"All In"

Moving to a mindset where urgency is the “new normal” is more demanding than simply placing new importance on a practice or program. As I stated last week urgency requires different thinking, different behavior, and different results.

In a like manner, urgency cannot be reckless, unplanned, or episodic. In fact, creating and sustaining a sense of urgency requires thoughtful, deliberate, and consistency in all manner of planning, implementation, and monitoring.

A sense of urgency also requires a comprehensive awareness, understanding, and support of the plan, strategies, and expected outcomes. Simply, urgency requires an “all in” commitment.

“All in” is just that – complete and comprehensive.

The work we are presently engaged in will not produce the results we desire and expect without an “all in” by every staff albeit teacher, administrator, support staff, student, parent, and community.

Our present work is focused on transformative change. Remaking a school system that has not to date produced consistent, constant, and comprehensive learning to high standards by each learner is daunting and challenging.

Yet, the work of district transformation with an “all in” commitment by all, for all, and of all can and will produce the desired and expected results.

An obstacle stands in the way of effective district transformation. That obstacle is that the individual, group or organization has little awareness, understanding, or appreciation for the required sacrifice or abandonment of current beliefs and behaviors.

Transformation is dynamic.

The reality that transformation is far deeper, profound, and comprehensive than originally thought present equally a challenge for many.

Transformation is more than change. Change does not begin to capture the comprehensive, complete, or consuming nature of transformation. Change is more or less superficial or outside in whereas transformation is inside out.

Transformation requires an "all in" commitment where change is perceived as optional, a choice if you will.

The landscape of educational reform is replete with examples of failed change initiatives. It will soon include the carnage of failed transformation.

Failed transformation will be more devastating, more disastrous, and more destructive.

"All in" is just that – all our mind, heart, body, and soul - our entire self. This explains, in part, the comprehensive nature of transformation and also why the failure to transform will be so destructive.

We can change a behavior without fully or completely changing our beliefs. We see this all the time. Changed behavior without changed beliefs as well as changed beliefs without changed behavior is superficial, situational and easily undone.

Transformation demands more. Transformation is an “all in” state of being. “All in” is no turning back, compete surrender and abandonment of old to new. This creates stress and conflict. We like what we know and can easily do. We don’t like the unknown or unfamiliar.

We know stress and conflict bring out the true nature of people. Stress and conflict reveal if and to what extent transformation has occurred. Again, in transformation, old behavior, old thinking, old beliefs are replaced with "new".

It is imperative therefore that every effort to create, reinforce, and sustain an environment conducive for transformation be made.

What does this look, sound, and feel like?

A transformed school system is characterized by being different.

It has different practices driven by different thinking.

It produces different relationships and uses different language.

It has different expectations that drive different performance, and different results.

It requires trust and transparency that produces hope!

To achieve transformation fear and the perceptions of fear must be removed and eliminated. Fear manifests itself in many different forms. Here are just two.

In the form of judgment, fear prevents openness to change.

In the form of failure, fear prevents risk.

We need complete, "all in" transformation. We can and we will when each of us embraces urgency and the requirement of transformation - "all in".

"Collective Sense of Urgency"

Do we have a collective sense of urgency?

More importantly, do we know what a collective sense of urgency is?

It is generally accepted that urgency is “the quality or condition of being urgent; pressing importance: a pressing necessity”.

I am not so sure there is an appreciation for urgency. Rather, I know we more often or not succumb to the tyranny of the moment and confuse the moment as the most pressing or urgent matter. Akin to putting out fires or greasing the squeaky wheel or whatever other metaphor we associate with diverting time, energy, resources, or etc. urgent is viewed as episodic or time based.

In this new economy, new world urgency is the “new” normal for work. No longer can urgency be viewed as something you get ready for or ramp up for or rest between for that matter. It is a constant.

The idea that a sense of urgency has become our new normal may seem odd to many. Yet, an increased sense of importance, sense of mission, sense of achieving results must be intensified if we are to achieve our best hopes for each learner.

We cannot wait for something else or someone else to tell us, show, us, shame us, or threaten us to act.

We cannot simply "want" our students to perform better we must "act". Our actions must be deliberate and with a renewed sense that every step, every decision, every choice, and every action cannot be delayed or put off.

Too often decisions, those decisions most critical to students especially those students who have the greatest dependency on educators for their learning are not made with a sense of urgency, the necessary sense of importance to do “whatever it takes”.

