Celebrating School Leaders

"Great leaders don't set out to be the leader. They set out to make a difference.  It's never about the role-always about the goal". ~Lisa Haisha 

It's National Principals Month and a time to recognize and thank our GIPS school leaders for all they do to ensure our schools are welcoming and accepting instructional learning environments for our students.  The responsibilities and expectations for building leaders encompasses the expectations to be effective instructional leaders that empower teachers to improve academic achievement, be data users, building managers, disciplinarians, and public relations experts.  The day in the life of a principal is unpredictable, yet the expectations to balance, prioritize, solve problems in the moment, and communicate effectively with all stakeholders are held high.   The principal's job is comprehensive and rarely perfected.  Just like all other positions, it's important to continue to learn and grow in the position and build capacity with teams because we truly are "better together"! 

As I reflect on my past experience as a principal, I will have to admit that it was one of the most rewarding, yet most challenging positions I have held in my education career.  The quote written at the beginning of this blog resonated with me because I did I set out to make a difference as a principal, I had vision and goals, however, I realized that just having the goal was not enough.  I had to be a developer of people and community as well and build the capacity with others to achieve the goals. This does require intentional focus on effective leadership, to never stop learning, to be vulnerable with others, and seek innovation when problem solving.

Although I am no longer a principal, I am so proud and excited to have the opportunity to support our GIPS principals in my position as Chief of Leadership and Development. Our principals are difference makers, and I would like to ask you to join me in recognizing and celebrating ours this month (and throughout the year).  If you are looking for ideas on ways to celebrate with students and staff at your campus, please check out this link: Ways to say thank you and celebrate.

Below are some pictures of our campus leaders engaging in professional learning around our the GIPS Strategic Plan and three priority goals for this year: Implementing effective Professional Learning Communities that regularly analyze student results, address individual barriers to learning, plan effective lessons and unit and evaluation the implementation of programs; Provide embedded professional learning on Marzano's Instructional Model-specifically Standards Based Planning; and use data to continuously improve teaching and learning.  Our principals are being stretched to think and lead differently by letting go of ineffective practices, maintaining welcoming and safe environments, establishing strongly aligned school improvement plans/actions with specific measurement indicators that are monitored on a regular basis, a focus on implementation of effective instructional practices and providing effective feedback.  I would hope that because of their work this year that they are also stretching all of you to do the same and join in on the journey to provide a currently good educational experience for our students to a"great" educational experience where students will gain the knowledge and skills that will allow them to THRIVE in an ever changing world! 

Engaging in Side by Side Coaching to learn about how the instructional model impacts student achievement
and how to support and provide effective feedback to teachers on instructional practices

Summer professional learning focusing in on our district
strategic planning and priority goals for GIPS!

Developing a common vision of instruction.   

It is all about getting better! RISE GI!

Feel free to post your messages recognizing your principals on twitter:
#thankaprincipal
#wearegips
#risegi

Compliance? or Empowerment?

 "Many students are smart enough that they know how to meet the objectives of a rubric and still not grow much in their learning.  A master teacher sets the goals based on learning not on receiving a grade."

I pulled this quote from a recent George Couros blog that highlighted the difference between performance and learning goals and how to make the shift from compliance to engagement to empowerment.  Ownership in learning is not a new concept, we know that when we are engaged and have opportunities to process, learn with others, study, productively struggle, and have the opportunity to teach others that we become knowledge users rather than just knowledge consumers.  As we think about instructional leadership at the classroom level, how often are these opportunities provided to our students?

This last week, principals and teachers shared some examples with me and I also did some scanning of twitter for evidence and here are some examples of where students (and teachers) were being empowered.

.  Kindergarten students could explain the success criteria for learning new words.  They were explaining the criteria they used to figure out the words.

Walnut progress monitoring how well students know, understand the learning targets and the use of collaborative groups to provide opportunities for students to process and own the learning.

Dodge teachers collaborating in their PLC around student data (designing instruction).

GISH students analyzing multiple texts to synthesize background understandings of a particular era.  Students talked about connections of the text to current happenings in today's news.

 We have to move away from a focus on compliance to a focus on growth! I know there are so many more examples, so be sure to recognize and celebrate growth with your colleagues and your students! So excited about the opportunities for our GIPS students!  

What's happening in our Demonstration Schools?

