The Advance

The 2011-2012 Leadership Advance took place last week. The highlights of the Advance include a new planning protocol for schools and departments that mirror the district planning process. Each school and department will identify their “commitments” akin to the District’s Strategic Commitments.

The timing of this work is informed by the findings from both the Organizational Assessment and Comprehensive Needs Assessment that our school administration, staff along with the department heads and staff are not fully aware and therefore committed to the strategic direction of the system.

With commitments identified and written into all aspects of planning, the sense making necessary to create as well as ensure alignment of effort, resources, and effective practice will be tighter than ever before.

In addition to creating and using commitments for planning, implementation – deep implementation and monitoring is unequivocally the focus for 2011-2012.

To ensure deep implementation and monitoring, school and department leadership will use their commitments to drive their annual planning tables to address strategic and operational objectives resulting in performance improvement in each area of our system.

Leadership took the first steps in developing their planning tables by reviewing and reflecting upon student performance data and their comprehensive needs assessment data.

Leadership will continue to work on their annual planning table preparing to work with their staff in August to finalize strategies and actions steps. In the future, annual planning tables will be completed and submitted for approval in June to ensure additional time for implementation fidelity.

Principals were introduced to the concept of “playbook”. The playbook will be a monthly guide to assist in the facilitation of performance monitoring and progress to ensure implementation is effective.

The “advance” provided an overview of the “common core” for English and Mathematics that will replace the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) in 2012. In July, principals with selected staff will begin the process of converting from NCSCOS to common core. The work will continue throughout the 2011-2012 school year.

Lastly, Leadership was formally introduced to the Learning Development Center (LDC) strategy to increase capacity for all staff. Principals were informed of the expectations for their participation with staff as well as training they will receive in July.

The format for the LDC is taking shape as three of the four leadership positions have been filled. The fourth will be filled shortly. Once filled, LDC leadership will engage in intensive training designed for adult learning.

The purpose of the LDC is first and foremost to develop awareness, understanding, and application of effective practice, develop common language, common purpose, and alignment.

In total, the Leadership Advance set the stage for work in July and August as well as the months of September through June 2012.

With little reservation, Leadership was clearly made aware of the expectations for implementation and monitoring of the work necessary to drive improvement – their responsibility for implementing and monitoring.

Further, it was clearly communicated that implementation and monitoring is not an option.

Though I will accept compliance we need commitment to the work. I illustrated this point with the assistance of Major Shaw (US Army, Retired). Using the giving, receiving, and execution of an order, I asked if receiving and executing an order was in any part, optional – open for discussion, debate?

Absurd? Absolutely!

An order given is expected to be carried out without question, compromise, or excuse.

There is a difference however between taking and carrying out an order as a matter of compliance or commitment.

Compliance is out of a sense of duty.

Commitment is out of a sense of ownership, responsibility, and accountability.

Though the result or outcome of an order is expected to be the same irrespective of compliance or commitment there is a difference – big difference!

Compliance is a “have to” whereas commitment is a “want to”.

Commitment is again, about ownership. It is seeing it, owning it, solving it, doing it. Compliance falls short. Commitment is the attitude, enthusiasm, motivation, and enduring effort to rise above our circumstances to achieve the results we desire.

Are we committed?