data as music

“Information without understanding is not information. It is merely noise.”
William Sanders

Data. What to do with data? What data should we collect? What is the purpose of a particular set of data? What are the means and what is the end? Will the analysis be targeted to meet a need and increase instructional and/or organizational efficiencies that result in improved student performance outcomes?

Many districts have adopted the mantra that their decisions are data-driven, but will this be another initiative that flounders due to a lack of protocols or suffer from an unarticulated purpose? With all the reform initiatives flooding schools, will people consider data as a sign that a particular problem needs attention?

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery breaking my mind. Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?

You may recognize the chorus from the song Signs, by The Five Man Electrical Band. The analogy being that too much data, without a common purpose, becomes an intrusion rather than an sign of what needs attention. If a person can not interpret the signs, then the natural tendency may be to ignore the data.

Ignoring data and having teachers and administrators pursue their own personal initiatives without consideration of their context within the rest of the school community is the type of isolation sought by a hermit. The Greek word “idiot” means hermit (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). Allow me to connect the dots: A person working in isolation without consideration of how data provides a context for his or her work is acting as a hermit, therefore this person is an… (My parents raised me to be polite so I will not connect the final dot).

The refusal to examine data is one form of ignorance. Robert Root-Berstein’s work on problem-solving and innovation explores the concept of ignorance. Nepistemology is the study of how ignorance is manifested. He cites the work of Witt (1988) that offers a typology of six types of ignorance; 1) known unknowns, 2) unknown unknowns, 3) misknowns, 4) unknown knowns, 5) taboos, and 6) refusal to look at answers. These six forms of ignorance need to be considered when crafting a data plan and when conclusions are drawn from data sets.

Perhaps a specific example will prove useful. William Sanders created an algorithm (the Tennessee Value-added Assessment System) to track the growth of individual students based on variables such as the student’s teacher and learning environment. His research suggests that when students change buildings, there is a loss in academic gains of 15-30 percent. Based on this data, how might a district evaluate a plan to re-structure the grade configuration of its schools to reduce the number of transitions? Based on Witt’s six levels of ignorance: 1) People knew there were other options but did not have relevant information about them, 2) People were unaware of any tangible benefits to reconfiguration, 3) People thought the current structure was the best format, 4) People may have sensed that building transitions were difficult, but may have attributed the problem to other causes, 5) & 6) Or is it a taboo in the community to even consider the redistricting which may occur if the configuration of the elementary, intermediate, or middle schools is changed? Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?

The public clamor to improve student achievement on standardized tests has escalated the attention to data. The question becomes, will data contribute to the noise, or will data become accepted as a sign that changes need to take place?

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Sanders, W. (1998). Value-added assessment. The School Administrator, 55 (11) p. 24-27. Retrieved from https://www.boarddocs.com/mo/sdclay/Board.nsf/a8f91a9c9696786e8725731b0060d1e7/cb4491fc57ec27df852570d1007c9f7e/$FILE/ValueAddedAssmnt.pdf


PSS. Root-Berstein, R. (2003). Problem generation and innovation. In L.V. Shavinina (ed.), The International Handbook on Innovation (pp. 170-179). Amsterdam: Elsevier Science LTD.

PSSS. Official website of the Five Man Electrical band; a soundclip via Google; and the full song with a photo montage on YouTube;

PSSS. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York: Basic Books.

black friday vs cyber monday

I do not like to shop. As a kid I remember being dragged to various stores to shop for new clothes that were starchy, itchy, and never as comfortable as the ones I was presently wearing. I had no interest, zero, none. The only way my two brothers and I could manage any joy on these ventures was to stand next to the mannequins and mimic their statuesque poses. Actually, I may have been the only one to do that, much to the deep embarrassment of my brothers (bonus points for that in my book) and to the consternation of my mother (sorry mom). With a dislike for shopping ingrained since my youth, then why was I going to venture out last week on Black Friday at 5:30 in the morning to join the mad crush at the stores and retail outlets? Simple answer…technology. I wanted a new 21 inch monitor and a sporty little Netbook. It is the 21^st century and it is all about what gadget you got (I apologize for the grammar, it is just that I have an affection for alliterations).

In his book, The New Basics: Education and the Future of Work in the Telematic Age, David Thornburg promotes an educational paradigm with technology as the key component. Thornburg bemoans the current emphasis on testing because the assessments address a set of antiquated content and process standards. Obviously, procuring competence with technology is a fundamental skill for the 21^st century and we can all nod our head in agreement. But, a close examination of how Connecticut addresses the practice of technology and school leadership may cause you to shake your head.

The Connecticut State Board of Education (2004) has a position paper promoting technology and they have created extensive sets of technology standards for students, teachers, and administrative leaders. However, and this is a big however, as in HOWEVER, there is limited connection between the standards and the expectation of school leaders to focus on them. The School Leadership Categories for the Connecticut Administrator Test lists 88 standards, but there is only one vague reference to technology (Category 2, curriculum standard #5). One out of 88! To make matters worse (although how much worse can you get compared to one out of 88?!) The Educational Leadership Self Inventory, which is based on the Connecticut State Board of Education Standards for School Leaders, lists 69 statements describing qualities of leadership; yet not one (not one as in zero) of the standard mentions technology. Clearly there is a need to operationalize the technology standards.

The youth of America certainly have operationalized technology. Pearson, Ferdig, Blomeyer, & Moran’s (2005) meta-analysis of 20 research articles on digital tools and literacy acquisition state that students use the internet and media as their primary text, and that schools are woefully behind. On the opposite end of the spectrum are teachers. An article published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) states that only one third of teachers felt well prepared to use computers or the internet to assist instruction and the NCES National survey results (2005) show that less than 40% of the teachers feel that the use of multimedia in the classroom is essential to their teaching. I believe that this is what is referred to as a generation gap. More like a generation Grand Canyon. Even Evel Knieval wouldn’t attempt to jump this gap.

So, how valid is technology to education? An exhaustive review of the research funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found; “The fact is that at the present time there is not a satisfactory way to measure what or how technology enhances learning, even though many believe that it does.” (Fouts, 2000, p. 38). Please don’t tell the Luddites that the research sponsored by Bill Gates does not verify the positive impact of technology on student performance outcomes! It certainly would be ironic if the value of technology in education relied on gut feelings instead of research. However, more current research in the form of a meta-analysis of 42 studies involving 7000 students finds that the use of technology to assist teaching and learning has a small, positive effect on the cognitive outcomes of students (Waxman et al., 2003). Whew.

So it seems like the students are the experts, most teachers are lackadaisical in enthusiasm or have low rates of competency, and administrative leadership standards are phantom objectives. Not a real positive outlook. The good news is that expertise in technology can be acquired independent of the formal education system. Students can procure the expertise on their own. There are always a few teachers with local expertise. In addition, I have worked in two separate school systems and both have had very able and personable technology staff, eager to share the wonders of technology. Therefore, tap into the talents of these outliers and you can find a rich resource base to help build a technology-rich program and culture.

And for me, next year I will skip Black Friday and shop from the comfort of my home by surfing the web to get my new set of gadgets on Cyber Monday.

Make a good day

Tod

PS. Evel Knievel’s jump at Caesar’s Palace: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTGGCVE2IKY

PSS. References

Fouts, J. T. (2000). Research on computers and education: Past, present and future. Retrieved (n.d.) from www.esd189.org/tlp/images/TotalReport3.pdf

Pearson, P. D., Ferdig, R. E., Blomeyer, R. L., & Moran, J. (2005). The effects of technology on reading performance in the middle grades: A meta-analysis with recommendations for policy. Retrieved June 25, 2006 from NCREL website.

