How to save time and provide Effective Feedback

Where do you go to grow professionally?  What resources, professional books, research do you access? Providing effective feedback can be an action to support many of the elements in our instructional framework so when I came across this in one of my searches,  I wanted to share!

Edutopia this week includes several videos and articles that focus on providing student feedback that moves students towards mastery of standards.

I would love to hear about the sources you are accessing for professional learning as well!  Feel free to add links in the comments. 

Have a great day!!

I Love Thursday Walks!

The favorite part of my day is when I get to spend time in buildings, interacting with students and staff, and SEEING the impact of the implementation of professional learning and continuous school improvement actions!

So far, Dr. Grover and the Cabinet have had the pleasure of visiting 12 of our buildings so far during Thursday walks!  What a great opportunity for us to learn more about the schoolwide intentional goals, strategies, and actions that directly align with the district priorities as well as hear from principals about the celebrations and challenges occurring this year.

Just in case you are wondering, I'm going to share a summary of some common themes and unique happenings that we are "SEEING" on our visits.

In many of the buildings, we are "Seeing" schoolwide expectations visible in the halls, classrooms, and common areas and hearing staff refer to them as they interact with students.  Common and clearly defined expectations provide a predictable and consistent environment for students. When the conditions for learning are strong, the opportunities to focus on core instruction increase. 

In addition to strong conditions for learning, there has also been an evident focus on professional growth.  Standards-based targets, success criteria, and students working in groups have been observed in the majority of classrooms so far.  Transforming instruction from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction is how we will achieve the GIPS vision and ensure our students meet our graduate profile.  Thank you to our teachers and instructional coaches for everyday efforts to deepen understanding and improve effectiveness with these instructional strategies!
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A focus on growth and improvement!  PLC's are the conduit to ensuring this happens for all students!  As a Cabinet, we have not participated in PLC's yet, however, principals have described how the intentional focus on standards-based planning, goal setting, and developing common assessments to align with what students need to know and be able to do is improving guaranteed and viable curriculum.    Here is a link to our PLC progression as a reference for your teams as you engage in this important work!

Relationships and solution-focused approach!  Staff is visible and intentional in developing relationships with students and parents and it's paying off!  When issues arise, the focus is on finding solutions. Our support staff and special programs are making a difference, ensuring all students have the opportunity and access to high-quality education.
Students are being celebrated with "Cougar Paws", "Bulldog Paws", "Wildcat Way recognition" among so many other examples.  Celebrations of success can occur in many different ways-be sure celebrations of both staff and students is part of your day!

Every Student, Every Day, A Success!  We are "SEEING" first hand how our teachers are teaching hearts as well as minds!

Keep the momentum going and know that we will be back to see and celebrate continued progress!  Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our students!

Thursday Walks? What are they? And Why Does Dr. Palmer take So Many Pictures?

At the welcome back, we did a little skit about Thursday Walks and I'm sure many of you are wondering: What are they? What is the purpose? How often do they happen? My blog today will share the scoop and why our walks are so valuable.

What is the Purpose?

To provide an opportunity for GIPS Executive Cabinet and/or central office members the means to conduct weekly campus visits that allow for the following: 

• Become familiar with campuses
• Observe systems implementation of school and district priorities
• Make connections and build relationships with students, staff, and principals
• Identify possible supports
• Inform principal leadership actions
• Celebrate learning

How do Walks work?

Each week, two campuses/sites are scheduled for visits.  All campuses rotate through before beginning the next round. Visits to special programs such as OMB, Workforce Development Academy, and the Welcome Center are also built into this calendar.  The schedule is posted and published on the district calendar prior to the beginning of the school year. Campus principals receive a reminder about the visits at least 2 days prior.

Once we arrive on campus, the principal shares what he/she would like the cabinet members to look for relative to current continuous improvement focus areas and the district priorities (Equity, SEL, Attendance) during observations. To ensure we align with what you are already doing, the look-fors also connect to the Marzano Conditions for Learning which encompass SEL and Equity elements within the Framework.

