“What Will It Take: Part II”

I would like all of us – each and every one of us to identify the resisting forces pushing against the driving forces of change necessary to achieve our mission – all students meeting or exceeding high standards.

The driving forces are the compelling reason, purpose, or aim of the change we desire. Whereas, resisting forces are the objects, or forces that stop the change envisioned.

For change to succeed, driving forces must overcome resisting forces. Though this may seem obvious, resisting forces are oft subject to subterfuge and other forms of deception. They are under estimated, discounted, and ignored until they become the focus rather than the change desired.

Let’s return to change. Between the driving and resisting forces is just that, the change we desire.

What change do we want?

When I came to Anson County in July of 2007, it was made clear by the Board of Education that creating and implementing a strategic plan was a priority.

Before addressing student performance, quality of principals, teachers, and other administrators, facilities, activity and athletic programs, visual, fine and performing art programs, funding, enrollment, middle class flight, student behavior, attendance, parental engagement, poverty, transparency, and etc. the Board of Education desired a plan.

Again, it may seem obvious that before addressing program, processes, procedures, and performance improvement we needed a plan.

To that end, a plan was created. Not a traditional plan. Using a different construct; one based on the identification of the school system’s promises to students, parents, staff, and community and the identification of factors key to success as well as key indicators of performance were developed and agreed upon.

These promises, key success factors, and key performance indicators collectively are the Strategic Commitments – the plan.

This is where the driving and resisting forces become relevant. Each of the key success factors that must be met represent the change we desire.

Underpinning the driving forces are people – children, young adults, adults, seniors. They are the past, present, and future of this county, this state, and nation. They are workers, producers, inventors, repairmen, guards, farmers, businessmen and women. They are our best hope for better.

If the driving forces are the improvement of our children why is there resistance? What is pushing back?

Consider:

Driving Force – All students literate

Required Change – All teachers in every class implement effective literacy instruction daily

Resisting Force – ?

How about another?

Driving Force – All students proficient in Algebra

Required Change – Effective daily math instruction

Resisting Force – ?

One more

Driving Force – All students write effectively

Required Change – Effective daily writing instruction

Resisting Force - ?

It isn’t logical is it? If the driving forces in these examples are students that are literate, Algebra proficient, and effective writers and the change desired is effective instruction, what is the resisting force stopping or obstructing the change?

Can it be this simple?

No, it isn’t!

We have complicated, confused and convoluted the change process to the point that we expect people to resist no matter how compelling the driving force or envisioned change.

Argumentatively, the whole “buy in” mindset is more or less asking people to fit the driving force and envisioned change into their current understanding, current values, and current competencies.

The problem should be obvious. The driving force is not open for discussion. Why then should the change?

Query if we were already meeting or exceeding expectations for performance, purpose or aim of education the call for change would be moot.

Our current reality however illuminates a different reality – a reality that many deny, dismiss, or simply ignore.

There it is, I have answered my own question – resisting forces are more or less a denial of current reality.

How long can we deny our reality? Moreover, how long can our students continue to wait for us to see them not only as they are but what they can become as a result of the change we must be for them?

“Complicated, Intense, and Demanding”

I am spent. You are spent. We are spent.

Individually as well as collectively there is little, if any margin, capacity. We have been and will continue to work at an unprecedented and unhealthy pace.

In a big way the pace of our work is attributed to being far behind in almost every aspect of organization, practice, and performance.

Added to being behind and the work to date to catch up, the expectations and demands of changes required by the federal and state have created even more demands on time, effort, and energy.

Yes, the new normal is the pace of blur with little or no time for rest, reflection, and recreation.

Truth is – it is not going to slow down. In fact, it is going to get more complicated, more intense, and more demanding.

Why complicated?

What is complicated is the reality of change – authentic change – transformative change.

Consider, most if not all of us want improvement, different results. But, most if not all of us don’t want to change.

This is not uncommon. Research is replete with studies of change initiatives, innovations, and reform that fail due to individuals not changing their beliefs, values, or norms.

The biggest problem associated with failure is that individuals attempt to fit change into what they currently know and can do.

However, change in practice requires a change in what we know and what we think.

The complication therefore with the change we must experience is that most if, not all, of what must change requires people to learn new approaches, align values and create new norms.

Make sense?

Not only have we been working to adopt new approaches to teaching and learning, the learning for all mission – no matter what it takes, and create new norms of rigor and high expectations for all to catch up but we must also accelerate these efforts to implement new requirements to meet new accountability standards. This is complicated.

