Having Hard Conversations

"The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts, but on how we respond to them."  ~Thomas Crumm

Conflict is inevitable. Home, work, in the community, it happens and everyone responds to it differently. Some handle conflict positively, some avoid it, some are able to face it head on, and some become emotional about it.  I'm pretty sure there are very few people that actually enjoy it! However, conflict can result in positive outcomes, it can improve our lives, and cause reflection and change for the better.

In our day to day roles, we need to be the best for our students, which means we have to interact, collaborate, communicate, and partner with parents, teachers, staff members, and administrators. How we view and respond to conflict can have a direct impact on our ability to be our best and do what is right in the interest of our students! In addition, unresolved conflict increases stress, anxiety, and overall job satisfaction. It's not good for our health!

So, today I'm sharing an article "Working with Angry Adults: Ideas to Manage Conflict and Still Achieve Good Outcomes" with some tips and strategies that can be used to achieve win/win or more positive outcomes when faced with conflict.  I paid particular attention to how to separate the "problems from the people" and "focus on interests and not solutions or positions".  There is an example in the article that explains what this might look like in action. It definitely made me think about how I will approach future conflicts.

No matter if your conflict is with your direct supervisor, a parent or a colleague, I am encouraging you to address it.  Try some of the strategies mentioned in the article and I believe the outcomes will result in a better you, which will in turn be better for our students!

In conclusion, I leave you with a message reminding us of our "why" from Starr students this week!

 

Demonstration Schools for Rigor? What's Going on?

Last summer, three of our schools, Walnut Middle School, Starr, and Jefferson Elementaries embarked on a journey to become Demonstration Schools for Rigor(the only ones in the state of Nebraska)!  This commitment has required, and continues to require, additional professional learning, coaching, and a shift in pedagogy.  Yes, there are challenges, productive struggles, and new learning.  However, staff at all three campuses have embraced this opportunity and now with a semester of learning and implementation, are ready to share what they have learned and show you the impact on students.  Throughout this semester, I will have the pleasure to host guest blogs from our Demonstration Schools to keep you updated and informed of their progress along the way.

Our first guest blog is a spotlight on Walnut Middle School with videos of students and testimonials from staff.  Teachers and administrators have created a slideshow to give you glimpse inside their classrooms as well as provide testimonials from teachers about the transformation. Click here to view   the powerpoint.

What a great opportunity to hear about the successes and celebrations of this work, how instructional practices are changing, and observe the impact on students.  This success would not be evident without the instructional leadership of our teachers and school leaders and continuous focus on student learning.

In the future, our Demonstration Schools will become learning laboratories that will be open for instructional rounds to all GIPS schools.  This will provide opportunities to learn from each other and continue to chart the course for achieving student centered instruction with rigor in all GIPS classrooms.

We are fortunate that the professional learning with Learning Sciences International has also provided our district team the opportunity to learn alongside the staff in our Demonstration Schools for Rigor.  As a result, we are able to better support all of our GIPS campuses in their efforts to professionally grow in practice in ways that meet all students needs.

I would like to personally thank our guest bloggers from Walnut Middle school today, and invite you to join in celebrating their progress as well as provide support as our Demonstration Schools continue this exciting journey.  Rising up to ensure our students THRIVE in an ever changing world!

We Teach Hearts As Well as Minds

"Students prepared to make positive contributions and thrive in an ever-changing world."  This is the GIPS vision.

What does this really mean?  How do we accomplish this?   Obviously, there is no one action, program, or curriculum to make this happen. We can, however, be very intentional about the systems that we put in place to support teaching and learning that aligns with our vision.

This week, Dr. Dexter, Mrs. Engel, and I had the pleasure of meeting with members of our District Climate Team to continue our study on our current practices that impact positive school climate within our Grand Island Public Schools. As all effective teams do, we defined our purpose, reviewed our value and belief statements, clearly defined our targets, and established team norms.  This set the foundation for our morning work. 

The pictures show team members digging into the strategic plan objectives 2.1.1 & 2.1.3 / 2.1.2 / 2.1.4 / 2.4, by identifying key vocabulary, asking questions, describing current practices, and making connections. These objectives and initiatives all connect back to the conditions for learning as defined in the Marzano Instructional Model. It's so important to address the needs of the whole child; social emotional learning skills, behavioral supports and interventions, professional learning and supportive partnerships.


After processing this activity, there was in depth discussion about how we can build on our current practices and establish clarity around the systems that may improve consistency and effectiveness of implementation.  There is data to collect and research to be conducted to further understand what systems we need in place district wide to address this objectives. 

In addition to addressing our objectives and initiatives, districts also have the responsibility to incorporate a non-academic indicator into our school accountability system as a requirement of the reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  This team will ensure that we develop measures that align with the federal and state recommendations and our GIPS needs.

GET TO KNOW THE TEAM:
This team is comprised of advocates for all of you and our students representing all levels, including certified and classified staff.  They are passionate and invested in establishing positive climate and culture.  I encourage you to reach out to them for more information about the purpose of this team and provide feedback, suggestions, and support with this work.

