“Mastery, Mindset – they matter”

Last week I began a series on efficacy – learner, teacher, and leader efficacy. At its’ simplest form, efficacy is the “capacity or power to produce a desired effect”. It comes from confidence, knowing, risking, failing, succeeding, each driven by a mindset that I can, I have, and I will.

Efficacy is developed. It can’t be incentivized by external rewards. Efficacy is an inside out proposition. In fact, motivational theorists seeking to understand intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation birthed the efficacy research. Self-efficacy underpins most if not all expressions of efficacy.

Individuals have to be motivated to learn before actual learning takes place, during the process of learning and after the task has been learned.

In order to increase self-efficacy beliefs we need positive and encouraging role models. Students, teachers, and administrators need to be taught what it looks, sounds and feels like to have high self-efficacy beliefs.

If you are around people that are positive, confident in their own abilities you tend to be motivated to strive for better – whatever the task.

Cultivating an environment that builds and supports efficacy in self as well as others can be awkward. This is especially true given not everyone has the same levels of self-efficacy beliefs.

Albert Bandura, psychologist, responsible for the development of social learning theory, identified four sources of efficacy. They are 1) mastery experience, 2) social persuasion, 3) physiological states, and 4) vicarious experience.

I would like to look at each briefly with the explicit purpose of developing how we, together can begin to build more efficacious educators and learners.

Mastery experience is considered the most influential of the four. Mastery experience is referring to an individual’s previous success at a given task. A critical first step towards mastery is engagement in tasks and activities. Mastery experiences happen when you reach the point where you understand the content knowledge or skill enough to apply or perform it on your own. It happens with plenty of prior exposure to the content. You are able to interpret the results of your actions and use those results to develop your capability to engage in future actions or tasks.

You are able to participate in tasks on a first hand basis with little or no assistance from outside influences. Through a strong mastery experience, you are able to get feedback on your own learning capabilities. This is where confidence begins to fuel your action – you know you can and will based on the knowledge that you have.

Our collective experience with mastery learning is tainted given how the accountability system in North Carolina as well as across the country were interpreted and implemented.

The shortsightedness of determining the quality, effect of teaching and learning by a single measure created a mindset of episodic or erratic learning. Covering material, cramming and the like are not the strategies that bring about mastery learning.

In fact, simply covering material for compliance sake and hoping students retain it actually works against efficacy.

I am not suggesting that teachers mindlessly cover material or “cram” for EOG or EOC assessments.

Rather, I am saying that the mindset created by using the results of EOG or EOC assessments only to make judgments for both teacher and learner create an obstacle for mastery learning and efficacy.

Hence, we need a different mindset to build efficacy – especially for teaching and learning. That mindset must set aside the pressure albeit external or self-imposed to use single measures of performance as the only measure. To achieve mastery leading to efficacy takes engagement, experience, and capacity in skill and knowledge. It takes time. Moreover, it takes a relentless pursuit of competency in foundational skills, application of these skills leading to new learning, and clear and focused aim on enduring habits of learning, for learning, achieved by learning.

Next, I will begin to unpack efficacy through vicarious experience, physiological states, and social persuasion.

"Efficacy - the right construct for our time"

Much of what we do and desire to do in teaching and learning is build efficacy in our learners. We may not always use that exact term. Efficacy is a powerful construct (concept) that impacts each of us on a daily basis. An aim of education is setting in motion individuals that have confidence, are motivated, and aspire to be successful in all aspects of life.

Too often we tend to focus on building esteem in our learners when it should be efficacy. Where esteem is about perceptions, feelings about others and one self, efficacy is about confidence built from experiences. I certainly don’t want to over simplify either, however, it seems that both enhance, support, build, reinforce, and create a powerful presence of the individual as well as community.

That is, we want students to know they can, with confidence take risks with learning – knowing at times they will not be successful. Knowing full well they can succeed, have succeeded and will succeed. They have a confidence that their teacher is right there to support to them when success is not achieved at first try. Equally, the learner knows that the teacher will not accept mediocrity or dismiss sub standard or under performance.

Learners know that failure isn’t about quitting or giving up or in. Rather, learners with efficacy expect to be stretched, challenged beyond their perceived limitations because they have experience with learning. They know failure is only temporary not permanent.

We know from the efficacy research that teachers, too have a need for efficacy. Most, if not all teacher efficacy comes from learner efficacy. When students are successful as a result – a direct result of a teacher, teacher efficacy builds. Teacher efficacy, like learner efficacy develops over time. Foundational is knowing that one can and will make a difference in the lives of others. It comes from taking risks as well. It comes from knowing one has a supportive coach, colleague that will be there for them when something doesn’t work as intended or cheers them for success. Equally necessary is “truth” telling about performance – good, better, and best as well as areas that must improve.

Simply put, learner efficacy fuels teacher efficacy that in turn drives deeper more empowered efficacy in the learner.

How does efficacy impact leadership?

There is leadership efficacy. Not surprisingly, leader efficacy is derived in much the same way as learner and teacher efficacy. When one sees the direct impact, effect, change or etc. in others resultant from leadership it builds efficacy. The confidence from knowing that one can and will make a difference is powerful for all.

Efficacy builds motivation. Motivation builds confidence. Confidence builds capacity for risk – risk to innovate, imagine, create, and stretch from comfort zones and conveniences.

In so much that efficacy is an underlying objective of our school system, we have much to do in building efficacy in all our staff, in all our schools, and at all levels in our organization. To do so will require an unprecedented effort to build capacity within our schools, our school system, and our community.

Building capacity requires a different mindset than what currently exists in many of our classrooms and schools.

