need when.  We identified our fundraising targets to be $11,000 by the end of April, $42,000 by the end of May, and $38,000 by the end of June.
  
  
• March 2016.  The business coordinator & I met with our fundraising consultant to plan a course of action.  She helped us weave this year's fundraising needs into a bigger picture of a 5-year campaign to build out and purchase our building.  The board and I called a whole school meeting to celebrate our fundraising progress and spotlight our remaining fundraising needs.  It was a call to action for 100% community participation.
  
  
• As of today, the renovations are behind us, the books are straightened out, all current staff have committed to return next year, and morale is finally beginning to slowly rise again.  We weathered the storm.  We still have fundraising goals remaining, but at least that's one large hurdle to cross instead of multiple simultaneously.  I had a free call with an E-Myth business coach last week, and I'm planning to write a grant to afford a year of working with her to systemize everything we do.  I want to move on after next school year, and working with a specialist to fully systemize and document our program will allow me to leave the organization in a healthy and stable place.
  
  

I learned to become the manager persona that the school needed, through trial by fire and sheer necessity.  I also learned it is not who I want to be.  My talents lie in the entrepreneur and technician arenas, and I'm ready to begin finding a place where I can work in my areas of talent and passion rather than in an area of necessity.  Being who others need me to be rather than who I feel I am meant to be is exhausting and draining.  It is time to set a change in motion.

Thanks for sticking with me through this three-part blog series, I know it was lengthy and detailed.  It was helpful to gather my thoughts about where our organization has been, where we are, and where we are going (which will soon be down separate paths).  Hopefully I'm not the only one who gained something or learned something from this blog journey.  :)  Thank you!

All Hands on Deck

As in any school, having an "all hands on deck" policy is sometimes needed when short-staffed.  However,  this policy can sometimes come into conflict with the duties and responsibilities outlined by certain job descriptions.  Furthermore, accountability on missing employees should be taken into account when there is an "all hands on deck" situation.   A prime example of this situation is lunch duty.  The assistant principal did an excellent job at developing a lunch duty schedule for employees whose schedule allow it.  Contrary to that, my duties and responsibilities as outlined in my job description explicitly stated that I am not required to have a lunch duty.  With that being said, I have taken it upon myself to ensure that I am one of the "hands on deck."  The issue I have with this is when staff members do not report to his or her duty on time, if any at all.  Now because of the type person I am, I am going to report to my duty on time, as well as leave on time.  However, when someone does not show up on time or not at all, I am put in a rock and a hard place.   I have shared my concerns with administration staff, however, because it is primarily members of the staff, there has not be a solution to the problem.

What do you suggest?

To Algebra or Not to Algebra

Have we become to test centered that we have lost our true path in education? I remember the days when teaching was fun. I could be very creative with my lessons and was even encouraged to be creative. Back in the early 90's when NCTM first came out with their standards (the beginning of the end I think), I was working in Gwinnett and GCPS recognized that their textbooks did not reflect the new standards. Teachers were invited to get creative and write units that reflected the NCTM standards for mathematics. I created true relevant units to teach students math. Today, more than twenty years later, I even have a student from those days working nearby and he told me the minute he saw me about his money management portfolio that he still had at home. He remembered other activities that we had done as well. That was real math!

Today we are so busy teaching students material so that they can pass a test and show the world that we, the teachers, are doing a good job that we have lost our way. I ran across several posts recently about not requiring algebra and/or algebra 2 for everybody. I am not saying that we should throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater, but I do believe we need to rethink HOW and WHAT we are teaching students about math.

I believe that students deserve the best math program that a school can offer and I do not believe that every student needs to take calculus. I believe that we need to talk open and honestly with students about what they want to do and provide them with the curriculum that will help them achieve their goals. We are asking schools to graduate students who have completed a variety of CTAE pathways, but these students do not have the math skills to be successful in these pathways. My CTAE teachers are always asking me how to teach math to their students so that they can do basic calculations within their pathway.

At McClarin, we refrain from teaching financial math or math for business and industry because students won't receive credit for a fourth year of math with these two classes. The DoE approved a yearlong statistics course last year, but we can't offer it because Fulton County does not offer on-level statistics as it competes with AP Statistics. Again, not every student needs AP level courses! It is a vicious cycle that we cannot afford to keep repeating! Let's go back to teaching relevant and necessary math, not required math!

What to do, what to do...