Thornburg, D. (2002). The new basics: Education and the future of work in the telematic age. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Waxman, H., Lin, M., Michko, G. (2003). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of teaching and learning with technology on student outcomes. Retrieved June 25, 2006 from http://www.ncrel.org/tech/effects2/

PSSS. National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). Computer technology in the public school classroom: teacher perspectives. Retrieved (n.d.), from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005083 ,

National Center for Educational Statistics (2000). Teacher tools for the 21^st century: A report on teachers’ use of technology. Retrieved (n.d.) from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000102

PSSSS. Connecticut’s technology standards: Connecticut State Board of Education. (2002). 2001 Connecticut teacher technology competency performance indicators. Retrieved July, 2005, from http://www.state.ct.us/sde/dtl/technology/technology.htm ,

Connecticut State Board of Education. (2002). 2001 Connecticut prekindergarten through grade 12 computer technology competency standards for students. Retrieved July, 2005, from http://www.state.ct.us/sde/dtl/technology/technology.htm ,

Connecticut State Board of Education. (2002). 2001 Connecticut administrator technology standards. Retrieved July, 2005, from http://www.state.ct.us/sde/dtl/technology/technology.htm ,

Connecticut State Board of Education. (2004). Position statement on educational technology and information literacy. Retrieved May 1, 2005 from http://www.state.ct.sde/dtl/technology/technology.htm

King Kong?

Have you ever felt like this? Isolated and under attack? Outnumbered, yet making a brave stand. What events lead to this type of predicament?

Lets take a look at the sequence of events that got King Kong in trouble.

A quick recap; King Kong was living serenely on Skull Island, doing what gargantuan gorillas are expected to do: every year he comes down to the village, receives his accustomed remuneration, all which allows everyone to peacefully coexist. But not this time…when he follows the routine and retrieves his token, he is harassed, pursued relentlessly, and then bombarded into submission. After being held hostage by events he can not understand, in addition to being publicly humiliated, he desperately resorts to what he knows has worked in the past (taking possession of what is rightfully his and retreating to the highest point available to him), but alas it is to no avail as he continues to be assaulted by his adversaries.

In the end he is a tragic figure, suffering defeat while proudly protecting his responsibility. Tears well up in my one good eye as the final scene concludes with the fall of the 8th Wonder of the World. But upon further reflection, Kong should have known that something was amiss very early on. I’m pretty sure the girl was the first blond-haired human sacrifice he was ever offered. And he could have better appreciated the protestations of the posse, acknowledged that they had a legitimate claim on her and set her free. But as Steve Martin used to say, “but noooo…” he relies on past practices that are inadequate to handle the present crisis.

The crux of the problem is the failure to understand the change in the make-up of the stakeholders. His lack of appreciation resulted in a power play that he lost. Sebring and Bryk’s study of leadership in Chicago schools concludes that one of the key issues for effective school leadership is promoting ties with stakeholders. Failure to acknowledge a shift in the composition of the stakeholders combined with reliance on past practices that are unfamiliar to the new stakeholders will lead to the leader's downfall.

Routines only work when all parties are cognizant of what they are and what their role is in them.

So, did the recent November elections result in any changes in the stakeholders in your school district? Any new school board members? Have the demographics of your local community been shifting? Do any of your routine responses need to be re-evaluated? Routines and the reluctance to recognize the impact of new stakeholders can lead to failure. If it it can happen to King Kong, it can happen to you.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Sebring, P. B. & Bryk, A. S. (2000, Feb.). School leadership and the bottom line in Chicago. Phi Delta Kappan, 440-443.

PSS. Kong Kong graphic: http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/2006/v3i1/images/king_kong.jpg

PSSS. The trailer for the original 1933 classic: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2418737162064831292#

PSSS. Steve Martin: couldn't find a clip of his comedy routine that included the "but nooo" line, instead I found this piece showcasing his sweet banjo skills http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l31MSpojWTA

act globally, think locally

I know, you think that I have that backwards. Be patient.

Think globally, act locally…that is the idealist view. The organization creates a lofty vision statement and an equally esoteric mission statement, providing evidence of some highfalutin thinking. Committees are created that include every imaginable stakeholder, perhaps a consultant is hired to facilitate the process, the resulting documents are trumpeted on the website and letterhead, and plaques are placed throughout building attesting to the energy that went into creating it (sometimes, coincidentally of course, this all happens immediately prior to an accreditation visit). With all the energy directed to the global thinking, the hope is that the actual daily interactions support the ideals.

The question is: Do the daily actions within an organization support the grandiose ideals? The classic example; a school’s Statement of Beliefs includes the phrase “high expectations for ALL students”. But what if the reality is different, if the casual off-the-record conversations of teachers do not echo that sentiment? What if the local actions do not mirror the global beliefs? The discontinuity exposes global thinking as impotent, there is no action.

If teachers reason that the cause of students’ low grades is the result of “lack of homework completion” or “lack of parental involvement”, and the teachers offer that statement in a manner that suggests that those issues fall outside the bounds of their control, then minimal energy will be directed to solving the problem of low grades. The “high expectations” have been downsized by the rationalization of extraneous factors. If enough teachers voice this sentiment, then it becomes part of the norm…a culture of low expectations that is created to deal with the high frustration.

Successful schools establish a system of global-level actions, designing systemic responses to recurrent problems. The intervention needs to be premeditated and automatically engaged. The action needs to be implemented at the organizational (read that as global) level. For example, a student’s performance on a state level exam automatically places them in a class. Bingo, done deal. Why wait for someone to notice poor performance, bring it to the student support team, complete the paperwork, conduct some testing, convene another meeting, and then maybe two months later put a program in place? If you know that every year a certain segment of your student population will need additional academic or behavioral interventions, then the school needs to have a systemic response that is immediately implemented.

You don’t reinvent the wheel for every time you have a flat tire, you just put on the spare that you have readily available.

The lack of established protocols to respond to students with low performance outcomes may indicate that the majority of the teachers have divorced themselves from accepting responsibility. The systemic response will indicate baseline attitudes/thinking. Global thinking is an indicator of local actions. If a strong systemic set of protocols is lacking, then the prerequisite for action is contingent on a one person taking the initiative to instigate the process.

Local actions are contingent on the actions of an individual.

Local actions are contingent on the actions of an individual. This is the problem: local actions rely on the efforts of individuals. Depending on the culture and climate of the building, local actions may require a Herculean level of energy and perseverance by that individual to choreograph a response (if there is no global action that serves as an efficient conduit). If the grass roots culture is pessimistic, then it becomes another hurdle that impedes the individual from acting on behalf of the student.

Steve Johnson’s book, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, provides multiple examples of what rules of operation emerge from within organizations. My favorite excerpt from the book concerns the foraging of ants. You may have noticed that ants often appear to be following an invisible trail. This is because ants emit chemicals that ala Hansel and Gretel outline their trail. Other ants can then trace the chemicals to the food source. The successful outcome is all premised on a simple thought, more chemicals equals more food. This simple rule compels even more ants to follow the trail, further enhancing the path to success. What emerges from this local rule, ant senses chemical so ant follows chemical trail to food, is a system that supports the success of the colony.

The take-away from all this is that the amount of organizational energy put into creating a mission or vision needs to replicated in creating a set of protocols that establish automatic global actions triggered by student performance data. As Steve Johnson states, global-level behavior of a dynamic self-organized system is predicted by the type of low level rules. Go back, re-read that sentence again. Or allow me to translate: Global-level actions are determined by local-level thinking (rules)…so act global, think local.