As I have written before mindsets influence directly and indirectly our behaviors. Consider this thought from Albert Bandura (1986, p. 395), "People who regard themselves as highly efficacious act, think, and feel differently from those who perceive themselves as inefficacious. They produce their own future, rather than simply foretell it”.

Designing a preferred future, one that proactively takes the necessary steps, risks that transformation requires, is dependent heavily on efficacy. Our challenge is understanding and acting therefore to build efficacy not at the expense of esteem. Rather, without efficacy, esteem is simply a feeling without any foundation, any proof, or evidence to support the feeling. Stay tuned, in the weeks ahead, we will begin exploring myriad ways to build efficacy.

"Pressure is Key"

Have you ever experienced the loss of your power steering?

On Tuesday morning last, just outside of Washington D.C. we were treated to this experience – the loss of power steering. Fortunately, we were less than 100 yards from an off ramp and less than half a mile from a repair shop. Within four hours, a new pump was installed and we were back on the road.

The experience left me curious about power steering.

Automedia.com says, “The power steering system brings together the strength and power of hydraulic pressure with the mechanical miracle of steering linkages. The power steering pump pressurizes the power steering hydraulic system. The power steering fluid runs through hoses and by way of valves, plungers, or pistons moves the mechanics of the steering back and forth as you turn the wheel. When the pump stops pumping, the pressure drops and the power steering system loses its hydraulic power.

While there are more than a few different types of power steering systems, they all require the hydraulic pressure of the power steering fluid to give you the seemingly superhuman strength to effortlessly turn the wheels with one finger.”

We lost our pressure due to a leak in the pump that forced all the fluid out – bummer. The loss of pressure ultimately failed the steering system. We learned just how important pressure is.

Pressure in education, however is not necessarily viewed as a necessity for performance but it could be. Consider there is nothing magical about power steering fluid until it is pressurized. Maintaining the proper amount of fluid is critical. That pressure enables the hydraulic system to operate properly. Too little fluid results in not enough pressure just as too much fluid results in over pressurizing the system both affecting performance (too much pressure is a really, really bad thing). Suffice, maintaining the proper level of fluid and thus pressure ensures the power steering system to work as designed.

This application of pressure is germane to education. Here’s how. In the power steering system, pressure must be evenly and consistently balanced, flowing without interruption or obstruction. In a like manner, pressure in education must be balanced with both internal and external factors.

Pressure must be consistent and constant. It must be free of threat, ridicule, disrespect, humiliation, or malice. It must be candid, honest, and intentional. It must be critical, corrective, and constructive. Most importantly, it must be timely, relevant, and focused on improving effectiveness.

This type of pressure requires a different mindset – a mindset that is proactive – a mindset that embraces individual responsibility and accountability for both action and results.

A mindset immersed in seeking ways to get better knowing that each of us irrespective of our past of present experience has room for improvement. This mindset doesn’t happen by accident. It is intentional as well as purposeful.

Accepting and acknowledging thinking differently about pressure is risky. To that end, risk has no guarantee. At best, risk builds trust that in turn builds greater capacity for risk. Conversely, risk betrayed erodes confidence, morale, and willingness. Hence, the role of leadership is critical to ensure that risk is “best” for each individual.

Each leader in our system must be first to take risk in thinking differently about pressure. Recognizing that leaders, too, are susceptible to many of the same aversions to risk as the staff they lead, leaders must nonetheless model courage and think differently.

Though I did not plan to replace my power steering pump on that particular day at that particular time at that particular place I was pleased with the outcome. So it will be with thinking differently in relation to our mindset about pressure in our work. Pressure is key – but it must be consistent and constant within the aforementioned mindset.

By the by, have you checked your power steering fluid lately?

"Thanksgiving or Shopping?"

Next week an American tradition of celebrations, family gatherings, and, well, over indulgence in eating begins.

It is interesting though how far a field we as a culture have gone related to the meaning and intention of Thanksgiving.

Sadly, a significant number of Americans relate food, football, shopping, and family as the purpose behind Thanksgiving.

It is rather interesting to look at the actual history of Thanksgiving to note just how far we’ve come – of course, revisionist historians have several versions of the “original” thanksgiving and so any attempt to discuss what, who, where, why, and how is a little dubious at best. With help from Answers.com, I offer this quick history lesson -

“The first official American observance of a holiday called "Thanksgiving" occurred when the Continental Congress declared that December 18, 1777 should be celebrated as a national day "for solemn Thanksgiving and praise" in response to and in recognition of the surrender of the British forces commanded by General Burgoyne in the battle of Saratoga, regarded as the turning point (since it brought France into the conflict) in the struggle for American independence.

Then, on October 3, 1789, George Washington, at the request of both houses of Congress, assigned Thursday the 26th day of November 1789, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer acknowledging the divine favor and protection which sanctioned the adoption of the new national Constitution. This established a tradition that the last Thursday of November was a day of national Thanksgiving.

It is not by accident that President Lincoln selected October 3rd as the day on which he similarly signed his proclamation of a day of Thanksgiving, the country then being engaged in a struggle which could very well mean the end of that very Constitution celebrated in Washington's original Thanksgiving proclamation.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would be the next to last Thursday of November.

Here is where it begins to get interesting.

Roosevelt was motivated in part to give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. Increasing profits and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would aid bringing the country out of the Depression.

At the time, it was considered inappropriate to advertise goods for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, Roosevelt's declaration was not mandatory; twenty-three states went along with this recommendation, and 22 did not.

Congress in 1941 split the difference and established that Thanksgiving would occur annually on the fourth Thursday of November, which was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes the next to last. On November 26 that year President Roosevelt signed this bill into U.S. law making shopping a part of Thanksgiving.

