quick wins & school turnaround: strategies for bringing out the best in staff & students...

QUICK WINS & SCHOOL TURNAROUND:

STRATEGIES FOR BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN STAFF & STUDENTS

2015 National Title I Conference

February 7, 2015 2:00-3:00

Room 355BC

Scott Neil, PhD Paul Gavoni, Ed.D.

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Session Outcomes

• Develop a shared understanding of how Quick Wins impact the school turnaround process

• Learn specific strategies to build momentum for change and the self-efficacy of staff and students through Quick Wins

• Understand the role data and social networks play in creating Quick Wins

• Learn the importance of Intrinsic Motivation through the Quick Wins process

By the end of the session participants will…

Paul Gavoni, Ed.D Scott Neil, PhD

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WHAT ARE QUICK WINS?“Change can exist without renewal, but renewal cannot exist without change.”

~Raymond Calabrese


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What are Quick Wins?• Successful turnaround leaders choose a few high-priority

goals with visible payoffs and use early success to gain momentum.

• While these “wins” are limited in scope, they are high-priority, not peripheral, elements of organization performance.

• Early wins are critical for motivating staff and disempowering naysayers.

Hassel & Hassel (2009)


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Why are Quick Wins important?• Successful turnaround leaders first concentrate on a very

limited number of changes to achieve early, visible wins for the school

• This achievement in an important area, motivates staff for further change, and reduces resistance by those who oppose change

• Silences the critics with quick, visible results and reduces the leader’s time spent addressing “politics” and increases time spent leading for results

Center on Innovation and Improvement (2008)


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School Highlights• Student poverty rates of 84% and 94%• Both schools moved from a C to an A with the Florida

School Accountability Report Card in two years or less• Double digit gain across all grades in all subject areas and

the highest achievement scores in 28 year history of the school

• Increased percent proficient by an average of 24% across all subgroups in two years or less

• Reduced teacher turnover from 28% to 7% with zero teacher transfers in two separate schools

• Reduced the percentage of student discipline referrals by 67% in less than two years and decreased out-of-school suspension rate from 6.4% to 0.5% in one year.


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GETTING THINGS STARTED“To respond is positive, to react is negative.”

~Zig Ziglar


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The Big Bang Theory… (and then a whimper)

• Principals make great speeches at the beginning about the new vision and direction

• Teachers & staff go to training and hear about what they should do

• Schools & districts spend a lot of money on new technology


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Surprise! Staff Don’t Always Do What You Tell Them to!!


Louder

•Longer

MeanerDaniels & Daniels, 2004

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What should the path of school turnaround look like?


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Getting started…• Share an inspiring vision of what the change and success will

look like when the school gets there

• Leverage “Hard and Soft” data

• Be transparent about setbacks and implementation dips

• Listening is leading

• Get the “biggest bang for your buck” in the shortest amount of time

• Creating a “want” vs. “want to avoid”


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Avoid the “all talk…no action” dilemma!


NOT IMPRESSED!

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Pinpoint Behavior and Results

Leading Indicators

• Student behavior

• Staff behavior

• Staff perception

• Attendance

• Formative assessments


Lagging Indicators

• Mid or end of Year or referral data

• Staff retention

• Union Grievances

• Parent Complaints

• Summative assessments

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Leading IndicatorsI just wanted to let you know that this has been the BEST first week of school that I have ever had! There has been such a positive vibe around SLE. I see it not only in the teachers, but the students as well! Thank you so much for all that you have done to make this all happen. This is going to be a great year for SLE!!!

St. Lucie Elementary Teacher


I just really want to say thank you for such a great week. I feel more valued as a teacher than I ever have and I know it will make for a great year.

The PBS and CHAMPS training was extremely meaningful. I am hoping this doesn't sound too gushy...but , I really do feel this way and wanted you guys to know.

St. Lucie Elementary Teacher

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Leading Indicators-cont.


I just wanted to say Thank You so much for such a wonderful start to a school year!!!!! Both of you have been absolutely AMAZING! It means the world to us to know how much support we have and how you make the time to come around and be with the students.