At our Back to School Welcome, Michael Toth and Dr. Grover briefly referenced and recognized Starr, Jefferson and Walnut campuses as our three schools taking on the work of becoming Demonstration Schools of Rigor.  (If you are interested in learning more about what a Demonstration School of Rigor is, please check out this video.)  This professional learning around this work is intense and will take approximately 2-3 years, but will change pedagogy and transform classrooms to focus on preparing students to be successful in the new economy. 

The learning that is happening at all three schools will benefit all of our schools as we build and develop instructional leadership at the student level, classroom level, campus level and district level!  We are all learning and growing through this work!  In addition to this, by the end of the second year, our Demonstration Schools will become learning laboratories for all GIPS!  

This work is not easy! Professional learning for these schools started July 24th!  

Teams sharing and describing the instructional vision during the Designing Implementation Training              

Learning about the new economy and what it means to have a student centered classrooms with rigor.

 What is a PLC 2.0 and how do we collaboratively work together and use student learning evidence to inform planning that addresses student needs?

                              What do we know about student readiness to learn and how it impacts how we plan?

What is the connection to the district strategic plan? Here is an example of how a team made the connection.....

In addition to all of this, all three schools are receiving coaching through our Learning Science Partners around the implementation of Marzano strategies.  Monitoring progress is occurring through rigor walks looking for systems that impact outcomes.

Teachers are trying different strategies to move on the continuum to creating student centered classrooms with rigor.
 
For example:  Using the strategy...Organizing students to work in groups. It's important to structure groups with assigned roles and responsibilities, and for a purpose.  We learned about the difference between organizing students in furniture groups vs. organizing students in groups to engage in cognitively complex tasks.

Some teachers have also just started implementing the use of Standards Tracker to monitor "minute by minute" learning.  Having success criteria for the intended targets (aligned to standards) is important so they, and students, can track progress along the way.

This is a huge commitment for our Jefferson, Walnut, and Starr faculty and staff to take the lead with this work!  They are to be commended for their willingness and dedication to this learning.  As you interact with staff from theses three schools, please be a cheerleader, a supporter, and thank them for taking risks, practicing new strategies, and transforming their classrooms into student centered learning environments!

It's an exciting journey and I'm so thankful we are able to engage in the work in GIPS!

Preparing Our Students to Thrive? Where do we start? How do we know?

During our welcome back event Michael Toth presented research, evidence, and examples of how the education that we provide and offer our students everyday needs to transform in order to prepare them to thrive in an ever changing world! This visual explains and aligns with his definition of the old vs. the new economy:

I understand the "why" we have to transform what education looks, sounds and feels like and I feel a sense of urgency to accomplish this quickly, however, growing up in the "old economy" I find myself grappling with the "how".  What is the first step? What supports do I/we need?  Where is my mind spending its time and is it helping me or hurting my progress and ability to lead? 

I've resolved to fact that "we have to move"!  So what does this mean for us?  For our students?

The GIPs strategic plan explains through our theory of action, eight objectives and strategic initiatives just how to accomplish this.  Empower, Personalize, Design and Partner!

This transformation cannot be accomplished alone!  One of our priorities this year is to engage in professional learning communities where team members know and understand what is critical for students to know and be able to do, are focused on student evidence that aligns with those standards, and where teams collaborate to plan with clear learning goals and aligned lessons that incorporate ways for students to take ownership of the learning!  Think about how our classrooms will look different if this is occurring on a weekly basis!  

Teachers are already trying new approaches--building student teams with defined roles and responsibilities, posing problems and allowing students to question, research and learn from each other!  These are just a few examples of what is "transforming" in classrooms across the district! 

Tweet by Jenifer A

Dani Ryan

This year on Wednesday Walks, the executive leadership and central office team members will be in many classrooms and collecting evidence of our progress with standards based planning through first observing how teachers are using, displaying and communicating learning targets.  District data will be shared on my blog and with principals to keep you all informed about our progress!  We are excited to be in classrooms, get to know you all better and be a support throughout the transformation of the work that will benefit all of our students!

 

Why Professional Goals Matter

 

Tweet by Whitney Flower, Lincoln Elementary School

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”–Abraham Lincoln

In the education business, time typically surfaces as a barrier, there is just not enough of it! Research and theory overwhelmingly reports the benefits of reflective practice and engaging in professional learning on outcomes, however, I would predict that educators are the worst at making time for this practice.  If you kept a journal of your week, an audit so to speak, what is your reality?  How much time is spent reflecting on the effectiveness of your practice?  Sharpening your skills?  Learning from others? If we know that teacher reflection and engaging in professional development improves pedagogical skill, let's make this a priority.