In 78 years our nation moved from a national day of thanksgiving to officially sanctioning “shopping”.

As you prepare for the traditions you and your family share next week, I ask you to consider taking time to reflect, count, and bathe in the blessings received.

As a community, as a state, and as a nation, we have much to be thankful for. Irrespective of the current economic situation, we enjoy much.

One such blessing is the access to an education for every child. In our lifetime we know that this wasn’t always the case. With little argument, we have much to work on but we have also accomplished much.

As a starter, please consider giving thanks for our teachers who work tirelessly for a better tomorrow for each child entrusted in their care. Please give thanks for our support staff albeit, bus driver, child nutrition, clerical, custodial, and teacher assistant for their dedication and commitment to children. Please also give thanks for our administrators for their contributions and selfless sacrifices in the service of children.

We do, indeed have much to be thankful for – blessings to all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Not Knowing what you don't Know"

I recently had the occasion to recall the first time I heard the phrase knowing and doing gap. The expression was used with respect to what educators know and what educators actually do. The knowing and doing gap also pertains to leadership in education as well.

But, what if educators or leaders don’t know what to do?

It continues to be my experience that more often or not, it is not what an educator or leader knows that prevents improvement. Rather, it s a matter of not knowing what you don’t know that creates the real impediment to change or transformation.

Not knowing what you don’t know –

At the center of the knowing and doing gap is a huge assumption. That is, it is assumed that educators know what to do but for whatever reason, choose not to do – a deliberate decision.

It is here that the convergence of habits, mindsets, behaviors, capacity, conviction, and commitment collide. Add to these the values and beliefs of the individual and community and the conclusion of deliberate choice begins to make sense. Not so fast.

The aforementioned still requires an assumption.

This, as we know, is dangerous. Assuming that teachers and administrators know what to do is, from my perspective one of our greatest challenges. This is not about doing. This is not about character, integrity, or commitment. Rather it is almost all about knowing and then doing.

Knowing requires learning. In most, if not all cases, adult learning requires unlearning. Unfortunately, the longer we sojourn the more engrained our habits become. We are wired to learn. We never stop learning. We do, however, create and practice habits.

Habits form by doing. Doing requires practice. Overtime habits become routines. We like routines. I have them; you have them. We generally don’t put much thought into our routines. We just, well, do them.

We cannot readily accept that the performance to date of our school system is explained by the culture in which we live. To do so, minimizes at best our influence and therefore significance to unessential. I am not so sure we collectively understand this. Lamenting about students, their parents, this community, the administration, the teachers, the state and so on says more about our insignificance than anything else. Very sobering to say the least.

I don’t think or believe we are insignificant. I don’t believe you do either.

I don’t think or believe that our work is insignificant. I don’t believe you do either.

I do think and believe that we are at a point where we are ready to accept that our knowing and doing is in need.

To address this need, we are intensifying our efforts in human capital development (aka professional development). We must focus our learning on three core competencies – curriculum literacy, instructional literacy, and assessment literacy. The delivery system for this learning will be the creation of two Learning Develop Centers (LDC) – one for secondary and one for elementary that will be housed in a school. Staff will rotate in teams of 4-5 in daylong seminars that in format of 4 consecutive days at a time. Guest teachers will be recruited, interviewed, trained, and expected to teach during a teacher’s participation in the LDC.

Administration will also be expected to participate and fully engage in the LDC. In all, over a three-year period, each instructional division staff (including support and assistant teachers) will receive over 60 hours of intense training in the aforementioned areas. Suffice; the knowing what to do will not be in question.

To address the doing, we will increase the skill and knowledge competencies of all staff in the area of authentically measuring, monitoring, and assessing performance with the stated expectation of improving our work. Shifting from an evaluation model to an improvement model is critical to improving our doing. I am confident that we can address the knowing and doing gap – no more assumptions.

"there is a cost for not changing"

Here we go – again. Midterm elections are over and the spin about mandates, the mood of Americans, and etc. are everywhere. Many politicians are on record saying that the politicking is over and now it is time to govern. Not to be cynical but haven’t we heard this before? The call to arms to break with tradition and the way it’s always been done mindset will give way to the power of the status quo because of one dominating factor – there is no plan.

Consider the company Montgomery Ward; do you remember the name, company, business, and the story behind their rise and fall?

Interestingly enough, Montgomery Ward closed their doors in December of 2000. They began their business in 1872 as dry goods merchants providing rural Americans merchandise via catalogue technology at a substantial cost savings. Utilizing the technology of the day – mail and rail – they built a multimillion-dollar business.

Based out of Chicago, Montgomery Ward and a new start up called Sears, Roebuck and Company both thrived. However, in the late 1910’s things began to change. The population trends in the U.S. moved from rural to urban. By 1920 for the first time in American history, more citizens lived in urban centers.

Sears open stores in cities where people could shop in person but the owners of Montgomery Ward were unwilling to shift – simply put, they were unwilling to pay the price to make change. By 1929 Sears had opened over 300 stores even during the Great Depression. After World War II another great migration began that found Americans leaving the cities to suburbs. Once again, Sears adjusted. Each time the market changed, leadership at Sears was out front where Montgomery Ward’s leadership held fast to their original success – catalog sales. After 128 years Montgomery Ward closed their doors. Sears continues today.

There is a price for change.

There is an even greater price for not changing.

We need only to look around us at businesses that have closed. We don’t have to look far to see the failure to change. The greatest obstacle in front of us is whether or not we too, will fail to change; sounds drastic!

We are in early stages of redefinition, rediscovery, and reinvention.

What do we need to become? Not what needs to change.