Make a good day,
Tod


PS. Johnson, S. (2001). Emergence: The connected lives of ants, brains, cities, and software. New York: Touchstone. His Amazon Books website: http://www.amazon.com/Steven-R.-Johnson/e/B000APC0M6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

slippery slope

"They put aside all thought of obstacles and forgot that a precipice does not show itself to a man in a blind rush until it it's too late."
Frank Herbert

Ambition, motivation, and enthusiasm are all required to drive a new program, but beware the blind rush. Blinded because not enough stakeholders had a chance to contribute to the plan, or blinded by unbridled groupthink resulting from a cloister of too many like-minded people. Or blinded by the need to meet a deadline, ignorance, self-centeredness, or any of the usual flaws we assign to other people.

What are the differences between a precipice and a slope? The term precipice conjures up the image of a cliff, the unforgiving edge of an abyss...one step over the line and the plummet is immediate, there is no recourse or recovery. Whereas a slope is a gradual decline, seemingly offering the prospect of a slow change. The perception is that you may take the first step casually, without fear. But a slippery slope exposes the deception...because a slow step down is a still a descent.

The serious side of this scenario kicks in when the steps lead in an unethical direction. Unethical behavior does not have to be blatant at its inception, it may start with the simple use of half-truths or misrepresentations. A character in Dean Koontz's novel reflects on his misdeeds; "I don't know if this deception qualified as a half-step down a slippery slope. I had no sensation of sliding. But of course we never notice the descent until we are rocketing along at high velocity " (p. 106). By then it may be too late.

Unethical behavior leads to an irrevocable descent. The damage is done with the first half-step.

Sebring and Bryk's eight years of research on principal leadership finds that a leader needs to demonstrate integrity by articulating specific values and demonstrating them in his or her daily behavior. Leadership is elevated to a moral act in James Magregor Burns' book, Leadership; "The result of transforming leadership is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and leaders into moral agents" (p. 4). Kotter and Cohen's book chronicling how leaders have changed their organizations states that to deliver large scale change you must be "credible in a very gut-level sense, and that evokes faith in the vision" (p. 84). Credibility at the gut-level sense. You cannot fake ethical behavior, people's gut-level sense will scope it out. The upside is that acting with integrity elevates the entire organization.

There is a reason why acting with integrity is referred too as taking the high road.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS: Herbert, F. (1965). Dune. New York: Berkley Publishing Corporation.

PSS. Koontz, D. (2006). Brother Odd. New York: Bantam Books.

PSSS. Sebring, P. B. & Bryk, A. S. (2000, Feb). School Leadership and the Bottom Line in Chicago. Phi Delta Kappan, 440-443.

PSSSS. Kotter, J. P. & Cohen, D. S (2002). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change their organizations. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

laundry basket

Whoever conceived of the concept of putting a laundry basket in a child’s bathroom must have been an educational consultant. It is a wonderful concept: provide a seemingly straightforward strategy and an efficient process to solve a problem. You can even dress up the basket as a nice wicker version or a stylish modern IKEA model, but guess what; it still remains a box that mixes wet towels with soiled clothes. The nasty reality is that you have combined two separate problems into a larger, smellier, mildew-invested mess. And will the children bring this toxic bin down to the washing machine on a timely basis? Ha, the conglomeration of mold and fungus rots away despite repeated attempts to harangue the children into completing the task. But, the problem is solved from the perspective of the teenager…“I put the stuff in the hamper like you asked!” And since you, being the responsible one or just exasperated from lack of progress, will eventually bring the laundry basket to the washing machine yourself, resulting in the adverse side effect of the children becoming comfortable knowing that someone else will finish the task, translating to the belief that a job halfway done is considered completed.

I pegged this as the work of an educational consultant because while the solution may conceptually be sound, the functional reality is often weak or even counter-productive because not enough consideration is given to the local conditions. New ideas and initiatives can be snazzed up in any fashion (wicker or Scandinavian) to help sell the idea, but no manner of education jargon or buzzwords will alter the habits of the staff if the process lacks some manner of immediate positive action (or if no time is specifically allotted to reflect on the data and to design alternative practices). Here is the rub, any multi-step solution/initiative should have the reflection and action phases engaged immediately in sequence following the data collection or the natural tendency to procrastinate will elongate the process so that someone else has to step in to facilitate closure (by that time the consultant is long gone and so the burden falls on you).

So, does the concept of a Data Team fit the parameters of this scenario? Don’t get me wrong, conducting frequent formative benchmark assessments is a worthy educational endeavor; but what to do with the data? Does it languish in individual teachers’ gradebooks? Does it get brought together in a timely and meaningful fashion? If you are fortunate to have a functional process put in place, then maybe you sort through the information and have it hung it up in the form of a Data Wall. But the key question then becomes: how does the data impact improvements to your school's instructional strategies? If the data does not influence daily decisions on core practices, then it just like that shirt hanging in your closet that you never wear, it is merely an item that triggers an occasional random consideration, but the end result is that no action is taken.

In an article titled, Leveraging Intellect, the authors advise that proper data collection systems are the “glue” that holds a network of people together. They also state that a proper data system allows organizations to “vault over normal learning curve delays” (p. 91). Charles Ruebling, from The Center for School Redesign, reiterates the need to focus on the use of data; “Research increasingly affirms that the key to school improvement is for school leaders to focus on the academic program (namely the written curriculum), the use of assessment data, and professional development” (p. 1). His 2003 study, Instructional Leadership: An Essential Ingredient for Improving Student Learning, found that leaders tended to be passive participants. So even they did not bring the laundry basket to the washer!

The ultimate goal is to enhance practice in order to increase student growth. The need is to devise a data collection system and timely analysis process in order to enhance classroom practices the next time the teacher engages the material. Just as the ultimate goal of laundry collection is to bring a load to the washer and dryer so that the clothes may be worn again.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Quinn, J.B., Anderson, P. & Finkelstein, S. (2005). Leveraging Intellect. Academy of Management Executive, 19(4), 78-94.

PSS. Ruebling, C.E. (Spring 2003). Instructional leadership: An essential ingredient for improving student learning. The Educational Forum, 68(3), 243.

PSSS. Website at University of Saskatchewan listing a great collection of articles on instructional leadership: https://library.usask.ca/courses/EADM_820/200907/ANY/readings

PSSSS. A classic MayTag washer repairman TV commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7z6AKPGDZ4&feature=related

if you build it

I am on vacation so please accept this “postcard” posting.

At Millennium Park in downtown Chicago there is a sculpture nicknamed "The Bean". Its polished surface attracts hundreds of visitors at a time gawking at their ever-changing fun-house style reflections (including yours truly). Onehundred yards from this sculpture is a fountain consisting of two fifty-foot tall monolithic rectangular structures (think 2001 Space Odyssey) that display the smiling face of a child on the facade and if you wait for it…water gushes from the mouth, cascading over the eager waders. On the day of our visit it was thronged with gleeful children frolicking in the water. A third oversized sculpture is nearby that looks like a partially melted Tupperware container. We walked by it twice. Five people were at it the first time and seven the next time. Clearly the adage; “If you build it, they will come.” is not universally applicable.

So, what are you creating?

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Photo credit: http://www.math.uic.edu/photos/Bean.jpg

PSS. For all you purists, the proper quotation is "If you build it, he will come", watch the trailer: http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie/149943/field-of-dreams

release the hounds

One of the wonderful aspects of summer is the opportunity to go to an amusement park. My daughter was very excited this week to join her friends at our local theme park and the excursion was going to be even more special because they are now old enough to drive there themselves. A great combination of gleeful anticipation of the thrill rides, turbo-charged with the adventurous sense of independence! But, on the morning of the big day she wakes up and it is raining. Not just drizzling, but a serious downpour; raindrops the size of your fist and enough thunder to let you know that Zeus is bowling a 300 game. Her tittering excitement quickly turns into a sullen and solemn demeanor as the joy is sucked right out of her life.