Thank you also for thinking of us yesterday with the goodies in our mailbox....you know the way to a pregnant girl's heart (peanut butter M&M's)!!! :) I already see a huge difference in the attitude of our staff and how positive everything is and how smooth the school is running! Thank you again for all you've done! I'm looking forward to a terrific school year!

2nd Grade TeacherSt. Lucie Elementary

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GAINING MOMENTUM FOR CHANGE “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

-Confucius


17Paul Gavoni, Ed.D Scott Neil, PhD

Where you currently are

Where you want to be

choices

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School turnaround:one step at a time


Annual Goal

Milestone

Milestone

Vision

or

BHAG

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Things change!

What’s The Function?


1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 20200

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20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

WTF?

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Reinforcement:The fuel that drives behavior

When the reinforcement (fuel) runs out,

the behavior will stop (extinction)



Creating “want-to-do” staff vs “have-to-do” staff

Laipple, 2012

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Positive Feedback Brain Research

Adapted from materials provided by Leiden University.


http://www.leidenuniv.nl/

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Strategies for Gaining Momentum• Put the "stick away" Positive vs. Negative reinforcement• Getting people in touch with positive change through

verbal feedback• It’s not what you say, but how and when you say it!• Align meaningful change with staff behavior

• Graphic feedback (data) as a reinforcer• Errors in feedback

• the "big but" error• the "gimmee more" error• The "sandwich" error


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Having a system for good systems

Good systems…

• Pinpoint targets

• Measure success

• Provide ongoing feedback

• Utilize Positive Reinforcement


(Daniels & Daniels, 2004)

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Communicating Learning Goals with Formative Assessment


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Students tracking their own ProgressPaul Gavoni, Ed.D Scott Neil, PhD

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Celebrating Student and Teacher Success



READING 3rd Grade Q1 Benchmark Percent 70 or Higher


TS LR EA JL EM JA District LWP- 30

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

6

3834 32

64

24

31

38

76 77

87

56

81

75

60

75

READING 3rd Grade Q1-Q2 Benchmark Percent 70 or Higher

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INFLUENCE OF QUICK WINS ON THE MOTIVATION AND SELF ESTEEM


“Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.”

~Henry Ford

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Building Self-Efficacy with Quick Wins• Psychologist Albert Bandura has defined self-efficacy as one's belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations.

• One's sense of self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.


Bandura, A. (1977)

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Sources the Determine Self-Efficacy

Self-Efficacy

(Judgments)

Individual Emotional & Physical Well Being

Social Influences (Coaching & Feedback)

Vicarious Experience

(Modeling by others)

Mastery Experience

(Experiences that influence goal attainment)

Individual

Behavior/Performance

Bandura, A. (1977)



Strategies for Building Collective School Efficacy

Utilize data to develop cause-effect relationships

Provide professional development for teachers that will help them obtain

their goals

Provide feedback to teachers that will help them

improve their skills

Set goals with teachers that will increase the likelihood

of mastery experiences

Establish a school culture that provides flexibility of

time, structures, and resources to allow teachers

time to collaborate and solve problems amongst

themselves

Mastery Experiencesbased on the

needs of the individual student.

Students as Social

Influences

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Steps to Achieving Quick Wins• Set clear and incremental goals

• Allowed staff and students autonomy of how to reach the goals (Tight-Loose Principle)

• Provided support and resources (PD) needed to achieve the goals

• Allowed realistic amount of time to achieve the goals

• LOTS of FEEDBACK!! (Learned from setbacks)

• Recognized and celebrated successes (small and large)


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Questions?

Scott Neil

[email protected]

772-240-2464 @scottmneil


Paul Gavoni

[email protected]

954-829-8882 @paulfgavoni

schoolleadershipsolutions.com @sleadsolutions

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SourcesBandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. General Learning Press.

Center on Innovation & Improvement (2008). School turnarounds: Action and results. Academic Development Institute.

Daniels, A., & Daniels, D. (2004). In Performance management: Changing behavior that drives organizational effectiveness. GA: Performance Management Publications.

Hassel and Hassel, The big u-turn: How to bring schools back from the bring of doom to stellar success, Education Next, Winter, 2009

Laipple, J. (2012). Immediate change: Rapid change for the impatient leader. [Kindle DX]. Retrieved from www.PManagementPubs.com.


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