The state and federal governments have answered this question. However, what do the citizens of Anson County say?

What I believe to be the impetus to engage our community is the answer to this question: “What do our citizens expect and required from its’ school system?

This is not about yesterday or even today, we must get beyond Montgomery Ward and see reality as well as trends albeit shifting economic indicators, changing demographics, technology, and the like to inform our conversations.

We must resist the temptation to address today and tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s solutions knowing full well that they have failed to produce the results we so desperately need.

Yes, there is a price to pay.

Each of us must decide in our own heart of hearts, mind of minds, and soul of souls if this work is worth the price that must be paid. For me, there is no hesitation – to accomplish little requires little sacrifice but to accomplish much requires a greater sacrifice.

No where is it written that transformation is easy or without conflict and yet, there are many that believe that the solution is simply pushing the right buttons or following a simple formula. It isn’t is it?

Transformation is full of complexity. There are many factors some of which appear to be insurmountable. Yet, now, more than ever, we must engage in conversation, discussion, and dialogue about our expectations and requirements and not so quickly accept that those in Washington or Raleigh for that matter have it right.

"To me or For me?"

“Change isn’t always easy and it isn’t always hard. In some ways, change is ubiquitous; in others it’s unlikely” (Heath & Heath, in SWITCH, page 255). Though we often intellectually acknowledge that change is ever present, we are nevertheless adverse to the reality that, well, it happens whether we are willing participants or not.

Heath and Heath state, “When change works it follows a pattern – clear direction, ample motivation, and a supportive environment”. However, most of us don’t necessarily think in terms of patterns when it comes to change. Most, if not all of us, think of change as episodic triggered more often or not by an event. Organizationally as well as from systems thinking, this is problematic.

Consider these two mindsets - one where change is constant and the other as sporadic.

In both we control our reaction or response to change. However, there is a huge difference as to whether we perceive or believe that we have a degree of control not just in our response or reaction but also in the change itself.

The first mindset is predicated on a reality that change is constant. As such we can actually plan, monitor, and measure change. We don’t need to “ramp up” or get ready for change – it just is. What is different, however, is that we don’t have to be a victim. We can be proactive. Thus, we can have clear direction – what do we envision as the outcome or output of this change? What are our expectations for the change?

We can also determine our motivation differently. Rather than believe and behave as if change is happening to me we can within this mindset embrace that change happens for me. This influences greatly our motivation – a want to versus a have to. Even if it is a have to – we can take the reins, if you will, and direct or influence the direction.

Lastly, this mindset of change as a constant impacts our environment differently. Rather than expending effort, energy, and expense to insulate the environment from change, we can build the environment or culture for change. That is, we can as Heath and Heath suggest, develop a pattern of clear direction, ample motivation, and a supportive environment irrespective of the impetus of the change.

The sporadic or episodic change mindset more often or not fixates on who is imposing change. It evokes a defensive response. In fact the emotions generated from episodic change create such animosity, resentment, and divisiveness that in many cases individuals, groups, and organizations never recover. Even if the change results in improvement, the enduring change never takes deep root. It can’t. Episodic change yields episodic results. It is as simple as that.

These two mindsets impact our thinking about Race to the Top (RttT). On one hand, it is happening for us. On the other hand, it is happening to us. The to us mindset will cause great harm. I want to believe that we have build enough capacity in the past three years to shift from the to us to the for us mindset.

Our RttT plan reflects a mindset influenced by the happening for us – given we’ve been in change for several years, we are taking RttT in stride without any thought or concern that it will cause disruptions. In fact, we are convinced that it will not require us to add any new initiatives or programs.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that the change for us mindset underpins the administrative changes approved by the Board of Education this week.

I want to underscore one very important fact about the timing of these changes. That is, we have a clear direction (Strategic Commitments) for the change we desire. The course is set. Thus, shifting leadership is all about placing individuals and their skills sets in positions to accelerate, intensify our course of action. If our community including the learning community will embrace the for us rather than the to us mindset, they too, will see these changes as 1) natural, 2) timely, and 3 of great importance for each learner in the Anson County Schools.

Isn’t that what this is all about – the learners?

“what’s trust got to do with it”

The Leadership Team knows that I love to read (blame my mother for instilling a love for reading). Moreover, they know that I don’t hesitate to share what I’m learning – the impact personally or professionally. To that end, a book that has all the markings for the seminal work of this time is The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality makes Societies Stronger by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

Currently, I am in a part of the book that investigates the impact of inequality on societal trust. One research question, “does inequality corrode trust and divide people – government from citizens, rich from poor, minority from majority” (p. 51) teeters on the obvious. Of course we know that inequality is a significant social divider. In fact, we have lived the power of using difference as a means to separate us.

A consequence of difference is the lack of trust. Further still and more to the point, the greater the inequality in a society the greater the mistrust. So what does this have to do with our schools – the work of teaching and learning – the work of ensuring that each learner learns to high standards?

It means that we must work that much harder to build a foundation of trust, bridges of awareness as well as understanding, and a community committed to an ideal, a vision, a preferred future that, for many, is nothing more than delusional.

We indeed live in a time of great cynicism, impatience, and skepticism. However, those of you of my generation have witnessed never thought possible societal change not to mention the advent of globalization, technology, and medical advancements. Why then, is it impossible to imagine that we can create an educational system that does ensure that each learner learns to high standards? – In practice not just in words?

Seriously, why can’t we see this?

Why can’t we embrace it and take the necessary steps to make it happen?

I think it comes down to a realty that we really don’t trust we can get this done.

I understand promises have been made and broken over and over and over again. In fact, this cycle is routine. We have developed calluses or become hardened protecting from vulnerability or openness to such notions.

