DuFour (2007) urges leaders to consider carefully what will be loose and what will be tight. He suggests leaders articulate, protect, and promote the practices and processes more likely to result in high levels of student achievement. For example, in PLCs, it is tight for teams to work collaboratively, teachers to determine essential standards, and to expose all students to the essential standards that they must learn. Teams measure mastery of essential standards by creating and using common formative assessments, and examining the results together to determine the best next instructional steps. In addition, collaborative teams provide time and support for students who are not mastering expectations, and extension and enrichment for those who have demonstrated mastery and need instruction that challenges them. How collaborative teams approach this work can be loose. However, there may be times when you, as the school leader, will want to provide support and direction to assist teams in implementation. For instance, you may provide examples of protocols for teams to use when determining essential standards or for examining common formative assessment data.
Simplicity means that school leaders are clear on what is tight. When there is clarity on what is tight, a new staff member can transfer to your school and immediately understand the tight expectations; they are crystal clear.
To illustrate this point, consider the following scenario Jeanne experienced while working as the director of professional learning at Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Several principals approached her concerned that teachers wanted to understand how to better differentiate instruction and needed training. At the time, the district’s focus was to become crystal clear on the answer to the first critical question of a PLC, What is it we want students to know and be able to do? Thomas Many, coauthor of Learning by Doing (DuFour et al., 2016) and the superintendent of District 96 at the time, instructed Jeanne to keep the focus on fostering deep understanding and implementation of the four critical questions of a PLC and to ensure nothing got in the way of reaching that goal. He knew if collaborative teams did a great job of answering these questions, instructional conversations would naturally occur and teachers would learn from and with each other how to best meet the needs of their students—including differentiation. This is not to say that training is unnecessary, but he knew there needed to be a foundation for differentiated practice, and it had to be grounded in the four critical questions. This was his tight.
The principals wanted to give their staff members what they believed they needed. While the principals understood why the focus could not shift and agreed this was the right call, some of them struggled with strong staff opinions regarding their need for more support with differentiated instructional practice. It is important to understand that teachers were still empowered to learn about differentiated practice and principals offered professional learning opportunities through staff meetings, readings, and support at the team level, but the district priority remained focused on system clarity about what students should know and be able to do.
Now, when principals look back at this time on their PLC journey, they realize an unwavering focus and commitment to the four critical questions is one of the reasons District 96 is the only model PLC district (on AllThingsPLC [www.AllthingsPLC.info]), with all seven of its schools receiving model PLC status. In addition, Woodlawn Middle School in District 96 was the recipient of the 2018 DuFour Award for demonstrating exceptional levels of alignment with the PLC process resulting in high levels of student achievement.
While this story focuses on a district initiative, there is a message in it for school leaders: listen to your staff, and do your best to support and guide them in their work, but also maintain a focus that demonstrates simplicity. Teachers are very quick to identify leader behavior patterns when they feel leaders are doing what we refer to as “chasing squirrels.” If leaders are not focused on just a few priorities and cannot align their decisions, daily actions, and communication with these priorities, they move staff from simply understanding the focus and intentions of the school to feelings of confusion and an overwhelming belief that everything is equally important (versus tackling a few things first). Superintendent Many created simplicity for those around him; he was clear and focused, and others simply had to follow his lead.
Reflection
How do you believe the teachers in your school perceive your focus? Are your actions aligned with what you deem important? Do you think staff members understand what is tight and loose, or are they overwhelmed with a feeling that everything is important?
Use figure 1.5 to pause and reflect on three current priorities you want everyone to understand. Rate yourself on how you are creating simplicity around these priorities in your school.
FIGURE 1.5: Assessment tool for simplifying focus and actions in daily practice.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/PLCbooks for a free reproducible version of this figure.
See figure 1.6 for a completed sample of the assessment tool.
FIGURE 1.6: Example of assessment tool for simplifying focus and actions in daily practice.
Leading researcher and educator Michael Fullan (2010) names nine elements of successful reform.
1. A small number of ambitious goals
2. A guiding coalition at the top
3. High standards and expectations
4. Collective capacity-building with a focus on instruction
5. Individual capacity-building linked to instruction
6. Mobilizing the data as a strategy for improvement
7. Intervention in a nonpunitive manner
8. Being vigilant about distractors
9. Being transparent, relentless, and increasingly challenging
Two of these elements specifically address the importance of focus and intentional action in school leadership: a small number of ambitious goals and being vigilant about distractors.
