Below are key elements of school district mission statements from 14 districts in the NY Metropolitan area.

It is the mission of the (Name of school) to develop:

active, life-long learners
curious, compassionate learners
students responsible for their own learning
independent learners able to work collaboratively to solve problems
creative and critical thinkers
develop students' individual strengths, skills, and talents
engaging, challenging and personalized learning environments
connections to the global community integrity as a core value
appreciation of self-worth and individual differences

The problem is these wonderful concepts to which these school districts have seemingly dedicated themselves, are not in evidence in the reality of what goes on in their school buildings on a day to day basis.

It's as if there are two realities. One reality is what they (or we) think and say to each others as educators, and the other is what we actually do.

It's as if by enshrining our highest aspirations in the mission statement, we have done something meaningful. It's as if we hang a sign in front of our house saying we believe in helping our fellow man and then proceed to do nothing more than sit in front of the TV, shaking our heads in disbelief at the suffering we see.

Here are a few of the key 21st Century Skills that we talk so often about:

Initiative & Self Direction

Flexibility & Adaptability

Leadership & Responsibility

Productivity & Accountability

If you were hiring someone to work for your business wouldn't you want them to show Initiative? Wouldn't you want them to be Self-Directed?

Where in our schools do students get to practice Self-Direction? Every minute of their day is scripted, supervised, and monitored. When do we give them Responsibility? Not phony responsibilities like remembering to bring in their pencils or doing their homework; but real responsibility; with real relevance in the context of the real world. How about opportunities to practice real Leadership?

As a general rule, we continue to emphasize working alone and following directions. By our actions we make students feel like they cannot handle real responsibility. We don't develop their leadership; but do the opposite; we dis-empower them. They have little say in their education. We tell them what classes they have to take, what teachers they will have, what times of day they will eat lunch, what they will have for lunch, what textbooks they will use, how much homework they will have, etc.

We do this knowing full well that these are not the attributes to which we aspire in our mission statements. We do this knowing that these are not the skills that will be key to their success as citizens of this country, nor the world.

We can do better than this. Glancing at the mission statements above, it would seem that we know better.

So what is it going to take to have us start embodying our beliefs?

What will it take to get us to stop living in the illusion that our words and our mission statements are good enough?

When will we recognize the inconvenient truth that without commitment and effective action, we are simply treading water?

pete

Cross-Posted at Ed Tech Journeys

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A few years back, I heard Dr. Robert Brooks speak about motivating the unmotivated student. I enjoyed listening to him and took some notes to help me remember later. Of course, life happened and I moved away and started a new job and forgot about his lecture. While cleaning out some folders recently, I came across those notes and decided to talk about this topic to my staff during a recent inservice day.

I am the Director of an alternative school and also the Director of Special Education for several districts. Encountering unmotivated students is not uncommon in my work. I work with teachers who want to reach these kids, but quickly realize the challenge in doing so.

During our inservice discussion, I shared some of the root causes of unmotivation for students such as: feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness; feeling unaccepted and misunderstood.

One of the suggestions Dr. Brooks had to turn this around was to invite students to engage in contributory behaviors. Once students experience success and feel that they can make a positive difference, they are more likely to tackle the responsibilities that they have avoided in the past - like school work.

This example was shown to me the following week. One of our jr. high male students loves to holler and swear loudly up and down the halls when he is mad. He is quite bright, but has trouble with authority figures and gets into trouble often. He gets bored easily and walks out of class and wanders the halls. We found he had an interest in the younger students in our school who also have behavior issues. He wanted to join them in gym time and the teacher said he had to get permission. He quickly came to my door and asked if I would give him permission. I heard the enthusiasim in his voice and although he should have been in class, I walked with him to the gym to see if the request was legitimate. It was and so I gave the OK.

Since then, he has been helping out in other ways in the classroom and encouraging the younger students to stay in class and do their work. At one of our latest staff meetings, several adults had positive comments to share about this young man. It was great to hear that maybe we had given him something to feel good about. Maybe we have been able to help him experience success and a feeling of being worthy.