“Trust affects the wellbeing of individuals, as well as the well being of civic society. High levels of trust mean that people feel secure, they have less to worry about, they see others as co-operative rather than competitive – they believe in a common culture – held together by shared values where everybody is treated with respect and tolerance” (Wilkinson and Picket, 2009, p. 56-57).

Trust is powerful! A first step in looking at trust is reflection. “Why” are we in this work? Consider what is your purpose, your vision, mission, and your best hopes for the impact or effect of your effort?

How quickly and concisely can you provide a response to the aforementioned questions?

Further, how often do you discuss your responses with others?

Take solace in the fact that most people don’t think and converse about their purpose, vision, or best hopes resultant from their work.

Educators, however, must!

We must daily be conscious of “what” and “why” we are engaged in such work. Yes, trust or the lack of does impact how and how often we think on such things.

Optimistically, underpinning most educator’s core values and beliefs is an unwavering commitment to “all” learners and their well being irrespective of their differences. I am equally confident that educators are mindful that differences are not limitations or liabilities.

I remain steadfast that it will be the educators that champion the cause that it is time – the time to be trust makers with our students, parents, colleagues, and community.

In a like manner, I believe that this is the time that we, as a community unite and put aside at personal and collective cost those factors albeit present or historical that cause division to focus on building that preferred future – a future where each learner is successful.

Can you see it?

"a cause beyond ones' self"

Cummings and Worley (2001) Essentials of Organization development and change convey an understanding of change that is more or less driven by what those leading, experiencing, or witnessing think. They suggest, “Real-life change doesn’t happen in predictable stages”. Despite the reality of real-life change, many if not most educators respond to external pressure for change by using linear improvement models that ask leaders to: 1) Create a vision of the future; 2) Assess the current situation; 3) Compare the present to the desired future and 9201 University City Blvd., identify the gaps; 4) Set goals and objectives to move from the present to the future; and 5) Move straight forward toward the future.

Here we are again – a linear approach to change - the foundation of the Race to the Top (RttT) plan. Sadly, we are positioned to repeat the same mistakes of the past with respect to change. There is, however, a very important step we can take to ensure greater success – this time.

First, we must acknowledge that culture and context are significant factors in understanding our past, present and future.

Culture is complex! The complexity comes, in part, from the interrelationship between people’s assumptions, beliefs, and values let alone their behaviors.

Second, what we think, how we think, and why we think are equally important factors that must be considered.

A key to change is how people think in our school system. We must stop thinking thoughts that are self-centered and self-seeking. Everyone must start thinking of others first. Easier said than done –

Roland Barth (author, professor) wrote many years ago about the need of believing and committing to a “cause beyond oneself”. The real power of this concept was not in the believing or in the committing. Rather, it was in the “doing” – the behaviors manifested from this deep sense of others before self. Teetering on the oft learned but seldom practiced “golden rule”, Barth’s attempt to challenge each of us to “think” differently about our work is timely.

If we think RttT is but another in a series of steps, mandates, or threats to force improvement of teaching and learning we will act out of compliance.

However, if we think RttT provides an opportunity to build competence, confidence, and capacity in effective practice in all aspects of the work – our work, we will act out of commitment. Commitment is different especially within the context of Barth’s idiom of a “cause beyond one’s self”.

We are at a pivotal time, possibly historic time in education – especially in Anson County. We have a choice that will, for the most part, impact not only this present generation but also generations to come. The choice before us, all of us, will be individual first, and organizationally second. That is, each of us must decide “what” and “how” we think about the changes that must be made in practice to ensure each learner, each staff, each school, and the entire system is successful.

Once the decision to think differently is made, each of us must reflect, ponder, analyze, assess, and prepare ourselves for unlearning before we can embrace new learning, different learning, or deeper learning. This will not be easy.

We have individually and collectively developed sets of habits that, in many respects, are contrarian or the antithesis of effective practice. This hasn’t been malicious or with ill intent. Rather, we have become habituated in certain practices, certain programs, certain procedures, certain thinking and certain behaviors that have produced mixed and inconsistent results.

Anyone of us that have attempted to change, break habits know firsthand the challenges, inconveniences, and often agony of such a noble intent. However, those that have been successful also know firsthand that the first step is thinking differently – we are at that point. It is the time, our time to think differently about where we are and where we want to go – then, thinking differently about how to get there.

"... and we thought this would be easy?"

Once the word was announced that North Carolina was approved to receive Race to the Top (RttT) funding my phone, cell phone, email, snail mail, voice mail and any other means of communication has been bombarded with “solutions”, “answers”, “products”, “services”, and “silver bullets” to improve teaching and learning. Rivaled only by the barrage from “experts” after the No Child Left Behind Act was approved in 2002, this present onslaught has the makings for an Oliver Stone conspiracy thriller. Most certainly educators have been holding back.

Motivated by being the subject of ridicule, condemnation, and threats from every direction about work ethic, commitment, competence, and conviction or the lack of – yes, educators have been holding back. Akin to the medical doctor that purposely holds back care – yes, educators have been holding back from using what works.

In the latest of what surely will be continuing requirements, threats of takeover, and court orders, we can now educate all students to high standards because it is in the plan. Are you feeling it?

Call my cynical or possibly naïve, but you have to be kidding?

The work of addressing both the failure to learn as well as failed learning will not so easily be achieved by simply redressing failed solutions with new clothes – however attractive those clothes may appear.

The work – our work is far greater, deeper, and complex than simply demanding adults work harder, care more, and give of themselves more. The work – our work requires unprecedented commitment by all those who genuinely, sincerely and authentically are interested in the success of each learner. The call to arms answered by policy makers, business, civic, and faith leaders, grand parents, citizens without children – the community is without question essential.