Perfect timing for this blog as this is the time of the year when we all set our professional growth goals.  As you engage in this process, reflect on your current reality and skillsets. Consider the 11 goals that we are working towards as a district, the focused goals identified for your campus or department, and the growth goals for the students in your classroom or content area.  Where will your growth have the highest impact or leverage on closing the gap and improving learning opportunities for our students? What specific actions will you take and when?  How often will reflective practice occur, how will you know when you have made progress (design), what measurement indicators will you collect throughout the year to develop automaticity or expertise? To be empowered to be instructional leaders, this must be a living process that occurs ongoing throughout the year.

Goal setting is important for ALL GIPs employees.  Everyone plays a role in providing a quality learning environment and educating our students.  Everyone contributes to the progress we make in achieving our district goals.  Think about your role and how you make a difference! Process your goal(s) with your supervisor. Set a goal to "sharpen your saw" no matter what department you work in!  

The time we invest in our own learning will result in amazing learning opportunities for our students.  

Here are a few resources for guidance with setting goals for this year. RISE up GI as a learning organization so that Every Student, Every Day, A Success!

Professional Goal Guidance-Certified Staff
Professional Goal Guidance-Admin
Classified Goal Setting

Jill Kimbrough Tweet-Walnut MS

Teamwork by Jenifer Ashby

Would you like to be Extraordinary this Year?

In a recent newsletter, Eric Jensen writes about the top teaching "factors" that contribute to increased student achievement.  I included the top 7 this week.  The research behind the factors are cited at the bottom of the blog.  The challenge is to become automatic in at least one of the ideas mentioned in the next 30 days.  I know you can do it!

Application: Here they are! Jensen’s 7 Most Valuable TEACHING Goals for this year. Read, pick one and go!

1. Engage, Engage & Engage some more. Set a high goal for engagement in your classroom. Why? Engagement is also a top 20 contributor to student achievement. Engagement keeps students in school and helps them learn.

Use the 7-minute rule. What IS the 7-minute rule? Engage every student, every day, at least every 7 minutes.

Here are simple suggestions. Ask them to do something like verbally summarize the learning, help a neighbor, write a summary statement, work with a team or just take in a deep breath. Get students up for a stand-up, stretch or activity break ( Simon Says, Follow the Leader, have students play an imaginary sport, circle three tables, touch all corners in the room, lead a group in dance, etc.). Invite students to take on the role to conduct “in room energizers” either for a team or the whole class. Use music to make it more fun.

To remind yourself, set your smart phone up front and set the timer every 7 minutes (no buzzer or alarm needed). Every time you engage students, reset the timer. Within 30 days, you’ll have an amazing engagement HABIT!

You can do this! This experience will make your class the most amazing class on campus. Students will go bananas for your class.

2. Set Your Class Achievement Goals Sky High This year, set goals sky high. I invited you to set gutsy goals a year ago. Did you set them? If so, it might be time to renew them.

Student expectations are a very strong predictive factor in how they’ll actually do academically. Start with Day 1 and raise every student’s expectation of how well each one can do during this new school year.

What if you’re not sure of what kind of gutsy goals to set for yourself?

Set goals for yourself, such as that 100% of your students will finish at grade level or above by the end of the year (or semester). Or, use the goal from the previously listed item above: engage students every 7 minutes or less.

Ask students to share each week how they are doing, so you stay in touch.

Can you do it for your students during this year? If you don’t think you can (yet), keep reading my newsletters and stay inspired to act with fresh clarity.

3. Get Buy-in with Relevance Every Time, Every day Memorize this brain fact, straight from the peer-reviewed studies in neuroscience: “If the brain’s not buying, the brain’s not changing.”

Tired of re-teaching? Here’s a secret; it’s up to you to develop learners who remember more and stay engaged. Why is that? Most teachers think re-teaching comes with the job. But HOW MUCH re-teaching is needed is up to you.

Remember, if the brain’s not buying, the brain’s not changing!

Focus on building relevance for everything you teach.  Tie the content buy-in by using student needs (socialize with friends, graduation, being admired by peers, having fun, curiosity, seeing if they are right after they make a prediction, etc.)

Examples of “buy-in” include temporary strategies to build curiosity… “How many of you would like to learn something really bizarre about…?”

Or, “Wow, this is going to be amazing. Here’s how it works…” Or, “My last class only scored an average of 72 on this. I looked at your scores and thought we can beat that by at least 5. Are you willing to take on the challenge?”