So on the first day of meetings before the school year starts, what administrative duty do you commit against your teachers that sucks the joy from their hopeful outlook? Yes, I know that certain administrative-oriented tasks need to occur early on when you have everyone together, but at what cost? Teachers are as eager to have a good year and are as hopeful as my daughter and her group of friends about the adventure that lies ahead. So why rain on the parade?

Consider this: If my daughter’s day had started with some brilliant sunshine and if she had the opportunity to experience some of the thrill rides with her buddies, and then it started to rain; she would have come home laughing about the fun they had dancing in the puddles. Her positive outlook would have been shaped by the context of the initial fun from the amusement rides. Administrators must establish the same scenario, create the bond of shared joy or amusement before taking care of the mundane.

Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson’s book, Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership, emphasizes the role that emotions, vision, and ceremony have in creating a productive culture. “It is important to remember the formidable nature of the school leader’s unofficial power to reshape school culture towards an ‘ethos of excellence’ and make quality an authentic part of the daily routine of school life” (p. 86). Part of that ethos of excellence is evolves from accentuating the positive. They encourage administrators to “rabidly” celebrate the positive (p. 127).

Rabidly celebrate the positive!

Rabid. As in go-crazy-foam-at-the-mouth enthusiasm. However, if foaming at the mouth does not fall within the parameters of your personality traits, then you can focus on the celebration of the positive piece of their proclamation. If you have too much of a tame Lassie temperament, then show a video clip and let it serve the role of Cujo. My superintendent showed an Abbott and Costello comedy routine on mathematics that prompted some shared laughter before presenting the students’ scores on the standardized math test. It is that spoonful of sugar strategy that Mary Poppins sang about. And I feel like busting out that song about rubber tree plants…cause I have high hopes.

Still feeling like this is not in your comfort zone or that taking the time to create a celebration of the positive seems trivial compared to all the other tasks that are of high priority, then listen to some experts: page one from Deal and Peterson: “Highly respected organizations have evolved a shared system of informal folkways and traditions that infuse work with meaning, passion, and purpose.” Meaning, passion, and purpose. These are the targets for day one.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. T. E. Deal & K. D. Peterson (1999). Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

PSS. Frankie singing High hopes: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x58asx_sinatras-classic-song-high-hopes_music

PSSS. In case you are not familiar with the Stephen Knovel, Cujo , here is the movie trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0k21yeVMbM

PSSSS. Abott and Costello math video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WMi5TUJDso

summer reading

a wish

if only we allowed children to build our houses
they would be bright bright yellow
the doors would be smiley faces
the windows would be blue wind
flowers parading and holding hands
would accompany the walkways
the roofs steep and orange
would lift toward the heavens
if only we allowed children to build our houses
the sun would shine everyday
rain would be a blessing
trees would grow more colorfully
the grass wold be taller
more birds would fill the sky
more birds would fill the sky
if only we allowed children to build our houses
if only we allowed children to build our houses
every picture would be a song
every movement a dance
every moment the eternal
every heart a gift
if only we allowed children to build our houses
we would have reached so many moons so many stars by now

Tryfon Tolides


Complete the following:

1) If only we allowed children to build our schools...


PS. Poem is from Shapes (Spring , 1999) Manchester Community-Technical College's art and literary magazine. A book of his work is avaiable: T. Tolides (2006). An Almost Pure Empty Walking. New York: Penguin Books.

who done it?

I love a good mystery. Except of course when it involves the location of my car keys. Dick Francis and P.D. James are two of my favorite authors. The appeal for me in the works of Dick Francis is that his characters are often just average Joes that find themselves in a predicament that needs attention. After some blundering juxtaposed with serendipitous sleuthing, the resiliency of the protagonist results in a successful resolution. My enjoyment in reading these stories is the sense of uncertainty. A good plot in a mystery should keep you guessing as to what might happen next and who is the responsible party.

However, there should be no mystery in education when it comes down to seeing if reform initiatives are being implemented by the staff. There may be a myriad of reasons why a particular person is not practicing the reform, but regardless of the reason, the administrator needs to know if it is being practiced (and then can determine what interventions are necessary). The issue therefore centers on how the fidelity of the program will be monitored.

Fidelity.

Fidelity is my new favorite catchword in educational reform (usually that phrasing would represent a sarcastic comment, but I really do like this term). It is one of my favorites because it is well worth the effort to create the infrastructure necessary to support it. Thomas Guskey, in Evaluating Professional Development (2000), repeatedly reiterates the value of monitoring professional development initiatives.

Some reforms are content-based, others are more process-oriented that involves the interaction between teacher and student. The first question to be asked is: Can the reform be evidenced in a student performance task? If it can assessed via the review of an artifact, then these artifacts can become items for analysis in Professional Learning Communities (see last week‘s blog for tips on how to structure professional dialogue in a PLC). If the reform is concerned more with a particular classroom practice, such as student-teacher dialogue or the manner in which the teacher references the Essential Understanding for the unit as part of the delivery of the lesson, then this requires a visitation to the classroom.

Walk-through visitations are one technique to monitor fidelity. I admit that I was originally skeptical about the use of walk-through observations because it is a technique that is ripe for misuse or misapplication. In order for the data to have significance, there needs to be multiple visits. My worry is that due to the daily emergent priorities that usurp the intention to visit classrooms, that the number of visits that actually occur will be minimal, but conclusions will still be made on the limited data pool. The staff will quickly resent the process if it is done poorly.

In order for fidelity to be more than a catchword, the approach to monitoring the fidelity must be user-friendly. User-friendly. If it is not an efficient process and user-friendly then it will fade away and the results will be misapplied. Either of those options are disheartening to staff. So spend time on the design of the observation form, pilot its use, and then redesign the form. Here is the mantra: Monitor the fidelity consistently, efficiently, and in a manner in which the data can be displayed graphically.

Consistently, as in everyone knows what the topics are and that there is agreement as to what the observational evidence needs to be. Efficient means it can be done in 5 minutes or less, therefore use a checklist. Sorry if some purists are aghast at the mention of a checklist, but the reality is that it helps maintain the required consistency and it keeps the process user-friendly. I don’t just mean user-friendly for the person conducting the visit, but the person being observed should know the exact nature of the criteria. If the criteria are articulated in a checklist/scoring rubric format then everyone knows beforehand what the evidence needs to be for each rating. Each specific item being targeted should have a spectrum of criteria that includes the optimum level of practice, e.g. daily objective absent, daily objective posted, objective referenced during class by the teacher, objective referenced in context to lesson/unit by student(s). The data garnered from the rubrics should be presented in a graphic format that has visual impact in order to easily trigger conversation.

A well crafted observation form is the key to keeping it user-friendly. Then the only mystery is whether Colonial Mustard used the candlestick in the conservatory or the kitchen.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Link to article/interview with Guskey in The Evaluation Exchange: A periodical on emerging strategies in evaluation. http://www.hfrp.org/evaluation/the-evaluation-exchange/issue-archive/professional-development

PSS. Connecticut walk-through guide has an extensive list of topics but the form is not user-friendly and does not translate well into a graphic data record. So it is an example of what NOT to do: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/Curriculum/Walkthrough_Protocol_Guide_2008.pdf

PSSS. Interview with Dick Francis: http://www.eyeonbooks.com/fiction/0901/dickfrancis.html and a synopsis of each of his books: http://home.ca.inter.net/~jbeaumont/francis/

smart talk

“The guy who invented the wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius.”
Sid Caesar

One of the goals of educational leadership is to combine isolated expertise in order to achieve success at the organizational level, as stated metaphorically in Sid Caesar’s humorous remark. In other words, the days of the solo-close-the-door-do-it-alone approach are over. It is time to share expertise and craft knowledge in order to meet the demands of accountability. Structuring teachers’ dialogue about instructional strategies is a means to build on the strengths inherent in a school system. This structural approach to systematically creating a culture of reflection about best practices is referred to as Professional Learning Communities.