However, what must be different is not the coming together to lament about the youth of today. Though tempting, we must ask and grant permission to resist dwelling on historical or legacy issues. Though many of these remain factors and serve to assist with understanding context as well as culture – they cannot be allowed to dominate the conversation.

A different lens to view the obstacles and challenges is needed. Seeing challenges, obstacles differently is critical and provides an unprecedented moment in public education to see opportunities for change in practice, purpose, and results.

Race to the Top (RttT) is a reset – a do over if you will. But, we must see it as such. I rail against those that suggest that the state’s RttT plan is the answer. It isn’t and won’t be. It fundamentally does not and cannot address the root cause of failed learning or the failure to learn. RttT, however, is an opportunity to see our work through different lenses – or we will, once again, fail to achieve what we most desire – successful learners.

Seeing possibilities, solutions rather than problems is at the heart of our individual as well as collective transformation. Understanding that RttT is happening “for us” rather than “to us” is equally necessary. We are not victims!

We have a significant, defining choice to make – we can either proactively embrace the challenges and accept our role as both part of the problem and solution or succumb to past or historical explanations or excuses for the way things are.

Simply, we can accept the responsibility, accountability, and authority to design our preferred future or we can be pulled, shoved, pushed, or dragged to a future that we had little, if anything to do with.

For me, I would rather be proactive. To that end, we know what we must do. Intensity, focus, and urgency must be applied to the programs, practices, and initiatives we have underway.

Every indicator of growth, improvement, and transformation gives evidence that we are pursuing transformation in a manner that yields results – we must now more than ever stay the course by deeper, consistent, and unrelenting implementation of what we have begun.

We must do not just know what to do!

"It will be different this time"

Heath and Heath’s 2010 work titled Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard is without question a timely read for any of us tasked with the responsibility of leading change as well as anyone involved in change. Come to think of it, it’s just a must read for everyone.

This week I gravitated to a particular statement in the book as the implications of the Race to the Top plan for North Carolina rolled out. Heath and Heath write, “But sometimes in times of change, nobody knows how to behave, and that can lead to problems” (p 226).

This is particular true give the Anson County Schools have been subjected previously to both the “list and look” of policy makers at the state capital for schools that persistently perform low on End of Grade or End of Course assessments. As such, a few of our schools have experienced a plan to fix them. Those efforts despite good intentions did not meet or exceed the expectations, requirements or promises of school reform. How will we behave this time?

Differently!

We have learned much from what has not worked. Moreover, we know much more about why reform has not yielded the results as promised.

We have heard and used all the pithy and trite statements about change. Bummer! They tend to be true more often than not. Right?

There are no easy change formulas, strategies, or methodologies. If there were, we would have used them – wrote the book, made the DVD and not be worried about funding public education.

Our learning from past efforts include first and foremost the importance of communication. Creating awareness, understanding and support consumes time, creates division, conflict, and often provokes reaction often negatively expressed. Nonetheless, we are making it a priority to create awareness of our current reality – how we got here, what worked and what didn’t, what has been accomplished and achieved, factors that must be considered, and the need for a comprehensive “call to arms” to meet or exceed what is expected from us, by us, and for each learner in our system now and in the future.

To that end, I made the decision that staff, leadership, the Board of Education, and soon public know where we are, where we are going, and the need to work together to get there. Simply, this time, everyone must be aware, understand, and assist sincerely, authentically, and transparently to address root cause of failed learning.

It was not comfortable standing before the high school faculty to unpack the Race to the Top plan on Monday. Equally humbling was reporting that evening publicly before the Board of Education that, despite the accomplishments and achievements of the past three years, the hard work of dedicated and caring staff, and the efforts to transform our school system we now faced unprecedented intervention, oversight, and accountability from the state.

However, as the RttT transformational team from the Department of Instruction acknowledged, the Anson County Schools has everything in place for breakthrough results. In fact, there isn’t a school or school system on the new “list” that has all the components of transformation in place as we do.

As I shared publicly, everything we have put in place over the past three years remain the “right” work. The challenge for us goes deeper than programs, initiatives, alignment, and focus.

We’ve learned the absence of an authentic and relevant value proposition for learning will not motivate, inspire, or compel students to learn. In a like manner we’ve learned the value proposition for education must be present in the behaviors we, the adults, exhibit daily – not just in our schools – throughout the county.

The work of transformation is the “right” work. It will not be easy – transformation never is. It starts with the acknowledgement and ownership of dissatisfaction of our performance to date – a clear vision of what could, would, should be for each learner, and taking the steps, together, to get there – we will behave differently this time! We must!

"Staying the Course"

For the past several months I have heard consistently from across our organization just how busy we are – the “new normal” some suggest. Without question we are!

Over the past years we have been careful to introduce programs, training, practices and tools to assist each staff with the intent of greater focus, alignment, and results. From every indication, we have been successful and effective in doing just that – building capacity. With steady growth in most, if not all, our schools at each grade level and in each subject we can conclude that capacity building is heading us in the right direction. Well, not so fast.

We just completed the first common formative assessments across our system. For those not familiar with the term or practice I will digress just a minute to catch you up. From our work in Total Instructional Alignment – the deconstruction and reconstruction of the North Carolina Common Course of Study (NCCCOS), identification of essential vocabulary, development of pacing guides to name just a few of the activities and artifacts generated from this alignment work, we transitioned to the means to assess authentically teaching and learning.

To that end, we created Benchmark Assessments that were administered three times last year leading up to End of Grade and End of Course assessments.

