Do the Most Good

I originally wrote this blog post about a year ago. This seems to be the time of year when teachers and leaders wonder if the grass is greener in some other district. I think it is important for us to reflect on our level of commitment to the students we serve and the vision of our organization. As with any marriage or long-term relationship, commitment is a choice. We could always choose another way, but staying committed...that takes patience, communication, and work.

Why did you get into education? What made you decide to be a teacher in the first place? I think it is important to revisit this connection at this time of year because it is a time of the school year when there is a lot of contemplation about how things could be easier or better or more convenient in another school or in another district.

I don't think I thought about the impact I could have on other people's lives or on the greater community when I got into education - I was 23 and I was so excited to have a job - my focus wasn't on my role in changing the lives of children or families. Soon after I got a handle on my new position, I became aware of how my role extended past my classroom and into the greater community. As I grew as a teacher, I reflected on my role as a teacher and I knew that I had to admit that I knew that there was places where I could have a greater impact. That was my draw to urban education.

I believe that we need to "do the most good" - that if we are capable that we have a responsibility to help others.

While we can do good in any district, not everyone has the competencies for urban education. And urban education is where we have the greatest need. The children in urban classrooms need the absolute best teachers. They need committed teachers who have deep content knowledge, extensive strategies for managing classrooms, and who appreciate the diversity of our urban classrooms. While the grass may appear a brighter color of green in suburban districts, the reality is that the same grass grows everywhere. Urban, suburban, and rural districts all face challenges. However, the challenges in urban education cannot be solved without the best teachers working to overcome the disadvantages our children may have and strengthen the future of our urban communities. 

Urban teachers have to have strong classroom management skills and have a deep commitment to educating our future. Those are the teachers that we need in urban classrooms. And we need those teachers to stay committed to solving the challenges of urban education. Too often in urban education, we invest in developing a teacher with potential and then after a couple of years they think teaching will be easier somewhere else. Suburban schools are smart - they know that successful urban teachers can be successful anywhere. However, the inverse is definitely not true. It takes grit to be an urban teacher. Anything that is worth doing in life will have challenges. There are classrooms everywhere - but really making a difference means teaching where you can do the most good. Even when it is tough. They say that teachers aren't "in it for the income - they are in it for the outcome." Being the one who can help to shape the future is the best perk that we can have as a teacher - better than summers off or great health insurance or snow days. We are opening doors to the future. 

Parents Are Our First Teachers

This past week, we had an amazing College and Career Day at my school. We had visitors come in and share their career stories and career paths with our students. So many people from our community came to share their stories with our students and (hopefully) inspire them to see their potential and their future. Students were chosen to have a career for the day - shadowing staff members to learn what skills they would need in those careers.

My father came to speak with the 4th graders at Dr. Weeks. I was extremely proud to introduce him to my staff and students. He talked with the students about his career path and shared his story of perseverance and determination with the students at my school.

My father is driven and purposeful. He always pushed us to be the best we could be and encouraged us that we could do anything as long as we did it well. Making him proud has always been important to me, so sharing my school with him last week was a very powerful experience.

In 1928, my grandfather opened a storefront for used auto parts and appliance repairs with his brother-in-law. The used parts business grew during the depression and my grandfather expanded into replacement parts and providing parts to automotive repair shops throughout the Finger Lakes area. My father returned from the Viet Nam War in 1969 and joined my grandfather in the business in 1970 - not because he was drawn to the automotive aftermarket, but because my grandfather was sick and needed help and my father felt like it was the least he could do.

The philosophy of "if you are going to do something, do it well" describes my father and his commitment to taking over my grandfather's business. Auto parts wasn't his dream, but he certainly found his voice in leading the business. He used that voice to develop a successful business, to raise a family of strong voices who also became strong leaders, and to influence the growth and development of a community. I have continued to live by and teach by the same motto - making sure that if I was doing anything that I would do it well.

Parents are our first teachers. I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged my leadership and supported me in what I was working toward. So many of our children need us to be the voice of encouragement and support. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Parenting. Teaching. Leadership. They all take that same kind of commitment. They are all extremely hard work - but they are all worth it.

#relentless

We have been having this conversation for about a month - what does it mean to be relentless? The Turnaround Teacher Competencies developed by Massachusetts for their Level 4 (turnaround) schools, indicate that teachers must have a "relentless commitment to high achievement for all students" (Massachusetts Level 4 Powerpoint ). As we have been studying these competencies to see where we need to support teachers moving forward in our turnaround plan, we have had a great deal of discussion around what it means to be relentless as an educator. 