Following walks, we meet with the principal to learn about celebrations, discuss topics of his/her interest, share observations based on identified look fors and discuss leadership actions that will continue to move the school improvement plan forward. We want to be a support and a resource for continued growth towards goals.

How are classroom visits determined?

Classroom visits are randomly selected. We select at least two or three classrooms within a 15-20 minute window. We know that we only catch a short snapshot of instruction and keep this in mind in our debriefing.

Why do they take so many pictures?
Pictures capture the great things you are doing in your classrooms and at your campus and we want to tweet it out! The pictures are also helpful in the debrief when we describe examples of the principal look-fors. AND of course, the students are our WHY! As a GIPS Cabinet, we love the opportunity to participate in school visits and appreciate all you do to ensure Every Student, Every Day, a Success!

"Seeing is Believing"!

Seeing Is Believing in Leadership and Learning

Welcome to the launch of the 2019-20 school year! It's been a great start with the Welcome Back, New Teacher Trainings,  Professional Learning, and the Grand Island Senior High Academies-setting the stage for what is to be an amazing year in Grand Island Public Schools!  I can't help but keep thinking about this student and how he represents our moral imperative to ensure "Every Student, Every Day, a Success!"   This will take a collective effort from all of us and I'm excited about the chance to join you all and make a difference.

As you know, there is a ton of work and planning that goes into preparing for the new school year.  Data is analyzed, priorities established, professional learning takes place, and teams are meeting throughout the summer to support continuous school/district improvement and progress towards our strategic plan Key Results!  I want to share some quick blurbs to summarize key work that occurred over the summer.

May 31 Academic Summit: Campus Leaders and School Improvement Team members from each campus analyzed the 2018-19 continuous school improvement goals, data, and actions and designed the next steps for the 2019-20 school year. It was a great opportunity to dig into the data and begin to transition to the new year.

June 4th & 5th campus leaders engaged in leadership development throughout a 2-day Leadership Institute. According to research and studies by John Hattie, "instructional leadership not only matters: it is second only to teaching among school-related factors in its impact on student learning".  Throughout our two days, we studied the "Opportunity Myth", engaged in role-play, reflected on the impact of leadership actions, and dove into effective leadership practices.  Our principals are committed to setting the instructional vision and developing others through a system of support, professional learning, feedback, and coaching.  This year, you will notice your principal intentionally planning and protecting more time to conduct low-key observations and provide coaching/feedback to improve student learning-- the goal is to dedicate 50% of their time to this work. This may take some redesign of the organizational structures and systems of support through distributed leadership and maximizing the strengths of all staff.  It might feel a little "clunky" at first, so I encourage open conversations, reflection, and problem-solving together. Finding ways to balance operational management and instructional leadership responsibilities will take teamwork!  The ultimate mission is "Every Student, Every Day, A Success"!

July 22nd-23rd district and school leaders engaged in a book study, "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle during our two-day retreat. This book refers to some of the most successful organizations and highlights what makes them tick.  In the introduction, Coyle describes culture as a "set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It's not something you are, It's something you do".  The three skills he defines as the roadmap to building a culture where expectations are exceeded include: build safety, be vulnerable, and establish a purpose. You may have picked up on how this book study is impacting the beginning of the year meetings.  Creating a feeling of belonging in your building and classrooms is clearly one of the most important factors of a positive culture.  Key actions include: overcommunicate your listening, be open about weaknesses, embrace the messenger, consider future connections, overdo thank yous, create collision-rich spaces, ensure all have a voice, model, provide specific feedback and of course, have fun.  These actions also have a direct connection to the classroom culture as you establish routines, expectations, and focus on pre-teaching and practicing skills with students.  More to come regarding skills 2 and 3 in future blogs!

During the months of June and July, a combined 302 teachers and instructional coaches spent approximately 4,212 hours engaged in curriculum writing.  The purpose of this work is to design curriculum and assessment guides for each course and grade level.  The work this summer encompassed revising assessments, research, review, the recommendation of resources and guidance for instructional pacing as well as professional learning for curriculum implementation.  The commitment and dedication to the work are extremely valuable and the teams are great resources and support at the building level. Thank you to all of our Task Force Members!  You make a difference!!