So, I know a lot of great teachers and students at Latin Academy Charter School. Opened for less than 5 years, LACS has recently announced to its community that without fundraising it will have to close. This is mostly because of alleged theft of the scool's once founder and finacnial advisor's embezzlement of $600,000. Simply put it, this is a tragedy for the students, their families, the staff, and local community. Where are the students suppose to go? What about the promise to greater education? What about the loss of over half a million education dollars? What to do, what to do...

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/atlanta-charter-school-could-close-after-alleged-t/nqRjx/

The biggest question that I have is - does money truly fix this problem? Will giving an additional $600,000 correct the wrong that has been done to this community, or will it only ameliorate it? I am fully aware the the persons charged are no longer at the school, but how did this happen in the first place? What was the system of checks and balances for why these abuses were not discovered earlier? And, this is just one school under one leader, what happens when educational funding is stolen? How is it replaced?

My major point is that damaged has been done and money may not fix all of those damages - the lack of resources available to students, the greater strain on the community to raise money for their school, how is it fixed or corrected. Where does the path to correction begin?

What to do, what to do...

Meaningful Lessons.....

Blog 4

Do you agree that meaningful and well planned lessons deter discipline issues?

I have experienced many teachers talking and complaining about discipline issues in their classes.  I am not exempt; I complain sometimes too.  As I was reflecting and consulting with my mentor, we came to the solution of meaningful instruction.  If students are engaged, distractions and discipline issues will decrease or cease.  With this being said, how do we get teachers to write engaging and meaningful lessons?  Teachers have had several professional learning sessions/opportunities, and collaborative planning.  In my opinion, plans are just made to have something to turn in, and not really used to guide them in the classroom.  We have teams that are supposed to check lesson plans, but there is never any feedback provided. If administrators were more visible in the classrooms, teachers had a good classroom management system in addition to engaging lesson plans, behaviors may decrease.  What suggestions or resources do you have?

Girl Power!!

On this Super Tuesday in Georgia, I can't help but think of the complexity of being a woman in leadership. Women have to compete with men who have held similar positions for hundreds of years. We have to balance work with family and friends (if you have any left). Then, you have to consider your leadership style and how others will view you. If you are firm, you are too aggressive for a woman, if you're laid back you're too passive to lead. If you display emotion, you're too soft to lead, if you show no emotion you're not woman enough. Where does the criticism end? I expect all leaders to endure criticism but when the criticism is based on the fact that you're a woman that's a problem. How do you balance the strength you have as a female leader with the tendency to over compensate?

At my school, men make up less than 30% of the faculty. This includes the CEO, CFO, COO, Principal, assistant principal and 3 out of 4 grade level chairs (who have significant authority at my school) who are all female. This creates a model of shared responsibility and leading with the whole person in mind. I'm not saying men don't do these things Im just saying women have an innate ability to nurture and consider the needs of other women and families when making decisions. The issue is that problems become emotional, personal and blown out of proportion. Women develop relationships, talk and bond in ways that sometimes make doing business a challenge. I think there are a lot of feelings involved unnecessarily. I guess I'm looking for a way to curb the emotions and think rationally when my team doesn't always get it done without coming off as inconsiderate. I mean I am a woman and I understand the need to take care of family while maintaining a stressful career but how and where do I draw the lines?

Plan ahead

This year has definitely been filled with learning experiences; most of those experiences falling somewhere along the leadership spectrum. With the exception of those events that relate directly to my position as the AP Coordinator or a classroom teacher, my role has been more observational than participatory.

I am a planner. I like to have plans. I like to have backup plans. I like to have backups to my backup plans (sometimes). I like structure. I like to know where to go, who to go to, when to go, and the best way to go. I prefer to be proactive rather than reactive.

This year has intensified my aforementioned character traits.

I went looking for pieces that would tout the virtues of any of the above, but couldn’t find anything that was all that concise. In my search, I stumbled upon an Edutopia blog post, “An Open Letter to Principals: 5 Leadership Strategies for the New Year”, by Eric Sheninger. No, it didn’t fit my intention for this post; however, it is related.