Fred Newmann’s landmark study of effective educational practices (Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools: Final Report, 1996) concluded that successful schools utilized Professional Learning Communities. Judith Little's article, Looking at Student Work in the United States: A Case of Countervailing Impulses in Professional Development (2004), cites research that shows it to be a value-added endeavor, but that teacher groups need good protocols, a good facilitator, and school-level support. Little states that the reason teachers need to refine their practices is because “Students can do no better than the assignments they are given” (p. 102). The take-away tidbit is this: If you want to improve students' performance, then improve the quality of the tasks that you are asking students to complete. So convene with your peers and enhance the quality of the tasks.

Professional Learning Communities.

The key operational word in that term is community. Will the nature of the discourse be direct and polite? This is difficult since some teachers I know are good about making direct comments about someone else’s teaching (usually when the person being spoken of is not in the room, so I guess it should be called indirect direct commentary) but if the person is in the room then the reverse is true, there tends to be too much politeness and the commentary is reduced to bland generic statements that do not move the conversation forward. The book, Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning, offers a 4-step protocol utilized in the medical field to conduct discussions in a professional manner; 1) description, not judgment; 2) analysis of the descriptions, examine evidence for patterns or contradictions; 3) prediction (the structure of the task predicts/sets the parameters for the student’s performance, so the question becomes: if the students are being asked to X, then they will be able to do X, not Y or Z. If what you really wanted was Z , then restructure the task for Z); and 4) evaluation. But the evaluation is not the typical “good, bad, or ugly” labeling, but the evaluation is focused on what the next level of professional practice should look like.

Seek the Holy Grail rather than sit around and bemoan how dirty the coffee mug is.

Notice how the process is virtually absent of personal opinion and resembles a clinical examination, like an autopsy. But in this case we are looking beyond placing a toe tag on the cadaver, we are looking forward to evaluating what a healthy specimen looks like. The focus is on success, not criticism. This is the climate in which a Professional Learning Community can maximize the expertise of the teachers and have them feel good about their work. Success can be contagious.

So be a genius, get all the wheels working together, and avoid the road rage.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. City, E., Elmore, R., Fiarman, S., Teitel, L. (2009), Instructional rounds in education: A network approach to improving teaching and learning. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press.

PSS. Little, J.W. (2004). 'Looking at student work' in the United States: Countervailing impulses in professional development. In C. Day & J. Sachs (eds.), International Handbook on the Continuing Professional Development of Teachers (pp. 94-118). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press; and for a list of her other publications: http://gse.berkeley.edu/faculty/JWLittle/JWLittle.html#Publications

PSSS. For an extensive list of literature on Professional Learning Communities that includes Newmann's report: http://www.allthingsplc.info/tools/bibliography.php

PSSSS. How NOT to have a discussion, Sid Caesar arguing with Nanette Fabray set to Beethovens 5th Sympathy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhF-7suDsM

PSSSSS. The Sid Caesar quotation was taken from Daniel Pink’s (2005) A Whole New Mind. New York: Riverhead Books.

leadership is a verb (aka leadership is art: the sequel)

This week I am going to see the new Transformers movie with my daughter. Three weeks ago we saw the new Terminator movie. Yes, I like science fiction and yes, I like a good sequel. And yes, technically the Terminator movie is a sequel to the sequel of a sequel to the original. No, I am not enamored with sequels, but if I liked the storyline and enjoyed the characters the first time around, then why not revisit them in a new adventure? A good sequel is a chance to explore new action, reveal hidden plot lines, all while maintaining enough continuity to satisfy the returning viewer and be entertaining enough to enthrall audience members who are new to the storyline.

So it is in that spirit of the sequel that I revisit the objective of last week’s blog: Leadership is Art. Cue the appropriate background music and cut to the flashback…Leadership is Art…an artist produces work that provokes an emotional response…an effective leader also deals in emotions by communicating a universal vision that inspires followers to perform with a renewed passion. Referring to someone as an artist is a high level compliment, just as the term leadership is the epitome of the concept of management.

Ordway Tead (now there is a name for you…Ordway), a noted scholar in the field of management, titled one of his book’s The Art of Leadership. Tead speaks of the value of having a vision; “The mere presence of a sound purpose is obviously not enough. It must be felt to be sound by all. In other words it must be surcharged with a dynamic emotion, with a hopefulness, with a will to win and an abounding robust sense of joy in the job” (p. 98). This was originally published in 1935, but if it were re-issued today then it would rise to the top of the charts, becoming the required text for leadership programs. Find yourself an old copy via Amazon for $4 (or at your local university library) and you will discover that much of today’s leadership literature is just rephrasing the work done a century ago, but missing the eloquence and enthusiasm.

But lets get to the issue that has been rattling around my brain for the last week: Leadership and Art; both words are nouns, although both connote action, which should classify them as verbs. I may be getting out of my league here (as I was sick the week they taught grammar, syntax, and speeling in school) but it really seems that leadership should be classified as a verb. Art is synonymous with creation and stimulation, so is leadership. Leadership means influence, action, accomplishment. Leadership is not static; let me rephrase that: effective leadership is not static. Today in education, progress, growth, and reform are the keynote attributes of leadership. Leadership is action!

Leadership is a verb.

Leadership is a verb because it is intimate with action (for full disclosure I must state that I am influenced by the title of a poem by Buckminster Fuller titled God is a Verb). The hope is that the actions of the school's staff is in response to a vision that is so well crafted and communicated that they respond with a visceral sense of purpose. The education of our youth is far too serious a concern for there not to be deep joy and laughter. If however, we perform our jobs without emotion, if our actions are merely robotic responses conveying standardized educational practices, then we are surely losing the battle for the souls of our pupils. Leaders are at war with the machine-like compliance to external standards. Leaders must take action to instill a sense of purpose that will drive reform in turbo gear. If you are listening to this message, then you are part of the resistance…you are an artist.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Terminator Salvation, trailer: http://terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com/

PSS. Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen, trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/transformersrevengeofthefallen/transformers_trailer_large.html

PSSS. God is a verb: http://wholeearth.com/issue/1010/article/194/god.is.a.verb

leadership is art

Born, as we all are, helpless and speechless and dependent upon others for all the necessities of life, we must acquire slowly and gradually the capacities which make life more than a sum of vegetative and animal processes. As the utterly self-centered and uncomprehending infant develops, the chaos which is his world begins to take on order and to mirror the objective world which lies about him. He learns to relate his cries, wails and random movements to what the things, and especially the persons, in his environment do to him. At some point in his growth he grasps the difference between things, which simply affect him, and persons who communicate with him. Throughout the rest of his life he elaborates the distinction. He learns that he must not treat persons as things: this is the dawn of morality. He learns that a more penetrating, a more comprehensive grasp of things enables him to do with them what he could never do by his untutored impulses: this is the dawn of science. He learns, for example, that with the particular tones of his voice, gestures, combinations of words, he can make others aware of what he sees with his mind's eye: this is the dawn of art. Albert C. Barnes

Many of the lines contained within that quotation resound with truth, so please excuse me for including the bulk of it. Written by Albert Barnes, it is an excerpt of a piece concerning his good friend, John Dewey (and shame on me that I can not locate the exact reference at this time).