Unmotivated students are a challenge to reach. It takes thinking outside the box and being willing to try different things to make that connection that will hook them into school. As the leaders, we have to be willing to allow creative thinking from our teachers and from ourselves. Because, as we already know, it's not a "one size fits all" educational system.

Reggie Engebritson

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Depending on what draft of the NCLB you are looking at, in either 2013 or 2014, all public schools are supposed to have reached 100% proficiency in the areas of Math and English. In 2001, that deadline seemed so far away. Now that it is around the corner, what will happen to the US education system because of it? What are other cultures saying about us going so "test crazy"?

It is not uncommon to hear teachers gripe about how they are limited in what they can teach because they have to "teach to the test." Teachers feel cramped by state standards and meeting the deadline of state exams. They claim that they do not have time to be creative, use technology, or go into depth about certain topics because they have too much material to cover before the big test day. Teachers know that data will be gathered and analyzed, reflecting a job well done or not well done, by administrators, the county they work in, and the state. It is no secret that the scores on the students' papers affect how a teacher, school, district, and county are viewed and judged by the outside world. Standardized tests create stress for everyone involved in the educational system, and requiring all students to reach proficiency in the areas of Math and English by 2014 or 2041, is an unrealistic expectation that will leave most children behind or force states to totally dilute their standards to the point of no recognition.

Unlike the United States, China, a country which has been known for its rigorous education system, has begun a transformation. They have had a testing culture for thousands of years and now are trying to reverse it. The past fall, ASCD published Catching Up or Leading the Way (Zhao, 2009) which discusses what is wrong and what is right with the American education system and where it should be going. Zhao, who was raised and schooled in China, believes the federal government should stop endorsing standardized testing and instead reward schools for offering a diverse set of opportunities - from art to auto shop. According to Zhao, accountability should be "input-based" rather than "output-based," with schools being graded on whether they provide safe and clean facilities and a learning environment that provides global learning opportunities.

Zhao is one of many writers who share this belief...so why is the US bent on using multiple choice tests? We are using broken tests and methods to try and designate a label of "proficiency" that lacks the true meaning of the word. So instead of just throwing stones, how do we get to more of a performance based assessment that could be rolled out on a massive scale? It will not be easy but with the technology that is available, it can be done. In fact, there are some models that already exist that could be rolled out. One that is getting a lot of attention is Project Appleseed, but this is only one. Other states are heavily investigating trying to go to performance based assessment but are hard pressed on how to meet the demands and requirements of NCLB.

So, if we really have to get to 100% proficiency, let's make it true proficiency and make sure we are testing the right thing.

Teresa Ivey and James Yap

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Photo Credit
In Tim Irwin's excellent book De-Railed, he investigates six modern CEO's who have experienced major failures of their organizations and their leadership. His purpose is to demonstrate that we can learn from the mistakes of others and avoid their errors. David McCullough unearthed another failed leader in his outstanding biography of Harry Truman. No, not Truman himself, but Thomas Dewey, who ran for President in 1944 and 1948, seemed to embody several of the attributes that Mr. Irwin warned could lead to catastrophe. Irwin mentioned that faltering leaders usually fail on one or more of the following areas:

How did Dewey blow a lead so large (14 points) that pollsters like Elmo Roper decided in September to stop doing any more polls, declared Dewey the winner by a larger margin, and devoted himself to something more profitable? Let's see how Dewey measured up in these categories.

1. Authenticity: A remark attributed to the wife of a New York Republican politician would be widely repeated. "You have to know Mr. Dewey well", she said, "in order to dislike him." A farmer was asked about Dewey after the election and he said, "I kept reading about that Dewey fellow and the more I read the more he reminded me of one of those slick ads trying to get money out of my pocket."

3. Humility - His campaign train was filled with over 90 reporters who unanimously thought he would win and make an excellent chief executive, but they disliked him personally because of his haughty and aloof manner.

2. Self Management: One event on the campaign trail cost him dearly. The engineer of the train caused a lurch that knocked some bystanders to the ground. Dewey responded, "That's the first lunatic I've had for an engineer. He probably ought to be shot at sunrise ..."