Sheninger provides five recommendations to school leaders, and as I plan for my next venture, I decided that I would keep them in the front of my mind as I plan to pursue further leadership opportunities. The first strategy Sheninger mentions is to not make any excuses; earlier in my career I was really good at finding the lemons in the lemonade - focusing on the negative minutia. I wasn’t really interested in coming up with a solution so much as I wanted someone to solve the problem(s). Rather than trying something new, I tended to come up with reasons why it would never work in my classroom. Thankfully, at an early point in my career, I found myself surrounded by risk-takers and changemakers, & I began looking for solutions rather than problems; in fact, I sometimes find myself looking for solutions to things that really aren’t problems, but may just be a better way of doing something.

The vision can’t just be something that is thrown down on paper or on a wall; it has to be lived. It is a responsibility of the school leader to live the vision. When in a leadership capacity, every word matters - whether spoken or written - and how we demonstrate those words also matters. Sadly, I have been witness to what happens when a leader says one thing, but does another…or when he or she says two conflicting things.

In School Genetics (2015), Lockhart does a superb job of describing the change that has taken place in education in the last one hundred years; at one point, teachers, along with their textbooks, were repositories of knowledge that were provided to students via lecture or reading, but now due to technology, the kids have all of the information and it is now our job to not only show them how to use it but how to filter it. We must embrace this change in education in order to make what we do relevant and beneficial to society.

The best way to make sure education continues to make positive contributions to society is to provide educators - not just teachers -  with authentic professional learning. This can be in the form of PLCs or PLNs. In Zepeda’s Professional Development: What Works (2008), the author presents research that indicates that job-embedded professional learning is best, and that there should be a consistent focus on a professional learning experience over the course of the school year - educators learn then apply then return to discuss then go back out to apply again, etc.

Finally, Sheninger highlights the importance of being connected to other leaders. The higher up one goes the lonelier it can be. It is extremely important to find like-minded, and in some cases opposing-minded individuals to encourage or challenge us. After all, iron sharpens iron.

21 Things All Great Leaders Do

My principal shared this article with our staff last week. It’s called “21 Things All Great Leaders Do.” I thought it had pretty good alliance with The Principal 50 from last semester’s Twitter chats’ readings (especially #9 of the 21 things on the list. I’m still personally working on that one!). The article is an easy read; it’s nothing earth-shattering. Just one of those one-stop-shop kind of readings that makes you think about and rate yourself on these characteristics.

To me, the best quote in this article isn’t one of the 21 things they discuss. It’s this: “Age doesn’t make you better as a leader. It just makes you more of who you really are. Your habits, disciplines and skill sets make you better.” This quote is like a splash of cold water on your face when you get bogged down; a jolt back into a little bit of reality. I think a lot of people are of the opinion that time and experience will make them into a leader who is worth following. Not true! If someone wants to be a leader, but they aren’t someone worth following at the present moment, this article kind of proves there’s hope for them in the future. However, if they don’t make a concerted effort, then time will just keep them who they are, just with a higher age number (See #2 of the 21 things on the list). I guess that’s part of the reason all of us are in this program…to become better leaders (and to get a pay raise...that helps, too! J).

One of my other faves from the list of 21 that made me stop and think is #14: “Develop a Trusted Inner Circle.” The summarizing quote of that one is at the bottom of the section: “If you’re the smartest person in the room, get some new people in the room.” Another cold water splash in the face. Makes you take a stock of those around you. 

An Oscar Winning Performance

It’s that time of year for recognition and awards: Super Bowl, 

Grammys, and Oscars. Best football team, best artist, best actor, best film? What makes the best of the best? Principals have the daunting job of hiring the “best” teachers, making sure “best” practices are being implemented, using all forms of communication to provide the “best” information and data, and making sure they project the “best” image of their school to the community. Articles about strong leadership characteristics abound the internet. However, The Eight Characteristics of Effective School Leaders sums it up for me. These are great characteristics to strive for but they can lose their meaning without specific examples. I recently attended a conference where an elementary school principal literally "rolled out the red carpet" for parents. The principal and his staff turned their school into an "award-winning" night where they dressed up and hosted an Oscar-like event. They invited the local news and radio station to document the event. They spent the evening showering parents with information about the school, tips for helping students at home, and lots of exciting door prizes and giveaways. The night was so successful, they now make it an annual event. So, I'm searching for ideas that I can store up for the future. Please share something special (no matter how big or how small) that you have experienced from leadership at your school or something that was an "Oscar-winning" performance from your principal.