I wish to focus on one particular truth and place it in the context of effective leadership; a leader knows that with the “particular tones of his voice, gestures, combinations of words, he can make others aware of what he sees with his mind's eye: this is the dawn of art.” An artist holds a special rank in society because of his or her unique talent. An artist has a mystical ability to create work that can evoke/provoke an emotional response.

“The soul never thinks without a picture.” Aristotle

This quotation is attributed to Aristotle in Scott, Jaffe, and Tobe’s (1993) Picturing Excellence in Organizational Vision, Values, and Mission (p.86). The authors contend that imagery is essential for communicating the vision and subsequent mission of an organization. Once an image is manifested, it can be utilized to “remember” the future. Wow, remember the future. Let that concept roll around the brain a little bit.

The ability to create a universal image, with its associated emotional attributes, can serve as more than just a mere goal, it can become a visceral target, seemingly made tangible due to its emotional content. The best current example of the use of imagery is the campaign poster from the last election…you already know what I am going to say…the iconic graphic image of Obama with the simple word Hope. A vision can be a powerful engine to motivate people.

Noted scholar on leadership issues in education, Kenneth Leithwood cites vision as the foremost dimension of his list of five dimensions of transformational leadership. The others being; 2) common goals, 3) high expectations, 4) intellectual stimulation, 5) individualized support. A well crafted vision satisfies the first four dimensions of his leadership attributes. Communication is the key. Howard Gardner’s recent work on leadership identified three intelligences at work in effective leaders: existential, interpersonal, and linguistic. Existential is the deep thinking, big picture stuff, which is the essence of visionary thinking. Interpersonal means that the vision resonates with the staff. It literally places a song in their hearts. Linguistic means the leader possesses the ability to craft the vision. Deep response…emotional impact… these are the seminal characteristics of the work of an artist. Therefore, leadership is art.

You might say to yourself, well I’m not an artist, I’m not particularly gifted in linguistic skills… well first off don’t say that too loud since it is the equivalent to overhearing a waiter whispering to the busboy that he had just dropped your steak on the floor, picked it up, pulled off most of the hairs and dust-bunnies, and put it back on your plate. In other words, never advertise your inadequacies. How was that for a visual image? Not quite the deep-thinking quality, but maybe a bit of an emotional response. However, the goal of a leader is to craft and promote symbolism that is representative of deep thinking, does develop emotional response, and is deemed to be powerful enough to become the stimulus for ‘remembering’ the future.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. For some practical tips on how to become a PowerPoint artist, see Garr Reynolds work: http://www.slideshare.net/garr/sample-slides-by-garr-reynolds

PSS. Leithwood’s five dimensions of leadership can be found in: Leithwood, K. (1994). Leadership for school restructuring. Educational Administration Quarterly, 30(4), 495-518.

PSSS. Scott, C., Jaffe, D., and Tobe, G. (1993). Picturing Excellence in Organizational Vision, Values, and Mission (pp.73-90). Mento Park, CA: Crisp Publications, Inc.

PSSSS. Shepard Fairey is the artist of the Obama poster: http://creativebits.org/files/Shepard_Fairey_obama-poster.jpg

plays well with others

Gary Yukl’s 2002 book, Leadership in Organizations, cites an early study of leadership conducted by Ohio State University that created a list of 1,800 examples of leadership behaviors. The authors whittled the list down to 150, and then identified the two most critical leadership behaviors as; 1) consideration, and 2) initiating structure. I translate that as: A leader needs to be nice and play by the rules (rules that they help establish/clarify).

When you were a child, consensus on which rules were being used in a game was essential for determining how much disagreement about the outcome was going to take place. In the game Four Square, is palming the ball allowed?; in Tether ball, will double hits be allowed?; in Monopoly will the monies collected from fees and fines be put into a joint kitty to be won be the player landing on Free Parking? If the rules are not clearly established, then argument will surely ensue (and your brother will flick the game board upside down and storm off in anger…purely a hypothetical example).

Rules are essential. The rules of a school, formal or informal, are a major component of its culture.

However, the concept of ‘rules’ is far different than ‘initiating structure’. The key word there is ‘initiating’. A workplace already has its set of rules. The leader, if he or she is acting as a change agent, is by definition in the position of changing the status quo. Reform requires a change in the rules of operation. Sometimes the leader may even have to act as a change terrorist and blow up the existing structure. For the veteran staff this is akin to changing the rules in the middle of the game (so watch out for the equivalent of the scattering of houses, hotels, and other play pieces caused by this upset).

Buckminster Fuller’s view on rules and rule-changing is that leaders should create a new system that makes the existing reality obsolete (I know, easier said than done, but it still should remain the goal). Effective leaders can direct the flow of change with the use of positive influence. Yukl states that “Influence is the essence of leadership” (p. 141). Influence means that you can impact the structure. So, that is a quick idealist primer on the ‘initiating structure’ piece of leadership.

Rules and structure are one component and ‘consideration’ is the other component. The trait, consideration, connotes an understanding and appreciation of other people‘s view, combined with the ability to communicate with them. The antithesis of this is exemplified by the chain gang boss in the film Cool Hand Luke, who utters the classic line in response to Luke’s (Paul Newman) continual conflict with the rules, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate”.

Consideration. Be nice. Play by the rules.

Here is a thought: When school systems file a posting for an administrative position, the usual routine is to have the candidate submit a resume, 3 letters of recommendation, and college transcripts. Perhaps the process should be amended…candidates should submit copies of their report cards from 4th grade to see if their early character development demonstrates the proper credentials as evidenced by the praise “plays well with others”.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. An excellent synopsis of Fuller's ideas on leadership, this should be mandatory reading for all leaders: http://www.readyaiminspire.com/Buckminster_Fuller_Leadership_By_Design.html

PSS. Clip from Cool Hand Luke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_aVuS7cOIQ

PSSS. Other quotes from Cool Hand Luke: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/quotes

PSSSS. A snippet from Yukl's book: http://217.140.32.103/media/F7B/97/randd-leaders-business-yukl.pdf

contrived compliance

I do believe that I am the only one in my household that knows how to close a closet door. Specifically, the coat closet next to the side door remains open 24/7. I am talking full-fledged wide open, not merely ajar. My household includes three able-bodied, intelligent children whom possess a reasonable amount of acquiescence to their parents’ wishes, but not when it comes to this simple task. I have tried one-on-one training, punishment, rewards, and good old-fashioned tongue-lashings, but to no avail. We have had “family meetings” on the topic, where they will dutifully listen, nod their heads in agreement to the proper course of action, verbally commit to compliance, and yet, not one of my three daughters is capable of closing the closet door on a regular basis. Their commitment evaporates the moment the meeting is adjourned.

How many times have you attended a professional development workshop and have had staff members present the façade of commitment but upon return to their classrooms any pretense of practicing the new reform initiative ceases immediately. Close their door and boom, back to the same old same old. Granted with some poorly structured workshops there is not enough practical involvement to allow for acquisition of a particular skill or instructional strategy. But, if the structure of the seminar is sound and there is the opportunity to create the necessary artifacts, then the commitment to incorporate the new instructional strategies should be stated by the participants with purity of intentions. It is the disingenuous, contrived compliance that is my rub. I would much prefer honest debate about the worthiness and practical applications of a new procedure than feigned compliance. Unity does not require uniformity.

I believe that dissent can be a positive component of a healthy school climate.

One of the main characters in the TV series M*A*S*H serves as a classic example of how dissention can be productive to an organization. Hawkeye Pierce was forever chaffing at regulations and rebelled in many ways, but his intentions were to improve the quality of life at the camp and to improve the medical care of the injured (For insight into Alan Alda’s psyche and how his personality was well suited to that role in many ways, I suggest a read of his book, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: and Other Things I‘ve Learned). The character Klinger however, takes noncompliance to the extreme with selfish intentions by his attempted use of cross-dressing to get discharged. That is an example of non-productive non-compliance.

