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.