The common formative assessments are an even closer and frequent examination of teaching and learning designed to inform both the teacher of effective practice as well as the learner in their progress toward meeting or exceeding standard.

This is a lot – but the power of alignment and focus through constant and consistent feedback that informs all in the process of learning is necessary. Logical next steps, right?

Consider that prior to last year our system for the most part relied exclusively on the End of Grade or End of Course assessments to determine if a student had, in fact, learned what they were suppose to over the course of the year. We literally had little or no evidence along the way to suggest, inform, guide, or lead us to conclude how a student would or could perform on these assessments – let alone intervene or re-teach a concept or skill. Now at last, our educators have the tools to measure along the journey of learning not just whether they reached the destination.

The implementation of both common formative assessments and Benchmark Assessments are different constructs than most of our educators have experienced. In fact, as I interview staff informally I frequently hear how the common formative assessment take time away from teaching and classroom activities. Huh?

Feedback, authentic feedback in real time that informs both the teacher and learner as an indicator of learning is teaching.

One quick story about a staff member on performance on the first common formative assessments of the year – she was stunned, her students as a group only demonstrated proficiency in two of five standards. Distraught until she was informed that the two standards mastered were for the end of the grade not the first three weeks of school. What? Yes, this teacher learned after three weeks into this school year that her students demonstrated mastery of two standards. What great news – not bad news. By the way, she also had two students that mastered four out of five – inconvenient? I don’t think so

Because something is different doesn’t make it bad or of little value. Common formative assessments are different. They require different thinking, thoughtfulness, planning, and analysis. Come to think about it, isn’t that what teaching is suppose to create in learners.

Based on the initial common formative assessments results, we can expect greater growth and achievement. In fact, if we accept the shift in how we are using assessment data to inform our work as well as to notify each learner of their progress we will indeed be further along than we were a year ago – we can, we will, and we must stay the course.

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail” - Winston Churchill

The etymology of the word, concept, and construct of “strategic” comes from several different Greek words. Though closely associated and identified with the military with respect to leading, planning, direction, and command over time the concept and construct cross walked into the private and public sectors of business, industry, and of course, education. In concert, the discipline of strategic planning evolved and has for sometime been associated with focus, prioritizing, and clarity to name just a few of the applications for organizations.

We’ve learned from the writer of Proverbs, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (29:18). A way to bring the vision into full focus is determining where an organization is going – what are the aspirations, the strategic actions – the plan?

Presently, these aspirations are expressed as commitments – strategic commitments.

Why commitments?

I learned through reading Dr. Carl Glickman in his seminal work Renewing America’s Schools (1993) that we needed to elevate the importance of our purpose, vision, direction, and strategies to a level that conveyed a deeper, almost sacred relationship between all those participating in the process. Taking a slight liberty in the construct that Dr. Glickman proposed I applied it to the concept and construct of strategic planning. Here’s why -

For too long the power, utility, and outcome of strategic planning has resulted in mixed, oft unfulfilling experiences for participants. The process is powerful but the outcome or results is lacking. Many explanations are available as to why this powerful process doesn’t meet expected outcomes – chief among these is the lack of follow through or implementation. Hence, strategic planning is akin to a four-letter word to many and especially to those who most need to be a part of a process to create awareness, understanding, ownership – commitment, if you will, to the direction of the community’s schools.

The birth of the Strategic Commitments came after the first months of my tenure as superintendent in Anson County. Taking from Dr. Glickman, we very much needed to have a document that conveyed a deeper sense of purpose or plan to achieve the expectations and goals of the Board of Education let alone the state and federal government.

Knowing the dissonance created by the term strategic plan we simply, but very intentionally used the word commitments rather than plan. I wanted our organization to sense a big difference especially with expectation that a commitment is something you make and keep. I wanted our organization to sense that we were committed to critical, key, strategic actions to ensure our mission could and would be achieved – something different than a plan that more often or not was created and loosely acted upon.

Now, however, is time that we begin to formulate the 2012-2016 commitments. This time, we need broader engagement, involvement, and ownership of the commitments especially the third commitment – The Anson County Schools will engage, promote, and partner with parents and community to ensure all students meet or exceed state and community academic learning standards.

I cannot think of any better way to engage, promote, and partner with parents and our community than to participate in deliberate conversations about our current performance as well as our aspirations for the next five years and beyond.

As I have penned previously, two centerpiece questions germane to students, teachers, parents, principals, support staff, and community serve as the starting point. They are: “What do you expect and require from your school system? And “What must every student know and be able to do as a result of teaching and learning in the Anson County Schools?”

It is now clearer than ever before that it will take a concerted, collective, and committed community working in support of one another, with one another to achieve the mission. If “all means all” then it will take all of us engaged in discussing these two critical questions that will result in the awareness, understanding, and commitment necessary to succeed.

"Pulling weeds - Root Cause"

In Teaching Smart People How to Learn, author Chris Agyris states, “… success increasingly depends on learning, but most people don’t know how to learn. What’s more, those members of the organization whom many assume to be the best at learning – professionals who occupy key leadership positions – are, in fact, not very good at it.”

What I find fascinating is Agyris’ belief that “most people too narrowly define learning as problem solving”. As such, problem solving focuses on correcting errors that more often of not are external. Thus, Agyris concludes that learning requires an inward, reflection of behavior – individually and collectively. This reflection cannot be superficial or cursory. Rather, it must be a critical examination of behavior – attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Further still, Agyris argues that behaviors often inadvertently contribute to an organization’s problems. “In particular, ‘organizations’ must learn how the very way they go about defining and solving problems can be a source of problems in its own right.”