The E-Myth continued: part II

In my last blog, I shared the fatal flaw I had unearthed in my school's "DNA" (to borrow a term from Dr. Lockhart's School Genetics book).  We had fallen into the E-Myth trap, believing that our vision and our technical talent were enough to keep our school afloat.  However, we only had 2/3 of what it takes to run a successful organization-- the entrepreneur and the technician; we were missing the crucial third element known as "the manager."

Let's travel back in time to May 2013.  The school had opened doors for a half year beginning in January 2012, held a successful summer camp, and was nearing the end of its first full school year, making it a total of 1.5 years old.  We were in what E-Myth author Michael Gerber calls our organization's infancy.

According to the E-myth, organizations go through three life phases: infancy, adolescence, and maturity:

(Click to enlarge)

I know we were in our infancy at that point because the organization was completely "people dependent."  Individuals knew the processes and procedures, and nothing was written down.  Communication was limited, and there were very few people doing lots and lots of work.  Burnout risk was high.  Tensions rose as colleagues struggled to navigate their unclear roles.  We were innovating an exceptional and highly effective education program, but all the other pieces were crumbling.  This was the moment we took our first purposeful step down a very long path from infancy to adolescence.  We embarked on an epic adventure that would be rocky, messy, and what one of my life heroes Glennon Doyle Melton calls "brutiful."  It has not been easy-- like they say, nothing worth doing ever is.

Step one: we identified the problem.  I talked to each staff member individually, then called an emergency board meeting to share my findings with the board.  I was the teacher board member at the time, so I felt compelled to serve as the bridge between the school and the board and make sure the ones in charge of the school's direction were aware of our current reality.

A visual from the board presentation, illustrating our communication and reporting obstacles.

The observations I shared fell into 4 main categories: roles & responsibilities, reporting structures, communication & decision-making, and unanswered questions.  After the presentation, we exchanged thoughts and ideas, and we scheduled a follow-up meeting.  They asked me what direction I feel we should go, and I said I would like to submit a proposal next meeting nominating one of our founding parents as the executive director of the school.  That way there would be one clear person at the top of the reporting chains, working inside the school, and keeping communications flowing properly. At the follow-up meeting, my proposal was adopted, and it came with consequences.  One of the other founding families jumped ship, pulled their child from the school, and never returned.  She felt we were making a mistake in our new direction, and she felt "dethroned."  It was then that I knew leadership expert Barry Jentz was right in the quote he shared with us at a communication training: "leadership is pain and discomfort."  There is no easy path, and leaders must cultivate a deep level of resilience in order to succeed.

I focus on this particular milestone because after reading the E-Myth, I see that we were headed from infancy to adolescence, but nowhere near maturity.  We were still trying to throw people at the problem, when really we needed to be putting systems into place that would allow the organization to be systems-dependent instead of people-dependent.

Next time, I will lay out the time line from the milestone I shared here to present day.  I will show how we are now working through the awkward adolescent phase, experiencing the growing pains that go with it, and seeking organizational maturity.  My hope is that by revisiting errors made, reflecting on mistakes and missteps, and going back through time, it can be a learning opportunity for more than just me.  Mistakes are learning, so we may as well learn together.  Stay tuned to find out how we are building the next era of Cloverleaf.

Retention or Nah?

 As the RTI/SST Specialist for Atlanta Public Schools, I am often times teachers ask my opinion about retaining students.  Teachers want to seemingly "move" a student to SST (Tier 3) and think this will promote the retention of a student and solve the students "issues."   Yes, some student's academic issues can be attributed to social forces beyond our control, however, some issues are the result of poor teaching.  I often times come across teachers who claim that a student lacks this or lacks that, has academic deficits in reading and math, but nothing has been done on the teacher's part. And yet-- the teacher can fix his or her mouth to ask about my thoughts on retention.

I am opposed to retention because:
1. It has developmental effects on students psych, as well as socio-emotional development.
2. It increases the rate of potential drop outs.
3. It is not equitable.

I understands students learn at different rates, but I do not believe keeping a student in the same grade to repeat standards he or she did not master.   Teachers have the ability to reach students, if it means going over and beyond.   Once you find that small weak spot in a child, use that as ammunition and teach as much as you can to these students.  Remember learning she be focused on growth, not grades.

So I ask you, Retention or "nah"?

Vote or Die! ...not really though...