District Climate Team Members:                                               

Angela Runquist-Skills Academy
Calvin Hubbard-Walnut
Erlinda Amen-Shoemaker
Greg Morrow-GISH
Dr. Gregg Bieber-GISH/OMB/Success
Jennifer Shafer-Ehlers-Engleman
Julie Brunning-Walnut
Kahsi Lawson-West Lawn
Kara Coble-Wasmer
Kelly Kastens-Gates
Michael Persampieri-Starr

Nate Balcom-Starr
Patrick Harder-GISH
Paula Gonzalez-Dodge
Renee Engel-CNSSP
Dr. Robin Dexter-Student Services
Dr. Toni Palmer-Leadership and Development
Sally Smith-ELC/Lincoln
Sara Koehler-Westridge
Sarah Haahr-Howard/Knickrehm/Seedling Mile
Shanna Gannon-Professional Learning
Thompson Koch-Lincoln/Westridge
Tina Godfrey-Wasmer
Josh Redman-GISH
Kelly Klanecky-Knickrehm
Rebecca Wilhelmi-Jefferson


"Can our school be so welcoming, so inviting, and so comfortable that every person who walks through our doors believes they are about to have an amazing experience?"

1st Semester Success

 Instructional transformation is being noticed throughout the district!  As you know, Wednesday Walks provide central office staff the opportunity to personally interact with students, teachers, and administrators about the impact of instruction on student learning. During our walks we also notice how welcoming and safe our buildings are, as well as how individuals interact with each other and with students.  We notice how students respond to greetings, interact with each other and engage as a result of established routines, procedures, and practices. We notice what the walls say about beliefs and expectations.  We talk about how proud we are of all the amazing opportunities available to our students because of all of you! 

Although we didn't take visible data on those important components, we did collect data on specific instructional practices that align with our district priorities, specifically around the implementation of standards based planning and professional learning communities.  Throughout the 1st semester, the focus was on the visibility of learning targets in every classroom and  if students were able to describe the learning target. The professional growth is inspiring and motivating! It is obvious that teacher collaboration is contributing to the improvement of how targets and tasks align to the grade level standards. 
Here is what we noticed first semester:

                

           

Obviously, this data alone does not inform us of the "impact" on student learning, however, it does communicate the systematic implementation of practices that can directly impact student learning.  There are noticeable difference in how students engage in learning when they are aware of their end goal and have the opportunity to process, talk about it, and actively engage in tasks that are directly aligned.   Keep the momentum going!  

This semester, data will continue to be collected on if students are able to describe the learning target as well as if the target and task are aligned.  I'll keep you posted on the data and the amazing happenings observed during our next round of Wednesday Walks.  

Teaching is one of hardest jobs in the world! Thank you for all you do, making a difference and impacting the future for our students!

Happy Holidays!

George Couros recently posted a blog about the importance of taking care of yourself and although his message presents ideas for those weeks just before the holiday, he mentions ideas that are well worth considering over the winter break. 

Here are a few that I'm putting on my list:

• Schedule time to work out
• Read for pleasure
• Watch a tv series 
• Surround myself with people that lift me up

It is a challenge to take time for yourself, but I agree with George when he states, "taking this time not only gives you more energy, but the time spent with those you care about --you will be in a much better mood."  The time with those you love and care about will be quality time because you have filled your own cup! Not as easy as it sounds, because educators are so giving, so try to pick at least one of the few things on your list and stick to it!

Wishing you all the best of holidays!  I look forward to an awesome start to 2018!

Cleaning out the Cognitive Clutter

The holidays are meant to be the the best time of the year.

However, the holidays can be extremely stressful for many of our students and families. Kate Crowe is guest blogger this week with some tips on how to clean out the cognitive clutter.

Each of us has a mental workspace where we process and manipulate information.  This workspace is called working memory.  Your workspace can only hold so many chunks of information at one time (probably about 5-9), and it doesn’t hold on to those chunks for very long.

Most of us have plenty of “stuff” in our workspace - planning, decision-making, cognition, emotion, and behavior can all exist there.  The amount of stuff in your workspace is called your cognitive load, which is the total amount of mental effort

Most of us have plenty of “stuff” in our workspace - planning, decision-making, cognition, emotion, and behavior can all exist there.  The amount of stuff in your workspace is called your cognitive load, which is the total amount of mental effort being used by your working memory.  While a “typical” student has plenty of cognitive load to try to manage, students from poverty frequently have more than the average number of pieces of information trying to take up valuable space in their working memory.  Worries about holidays, home life, and basic necessities such as food and supervision can crowd out and take priority over learning, and IQ can even temporarily drop from having too much cognitive load.  

The good news is that we can help remove some of the clutter from our students’ workspaces and free up room for the learning that must take place.  Classroom environment and instructional design can play a big part in alleviating an overwhelming cognitive load.  