Yes, you read that right – the way we go about defining and solving problems are often the problem. The solutions we identify are in many respects doomed from the onset given we haven’t deeply sought to understand, examine the root causes of the problem we seek to solve.

One way to ensure success is getting to the root cause.

Root cause analysis sounds sophisticated, complex, and time consuming. It really isn’t. In fact, the only aspect of root cause analysis that is challenging is thinking differently about a problem, challenge, issue, etc. Therein lies the challenge – thinking differently.

I recall a gardening lesson from my mother about pulling weeds – speaking about root cause. My brother and I were weeding the garden with specific instructions to pull the roots not just the visible part of the weed (above ground). We thought we could expedite the work by pulling the visible and covering whatever we didn’t get with soil (mom will never know). Well, imagine our surprise days later when the weeds reappeared.

Guess what? We were back out there weeding again.

What’s so important about roots? We know from our botany days that plants (weeds too) need sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow. Roots have three functions they: 1) absorb water, 2) anchor the plant body to the ground and 3) store food and nutrients.

Anyone that has pulled weeds knows that the second function of roots is often the most challenging – anchoring the plant or weed to the soil. Yet, the strength of the root does not determine what we see above ground – we may pull easily the stem or leaves but have a difficult time getting the root.

So it is with the root cause of problems – they’re generally deeply anchored. Our problem is that we embrace the axiom of “out of sight means out of mind”. Gardeners know this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, the out of sight out of mind thinking will often lead to deeper more profound problems.

Our work is similar – the work of continuous improvement. We cannot accept or attempt to merely pull or remove what is visible. Rather, we must go after the roots. To do so, of course, requires discipline and humility. The discipline is self-evident. We must engage in continuous reflection – easier said than done. We don’t like to ask critical, penetrating questions about our behaviors or their underpinning beliefs or values.

The obstacle to asking, discussing, and addressing these behaviors is the lack of humility. Our profession is oft impaired by sentimentality. We are quick to defend, explain, or excuse the results or evidence of our work (student learning) as something outside our control except when student learning and achievement exceeds expectation. We tend to take credit for outstanding student results but quickly run away from responsibility for poor student learning results (a discussion for a different day).

My brother and I were humbled in our efforts to cover up incomplete work. From this humility came a valuable lesson that serves us well today. We cannot prepare the garden properly without removing the roots of the weeds that so desperately want to dominate. Now, whenever in the garden I exercise the discipline (and time) to pull the roots.

Our organization must commit to learning – learning to ask different questions, learning to think differently, and learning to identify the root cause of a problem, issue, concern, or a result that did not meet or exceed expectations.

Connecting the Dots

A cardinal responsibility of leadership is to constantly and consistently make “sense” of the work. Making “sense” is akin to connecting dots. I remember as a child coloring in coloring books that challenged you to connect the dots to frame a picture to color. If one or more dots weren’t connected the picture couldn’t be completed properly.

After completing several pictures, I recall attempting to guess the picture without connecting the dots. More often or not I would guess correctly. However, with the connection of each dot the outline of the picture didn’t quite match my previous efforts. Lesson learned – connect the dots, all the dots.

The work of leading continuous improvement requires the dots to connect to provide a framework and thus a picture of the work. The consistent and constant reminder of these connections as well as the dots themselves is critical. My fear as realized this past Monday is that leadership (chiefly myself) assumed the connection and the dots were clear – they are not.

Let me try to connect them –

The Anson County Schools has three commitments that frame a picture of our work completed. They are:

1. All Anson County School students meet or exceed state and community academic learning standards;

2. The Anson County Schools are organized efficiently and effectively to ensure that all students meet or exceed state and community academic learning standards; and

3. The Anson County Schools will engage, promote, and partner with parents and community to ensure all students meet or exceed state and community academic learning standards.

Within each of these commitments are critical or key success factors that when met complete the commitments.

In commitment one you find our core work. The critical success factors or dots include, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional learning and growth alignment. The details are posted on the http://www.ansonschools.org/ website under the BOE/Superintendent tab.

We have several initiatives underway to connect these important dots. Chief among these is Total Instructional Alignment. Within this initiative are several ongoing strategies including a heavy emphasis on training staff in effective practices. This year, we add Atlantic Research Partners to build capacity in our building leadership (principals and teachers alike) in instructional leadership.

In commitment two you find the emphasis on effective and efficient organization of our schools and departments. Several dots connect this work. Chief among these is our work on planning, monitoring, and assessing individual as well as department, school, and school system performance.

The Organizational Assessment is central to our accountability model. This year we add SeeChange (Mariner) the public reporting mechanism to allow our entire community to monitor our progress. Though it could be argued that SeeChange is a communication, engagement tool, it is really a powerful monitoring and reporting tool connecting the Strategic Commitments and the Organizational Assessment.

An additional dot in commitment two is process management. This work is to ensure we have a system in place to monitor and measure processes to determine if and to what extent they are efficient and effective and is being facilitated by Results Based Solutions and is planned to be completed no later than 31 January 2011.

The third commitment is the one that has the most work still to be completed. To that end, SUCCEED created and facilitated by Mary Jo McGrath will commence this fall as a process for building (or rebuilding) relationships within our schools, with our community, and throughout our county by learning to listen and engage in authentic conversations with one another. In addition, K-12 Insight will assist us with soliciting, gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and taking appropriate actions from opinions, perceptions and etc. of our citizens. Lastly, the Parent Guides are an important dot connecting our schools to parents about the standards and expectations for learning.

Next week I will continue with the role that planning plays in connecting dots in the Anson County Schools. Until then, remember our Give Us Feedback tab on the Anson County Schools website as a great way to provide input, feedback, suggestions for improvement, and recognition for outstanding service by our staff.