It's an election year, and it is time to talk about where our potential president stands in regards to education. One candidate wants to make college free, others wants to provide vouchers for school choice, and all have different stances on Common Core curriculum. Here is a basic run down for all of the major candidates:

https://ballotpedia.org/2016_presidential_candidates_on_education

While I am not comfortable stating my party affiliation, I do feel comfortable talking politics. And when it comes to education, I want to hear what everyone has to say. So here are my two cents about their visions for American education.

Clinton: I like what she states about charter schools. I don't think that we should through the baby out with the bath water, and allow for charter and public schools to coexist. I do think that there should be more of a merger since it is about the improvement of communities.

Sanders: Feel college tuition! A college degree does help for long term success, but student loan debt ain't pretty (which is why I will be in school for forever :). So, I agree that some persons are deterred from going to college due to cost and that it is a pathway to the middle class, but with free tuition and increased wages for professors, I wonder what happens to the size of staff and faculty - will there be cuts? Will there be firings? I wonder what the fallout would be...

Bush: He isn't the first Bush to rewrite education, and he proposed newer education policy to Medium (here it is https://medium.com/@JebBush/restoring-the-right-to-rise-through-a-quality-education-a27ef314f2c#.ivgtouqvz) Basically, deregulate federal control and give it back to states and local governance.

Trump: He is a capitalist and therefore thinks that competition improves the quality of education. Therefore, basically deregulate federal control and return decision making to local schools. Provide vouchers, charter schools, and give families the freedom to chose where to send their children. Schools will not doubt have to improve. But what about the schools who can't and can a business style infrastructure really work in education? Overall, He is not with the common core...

Like I said, I like talking politics and I really like talking education politics so let me know what your thoughts are on where they each stand :)

Teachers out of the business of teaching

When do teachers get the right to get out of the business of teaching?

Many times when I am observing classrooms, I don’t feel as if teachers are really serious or into teaching as they should be.  I feel like teachers are out of the business of teaching on a daily basis. I often run across teachers who sit behind their desk on the computer while there students complete worksheets which is not rigorous.  There is very little conversation or engaging teaching and learning going on in some classrooms.  I am extremely sadden especially when our special education students are slighted like this. Students with disabilities are already at a disadvantage and to see them overlooked is a crime shame. It is very frustrating for those of us that really take out job seriously and want to see students succeed. I blame both the teachers and administration for this terrible act.  Teachers continue to do this because administration does not address these issues and use TKES; therefore, teachers get away with it and think it is acceptable. Additionally, administration is not consistent with teacher observations, being visible and providing affect feedback to address the lack of teaching.  How do we get teachers back in the business of teaching??? 

Equity on a grand scale

Photo from skepticisim.org

Are we headed back to the desegregation of the 50/60's? How will the new Superintendent of Fulton County Schools help bring equity to a system whose disparity between North and South county is so great? Will North Fulton County be successful in their discussions to break from Fulton County to create Milton County? What would happen to South Fulton County when the money from North Fulton is gone along with the money APS takes from Midtown and Downtown?

The problem isn't unique to Fulton County. Atlanta Public Schools is divided between East versus West. Look at the disparity in the Ferguson schools (Normandy) in Missouri. Many attempts have been made to desegregate the schools in Ferguson, but are always met with hostility and anger from the higher performing systems to which the students will be bused.


Dr, Phillip Lanoue is our finalist for Superintendent. He has brought much recognition to Clarke County Schools since taking over as their Superintendent. He was able to draw national attention to Clarke County for their work on closing the achievement gap as a Title I district. Can he do the same for a district so divided by race, socioeconomic status, and of course APS?

How do we provide the students in ALL schools with the same level of instruction? How do we hire staff that resembles the student population? Should we be concerned that the staff or administration resembles the student population if we hire the best candidates out there? If our staff and admin teams do not reflect the student population at the school, how do we provide role models for the students so that they have someone that "looks like them" to inspire them to dream bigger? I am worried about the state of education today when it so clearly shows that where you live will be the biggest factor in whether you will graduate, attend college, or wind up behind bars!

I have been trying to get my principal to offer pre-calculus to our top students at McClarin without avail. We have students, who although they failed out of other schools, are testing above the 80th percentile in math when compared to other high school students across America in the same grade. Why shouldn't we be challenging them with a math course fit for their ability instead of only offering Advanced Mathematical Decision Making (AMDM)? Just more evidence of minority students not receiving the level of instruction best suited for them!