This is not a criticism of character, integrity, or the caring nature of educators. The lack of urgency is unfortunately more a matter of a system that has not collectively embraced the responsibility and accountability for "whatever it takes" to ensure performance improvement. There’s always next year, right?

This sense of collective urgency must be a balance of pragmatism, idealism, and realism. We cannot simply amp up or marshal our efforts recklessly or naively. Our efforts must be grounded in what is right, what is true, and what is good.

The “whatever it takes” mindset drives the authority to act with urgency. It does not wait or delay. This sense of urgency combined with accountability as defined by Connors et.al (1994) equips individuals and our system collectively with an incredible platform to act.

Accountability

“An attitude of continually asking, “what else can I do to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I desire?” It is the process of “seeing it, owning it, solving it, and doing it.” It requires a level of ownership that includes making, keeping, and proactively answering for personal commitments. It is a perspective that embraces both current and future efforts rather than reactive and historical explanations (Connors, Smith & Hickman, 1994; page 65).

Urgency therefore cannot be someone else’s to own. Each and every one of us must see urgency as a non-negotiable component of our daily work.

Urgency is not reckless or reactive. It must be intentional. It must be part of who we are, what we do, and how we do whatever it takes to ensure each learner is successful.

Urgency requires a clear and comprehensive awareness and understanding of vision, mission, and guiding principles of the district as well as for each school and classroom.

Urgency requires action – an action that is not rushed, chaotic, or without clear responsibilities or accountabilities for decisions, solutions, or results.

Urgency is not desperation, a last resort or alternative. In this vain, urgency is destructive, unhealthy, and undesirable.

In as much as educators must exercise urgency as the new normal I will not discount the importance of student motivation, engagement, effort, and ownership of learning.

The responsibility of the student is paramount but is also highly dependent upon educators creating, cultivating, reinforcing, and sustaining an efficacious environment for both learner and teacher alike.

A sense of urgency, clearly defined accountability, and efficacy will transform our system. Without these I am afraid we will continue to spin our proverbial wheels expending energy and effort that are already at dangerous lows.

This is the place, the appointed time, and the necessary work that must be done for success. We must now more than ever embrace our work with a renewed sense of importance, sense of mission – sense of urgency.

It is up to each one of us!

“College for all … time to rethink this call to arms”

In a major report by Harvard University in February 2011, educators and business leaders stated that a “college for all” mentality is no longer realistic, if ever it was. Many positions – known as “middle-skill” jobs – don’t require a degree from a four-year institution. The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce estimates there will be 47 million job openings by 2018. Nearly half will require only an associate’s degree (reported in Times of Texas).

The report went on to say “Career and technical education programs, once derided as being for those who couldn’t cut it academically, offer one path. But growing those programs has not been a national priority and their quality is inconsistent at best. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has called career and technical education the ‘neglected stepchild’ of education reform”.

So what does this mean for us?

Our efforts to “transform” and “turnaround” from persistently underperforming to a consistently high performing school system is beginning to gain traction but if the “eyes on the prize” is college for all we may further exacerbate an already reform weary staff and community. We must heed the reality about “middle-skill” jobs and ask how we can create greater interest, opportunity, and access to programs that meet the needs of our county, our state, and nation.

We have from the beginning of our transformation work acknowledged that each learner must meet or exceed high standards. We have never placed the expectation that each learner must go to college. We have however stated that each learner must be prepared for two or four year post high school learning if they so choose.

Even our state has recognized, in policy, the need for college and career ready graduates. Policy however well written must be practically implemented. To do so requires different thinking and different practice. What we really need is additional funding for materials, equipment, and staff for program start-ups and program adjustments in Career Technical Education (CTE). CTE programs must be funded at a higher level than regular education courses. They have to be for one very important reason – they cost more.

We want career ready graduates! We want students taking not just an introductory course in a career area of interest. We want students completing a field of study prepared to earn a two-year technical degree or performing at the Gold Standard in Work Keys (the assessment of job readiness skills) to enter the workforce after high school. This means that in every class at every grade level the skills of reading, writing, and mathematics through Algebra must be mastered. We cannot and will not place students into CTE courses that do not have the requisite skills, knowledge, and aptitude.

In the past, there has been a disservice done to students that were neither interested nor prepared for CTE courses. We have in place a CTE leadership team that will work closely with high school administration and guidance staff to ensure proper program placement.

We have worked hard over the past two years and will continue into the foreseeable future to add as well as reinforce CTE course offerings to attract learners interested in acquiring job ready, career focused skills, knowledge, and experience. Currently, we are in discussions with South Piedmont Community College (SPCC) to create greater course and degree alignment and articulation for both technical degree areas and industry certification or licensure areas. We are excited about the renewed interest, creativity and enthusiasm of SPCC leadership to assist us with these initiatives.

For me, however there remains a powerful paradigm that somehow staff and students in our CTE programs are viewed as “less than” their peers in other programs. In a like manner, our parents and community need better awareness and understanding that CTE programs are beneficial for all especially those who aspire to enter into professional careers requiring four year university degrees. Query, what profession does not require marketing albeit of self, product, program, or service? All students would benefit from Marketing to name just one of several courses available in high school not to mention Child Psychology, Human Development, or Family and Consumer Science (aka Home Economics). These courses are universally germane.

Suffice it to say, the fixation on college for all may be notable but unnecessary. The goal, our goal must remain to educate each learner to high standards preparing them for unlimited possibilities. Irrespective of career choice, each learner must have just that – a choice. That choice is possible only through the mastery of the basic skills and opportunity as well as access to quality courses and instructors.

We are committed to making this happen!

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less” General Eric Shinseki, (former U.S. Army Chief of Staff)

The call for change is nothing new. The reluctance as well as resistance to change is equally not new. What is different and also unprecedented is that the call for change in public education actually has consequences – significant consequences.

Students bare the brunt of the failure by adults to improve, to adjust, to adapt, or to change. This too, is not new. The shifts or changes in education precipitated by changes in society albeit economically, politically, or socially have arguably caused disruptions registering from minor to major on the educational change seismic scale. Yet, this time few, if any really know or can forecast the impact. We simply don’t know because we have never experienced this level or degree of change.

The convergence of new standards (Common Core Essential Standards), new assessments (READY), new teacher evaluation (McREL) and effectiveness models, new technologies (Cloud), new, new, new, and more new is setting the stage for significant change whether or not we want, invite, or accept change as inevitable. We have stated over and over again that change; this change is not a choice. What is ours to choose, however is whether or not we seek to understand deeply the intended, expected, and desired results of the change as well as how this change is expected to shift our thinking and behavior resulting in improved individual as well as organizational improvement.

In the past individuals could ride the change out or outlast the change agents with pretty good odds that at some point the status quo would over power the change initiative and return to the way things were. Sadly, the status quo is in the minority and on the wrong side of change this time.

With the adoption of Common Core states are compelled to implement standards to be in alignment with the rest of the nation. Common assessments are coming. These two realities will allow for more accurate comparisons of student performance within and throughout the country.

These comparisons will assist parents, and communities let alone states and the nation in clearly knowing what students are learning and the depth to which they can apply their learning. This will also address the long awaited validation of many of our hard working, effective educators that have in many respects been “lumped in” with the small, few numbers of ineffective educators that have until now dominated the thinking of policy wonks, pundits, and naysayers.

The current status quo will not so easily let go or give up. Akin to “dancing with dinosaurs”, the status quo refuses to see the writing on the wall. The extinction of the “good enough” standard and “at least we are better than …” thinking that has prevented schools and systems to implement initiatives effectively and produce the desire or expected results is inevitable.

The last gasps for air of oft-used excuses or explanations as to why “this or that” was not achieved or accomplished will be heard in classrooms, schools, and schools systems across North Carolina and the country. Though it is time to move forward we will have those who remain steadfast in their beliefs and behaviors that not all students will learn or should learn to high standards.

Possibly, with Common Core and common assessments we will allow the best of what public education was intended to achieve – an educated citizenry, full participation in a democratic society, and truly the skills, knowledge and experience to pursue unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for each person.

We have accomplished much.

Yet, in full disclosure we have still much to do.

We have incredible staff that day in and day out do “whatever it takes” to ensure learners learn. Those not proficient, those not committed to the mission, those who resist and push back from the necessary change are but few but nonetheless loud in their disruption and obstruction. As we continue with our alignment work, those in the aforementioned category are finding it difficult to find sympathetic ears and this is as it should be. The majority of staff see the utility and import of the alignment work and are contributing quality work product that will benefit each teacher, each student in our system. Thank you!

The work between now and the end of the instructional year must be first, to continue addressing the learning needs of our present learners and second, preparing to address the needs of learners next year and beyond.

I am greatly encouraged by the alignment and transition work. We have and will continue to ask a great deal of our staff. We must know that this simultaneous work will yield results.

It has and it will.