"Understanding Why"

At our Convocation I presented, again our theory of action (What + Why + How = Results). It has not changed since our journey together began. The difference today compared to our first days together is that many things have become clearer – especially the “whats”. Simply put, the “whats” are the expectations or inputs into our system.

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) collectively is the “what” for teaching and learning in every LEA, school, and classroom in North Carolina. Every statute, policy and community expectation lead us back to the NCSCOS.

The “whats” also serve as the center of our accountability system. The results we achieve through our students are measured against the expectations of our community as well as the state – right, wrong, or indifferent. We are accountable for the level of performance – student learning and achievement that meets or exceeds the standards in the NCSCOS.

The standards inclusive in the NCSCOS are neither arbitrary nor optional. Argumentatively, they may or may not represent everything that an educated individual should know and be able to do. They do; however, represent what our state has said is the minimum that each student in North Carolina must demonstrate proficiency in to graduate from high school.

That being said, our leadership work in the Anson County Schools is to continue to raise awareness, understanding, and implementation of the standards including for each grade level and subject throughout the system. Leadership must ensure that each teacher is using the pacing guides that were created, in part, by our staff. Additionally, leadership must make sense of the common formative assessments including benchmark assessments to inform teaching as well as student progress toward meeting standard.

The intensity, consistency, and constancy of attention that building leadership places on the implementation of the aforementioned will to a large degree determine the results we will experience in June 2011. For the first time in many of our educators experience we, as a system, have the pieces in place to drive and achieve unprecedented student achievement. Again, this will be determined by the determination and commitment of building leadership to dive deep into implementation of the tools we now have.

The “whats” are not pacing guides, common formative assessments or benchmark assessments. They are “hows”. We have several “hows” in place to deliver the NCSCOS.

The assessment tools are critical to inform our progress including the effect of instruction in real time. Additional tools are the myriad instructional strategies including differentiated instruction, co-teaching, Cornell notes, graphic organizers, word walls, etc. We also have powerful technology based supplemental instructional programming to assist with delivering the NCSCOS.

With the “whats” clearer and the “hows” aligned to the “whats” the factor that is the difference maker is the “whys”.

I am not sure that each individual or as a collective we understand the “whys”. Let me go so far as saying that we have pretty much assumed educators understand the “whys”. Yet, it is now very obvious in the decisions, behaviors, and attitudes throughout our system that there is significant disconnect attributed to “why” we are engaged in this work. The NCSCOS is THE “what” and the importance of fidelity in the “how”.

Our understanding the “whys” will be the determining factor about student achievement. It is not socio-economics or the home environment. Rather, it is our response to these formidable but not insurmountable challenges driven by our individual and collective understanding of the “whys” that will champion the day for each learner.

So, each of us must know “why” we are here. We must know “why” we are using the strategies we use and equally know under what conditions they work and don’t work. We must know “why” without making excuses, explaining away, or dismissing our responsibilities to ensure success for each learner.