Make it a goal to get buy-in from your students every day this year. Ready to give it a go.

4. Use Empathy, Not Sympathy nor Indifference Make it a goal this year to go “Covey.” Based on Steven Covey’s first of 7 habits, remember to seek first to understand. Take a deep breath before you assign blame to a student. Hold the judgment about any of your students.

Students have far less control over their home environment than you do at your home. They didn’t choose their parents, their home, their neighborhood or their school. Many did not get taught manners, proper behaviors or how to carry themselves. Don’t forget that within your everyday classroom discipline.

Better discipline strategies include: be more engaging in your teaching, listen more than you talk and redirect energy instead of trying to suppress it.

When students get listless and slumped over, use an energizer.

When students seem to squirm a lot and are overactive, get them up to stretch and then use a quick energizer.

When they’re late for class, welcome them, and later ask them what happened. You may be surprised at how hard your students work just to get to class, even if it’s late.

This year, make it the year of empathy.

By the way, that does NOT mean you lower your standards for academics or behaviors. It simply means you put people first, before policies and rules.

5. Variety in Instruction Every student has a unique personality, character, and list of preferences. Help make your class more fun and one that reaches more students. Make it a goal this year to add one more consistent source of instruction. For every student who struggles in your class, there’s a new strategy waiting to be used.

A) Vary social structures: solo, partners, small groups, teams, cooperative learning and whole class. No matter which one you use, students will get a bit bored with it. Use novelty; switch your social structure every 20-40 minutes. You might still have a “base” structure; one that students stay in for the bulk of the time. In fact, that should be a given. But ensure students don’t get stale. Shake things up now and then.

B) Vary source of content: online, hard copy texts, each other, personal experiences, interviews and of course, you! In today’s world, the possibilities are endless.

C) Vary activities for learning: case study, projects, inquiry, presentation to be made, mapping, pre-test, problem-solving, student based quiz, product to be produced and projects to be completed (video, posters, documents, journals, pictures).

D) Variety in Transfer: You know the feeling-when you work hard to get students to buy-in, then you deepen the learning… and now, it’s test time. So often at test time, there’s disappointment because you thought for sure your students would do better.

Sometimes the issue is transfer.

Transfer means: 1) Do your students really understand the content in the form that it will be on the test?, and 2) Can they show what they know under the conditions of the test?

Transfer reminds us that you’ll need to ensure with a formative assessment that the students really DO know what you hope they do. Give students plenty of practice opportunities to show that they know the content under the stressful conditions of a test.

Transfer ideas: Practice taking similar tests is a smart idea. Or, students can submit potential test Qs on cards, and every student picks a card. They pair up, and each student will quiz a partner with a time constraint (e.g. 30” or less), depending on the type of question.

Additionally, use small group quizzing where students take turns playing the role of team leader, calling on the other students, using the basket of potential Qs as the content. 

6. Relationships of Empathy and Caring The goal for you is “3 in 30”.

In a moment, I’ll tell you what that means.

Getting to know students often comes second in a busy, fast-paced teaching environment. But, you’ve got to prioritize your minutes, and relationship building is important. The more likely a student has instability at home, the more they need a stable adult relationship with you. The greater the likelihood that a student will act out, disconnect or get in trouble, the more important the relationship is between you and him (or her).

Yes, make it a priority.

Not every student needs a second “mom” or “dad” at school. I know that I sure did as a kid. I had instability and danger at home, so the teachers that connected with me were rock stars. I worked my tail off for them.

Remember that the next time a student is not giving you the effort you’d like to have. The voice in your head will say, “Oh yeah, I remember the newsletter that said this would happen.”

Relationships require MUCH more than an occasional, “How Ya doing?”

Make it a goal to know three things about your 30 most “needy” students in the first 30 days. That means learning about their family, their favorite music, daily schedules, their dream, a favorite sport, the TV show they like, or their dream car. When you care about them, they’ll start caring about class.

7. Let it Go Your goal is to reduce your own stress by 50% this year.  How?  There is no stress “out there” in the world. It’s all in how your own unique brain processes the experience. You stress you out. That’s as simple (and truthful) as I can get.  That’s why 50 people in a room will have 50 different responses to a local stressor. You can choose to live with dignity, serenity, and balance.

YES, some problems DO need to be dealt with ASAP. But, your brain gets fooled a lot. Not everything that excites you or stresses you is actually a REAL and RELEVANT problem that has your name on it.  