Both limiting your goals and understanding distractors will help you as a school leader deal with scenarios such as those presented earlier in this chapter. As you work through the reflection in figure 1.4 (page 14), you should have more clarity on what you have prioritized (established as goals) and how you might need to avoid distractors. Remember, it is common to find it challenging to maintain your focus so that your daily practices and beliefs align. You are not alone in this work; it is critically important to all school leaders.
A Positive Mindset
Alignment of policies, structures, and plans is important, but DuFour and Fullan (2013) explain real coherence is related to mindset. What is in the minds of those leading and doing the work is more important than the actual plan. Recognizing the current reality and creating a positive mindset about the necessary next steps are constructive. And, as Fullan and DuFour (2013) remind us, this focus helps create coherence in your practice. Clarifying your intentions and priorities so others can understand them, focusing on a few goals, minimizing distractions, establishing systemness (by aligning these elements through what you say and do), and working to maintain a positive mindset about the work support a cohesive culture in your school. Figure 1.7 can help you reflect on how you think about your work. (Figure 1.8 shows a completed example.) Is it energizing to focus on a few priorities? Do you see the potential of common understanding and collective capacity in moving the school in one direction? Can you think of some steps to develop more cohesiveness in your school? Again, throughout this book, we will invite you to revisit and reflect on your current practices, keeping in mind the intentionality in everything you do.
FIGURE 1.7: Template for establishing cohesiveness.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/PLCbooks for a free reproducible version of this figure.
FIGURE 1.8: Example of establishing cohesiveness—leadership reflection.
Former superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in District 125, a model PLC, Timothy D. Kanold (2011) shares three mistakes a principal can make when seeking to create cohesiveness in his or her school.
<
br /> 1. The principal fails to clearly communicate how the vision looks in action. In this situation, the principal’s teachable point of view is weak in terms of modeling and teaching best-practice actions and solutions to others.
2. The principal fails to understand it is his or her job to be the primary steward, teacher, and champion of the school or district vision and is slow to recognize when the vision is absent in the reality of school or district practices.
3. The principal believes those he or she leads will serve the vision because the principal says they should. This principal has failed to plan practices to sustain the vision—such as nurturing other champions to speak for the vision or consistently referring to the vision as a voice of authority behind decisions.
Kanold (2011) also reminds us, “An ‘everything is urgent’ pace facilitates a drift toward negative energy” (p. 119). This negative energy, or negative mindset, will work against any cohesiveness you are trying to create. You may have the right goals and understand the vision you want to bring to life; however, you must bring the vision full circle to a place that empowers everyone to work toward the common goal. To do this, you must focus on your mindset.
So how does a leader focus on mindset and be a positive role model for others? There is no secret recipe, no venom that provides superpowers; it takes awareness, reflection, and, most importantly, commitment.
Start by considering how aware you are of your own mindset and attitude and give yourself time to reflect. Are you tired, or stressed, and how does this manifest itself in your interactions with others? Simply being aware of your state of mind can help you to improve it. You just have to slow down for a few minutes to think about it, which is not always easy to do.
For example, the administrative team in Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 engaged in three minutes of meditation to begin their summer administrative retreat because Superintendent Julie Schmidt recognized that the team needed time to slow down and reflect. The meditation was informal and quick, led via a TEDx Talk YouTube video by Gen Kelsang Nyema (2014; J. Schmidt, personal communication, June 18, 2018). Gen Kelsang Nyema (2014) defines meditation as the mental action of concentrating on a peaceful, positive state of mind. She describes that this can be done sitting at your desk for a few minutes or first thing in the morning, or anytime really. In the video, Gen Kelsang Nyema (2014) walks viewers through a simple process for regaining a positive and focused frame of mind by breathing out agitation, mental business, frustration, or unhappiness in your life. She then directs viewers to imagine breathing in the clear, bright light of inner peace. If all leaders took the time to do this each day, it could set the tone for more positivity and productivity.
Next, make a commitment to model a positive mindset and ensure that your actions align with what you expect from others as well as the mission, vision, values, and goals of your school or district. Your commitment could include taking the time each day to do an informal meditation as just described, to exercise each day to clear your head, or to eat more healthy foods and less junk. It is different for everyone, but the key is to make a commitment to take care of yourself so that you can be at your best. In his book HEART! Fully Forming Your Professional Life as a Teacher and Leader, Tim Kanold (2017) offers a multitude of insights and suggestions for pursuing a deeply mindful school life and professional career as an educator. Kanold (2017) suggests that educators have the opportunity to leave their heartprint on others, and that we should take that seriously and not miss the chance to make a difference. He defines heartprint as “the distinctive impression and marked impact your heart leaves on others—your students and your colleagues—as your career and your school seasons unfold” (Kanold, 2017, p. 2). As the leader, it is important for others to see you modeling your expectations and vision through your attitude and your daily actions and conversations. As suggested in this chapter, there are many tools and ways you can be self-reflective; recognize that you have focus on a few intentional priorities and are clearly modeling this in your daily practice, and with what you are messaging to others as you have conversations, provide feedback, and plan next steps. It is important for you to be aware of your own habits, reflect often, and make commitments that will help you stay focused, positive, and productive as you navigate the many challenges of leadership.