When I doubt my own level of commitment or whether I am able to lead us to the level of success that we are challenged with, I invariably see the faces of our students and it pushes me to remember why I do what I do. My belief that our students deserve the same high quality education that I expect and demand for my own children underlies my commitment to the work we are engaged in. A staff member shared this week that there are days when she goes home and feels deflated, but she picks herself up and tries to give everything she has the next day. I think that is the definition of relentless – just not giving in to giving up. I think the more we are able to be okay with the fact that we are not perfect – that there are going to be bad days and days when we wonder why we are involved in this work – and we help one another to see how important we are in the lives of the 800 children we serve, then we will continue to move in the right direction. I have said before that I firmly believe in the power of a teacher. The classroom teacher is estimated to have 2-3 times more direct influence on student performance than any other factor, including leadership, socio-economic status, services received, or facilities and materials (ASCD - The Power of a Teacher ). Teachers matter more than anything else in student achievement. That is powerful – and a little scary. My first superintendent used to always say, “If it is to be, it’s up to me,” and I have lived by that motto throughout my career. There is no place where that statement is more evident than in a classroom.

So, how do we know if we are having an impact? How can we assess that our efforts are truly making a difference - that we are not just relentless in our work without having anything to show for it? Certainly, looking at the data is an important first step. Having data analysis discussion in grade level teams, in vertical teams, and with individual coaching cycles helps to power this forward. We also must carry that data into our planning and implementation of lessons that use effective strategies, checks for understanding that inform our practice and lead to immediate adjustments, and greater individualization to meet student needs. There is simply no denying that this looks different than planning one lesson and sticking with it. Instead of making the kids meet us where we are, we are actively engaged in meeting them where they are. Going back to my initial thoughts – don’t they deserve that?

Here is a link to a video clip of a high school in Texas that has successfully implemented a turnaround plan. http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/04/texas-turnaround-becomes-a-model-for-success/ In this clip, teachers, parents, students, and administrators talk about what it took to dramatically improve student achievement. The pride that they felt when they knew they were moving in the right direction is evident in the smiles on their faces and the words that they choose. This is powerful testimony to the power of a teacher and the importance of relentless commitment.

A colleague of mine expects that his teachers have a "whatever it takes attitude" about the work involved in dramatically improving student achievement. We talk about having a relentless commitment to high expectations for student achievement. No matter how you phrase it, being a turnaround teacher is challenging, exhausting, and extremely fulfilling. Shifting a school from a failing school takes real work and real change - it is far from easy. Turnaround teachers are a special breed of educator that deserve significant acknowledgement and appreciation. They are changing the face of education every day and giving a future to our children. They are #relentless.

The Pressure to Perform

As a turnaround leader, you are always aware of the pressure to hit the targets - to achieve the goals of the turnaround plan. It can color the way that you look at the progress that you are seeing. When you are looking at data - even when it shows growth - you are painfully aware that it is not enough growth. The pressure to perform can impact the morale of the staff and lead to anxiety in both the adults and the students within the school. Teachers can worry that they won't be able to keep their jobs if they don't demonstrate enough growth in their data. Students can feel like they are "less" than students who are moving faster. Parents can start to feel like they wish it could go back to when they were blissfully ignorant of how the school was performing because it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with the "old ways."

Our targets require that we move from 2% proficiency on state assessments (our baseline) to 85% proficiency within three years. That seems like a pretty difficult mountain to climb. We broke the targets into grade level proficiency targets so that we could see how we would get there, one step at a time. Even so, 85% proficiency means that all students are involved. Twenty percent of our population receives ESL services and 15% of our students receive support through special education. Eighty-five percent proficiency includes these students. When we say that we believe in meeting the needs of every child, every day, we mean that all of our students need to be performing at a level that meets or exceeds grade level expectations. That is a very real pressure to perform.

Celebrating each step along the way is an important aspect of continued improvement. We may not have hit our goal, but when we see that our students are improving in their reading comprehension, or have used text-based evidence in their writing, or can explain how 5/8 is larger than 1/2 on a number line, then we need to celebrate.

We need to celebrate in our own teaching and in our own leadership as well. Each day there is an opportunity for us to see something that we did that made a difference. Maybe the conversation you had with a colleague helped a light bulb go off and they have renewed commitment to the work. Perhaps you only had to speak to your most challenging child once during your whole group instruction. It could be that you finally got some supports for a parent who is in severe need. Whatever the celebration, take the time to acknowledge it and know that the work that you are doing matters. Don't give up. Keep encouraging those around you to stay the course. No matter what - do NOT lower your standards. Make sure that because of your leadership, your teaching, your support that your students will achieve  - and it will all have been worth it.