I did find this very interesting article entitled Segregation forever? from Teaching Tolerance. I also found it interesting that I decided to blog about this and suddenly I received the email from Teaching Tolerance, a post from Mind Shift (mentioned earlier in this post), and a cartoon about privilege from Upworthy. I guess I am not alone in my quandary!

Training or Nah?

The transition from teacher to administrator has been exhilarating. I was used to going into my classroom everyday and teaching the snot out of the curriculum. I stayed out of work politics and was friendly enough to make allies but very few friends. I did my job and rarely made a fuss and preferred to be forgotten quite frankly. But now, I'm in charge. I have to be in the know, be visible, be vocal and make decisions that impact everyone. Out of my comfort zone for sure.

I'm just wondering if other people who made the transition had any type of training. Should I be asking more questions, observing other leaders, attending specific conferences. I feel like most of what I do is on the job, learn as you go type training. But are there other opportunities to learn that I've missed? I have learned an incredible amount these first few months as an administrator but I know I have a long way to go. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

The E-Myth

I read a book over December break that rocked my world and changed the way we run our entire organization.

The E-Myth starts off with a vignette of a woman who absolutely loves baking pies, and her pies are everyone's favorite.  Her friends and family gush about how delicious they are, always urging her to start her own pie shop.  Eventually, she heeds their advice and decides to take the leap into the entrepreneur world!

After 2 years running her pie shop, her friends never see her any more, and the book's author describes how weary and worn down she is.  She says she'd be happy if she never baked another pie again in her life.  Her pie shop is in such financial trouble that she is the only employee-- she sweeps the floors, bakes the pies, works the register, and manages inventory.  Alone.

So what happened?  She fell victim to the E-myth, a.k.a. the myth of entrepreneurship.  Like so many before her, she thought that being good at a certain skill would allow her to have a successful business providing that skill.

It turns out it takes much more to run a pie shop than incredible baking abilities.  In fact, it requires a trifecta of personas all in perfect balance: the entrepreneur, the manager, and the technician.

Then and only then will a business be successful.

But how does this apply to school leadership?

As a school-starter, I realize my team and I had fallen victim to the E-myth ourselves.  When we started Cloverleaf, our founding team included 6 visionary parents with lofty ideas about the future potential of an outstanding, unique special education school ("entrepreneurs"), and 3 exceptionally talented, highly skilled teachers ("technicians").  However, unbeknownst to us at the time, we had a giant, gaping hole in our founding team where the manager persona should have been.  We were destined for failure if we didn't fill that gap, and we hadn't even realized it yet.

We threw grand opening parties, we gave tours, we attended school resource fairs, we wore our new t-shirts around town.  We grew enrollment by 3-fold each year.  We provided innovative, multisensory, experiential learning opportunities that our students couldn't get anywhere else.  Yet eventually after 2 years, the gap in our organization grew painfully obvious-- things slowly began eroding internally as role tensions mounted, finances were neglected, and under-developed internal structures neared collapse.

We knew we had to do something, but the question was what.

Special Ed Students On Grade Level??

So I came across this article recently from a blog post and it truly caught me off guard. Most of you know that my background is in special ed, so for me to be taken aback by this is unusual. The reason I was taken aback, though, is because the concept behind this article is that all special ed IEP goals and objectives should be written to the grade level of the student. Which is pretty preposterous considering the actual performance level of many of our special needs babies!

I know that this type of article does not necessarily directly affect most of you; however, I think it should! The more that students with IEPs are integrated into the general education setting, and the more that the performance pay initiatives gain steam in the legislature (i. e. teacher pay affected by student test performance), the more things like this are going to get some spotlight. And I don't anticipate that being a positive spotlight.

I work in a large metro-area district, and we are not practicing what this article says, so I seriously doubt the other districts are either. In fact, we pretty much practice the opposite of what this article says is federal law. The point of an IEP goal/objective is to provide a target for the student to work toward that s/he can attain in one calendar year. So, for example, if a 6th grader is reading on a 1st grade level, why would we write a goal for that student to be reading on 6th-grade-level? It is virtually impossible for a student to progress that many grade levels in reading in one year. But, this article says that's what we should be doing. Instead, we write goals that are actually attainable, and then increase or adjust them the next year, depending on if the student is showing progress. I know that's what most districts are doing.

At the end of the day, it seems to me that this will be one more thing that either gets counties sued or  falls by the wayside because it's simply not attainable for most students. After all, if they are in special ed, they are in it for a reason. Not always an academic reason, but for a reason.