Here are a few strategies that can have a big impact:

• Remove unnecessary complexity and distraction such as poor instructions, visually cluttered presentations, and things not relevant to the learning task (this does NOT mean to “water down” the curriculum or lessen the level or rigor).
• Create a safe classroom environment where students are not bullied or teased.
• Say less - get rid of lengthy explanations and irrelevant content.  Say the minimum you need to in order to convey the necessary information.
• Scaffold your students’ learning.
• Utilize student collaboration - group learning spreads the cognitive load between several brains, and can be more efficient when there are high cognitive demands.
• Provide cognitive aids and memory tools  - scratch paper, checklists, concept maps,  word association, key words, acronyms, loci method, or peg words - any supports that can offload some of the demands on working memory.  
• Help reduce student stress (which has a high impact on working memory) by teaching coping strategies, giving students increased control, and helping them feel connected to their classroom and school.

If we help our students to declutter their working memory, we can dramatically lessen their cognitive load and increase their learning.  I can’t think of a better reason to try to clean out some cognitive clutter!

I Believe.....

In the Grand Island Public Schools, we can honestly say that we have common goals, 11 of them to be exact and I am so proud and excited about the progress and direction that we are making so far as a district. Please know that no progress would be made without the dedication and commitment of all of you!

In today's blog, I'm going to update you on our progress on one of our eight objectives and specific action steps within our strategic plan. I know you are all familiar with our three priorities; PLC 2.0, Standards Based Planning, and Using data to inform decisions, however, you might not be familiar with the progress on our other strategic initiative action steps developed to help us achieve our mission, vision, and goals.  There is a lot of information, but I'll try to be brief!

Obj. 1: GIPS Classrooms will be led by instructional experts who guarantee the delivery of a rigorous and relevant curriculum to all students.

• Strategic Initiative 1: Ensure all teachers have access to high-quality curriculum resources, including curriculum maps, common assessments, academic programs, and instructional materials.
• An external team conducted an audit of our curriculum map and resources.  Initial findings revealed
• High ratings for Elementary, Middle School and High School ELA resources which means our ELA resources are highly aligned to standards and reflect the instructional shifts that we want to make
•  Growth areas: Create more user friendly curriculum maps and lesson level support for teachers to maximize the instructional opportunities
• Next steps: T&L has identified teams that will be working 2nd semester and into the summer to conduct recommended revision work

• Strategic Initiative 2: Develop a school based professional growth system for teachers
• Success criteria has been developed with mentors to ensure high quality supports for mentees.  Overall first quarter reflection from mentees showed positive results regarding the supports.
• Implementation of the Marzano's Focus Framework evaluation model.  Professional learning has been provided to principals and instructional coaches. All certified staff and administrators have set professional goals.  The intention is to move from a compliant practice to reflective practice with growth monitored through iObservation.
• Monthly seminars are offered through sched (14 so far) with a focus on instructional strategies and district priorities.  
• Principals have engaged in side by side coaching (August and Nov/Dec) to calibrate on observations of effective planning and instruction as well as feedback that promotes celebration and/or change in practice.
• Instructional coaches participate in monthly meetings focused on how to improve teacher practice through coaching. 
• Implementation of Demonstration Schools for Rigor initiative at Walnut, Jefferson and Starr

• Strategic Initiative 3:Define the goals and structures for teacher collaborative time at each school level to ensure that all school's educators regularly analyze student outcomes, address individual student's barriers to learning, plan effective lessons

• Resources such as "Collaborative Teams that Transform Schools","Leaders of Learning", "The Essentials for Standards Driven Classrooms" are studied and utilized during principal meetings to develop common language and understanding of effective practice.
• PLC 2.0 and Standards Based Planning guiding documents have been developed with district and school leaders, along with resources and defined supports available
• Two seminars have been offered for teachers around standards based planning along with differentiated supports for buildings requesting additional PL.
• The first set of Data Rounds were conducted in October.  Principals, Dr. Grover, Dr. McDowell and Dr. Palmer met to collaboratively establish indicators for school improvement, collect data demonstrating progress towards those indicators, analyze the data, celebrate success and address challenges.  Action steps for principals and central office were established during this time as well.  The next rounds will occur in February.

• Strategic Initiative 4: Develop a robust leadership development system for principals

• Held Leadership Institute in June to kick off the strategic plan and establish district priorities
• Conducted professional learning in July around PLC 2.0 and Focus Framework
• August administrators participated in instructional coaching training with a focus on professional goal setting
• Conducted new principal induction training-3 days
• Developed guiding documents for GIPS Instructional Leadership Model
• Engaged in professional learning regarding the process of data rounds in September, conducted data rounds in October
• Pk-12 admin meetings focus on strategic plan priorities and collaboration 
• Continue to work on a systematic plan for leadership development including establishing a model for an aspiring principal pipeline.
• Implementation of Demonstration Schools For Rigor, principal and school leadership coaching with LSI

Whew! Sorry for the lengthy blog, but wanted to provide you with a glimpse of progress so far this year just on Objective 1.  Although I am sharing this update, please know there are many others from different departments, campuses, and outside partners working as a team to move this work forward.  On page 9 of the strategic plan, it states: "A plan alone will not change practice".   The evidence here ensures that it's more than a plan.  We are following through with our Theory of Action: Empowering, Personalizing, Designing, and Partnering for the benefit of our students!  If you want to hear and see more about progress on our other seven objectives and strategic initiative action steps, join us at the December BOE meeting!


I believe in this work and I believe in all of you!  We are #bettertogether!