Richard Elmore, in School Reform from the Inside Out: Policy, Practice, and Performance (2004), states that only 25% of the participating teachers will employ the skills or instructional strategies delivered during professional development. Twenty-five percent is a rather lame compliance rate. One person I know thought the solution was to offer 4 times as many seminars in order to achieve 100%. Hmm… Honest discussion at the onset (in a climate where open discourse/dissent is invited) can help to alleviate the problem of staff who will talk the talk with no intention of walking the walk.

Honest onset.

Cultivating the culture of the school so that professional dialogue includes freedom for dissention is a difficult task, but is worth the effort. The rebel is the first to see the chink in the armor, and can therefore help prevent problems that will become evident to others in the long term. Remember, nothing is quicker in abetting teacher dissatisfaction towards professional development than suffering through another aborted reform initiative.

If the byproduct of open discussion is a firmer commitment to reform, then it should be worth the energy to create the climate that explores the worthiness of school goals. Otherwise administrative energies will be depleted by proctoring professional development that is translated into practice by a mere minority of the staff. Administrators should be encouraged by the vitality of dissent since it may translate into greater commitment. I myself am now emboldened to act, and I think I will start a discussion with my children about committing to turning off the lights when leaving a room…

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Hawkeye's effect on the climate of the unit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qbdm2xQnNM

PSS. Elmore’s comprehensive paper on the pathologies inherent in the current structure of schools and suggestions for a new approach [Building a New Structure for School Leadership (2000), which is chapter 3 in his book: School Reform from the Inside Out: Policy, Practice, and Performance (2004), ] http://www.shankerinstitute.org/Downloads/building.pdf

if I only had a brain

I could wile away the hours,
conferin’ with the flowers,
consultin’ with the rain.
And my head I’d be scratchin’
while my thoughts were busy hatchin’,
if I only had a brain.

Some friends of mine just visited the man behind the curtain and received their doctoral degrees in educational leadership. It was an extreme pleasure to walk across the stage in the company of these dedicated educators. Our alma mater, Central Connecticut State University, has a doctoral program that adheres to the cohort model: selecting a diverse group of individuals and then striving to build a level of camaraderie that will sustain us when we feel overloaded with the work. We represented the first wave of graduates from our cohort, and I look forward to seeing the rest of my friends receive their diplomas when they get done battling their own version of flying monkeys in their quest for the witch’s broom.

As I try to decipher the range of emotions from that evening, I realize the power that ritual and ceremony has in education. It is an opportunity for students to bond with their peers and strengthen their allegiance to their school. For example, my school had a pep rally last week, complete with spirited contests between grade levels. The noise in the gymnasium was deafening! Virtually 100% of the students were caught up in the enthusiasm and cheered their hearts out. I am sure that the decibel exceeded the safe threshold set by OSHA by a factor of ten. Even the students who would normally show disdain towards any display of school spirit were yelling like they were at a rock concert. The energy was palatable and it unified the students in a manner that enriched the climate and culture of the school.

Many researchers have studied the importance of culture in organizations. Two notable authors are Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal. Their work on reframing leadership created a model for organizational cultures that identifies 4 components: the structural frame, the political frame, human resources, and the symbolic frame. The symbolic frame includes the rituals and ceremonies. They assert that a leader’s mission in support of the symbolic frame is to create faith, beauty, and meaning. Create faith, beauty, and meaning! The capacity to create meaning might be a commonplace talent, but to create beauty and faith requires a leader with the soul of a poet.

One of my colleagues challenges her elementary school students to read massive amounts of books and rewards their involvement by kissing a pig, or climbing a fire truck’s ladder to the roof of the school to dance a jig. You can guarantee that it becomes the topic of conversation at dinner tables across the community and is a significant source of goodwill. If you define poetry as the unique combination of word choices or events with the purpose of evoking an emotional response, then these antics can be considered as culture building at its finest!

I find it interesting to note that as Bolman and Deal continued their work on leadership that they wrote an extended parable that focused on the spiritual component of leadership; Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit. They remark on the importance of spiritual aspect of leadership, “Our work has taught us that the symbolic, expressive facets of organizational life are at the heart of inspired leadership” (p. 39). So, school leaders, go create beauty and faith. Promote joy. Embrace the power of ceremonies.

As the Wizard of Oz ceremoniously proclaimed to the Scarecrow; “Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven’t got: a diploma.” Now as for me, since I am certified to wile away the hours, conferring with the flowers, I think I will dance and be merry since life is ding-a-derry…

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Complete lyrics and dialogue: http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/movie/cmp/r-lyrics.html

PSS. Nice overview of Bolman and Deal’s framework: http://www.tnellen.com/ted/tc/bolman.html

who's on first

Who is on first.
I Don’t Know,
third base.

Abbot and Costello’s gig is a classic (see link below) that has withstood the test of time. The classic mode of instruction in education of a teacher-centered lecture is however well past its time. Yes, lecture does have value as a means to convey information. And yes, a charismatic teacher can present a lecture in a lively fashion. But, the student-centered learning paradigm, with the student playing a more active role in the educational process, is the currently favored practice. Here is a wonderful quotation by Dr. F. Louis Soldan, a superintendent of schools, explaining the paradigm from the teacher’s point of view:

“In conducting the lesson she has no thought of using it to display her own professional skill or brilliancy; but she puts the child in the foreground, and her whole aim is to give his own acting as much time and scope as her skill can induce him to use. She speaks little, that he may speak more; she realizes the difference between telling and teaching. Her aim is to excite activity, and for this purpose she enlists his interest. She makes instruction, not only profitable, but also attractive. She not only serves the intellectual food, but also stimulates the appetite.”

The teacher not only serves the intellectual food but stimulates the appetite! An apt metaphor for a master teacher with a well-tuned perspective on the nature of their profession in order to meet today’s expectations for student-centered learning. Lets check the date of this quotation…this was written in 1899!

1899. Student-centered learning is an heirloom concept. 1899... the math on that is 110 years. Dr. Soldan had it right 110 years ago, so what went wrong? So much as transpired in education since that time that I will just pick one of my favorite axis of evil. One of the items that perpetuated the problem was the cold war era report, A Nation at Risk, that proclaimed in Chicken Little fashion that America was losing its leadership position in the world and called for increased rigor and standards. There is no time for student-centered instruction in a neo-Malthusian world.

Student-centered instruction requires ample planning, preparation for routines, and a teacher with confidence in the associated instructional skill set. Without proper structure and discipline it could well turn into a 3 Stooges slapstick routine. But the Cold War is over and the focus can return to what is in the best interest of the child. Unless however, the standards-based, high-stakes testing paradigm is narrowly interpreted and becomes the new evil empire. But I believe that the brain-based research that supports the value of student engagement of prior knowledge and the constructivist approach will serve as a hefty counter-weight to the pendulum swinging back to the teacher-centered, scripted lesson format that some schools would employ to teach to the test.

But you never quite know what tomorrow will bring. Oh, and by the way, according to Abbott and Costello‘s skit, Tomorrow, he is the pitcher.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Abbot and Costello with Who’s on first?: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/abbott&costellowhosonfirst.htm

PSS. A source of heirloom wisdom: F. L. Soldan (September, 1899). Efficient and Inefficient Teachers. The Teachers World, 11(1), 54-55.

gimme some lovin

That song just came up on the radio while I was typing (read that as: my internet link to the free music website Pandora played this song while I was pecking away at the keyboard on my laptop) and I stopped to enjoy the music. It always amazes me how certain songs can conjure up memories and emotions. I associate Gimme Some Lovin by the Spencer Davis group with the version sung in the Blues Brothers movie, which then triggers happy thoughts about my college days since the movie came out at the same time.