There were other happenings beyond this with building-level professional development, school leadership team meetings, etc...  Oh, I can't forget the Summer Institute (wow!  great response from the feedback)!  Thank you to L4L team for coordinating, organizing and leading the day!  We had amazing presenters-many of our own GIPS staff and over 350 attendees!

Whew!  I'm so thankful for the many opportunities that we have to grow professionally and I look forward to "Seeing" your learning implemented in the classroom-impacting our students and bringing joy to your teaching and their learning.  #GIPSSeeingisbelieving

Have an amazing 2019-20 school year!

2018-19 Top 10 List

It's been a GRAND year in Grand Island Public Schools and this is the week where there are all kinds of celebrations and reflections are occurring in classrooms and in your end of the year meetings.

In my own reflection, I came up with my Top 10 highlights of the 2018-19 school year and thought I would share them with you! Please note that they are not necessarily in the order of importance.






#10  The first day of school! Oh, how I love the excitement of the beginning of a new year!

#9 Our amazing administrators growing professionally, collaborating and networking around data, professional learning communities, and standards-based planning.  I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to serve, support, and EMPOWER our campus leaders.

#8 Our Fine Arts-I attended the musical, several performances, and was able to see the work of our talented artists and musicians!  Our students are being recognized beyond the state lines of Nebraska! So much to be proud of!


#7 So proud of our Teachers and their growth in transforming to student-centered instruction -Our Thursday walk data and overall trend walk data reveals how professional learning was implemented throughout the district.

               



#6 The Launch of our Freshman Academy

#5  Opportunities for professional learning-Side by Side Coaching, 3 district days focusing on transforming instruction to student-centered with rigor and of course our partnership with LSI-Demonstration Schools for Rigor.



                           
#4 I'm so appreciative of our School Board and their support of our strategic plan implementation and constant advocacy student-focused decisions!

                                             
#3  Dr. Grover, Cabinet, and the Kneale team for ensuring that our
strategic plan is moving forward and the collaboration and support of all departments along the way! This includes our food service and building and grounds teams as well!

#2 The L4L Team's dedication and commitment to building the capacity of educators and providing technical and adaptive support.

#1 Our Students! Their achievements academically, athletically, and within the community!

I have been empowered to be a better leader this year, observed personalized approaches to meet student needs, increased understanding of how to use data to drive decisions and expanded partnership to grow and expand opportunities for our students. I'm looking forward to 2019-20 with the launching of our Academies and year three progress on our Strategic Plan Goals!! Thank you for making this such a GRAND year and have a relaxing and enjoyable summer!

You are Appreciated!!

Happy Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week!

Thank you to all of our teachers for the dedication and commitment to our students every day!  You make a difference by inspiring our students to be life-long learners and fostering success through high expectations and positive relationships.  Although you may never know how you impacted the life of a child, you have to know the power you have to change lives and to prepare them to "Thrive in an ever-changing world"!  There is no more important profession!  Check out this short video to remember your why and celebrate you all!

If you are interested in a little history, I found some information on how Teacher Appreciation Week Originated?  Check out this LSI Blog that describes how it all began.


Without our GIPS Employees, we could not accomplish the vision and goals that we have for our students!  Thank you to our school support teams, secretaries, nutrition services, buildings and grounds crews, district office teams, paraprofessionals, mentors, coaches, and specialists! Although some members of our team do not directly impact students,  resources, space and opportunities for access to a high quality educational environment! Our "why" is in the pictures!  What we do every day influences, inspires and ignites!

Every Student, Every Day, A Success! In educating students we teacher hearts as well as minds!

 

"Student prepared to make positive contributions and thrive in an ever changing world."

...because of you!

Thank you to our Nurses!

Please join me in celebrating our School Nurses this week along with our teachers and staff!  Along with tending to illnesses of physical nature, they also tend to the social-emotional needs of our students.  They inspire, innovate their care and positively influence our students so they can engage in school! Our children are safer, loved, and cared for in such kind and professional ways.  Our nurses MAKE a DIFFERENCE!