The Method to My The Method to My MadnessMadness

Rapid City Area SchoolsRapid City Area Schools

Administrative RetreatAdministrative Retreat

August 9, 2010August 9, 2010

Communicate The Communicate The Organization’s PurposeOrganization’s Purpose

Leading a successful Leading a successful enterprise calls upon enterprise calls upon everyone to know the everyone to know the

organization’s purpose. organization’s purpose. Public education has to be Public education has to be

clear in its purpose if schools clear in its purpose if schools are to grow and prosper.are to grow and prosper.

RCAS MissionRCAS Mission

Building a Building a community of life community of life

long learners, long learners, one student at a one student at a

time.time.

RCAS VisionRCAS Vision

All Rapid City All Rapid City Area School Area School students will students will

achieve to their achieve to their full potential.full potential.

My Personal VisionMy Personal Vision

To embrace learning rather than To embrace learning rather than teaching as a school’s mission, to teaching as a school’s mission, to

work collaboratively to help all work collaboratively to help all students learn, to focus on students learn, to focus on results to foster continuous results to foster continuous improvement and to assume improvement and to assume

individual responsibility to take individual responsibility to take steps to create such a school.steps to create such a school.

Balanced Leadership-Six Balanced Leadership-Six Areas of Superintendent Areas of Superintendent

ResponsibilitiesResponsibilities1.1. Collaborative goal-setting processCollaborative goal-setting process2.2. Non-negotiable goals for achievement Non-negotiable goals for achievement

and instructionand instruction3.3. Board alignment with and support of Board alignment with and support of

district goalsdistrict goals4.4. Use of resources to support the goals for Use of resources to support the goals for

achievement and instructionachievement and instruction5.5. Monitoring goals for achievement and Monitoring goals for achievement and

instructioninstruction6.6. Defined autonomy: Superintendent Defined autonomy: Superintendent

relationship with schoolsrelationship with schools

Collaborative Goal Collaborative Goal SettingSetting

Researchers found that effective Researchers found that effective superintendents include all superintendents include all

relevant stakeholders, relevant stakeholders, including central office staff, including central office staff, building level administrators building level administrators

and board members, in and board members, in establishing goals for their establishing goals for their

districtsdistricts

Non-Negotiable Goals Non-Negotiable Goals

Effective superintendents Effective superintendents ensure that the collaborative ensure that the collaborative goal setting process results goal setting process results

in non-negotiable goals in the in non-negotiable goals in the areas of student achievement areas of student achievement

and classroom instructionand classroom instruction

Board Alignment and Board Alignment and SupportSupport

The board of education The board of education must act in alignment with must act in alignment with and supportive of the non-and supportive of the non-

negotiable goals for negotiable goals for achievement and achievement and

instructioninstruction

Monitoring GoalsMonitoring Goals

Effective superintendents Effective superintendents continually monitor district continually monitor district

progress towards progress towards achievement of goals to achievement of goals to ensure that these goals ensure that these goals remain the driving force remain the driving force

behind the district’s actionsbehind the district’s actions

Use of ResourcesUse of Resources

Effective superintendents ensure Effective superintendents ensure that the necessary resources are that the necessary resources are allocated to accomplish district allocated to accomplish district

goals. goals. This does mean cutting This does mean cutting back on and dropping back on and dropping initiatives that are not initiatives that are not

aligned with district goals for aligned with district goals for achievement and instructionachievement and instruction

Defined AutonomyDefined Autonomy

Effective superintendents ensure Effective superintendents ensure clear, non-negotiable goals for clear, non-negotiable goals for learning and instruction are in learning and instruction are in

place and place and provide school provide school leadership teams with the leadership teams with the

responsibility and authority responsibility and authority for determining how to meet for determining how to meet

those goalsthose goals

Purposeful CommunityPurposeful Community

A purposeful community is one A purposeful community is one with the with the collective efficacy collective efficacy and and capability to develop and use capability to develop and use assets to accomplish purposeassets to accomplish purpose and and produce outcomes that produce outcomes that

mattermatter to all community to all community members through members through agreed-upon agreed-upon

processprocess

Agreed-upon ProcessesAgreed-upon Processes

Are the processes that lead to Are the processes that lead to patterns of communication, patterns of communication,

relationships among community relationships among community members, a sense of well-being, members, a sense of well-being, connections between the school connections between the school and other institutions, shared and other institutions, shared

leadership opportunities, and a leadership opportunities, and a sense of order and disciplinesense of order and discipline

The Three C’s of The Three C’s of Community BuildingCommunity Building

ConfrontConfront the Brutal Facts the Brutal Facts

CommunicationCommunication (Effective)(Effective)

CollaborationCollaboration

Confront the Brutal Confront the Brutal FactsFacts

Create a culture where the truth is Create a culture where the truth is heard!heard!