All this reminds me that the human mechanism, this body of mine, really is a convoluted mix of emotional responses keyed by environmental triggers. Leaders would do well to remember this. Amidst all the managerial responsibilities of the school leadership position, maintaining a focus on the human element is in constant danger of being eclipsed. Transactional leadership might portray the interaction between the leader and follower as a more sterile quid pro quo arrangement, but if the administrator-teacher relationship can defined in those sterile terms, then why do teachers get so angry with his or her school leader about the smallest intrusions into their practice?

Teaching is a profession that requires a person to bare their soul on a regular basis.

The soul baring can contribute to the sensitivity issue. There is ample research that supports the importance of a trusting relationship between the teacher and the school leader. Fink and Resnick’s 2001 Kappan article, Developing Principals as Instructional Leaders, states that building a climate of trust is a foundational leadership skill, “Effective instructional leaders must, in other words, create both intellectual capacity and social capital within their organization.” Other research shows that new leaders are assigned a certain level of trust that allows for an initial level of a functional relationship. What destroys the relationship is any action that is perceived as a betrayal of that trust.

Betrayal.

Andy Hargreaves work on teaching and betrayal in 2002, finds that in his study of relationships that trust is not the determinate factor, but that betrayal is the key component. He lists 3 types of betrayal; 1) the leader demonstrating a lack of competence , 2) the violation of an agreement or expectation, and 3) poor communication (e.g. public shaming or gossip). Any instances of betrayal are corrosive to the relationship between the teacher and school leader. Hargreaves states, “Betrayal is the emotional enemy of improvement” p. 405.

Since teaching is by its nature a constant series of interactions, relationships taken a heightened level of importance. This sensitivity escalates the teachers’ perception of betrayal. School leaders must recognize that teachers may need positive reinforcement on a regular basis to help maintain productive relationships... give them some lovin. Make sure to click the music video links below to get your own dose of emotional uplift today.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Gimme some lovin performed live by the Spencer Davis Group, 1967: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFaT69CyyKU

PSS. Blues Brother’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX5zaS0vgJ8#

PSSS. Hargreaves, A. (2002) Teaching and Betrayal. Teachers and teaching: Theory and practice. 8 (3 /4) p. 393-407.

it is what it is

Nonsense.

The phrase ‘It is what it is’ is utter nonsense. Nonsense is what it is! If the depth of your analysis of a problem is “It is what it is”, then you are in pretty shallow water.

If you want to use a nonsensical response that attempts an air of sophistication, then might as just well use Mary Poppins’ phrase: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (which we all know that if you say it loud enough, you’ll always sound precocious).

Why do people use the phrase?

I have often heard people use that phrase to refer to something that they do not like but are resigned to accept. Wimps. Wimps, or worse. They may not be willing to devote energy or thought to diagnosing the issue at the time, but its continual use promotes apathy. This habit will erode your integrity.

A greater concern is the impact of the phrase on your co-workers’ perception of your leadership. Most people use the phrase as a disclaimer from further involvement or avoidance of making hard decisions. Such as, “the student performance outcomes on the standardized tests show a decline of 10 points.” Instead of engaging in the sometimes uncomfortable dialogue of accountability, the casual refrain of 'it is what is is' allows ineffectual practices to persist because they are not addressed in an honest and clear manner. The antithesis of this refrain is Jack Nicholson’s diatribe in the movie A Few Good Men, when he responds to cross-examination by bellowing “You can’t handle the truth!” and then proceeds to passionately articulate the rationale for his actions.

The whole point of leadership is to influence the actions of others. The key word there is: actions. If an issue truly does not mean anything, if there was no purpose to bringing it to my attention, if there is nothing that I can do to contribute to solving the problem, then why are you wasting my time by bringing it up in the first place?

Every issue is viewed in context, analyzed from a certain point of view. Issues in education need scrutiny, not avoidance. The work of educational leadership is to find the knowledge necessary to address the issue. A rudimentary level of knowledge will only support basic or even flawed decisions. Information promotes innovation. Developing a richer understanding can result in a more complex level of decision making. Eliot Eisner refers to this deep level of knowledge as "connoisseurship". The analogy of expertise in wines is appropriate. I envy the wine connoisseur who can distinguish the finer characteristics and subtleties. My brother-in-law has turned his acute interest in experiencing fine wines into operating a very popular bistro and wine bar (a side note: One experiences fine wines, you drink the lower quality stuff). Educational leaders should promote the attainment of a connoisseur's perspective to analyzing data; not the casual, truncated analysis inherent in the phrase 'it is what it is'.

Eliot Eisner promotes the artist's perspective to addressing educational issues; developing a deep appreciation for the task at hand, applying a passionate and craftsman's approach to developing the substance of the work, and communicating the result with vitality.

I prefer vigor over apathy any day.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Here is Jack Nicholson, spittle and all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo

PSS. How does that song go? http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/m/marypoppinslyrics/supercalifragilisticexpialidociouslyrics.html

PSSS. Eisner, E. (2003). Educational connoisseurship and educational criticism: An arts-based approach to educational evaluation. In T Kellaghan and D.L. Stufflebeam (Eds.), Internatioanl Handbook of Educational Evaluation (pp. 153-166). Dordrecht, Great Britain: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

PSSSS. Experience fine wines at: http://www.aidabistro.com/

too bad, so sad

Any teacher that utters that phrase in reaction to a student getting a failing grade should be fired immediately.

Seriously.

Give them a box for their personal possessions and have them escorted out the door! In the corporate world if you are caught visiting porn sites on company time, the usual policy is immediate termination. There is nothing more obscene than the implications of the statement "too bad, so sad". I interpret that statement to represent that the teacher has not only divorced themselves from responsibility for the student's learning, but that their empathy towards that student is nonexistent. Not only nonexistent, but scornful and sarcastic. Put those personality characteristics on a resume and you would be rightfully blackballed from education.

We have all suffered the occasional student that knew which of our buttons they could push and whose goal in life was to act as our personal tormentor. Maybe you reminded them of their evil step-mother and so they have decided to take out all their hate on you. Maybe they reminded you of your annoying little brother. Maybe its you, maybe its them. The point is, when it happens, when that devil child grins joyfully at the nuisance they have caused you, what will you do?

You only have two options. You can either learn how to engage more with the child or you can walk away from their lives, walk away from your responsibility to teach.

If you decide to step away, to distance yourself, then you are setting a precedent that will take you down the path of further disenchantment. Remember the pledge that you made to yourself when you decided to become a teacher; that you were going to be the best, that you were going to enrich the lives of young people. You would be their hope, their guardian.

You can only fulfill that pledge of having a positive impact by walking with the child, engaging them more not less. This situation is one of the truest tests of your integrity. There is never any guarantee of success, but there certainly is a guarantee of failure if you choose to step away. When Rocky Balboa stepped into the ring, he knew that it was going to be a contest, he might not win but he was determined to go the distance.

If life was solely sunshine and roses then you could always have a good day. But, when faced with the challenges existing in life, you have to decide to make a good day.

I have a refrigerator magnet with a quotation from Leo Buscaglia that puts it this way:
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. This trailer from Rocky Balboa tells you to fight the good fight and that it isn't going to be easy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3wuXyOUKJw

PSS. Website for Leo Buscaglia: http://www.buscaglia.com/thoughts.htm
and a video of him speaking of love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opGlp1pE59s