N2 Learning

Why does choosing to change cause so much interest? Is there a person today in education who is not experiencing change? As a leader in the educational community, we experience change constantly. However, too much change can cause people to become weary. I have always advised leaders of the rule of “3 to 5”. In any given school year, a leader could collaboratively choose 3 major areas of change and definitely no more than 5. You should be able to count the items where educators are expected to experience change on 1 hand. The need for consistency is essential in the change process. Other than those 3 to 5 items, you should attempt to keep all other processes unchanged.

Why is this important? With the complexity of the educational environment, as a leader, you want to make sure your changes are done well and deeply enough to make a difference. If you tackle more than 3-5 items, through my experience, you will most likely not get the results you would like. When approaching the change process, the number of areas you adjust and the people involved in the process are the 2 most important aspects of consideration. It is also essential to communicate why the change is taking place. Imagine having to explain more than 5 major change items to a group of educators who already have a very complex job. What if all of the changes are not under your control? If one comes from the another source, then that still counts for your total as a leader.

As you innovate, improve, or adjust your educational processes, count them on one hand and keep your focus. Change is essential for leaders to accomplish their goals, but to do this well it makes sense to monitor the effect of the few instead of the many.

Have you tried something new lately? How many times in our adult lives have we really tried something new for us or the people we lead? Probably not very often because it involves change. We cannot let that stop us! Change of any type takes courage and perseverance.

We are the leaders whom our students depend on to not let things get in the way! We must gather all of the people and resources around us to say, “Let’s do this!” We may not know exactly how we are going to do it, or the entire pathway to get there, but we know it is best to begin the process for students and their futures.

Let’s keep “what is best for all of our students” at the heart of every transformation we begin in our schools and districts. That is why we have courage and perseverance. Because, these students of today are our future!

There are so many good things happening in the schools across Texas. As I watch principals, teachers, and superintendents lead, it’s clear that many schools/school districts are taking the initiative to move from providing a one size fits all education to an education that is centered on the needs of each child.

The challenge is to build systems based on the transformation that is taking place in our schools. Building new systems based on a student-centered education will help us ensure the success we are seeing will be sustained over time and not simply left to random chance based on individual teachers, principals, and superintendents.

So, what’s the primary work for school leaders who want to establish systems based on a student-centered education?

1. Create a shared vision with teachers, staff, students, and parents that focuses on student needs rather than the scope and sequence of the curriculum and benchmark tests. Our over-reliance on standardized curriculum and assessments over the past 25 years created a bureaucratic system that was based on the needs of the adults, not students. Creating a shared vision around student needs should serve to challenge, inspire, and motivate the school community to based base decisions around student needs and interests.
2. Model professional learning by being a learner and collaborator. It’s true in teaching and leading that modeling and demonstrating the behavior and mindset we want from others is a powerful. Absent a leader demonstrating their own commitment to innovation and creativity, leadership becomes very empty and powerless.
3. Establish an open culture of collaboration, networking, and problem solving related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Engaged and active teachers need to be encouraged to seek solutions for issues related to their classrooms through opportunities to collaborate with others (on their campus and beyond) so that timely and effective ideas can be tried. Leaders have to help establish systems of collaboration that are convenient and helpful for those teaching and directly serving students.

I am constantly encouraged by the good work I see among teachers and administrators in schools today, and I’m thankful for people committed to creating environments where students and teachers can thrive.

I can’t think of more important role than the future ready leadership of the school principal! Leading teachers through transformational thinking about learning in their classroom is essential to positive change in student outcomes.

Where do you begin? There is no right answer except for what is it best for your school. It may be examining the quality of the work the students, the integration of digital devices into learning, or the actual physical learning environment. Whatever the area, the essential need to is to begin the process. You won’t have all the answers as you begin or even as you research and collaborate, but starting the collaboration between leaders and teachers in the classroom is a must.

How would you begin this process? Study, research, and discuss real world documents like Creating a New Vision for Public Education (aka. The Visioning Document). Have a small group conversation with your teachers and central office personnel over a period of time.

Narrow your focus to an area of interest and action. What if the area of action is changing the physical learning environment?

Read some sources that focus on new learning. Suggestions: Mindset by Carol Dweck; Innovators Mindset by George Couros to name a few.

Try a pilot. Start small. Two or three teachers. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Make a plan and determine some possible outcomes. Hint: you won’t know all the outcomes because the students will surprise you with more.

Example: Two to three teachers, supported by the principal, change some of the furniture in their classroom to make the learning environment in the classroom more inviting to students. What happens?

I want to hear from you. I am excited to learn from your endeavors. Others have done this and made beautiful changes in their schools and classrooms. If you need encouragement, there are others who have started the process and are thriving. Be adventurous and begin small. Be the change that others want to see.