For example, every day a kid may say something that may be unfair to you; let it go. Students may accuse you of playing favorites; let it go. They may complain you don’t offer enough time; let it go. They may wish they could work with their best friend instead of a stranger; let it go. They may complain of too much homework; let it go. They may not like tests; let it go. They may wish they could surf all day on their smart phones, but you won’t allow it; let it go.

Life is not fair.

It’s not fair that one kid is born better looking than another. It’s not fair that some are born in poverty. It’s not fair that some go on summer vacations to fun places and others don’t. It’s not fair that one may get a scholarship while another (who deserves one, too) may not get a scholarship. It’s not fair that some students are not liked as much by their peers as others.
Life’s not fair.

The question is, “Who are you?” Are you going to wake up every day and show up as a “bag of complaints” or are you going to either: 1) do something about it, or 2) let it go? Life is WAY too short to be miserable. Make this year the most joyful year of your life.

How?

Make a choice every day that if you can’t do something about the issue, just let it go. Otherwise, you get stressed and carry the weight of all the world’s wrongs and problems in your heart. The more stress you generate within your brain and body, the less effective you are. If you can’t do something about it, you’ll feel better and regulate your stress (and probably live longer) if you Let It Go!
Just let the daily problems go.

Summary Take just one of these items and practice it until it becomes automatic. That could take you as little as 30 days or as long as a school year. In either case, once it becomes automatic, you congratulate yourself and then add the next goal.

One last thing; if you mess up at work and don’t have a great day, never beat yourself up over it. Do not make up an excuse as to why you are unable to “do” a certain item or process on any given day (e.g. “Mondays are like that; I always mess up!”). Forgive yourself and recommit to the next day. Do not expect perfection of yourself; expect constant effort. Every day, do something. Every day, put one foot forward.

CITATIONS:

Hattie, J.A. (2002). What are the attributes of excellent teachers? In Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? (pp. 3-26). Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Hattie, J.A., (2003). Teachers make a difference: Building teacher quality: What does the research tell us? Paper presented at the Australian Council for Educational Research Annual Conference in 2003. Retrieved on 3/18/12 from: http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4.

Hattie, J.A., (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London, UK: Routledge.

Hattie, J.A., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81-112.

Marks, H. M. (2000). Student engagement in instructional activity: Patterns in the elementary, middle, and high school years. American Education Research Journal, 37, 153-184.

Marzano, R.J. (2000). What works in the classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Development.

Marzano, R.J. (2003). What works in the schools. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Development.

Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Curriculum and Development.

Marzano, R.J. (2009). Setting the record straight on “high yield” strategies. Phi Delta Kappan, 91, 30-37.

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D. & Heflebower, T. (2010). The highly engaged classroom. Centennial, CO: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2004). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Curriculum and Development.

SOAR-ing Into a Great Year

 I'm still thinking about our welcome back event Monday morning and so energized and excited about the new year! Among the prize giveaways, awesome style show, inspiring chorus, and announcement of Friday jeans day, the message for what we need to accomplish as a unified organization was clear.  How do we increase the likelihood that students are prepared to thrive in an ever changing world?  We must rally around our theory of action by being intentional and committing to our four pillars: Empower, Personalize, Design, and Partner.  

Our keynote presenter Michael Toth provided the "why" education has to transform and shared some great examples of what it looks like in action.  The brain research presented was motivating-brains can change with productive struggle!  George Couros recently described supporting examples in a recent blog-Some things change, some things stay the same.  

The "how" is where we all play a role. This summer, our campus leaders identified three strategic plan priorities that will leverage our ability to progress and achieve our goals:  

1.Define the goals and structures for teacher collaborative time at each school level to ensure that all schools’ educators regularly analyze student outcomes, address individual students’ barriers to learning, plan effective lessons and units, and evaluate the implementation of programs.  (Empower and Personalize)

2. Provide all teachers with embedded professional learning on a core set of Robert Marzano’s high-impact, instructional strategies. (Standards-based planning) (Empower)

3. Use data to continuously improve teaching and learning (Design)

By focusing on a few "big rocks" and wrapping our supports and professional learning on growth in these areas, we will move the needle for all of our students.  The GIPS mission is clear (and probably the best one in the nation), "Every Student, Every Day, A Success".  In educating students, we teach hearts as well as minds".  I know we will RISE to the challenge and work together to achieve this outcome!  Our students are so fortunate to be here with all of you making a difference!  I can't wait to start school visits and see the work in action!

Have a great start to the 2017-18 school year!