Includes four basic practicesIncludes four basic practices::Lead with questions, not answersLead with questions, not answersEngage in dialogue and debate, Engage in dialogue and debate,

not not coercioncoercionConduct autopsies, without blameConduct autopsies, without blameBuild red flag mechanisms that Build red flag mechanisms that

turn turn information into information information into information that cannot that cannot be ignoredbe ignored

CommunicationCommunication

““I wonder how many I wonder how many children’s lives would be children’s lives would be

saved if we educators saved if we educators disclosed what we knew disclosed what we knew

to each other"to each other"Roland Barth (2001)Roland Barth (2001)

CommunicationCommunication

Superintendent WebsiteSuperintendent Website– Community BlogCommunity Blog– Staff BlogStaff Blog– Twitter FeedTwitter Feed– Streaming Video PresentationStreaming Video Presentation– PresentationsPresentations– LinksLinks

Collaborative CultureCollaborative Culture

““Successful schools are places where Successful schools are places where teams of teachers meet regularly to teams of teachers meet regularly to

focus on student work through focus on student work through assessment and change their assessment and change their

instructional strategies accordingly instructional strategies accordingly to get better results”to get better results”

FullanFullan

Collaborative CultureCollaborative Culture

Five Ways to Build a Culture of Five Ways to Build a Culture of CollaborationCollaboration

– Focus on Clear OutcomesFocus on Clear Outcomes– Expand Leadership OpportunitiesExpand Leadership Opportunities– Create Meaningful Opportunities for Create Meaningful Opportunities for

WorkWork– Coordinate EffortsCoordinate Efforts– Celebrate the Work of OthersCelebrate the Work of Others

Big IdeasBig Ideas

#1-Focus on Learning:#1-Focus on Learning:

Are We Clear as to Our PurposeAre We Clear as to Our Purpose

#2-Collaborative Culture:#2-Collaborative Culture:

Staff Working TogetherStaff Working Together

#3-Govern by Results#3-Govern by Results

Building CapacityBuilding Capacity

Fullan (2006) defined capacity Fullan (2006) defined capacity building as an action based and building as an action based and

powerful strategy that increases the powerful strategy that increases the collective efficacy of a group to collective efficacy of a group to

improve student learning through improve student learning through new knowledgenew knowledge, , enhanced enhanced

resources resources and and greater motivation greater motivation on the part of people working on the part of people working

individually and togetherindividually and together

Building CapacityBuilding Capacity

To create conditions for people to To create conditions for people to succeed by helping people succeed by helping people find find meaningmeaning, , increase their skill increase their skill

developmentdevelopment and their and their personal personal satisfactionsatisfaction while they make while they make

contributions that simultaneously contributions that simultaneously fulfill their goals and the goals of the fulfill their goals and the goals of the

organizationorganization

Learning is Our WorkLearning is Our Work

““Educational change depends Educational change depends on what teachers do and on what teachers do and think—it is as simple and think—it is as simple and

complex as that”complex as that”

FullanFullan

Learning is Our WorkLearning is Our Work

The best way to The best way to improve a school or improve a school or

district is by district is by developing the people developing the people

within it!!within it!!

What does this all What does this all mean???mean???

We need to implement a strategic We need to implement a strategic approach to create an environment approach to create an environment of high quality learningof high quality learning

Critical Steps:Critical Steps:

Point to the DestinationPoint to the Destination

Script the Critical MovesScript the Critical Moves

Build New HabitsBuild New Habits

Final ThoughtFinal Thought

When you have to make a tough When you have to make a tough decision it doesn’t matter what decision it doesn’t matter what you decide, “Because you are you decide, “Because you are

WRONG!” WRONG!”

So do what you think is So do what you think is RIGHT!RIGHT!