4. Courage - His speeches were noteworthy for platitudes and a clear lack of controversy or new ideas. His goal was not to upset anyone, assuming that his large lead was safe and could only be threatened by risky challenges to the opposition. Dewey told Senator Robert A. Taft that when he got into controversies he lost votes - an observation Taft thought disgraceful.

Clearly Mr. Dewey exhibited all of the characteristics of a failed leader. Truman, on the other hand, was not liked very much by the press or the talking heads of his day, but he won over the average American with his straight talking and direct manner.

School leaders would do well to learn from both the good and bad examples of others. Success, oddly enough, can be our undoing. We need to constantly seek input from others and spread credit liberally (humility), be consistent in our behaviors both publicly and privately (authenticity), learn to react with calm and composure in times of stress (self-management), and pursue what is best for students whatever the cost (courage). If we pursue these qualities consistently our students and staff will make great strides and we will avoid embarrassing failures that leave debris in our wake.

Check out Michael Hyatt's post about General George B. McClellan as described in Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals. He highlights five flaws to avoid that were characteristic of the leadership failure of this weak general.

Dan Winters
Principal Learner

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Oh. So now it's a race?

I like races. I am a sprinter so I am used to running races. I have been in a lot of them and the more races you have been in the more victories (and the more losses) you earn. The more strategies you can leverage.

"The mulberry stump, a hundred yards ahead in the clearing. First one that touches it is the winner. On your mark... get set..."

I don't wait for "go". (That's the secret to winning short sprints. You time it just right. You jump the gun-- but you don't get caught!)

...GO!"

So now it's a race. And we are in it. But on our own terms.

Yesterday, 40 states entered the "Race to the Top" Sweepstakes. California is in. But my charter school isn't. In fact half the districts in San Diego County and many up and down the state decided to pass on the federal dough. The San Diego Union Tribune recently ran an editorial taunting educators for being "afraid of improving student performance by increasing accountability." They chided those of us who chose not to run in Arne's race. The premise was that in the current budget crisis we ought to be all in. And if we aren't it's "because we don't want to be held accountable."

The editorial also posited that by not signing on to a blind mandate, we...

• are fighting educational reform
• have trouble committing
• don't believe that all students can learn
• don't believe that parents should have a say in their children's education
• resist using regular assessments, and
• are influenced by the teacher's unions.

The editorial did not address the other reasons why many of us chose no to run this particular race. For example: my charter school is already a model for education reform. We have demonstrated huge academic growth in students whom others think can not learn. Parents come here by choice. We assess students weekly (OARS) and quarterly (MAPS) and engage in constant conversations about program adjustments and course changes. We select and train our own committed teachers. There is no union.

And the $4 billion dollars in federal prize money will be "awarded" to just 4 of the 40 states that applied. By the time it trickles out to the school sites, it amounts to less than $100 per student. We have a waiting list to get into my school and can match Arne's prize money-- without surrendering our autonomy-- by adding 15 students.

So if this is a race... make no mistake about it.... we are in. And we will win. But we won't run it on your terms. Or the San Diego Union-Tribune's terms. Or-- with all due respect to President Obama on this first anniversary of his historic inauguration-- the ambiguous terms of Race to the Top.

See you at the mulberry stump.

"On your mark... get set..."

Posted by Kevin W. Riley
El Milagro Weblog

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Every year, when the temperature hovers around 10 below zero, we gather all of our marketing resources so that we can enter tourist season with a vengeance. We rehearse our talking points on what sets us apart from the 49 other elementary schools in the district, design fancy brochures, have pencils printed with the school name, and even line up the boots in the hallways. While Minnesota is not really a tourist destination at this time of year, schools are.

Every year, on the first Saturday in January following the first full week back to school, we don our school garb and haul our presentation materials to our designated booth downtown to join the other seventy five district schools as well as city-wide charters and parochials in a showcase of who learns best, aka, the parent information fair. We pay $10.00 to park, as downtown parking is always at a premium, and wind our way through the skyways with all of our presentation materials to the convention center. We set up our booth, set out our flashy brochures, and get ready to woo prospective parents and students for the following five hours.