Leading the Tough Times in a Turnaround

Leading a turnaround school is tough. Leading a turnaround school through tough times is even tougher. What do you do as a leader when the staff begins to lose their focus and their momentum? How can you help to keep the level of commitment high? How do you encourage staff when they are feeling the weight of the work load? Shifting the trajectory of a school can feel all-consuming. There is no "down time" and no room for "good enough." The weight of the work can start to make people question their commitments and believe that there is an easier path somewhere with an easier work load and/or easier children.

Leadership is the start of moving a turnaround school. Chicago Public Schools developed a rubric of competencies for turnaround leaders that can assist in determining the "fit" for a school leader in the work that drives a turnaround school. http://www.publicimpact.com/publications/Turnaround_Leader_Competencies.pdf  According to the report, there are three key actions for successful turnaround leaders:

• Identify and focus on a few early wins with big payoffs, and use that early success to gain momentum 
• Break organization norms or rules to deploy new tactics needed for early wins 
• Act quickly in a fast cycle of trying new tactics, measuring results, discarding failed tactics and doing more of what works  

Mary Anne Radmacher said, "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says, "I'll try again tomorrow." For a turnaround leader, this sums up the continuous push forward toward the goal of improved student achievement. For teachers leading their own classrooms, it is seeing the progress and celebrating each student as they move toward their goals, while continuing to reflect on improving practice, identifying growth areas, and using data to drive instruction. There is so little room for ego or hurt feelings in this work. There are tiny victories in each day, but there are also miles to go before we sleep. Turnaround leaders must be skillful at motivating and moving their staff, while always seeing the next step or the next goal. Teachers must be committed to continuous improvement, self-reflection, and receiving feedback, while inspiring and motivating students to continue to work harder than they may be used to. So, when the going gets tough, in a turnaround school, the tough must be even tougher.

 

 

 

 So, it comes down to commitment. A turnaround leader, or a turnaround teacher, must believe that the work and the children are worth the sacrifice. There will be tough days - days when you feel like you are losing the battle and that the sacrifice is too great. A turnaround leader must be committed to the belief that the right work will make a difference and that tomorrow will be a better day. Reflect, regroup, and remain committed to the belief that the students we serve deserve a bright future and we are the ones who will make it happen.

 

 

 

 

 

Re-commit to Higher Expectations

It's time to start the countdown. You know how you start to think about "back to school" in terms of the hours remaining? So what will you do with these next few hours? How will you prepare yourself to take charge of that first day back? What expectations will you set for yourself and your students so that you can take charge of the growth you will see in 2015?

Let's start with expectations. If returning to school after a long vacation is like starting fresh in September, how will you start with your students? What do you expect in terms of their work ethic, their behavior, their interactions with their learning community, and their achievement? If we expect students to have certain attributes as a learner - such as applying a certain level of effort to written work or expressing ideas completely to partners - then we must model and practice those attributes with our students until they have mastered them. Returning after a vacation means we must "start from scratch" in terms of modeling, teaching, and reinforcing those skills in order to help our students master them.

The power of our expectations is outlined in much of the book, Teach Like A Champion, by Doug Lemov. Chapter One (linked here http://teachlikeachampion.com/wp-content/uploads/TLAC-Chapter-1.pdf) gives powerful examples of how we as teachers set our expectations for our students in every day interactions in our classrooms. Sometimes we are not aware of the subtle messages we send our kids - apologizing for what they are about to learn because "we have to get through it," answering for them rather than pushing them to persevere and find the solution, and allowing students to answer questions incompletely or not at all - all set our expectations significantly lower than we think they are.

The challenge for 2015 is to re-commit to having higher expectations. Making a resolution to have higher expectations would mean that we didn't have high expectations in the first place. Reflecting on our practice and realizing that we need to have higher expectations - and that our students can achieve those expectations if we stack them for success in our classrooms - that takes re-committing to the work at hand. If each of us re-commits to higher expectations for our classrooms and for our students, we will see great gains in our students' learning and achievement. Let's make 2015 the year for higher expectations. Let's make 2015 the year that our students achieve and we create classrooms where children love learning, thinking, problem-solving, and creating in community with others. We have the power - are you willing to re-commit to that vision?