The Right Place
As a school leader, you know it is your responsibility to identify the right work and develop shared leadership around this focus. It also means, as the leader, you determine where and when to be present. Where can you have the most impact? What areas of your school do you avoid? How are you ensuring others understand what is important to you and what to work on? If teachers, for example, seldom see you in the cafeteria but you talk about how important student behavior and supervision of the cafeteria are, will they see this as important work? If you hire a consultant to do professional learning with the staff to increase their understanding of engaging lesson design and you do not attend, what does that tell the staff about the importance of this work? Never underestimate the messages that you send to staff when you are not present.
When Karen was a principal, she noticed she was getting into an ineffective habit that was becoming difficult to break. When she thought about her teachers, she realized she was more familiar with some of them than others. With serious reflection, she was able to identify that she visited some classrooms more regularly and had informal and formal conversations with some teachers more than others. The honest reality check was she visited the classrooms that required less of her. She spent time with teachers who didn’t need as much support. It was the easy way out. She knew the teachers who really needed her guidance and expertise were getting less time with her.
As you work through your daily plans and actions, reflect on the impact your presence has at collaborative meetings and in classrooms. Think about hot spots in your building—places you should ensure support, have opportunities for conversation, and make observations that allow you to learn more about your school. This should also include paying close attention to how much time you spend in classrooms and collaborative meetings. In our coaching work, school leaders ask us to tell them how much time they must spend in classrooms or with teams. They often want a firm number of hours. Our common response is to ask them to reflect about what they hope to impact. We prefer you consider what you want to accomplish by spending time in classrooms and with teams. If you spent time in classrooms, would this action align with your priorities? Are you staying focused on what you want to accomplish and establish as your intentional practice?
Reflection
Are you spending your time in areas that will impact others? What are the hot spots in your school? Do you consider these in your daily plan?
In our work with school leaders, we discuss what goals specifically guide leaders toward spending time in classrooms and with teams. Some examples include the following.
• Building the capacity of teachers and teams to focus on learning and make decisions based on knowledge of student strengths and areas for growth
• Improving and monitoring instruction
• Observing student learning
• Providing constructive feedback
• Ensuring teachers know how to use evidence to support next steps
If these are areas you wish to impact, then your time will be well spent in classrooms and with teams guiding and supporting team members in their work. Attend team meetings initially to understand where teams need support and, if there is a team leader, to build their capacity to lead the team effectively. If there is not a formal team leader, work with one of the team members or the entire team on the factors that contribute to high-performing teams focused on student learning, including norms, agendas, development of agenda items focused on learning, facilitation skills, and protocols for efficiency. Protocols are effective because by simply following the steps, the team stays focused on the right work. For example, provide teams with data
collection and analysis protocols that identify student strengths and areas for growth and lead teams to plan differentiated instruction that meets identified student needs.
Simply providing the protocol is a good start, but it is essential that you work through a protocol with the team initially to explain the purpose and walk them through the process to ensure effective use. Check in often to ensure that the team continues to use the protocol effectively. Consider a strategic plan for rotating your time with teams, and use resources like formal and informal team leaders, instructional coaches, and specialists to share leadership.
In addition to spending time in team meetings, it is critical that you have an understanding of the current state of instructional practice in your building by spending time in classrooms. Principals in one district we work with use a learning walk process. The name of every staff member is written on an index card. Each day the principal receives three cards (the number is up to you, but three worked well for this group of principals) from the school secretary. These are the three classrooms that the principal will spend between five and ten minutes in on that day. The principals simply observe while in the classroom and record their notes once they leave. Some principals might record notes directly on the cards; others might opt to keep notes electronically. The notes give them a running record of their informal observations throughout the school year, and most importantly, provide data that will help them work with teachers to improve instructional practice. The next day, the principal receives a new set of cards and the process repeats until the principal has informally observed all staff members. The process continues in this way throughout the school year.
Always have high expectations for teams and individual teachers, providing support and guidance for faculty members as they engage in their individual and team work. We are not suggesting that you be at all team meetings and spend all of your time in classrooms; rather, we suggest that you spend time guiding, monitoring, and supporting what you expect from teams and individuals.
Leading With Intention Page 4