Why intensity?

The intensity of transformation is magnified because of past performance or lack of. Akin to running a race, we did not start at the same place as everyone else but are expected to finish at the same time.

Staying with the racing metaphor, this is not a sprint. We must understand that we will get to that finish line not by spurts or short bursts. Rather, we will get to that finish line by focusing on what we control not on the other runners.

More demanding?

The first two – complicated and intense underpin demands.

Without hesitation the demands being placed on teachers, principals, and central office are without a rival.

The state of being overwhelmed in many ways is attributed to the challenges of learning

– learning new knowledge to learn new practices.

Learning for adults often requires unlearning or suspending what we know or have experienced to be open to new or different ways of thinking and doing.

It takes great effort to unlearn. It takes great discipline to suspend. Both are fatiguing.

Our present situation therefore is complicated, intense, and demanding – coalescing to create a state of blur as well as a state of exhaustion.

In the midst of this complicated, intense, and demanding work are the critics. Those who point fingers, cast blame, and make judgments.

Their intentions?

Not sure but I am clear in what they are not – they are not interested in improving, interested in achieving to before never imagined levels of performance, and certainly not interested in the future of children.

On the other hand, their intentions are indicative of a mindset that has not to date embraced the “different”, the “change if you will that must take place in thought and action.

Our work is indeed complicated, intense, and demanding.

"What are we waiting on?"

I was pondering just how far we have come in light of how far we still need to go and it struck me, just what are we waiting on? More specific and personal, what are you waiting for?

The waiting for change is not reserved just for those that appear reluctant or resistant.

Those that consider themselves not risk adverse must ask "what have I done to assist, support, encourage, model, explain, and/or in some cases questioned, challenged, voiced concern about the choices or decisions made by others that undermine, sabotage, or out right refuse to get with the program?"

Recently we witnessed the medical profession question the decisions and therefore competency of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.

The judgments made by Dr. Murray were found to be responsible for contributing to Jackson's death.

In the criminal proceedings, expert witnesses from the medical profession testified to the facts that constitute medical malpractice.

With respect to education, the expert witnesses are teachers. Teachers know who are and who are not competent. Yet, teachers say little if anything about teachers that is critical about teaching.

My point, we know what works. We have staff that are doing what works. On the other hand we have staff that are not.

What are they waiting on?

We know that change is fundamentally an inside out proposition. For too long the outside‐in, force, coerce, embarrass, penalize, and etc. mindset and practice have dominated school reform.

We have, however, aligned our reform, our transformation efforts around what we know is true about human learning. We have invested in a theory of action that calls for a deep understanding of the “what” underpinned by a clearly articulated “why” then the “how”.

We have presented a case for the enduring habits of learning versus chasing a “test score” as the compelling motivation for teaching as well as learning.

We have presented a case for self‐managing, self-regulating, and self‐monitoring of behavior accompanied by the tools, the protocols, and structure for results.

We have presented a case for early, aggressive identification and intervention with powerful supplemental instructional programming and provided the tools, the training, and the time for results.

We have presented a case for adult learning, capacity building, and human capital development and provided the framework, structure, and incentive to learn for results.

We have presented a case for purposeful alignment of curriculum, effective instructional practice, and frequent monitoring of student progress toward meeting or exceeding standards and the tools, the training, and time to produce results.

What needs to change for staff to give voice to what works or who is and who isn't implementing effective practice?

Let that sink in – what needs to change for staff that have been unsuccessful in their current practice to change?

A change in leadership?

Really?

Do we think that principals and central office administrators are wholly responsible for identifying ineffective performance?

A change in parents?

Really?

Do we think that our parents are wholly responsible for failed learning and the failure to learn?

A change in students?

Really?

Do we think that if we change students to the “other” students – the ones the parents are keeping home will create the change we need?

Are those reluctant, resistant, or simply incapable of changing waiting on something else to change first?

Seriously, what conditions must be present for change to not only take place but yield the expected results?

What could possibly be an excuse or explanation for not doing what we know works, is effective, and achieves the results we expect?

What indeed are we waiting for?

The answer, in part is we all – each of us – must take responsibility for the change we desire. We must now more than ever take to heart, to mind, and to action those factors, variables that we control.

Leadership, parents, students, and, yes, teachers cannot wait on someone else to become the change we need.

Again, I ask, “What are we waiting on?”