Every year, these parents sign up for school tours so that they can get an even closer look to soak up and scrutinize our educational philosophy, test scores, curriculum, and discipline. We answer every question, cater to every whim, and if we could, we'd wine and dine them as well because students mean money, and we can't operate without either students or money. It all comes down to the fact that parents have a choice as to where to send their children to school, and their choices affect a school's budget in every way, shape, and form. This is not unlike any for-profit organization that vies for patrons to buy their products, eat in their restaurants, drive their cars, or drink their beer. Therefore we advertise, market, and persuade parents to choose us. It always helps to have good test scores, as parents are very savvy about looking them up online. So unfortunately, what this comes down to is competition; competition within our very own public school district. Is this type of competition healthy? It would be only if we were all given the same playing field, which of course, we are not. But every year we do the same thing.

And every year we pray they pick us. We pray we make our enrollment projections, and we pray that we have enough money to operate a successful program without making painful cuts. But we know it all hinges on the choice that parents make, so regardless of the bottom-line mentality of profiteers, as public schools we must put the peddle to the metal.

Nancy Flynn

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Cross posted on Creative Tension.

Five years ago I used Michael Watkins' book, The First 90 Days to help me prepare for my transition into a new principalship and I plan to do the same with my next job. In August, I'll become the High School Principal at the Escola Graduada de São Paulo, or as those of us in the international circuit refer to it, "Graded". Graded is an American international school in Sao Paulo serving the children of host nationals and expatriates. I feel strongly that this book was a main reason that I was able to successfully transition into my last job change. The first 90 days definitely set the tone for the rest of my tenure.

You might say, "This doesn't apply to me because I'm not changing positions", but you can also use the book and process with new leaders (e.g. assistant principals/superintendents, department heads, coordinators) in your organization. It doesn't matter whether the new leader is coming from within the organization or from the outside. The book would be great to use in orientations and/or retreats before new leaders begin.

Michael Watkins is the Chairman of Genesis Advisers, an executive on-boarding and transition acceleration company located in Newton, Massachusetts and he opens the book by stating,

"The actions you take during your first three months in a new job will largely determine whether you succeed for fail. Transitions are periods of opportunity, a chance to start afresh and to make needed changes in an organization. But they are also periods of acute vulnerability, because you lack established working relationships and a detailed understanding of your new role. If you fail to build momentum during your transition, you will face an uphill battle from that point forward."

If nothing else, Watkins creates an awareness of the importance of planning for "accelerating transitions" for the reader. Instead of going into the details I prefer to share just a few highlights.

The foundation of the book is based on the following propositions:

1. The root causes of transition failure always lie in a pernicious interaction between the situation, with its opportunities and pitfalls, and the individual, with his or her strengths and vulnerabilities. "Transition failures happen when new leaders either misunderstand the essential demands of the situation or lack the skill and flexibility to adapt to them."

2. There are systematic methods that leaders can employ to both lessen the likelihood of failure and reach the breakeven point faster.

3. The overriding goal in a transtion is to build momentum by creating virtuous cycles that build credibility and by avoiding getting caught in vicious cycles that damage credibility.

4. Transitions are a crucible for leadership development and should be managed accordingly.

5. Adoption of a standard framework for accelerating transitions can yield big returns for organizations.

With an understanding of the five propositions one can then embark on the 90-day plan. There are ten steps to take during the process.

1. Promote yourself


2. Accelerate your learning


3. Match strategy to situation


4. Secure early wins


5. Negotiate success


6. Achieve alignment


7. Build your team


8. Create coalitions


9. Keep your balance


10. Expedite everyone

After just reviewing these ideas I'm excited to get started with accelerating my transition. After all, August will be here before I know it.

Anyone else used these strategies in the past? If so, I'd love to hear more about what happened.

Blair Peterson

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It's that time of year when New Year resolutions get caught up in the everyday clutter of the "tyranny of the now". Last month, I had the opportunity to talk with two gentlemen during my wife's school's December get-together. I was a "trailing spouse" and recognized two gentlemen with whom we've sat near each other at various school events.

These two gentlemen are very well regarded by their peers and by the senior leadership in their organization. After the usual pleasantries, I asked, "You're both considered highly successful both personally and professionally. I'm certain people come to you for advice. What's a great piece of advice YOU have received that has helped you in your personal and professional lives?"

One answered quickly, "Write your summary of what you accomplished during your current tenure as soon as you start a new job. You want to start with what you want to accomplish in your current role early on so that you maintain focus when the urgencies threaten to take over your priorities. I keep mine beside my desk and refer to it weekly. That discipline of weekly referral helps me as I shape my calendar and my priorities for the upcoming week. I got this advice long ago from a mid-level manager who was great at developing talent on her team."

The other answered, "That's a great piece of advice. I'm going to have to use that. Thanks. Here's a great piece of advice I received when I got my first management job-Don't embarrass your mother. It's a variation on the theme of being comfortable of your actions, words, and behaviors being on the front page of the newspaper, but the idea of not embarrassing your mother makes it more real to me. In this age of texts, emails, and voice mails being saved for a LONG time, I use this piece of advice as a little voice in the back of my head when dealing with thorny issues. It's served me well over the years."

Two great pieces of advice. Now it's YOUR turn. What's a great piece of advice that you have received that you are willing to share with the group?

I'm looking forward to reading your responses and learning from you.

All the best,
Chris

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One of my favorite speakers and authors is Daniel Pink. He's a trend-spotter. He's a lifelong learner and dedicated researcher.

His book, Free Agent Nation was easily five years ahead of its time -- and it's only seven years old. A Whole New Mind is still opening up brains stuck on yesterday's way. Johnny Bunko, the anime career guide, is ground-breaking work. And now, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

This video could be one I show more than any other this year:

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

What motivates us -- and those we lead? Every person in a position of leadership: Teacher, Administrator, Trainer, Coach -- all should dive into Dan's new book, Drive.  I've just begun to read it and I'm hooked. There's even a toolkit in the back of the book.

This will be a great piece for group studies with your peers.

In the Des Moines area, we're fortunate that Daniel will be virtually and digitally visiting as part of his book tour. Stay tuned for more information and keep Tuesday evening, February 16th open on your calendar.  You can follow updates with the Twitter tag #DriveDSM

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The short answer to this question is "probably." The well-designed programs that allow high school students to take college courses have features that support student success. If those features are in place, students benefit. Research by Karp and Hughes, Supporting College Transitions Through Collaborative Programming: A Conceptual Model for Guiding Policy, concludes

The case study findings illustrate the need to include multiple components in CBTPs (Credit-Based Transition Programs). Particularly for middle- and low-achieving students, merely offering the opportunity to enroll in college-level coursework is likely not enough to encourage postsecondary matriculation and persistence. Instead, students need to be supported before and during their college coursework. CBTPs also need to provide students with multiple pathways through the program, such as a selection of precollege courses to build students' skills.

The case study data also demonstrate that our initial conceptual model oversimplified program structure and the interaction among program components. The model was refined to reflect that complexity and to take into account student motivation. The final model hypothesizes that student participation in college coursework and support services, along with the attendant growth in academic skills, knowledge of the social aspects of college, and motivation, will lead students to matriculate into postsecondary education. And, because of their strong skills, students will be likely to persist in college once there.

Future research should test the model. In the meantime, the findings have important implications for policy makers and educators because they suggest that middle- and low-achieving students may benefit from participation in CBTPs if they are properly prepared for, and supported in, their college courses. Thus, policy makers may want to reconsider policies limiting participation to only academically advanced students. In addition, the findings stress the importance of collaboration and communication across secondary and postsecondary sectors.

Dennis Richards
Superintendent
Retired, but still Learning, Creating, Teaching
dennisar at gmail dot com
Crossposted at:
innovation3.edublogs.org

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