Put Me In...

On Friday, I took an opportunity to observe at another, albeit very familiar, school. The only real similarity, aside from the basics of both being high schools, between that school & the school in which I currently work is the fact that they both have a new principal. Up until Friday, I had not yet taken an opportunity to get out of my school & observe, but I am glad that I did. The school I observed was implementing Power Hour (if you’re unfamiliar, check out this article from the 2015 Model Schools Conference & to see an overview, watch this quick video from West Port High School in Ocala, FL:

The school in which I was observing has implemented Power Hour once or twice before with success; unlike the West Port example, Power Hour is not a daily occurrence. At the school, Power Hour is a time of academic recovery/remediation/enrichment or of exploration; in addition to the academic sessions taking place, there were student-led sessions on how to make use of the makerspace in the new Learning Commons, teacher-led yoga classes, club meetings, etc. In order to encourage students to take advantage of the academic recover/remediation opportunities, the school ‘caters’ these sessions with outside vendors - Zaxby’s, Chick-fil-a, Marco’s Pizza, etc.; this creates a lunch-&-learn atmosphere for the students.

My recollection of the day’s events may be slightly more romanticized for a variety of reasons - this school is my alma mater (both as a student as well as a faculty member), I was in a school in which innovation and outside-the-box thinking is a little more accepted & encouraged, & I was doing what I want to do - working with a variety of the school’s stakeholders to make the day beneficial for the kids. I could not stop smiling. No, the day did not go completely smooth, nor is everyone on board with Power Hour, but it was still a day well spent; it passed so quickly, and at the end of it I was sad for the dismissal bell to ring. Although we are only six weeks into second semester, I needed Friday to reinvigorate me - I felt like I was fulfilling my purpose by being an actively contributing member to making school work more effectively for our kids.

At the end of the day, I was able to pop my head into the principal’s office to thank her for the opportunity & to essentially say “put me in.”

"Family Feud"

Yes, this is the face of fundraising at my school. There is much debate about what to sell and how to sell it. Three years ago, we started a Read-a-thon fundraiser to kind of change things up. We were tired of giving 40 or 50% to companies to help us raise money. We did away with wrapping paper and cookie dough and organized a Read-a-thon from scratch. That year we raised $18,000. The next year, we split the endeavor with PTO. They partially took over and our profit was $14,000. This year we completely handed the whole thing over to PTO. Our profit was $11,000. What did we do wrong, you ask? We realized that the teachers had much more influence in the classroom than parents did. As teachers stepped away from the fundraiser more and more each year, the students didn't get the same competitive edge as they did when teachers were "pumping them up" daily in the classroom. We realized that the teachers were the driving factor in the success of this fundraiser. However, it doesn't stop there. Now, the PTO feels like the Read-a-thon has been exhausted and that people want something for their money, not just the idea that a child did some reading. They want to sell wrapping paper, and candy, and plants, and trinkets. There is an ongoing disagreement between the PTO and the school over what people want to buy. Everyone who has talked to PTO wants the novelty items. Everyone who talks to the school wants a reading or a fitness fundraiser. What works well at your school? What event or fundraiser do parents, teachers, and students really seem to come together for the good of the school? Is there any new, exciting, or innovative way that your school raises money? I would love to hear some different ideas and maybe have something that I can bring back to settle this disagreement!

Student Tech Teams...

I thought I'd share out a resource that I created for a group of school leaders who I work with in case it helps in any of your schools. Feel free to share with others!

Today’s topic:  Student Tech Team

What is it:  

• A student tech team can be formed in lots of different ways, but it is designed to help support students and teachers with technology issues they face.  

Purpose:

• Provide students with a very unique learning and leadership opportunity.
• Provide the school with much quicker and more easily accessible tech support to deal with lower level technology issues.

Examples:  

• This Middle School began with a voluntary after school club that created a blog, but moved to a more systematic organization that now creates video tutorials.
• This is a 4th-6th grade student tech team that trained members who were present in most classrooms.

Other Resources:

• Here are some ISTE recommendations for supporting your 1:1 program with a student tech team
• School Tech Teams 101 Blog Post
• iTunes Course about Student Tech Teams

Final Thoughts:

A student tech team can be extremely beneficial for not only the school by providing quicker technology solutions, but it is also an amazing experience for students.  It gives some students a unique experience that they aren’t able to get elsewhere. Check out the video of one team below: