“The Pursuit of Excellence is not Perfection”

The pursuit of excellence is not the pursuit of perfection.  Excellence and perfection are often used interchangeable and incorrectly.  Arguably, perfection is not excellence.   The pursuit of perfection is fraught with issues.  Chief among these is wrong motives.  Motives as we know can take various forms.  It is not my intention to question motives, however consider how many incidents of taking short cuts, dishonesty, cheating, or other unethical, immoral, or illegal actions in the pursuit of perfection have been committed in the history of humankind. Weekly, from the world of sports albeit professional or amateur we learn of athletes that are accused of using performance enhancement drugs to perfect their performance, their position, or sport.

The problem with perfect or perfection may be in the words or standard we use to describe it.  Consider such terms as error free, without blemish, precise, accurate, or without fault.

How therefore does the role of improvement fit into the world of perfection?

It doesn’t.

Being perfect by its’ very nature implies there is no room for improvement. Perfect is a destination; it is arriving, work completed. Simply, being perfect is improvement free.

Yet, the pursuit of perfection has imperfections. 

What?

The pursuit of perfection can cause as previously stated short cuts.  It can also cause reluctance to risk, avoiding attempting something new or different, taking chances, or experimenting. It can create a mechanical, fixed, or rigid mindset that also influences behavior.  It can produce a “right way” only approach to life.  The pursuit of perfection can also produce obsessions, paranoia, and all sorts of phobias and fears of failure, inadequacies, and states of depression.

The pursuit of excellence is very different.  Excellence is a “how” whereas perfection is a “what”.  Excellence is all about quality, becoming exceptional, extraordinary, outstanding, and of lasting or enduring value.  The pursuit of excellence requires in everything constantly and consistently doing our best – not doing perfect.  Excellence requires seeking ways to improve, to learn from mistakes or shortcomings, to bring to our work a sense of quality of not only doing what is expected but going beyond expected to extraordinary in planning, execution, services, effort and etc.

Excellence requires a mindset that what we do and how we do it is good, true and right. 

It is an “ethic” of our work.

If we individually and cooperatively embraced the pursuit of excellence would our work be different?

Would we plan differently?

Would we implement differently?

Would we monitor differently?

Would we adjust or correct differently?

Would we reflect differently?

Would we produce differently?

I believe we would –

In fact, I believe that the pursuit of excellence in “how” we do our work would become pervasive and transmit clearly, loudly, and uncompromising to our students, parents, and community.  Further still, I believe we would authentically experience the transformation of this present work as we envision, we desire, and we so desperately want to believe it can be for each child.

Yes, the pursuit of excellence just may be the greatest shift we have complete control, complete authority to make.  To do so is a matter of choice; a matter of personal responsibility and accountability.

There is absolutely nothing in the way of pursuing excellence other than self imposed obstacles or barriers.

Leadership including myself must model as best as we can excellence in what we say and what we do.  Nowhere greater is the evidence of hypocrisy than in leaders that ask others to do what they themselves will not do.

We are at a critical point in our work to transform education.  The tipping point I firmly believe will be our ability to pursue excellence not perfection.  We are close and within our reach is the breakthrough that has the potential to catapult both teaching and learning to the highest levels.

It is critical therefore that we examine not only our motives but also the way in which we approach our work daily.

If I could unselfishly choose for you that approach, it would be the pursuit of excellence.  Moreover, if we could choose for our students, our parents, and our community their approach to education, I want to believe we would choose “excellence”

What would you choose?

"Organizational Reflection and Review"

Last week I commented on how close we are to breaking through the tyranny of low expectations.  It is fitting therefore as we begin our forth (4th) comprehensive organizational assessment (OA) to take a few moments to comment on “why” and “how” important the OA is to our work of continuous improvement and how close we truly are to breakthrough.

Creating and sustaining high expectations for performance albeit student learning, teachers teaching, or administrators leading is transformation work - not turnaround, reform, restructuring, or etc. - transformational.

It requires changing what we know before changing what we do to get the results we desire and expect.  This has been easier said than done.

As we live, schools and school systems have been defined, judged by a single metric – a test score.  Teachers and their effect as well as principals and their effect include student performance as measured by end of grade or end of course tests.  It is argued and rightfully so that student learning is the effect resultant from teaching.  Yet, student learning is but one outcome of effective teaching.  In fact, student learning as measured by a test score is a lagging or trailing or after the fact indicator of effective teaching.

To address the dependency on measuring teacher effect by a test score, the teacher evaluation system now includes several other indices that combine to provide a more comprehensive measure of effectiveness.  In a like manner, the OA does just that.  Rather than depend on trailing or lagging indicators of improvement or effect, the OA examines leading indicators of a continuous system improvement.

The OA process requires an examination of evidence from five major components of organizational performance.  These areas are:   

1) Organizing Principles, 

2) Powerful Teaching and Learning System, 

3) Core Organizational Functions, 

4) Aspirations and Beliefs, and 

5) District Cycle of Improvement.

Each of these components has elements or key success factors that are examined and collectively yield a comprehensive picture of improvement including strengths and opportunities for improvement. The OA also includes unpacking and defining threats to achieving our mission.  These threats go deeper than the opportunities for improvement; they illuminate what our strategic priorities must be so that improvement is, in fact, continuous.

The OA has provided invaluable feedback and insight to the work of becoming a high performing school system.  Though our test scores are trending in the right way, we still have not experienced significant results just yet. However, the data behind the data reveals very encouraging, hopeful, and promising results are close.

The key as we know with any plan is to stay the course. In concert with our continuous improvement cycle, the OA is our organizational time for comprehensive reflection and review.

Reflection takes time, courage, and a commitment to authentically and with transparency look at our work, our programs, practices, processes, and results.  In this case, we look not only at ourselves but ask a third party to look in the mirror with us.

Similarly, review must be thorough.  It must include not only what we perceive is working well or not as expected but the actual evidence or proof.  Review cannot be wishful thinking or what we would like to be or become.  It must be what we are, right now, right here.

The output from reflection and review is planning for the future.  I am quite confident that we presently have not placed the level of importance on planning.  Rather, we tend to emphasize implementation.  This is not unique or limited to Anson County.  One of the most pressing deficiencies in schools and school systems across America is under appreciation for planning – effective planning.

Our Annual Planning Tables (APTs) now reflect our individual and collective understanding and commitment to implementation as well as monitoring of programs, processes and practices.

Lastly, the OA compels us to make adjustments or corrections to ensure that the results we expect and desire are realized. 

Suffice it to say, the OA is important for our organization now and in the future.

"We ARE Close!"

We are close!

At the budget workshop on 5 April 2012, Board of Education member, Mr. Russell Sikes commented after a recent visit to Anson High, "You can feel it, we are close."

I couldn't agree more.

We are so close to breaking through the barrier of low expectations. The work being done by dedicated staff especially in the areas of Algebra, Biology, and English I supported by instructional coaches albeit ours or DPI as well as school and central office administration is beginning to gain traction. This is true at both the high school and middle school level.

Candidly, we don’t want to be in this situation where so many resources are being expended to build, bridge skill and knowledge deficiencies - but we must.

We must complete this work to demonstrate to students and staff alike as well as our community that our students, their students can and will perform to high expectations.

Creating and sustaining a culture and climate of high expectations has not been as easy or simple as policy makers in Raleigh or Washington thought. You cannot mandate transformation nor can you mandate cultural change.

The lessons, our lessons learned are that it takes hard work, purposeful, deliberate, and intentional work to change what we know to change what we do.

The lessons, our lessons learned also include the impact that a gamut of emotions many of which are feelings of frustration, disappointment, doubt, unappreciated, devalued, and hopelessness to name just a few have on each and every one of us.

Getting beyond the finger pointing, affixing blame, and playing the victim stages of change is close. We are also close to accepting without excuse individual and organizational responsibility for the choices, decisions, and actions we do every day.

Within our reach is the mantel of authority not just the responsibility or accountability to take, make, and keep commitments ensuring that each learner is successful.

This may be the greatest lesson learned. That is, each and every one of us accepting and taking fully, completely the authority to do "whatever it takes".

Yet, we still have those that have not accepted or believe our students can demonstrate their learning at high levels consistently. I understand. I really do.

From the beginning of time there have always been those that must see, must experience to believe. Similarly there are those that believe and then see. This is not a right or wrong proposition. Rather, it is what makes life interesting.

However, the work of seeing to believe or believing to see is not an exercise of trying to convince one another of their perspective. This more than anything is the source of frustration, conflict.

It would seem that now more than ever we must accept and practice great care in listening to one another especially from those who may not readily see the improvement, the progress, and the hope resultant from their dedicated, intense, and exhausting work being done by so many.

Though we are close, this work is far from complete. In fact, we are at a place that is more critical than ever. In as much as that we have realized significant improvement we are dangerously fragile and thus susceptible to possible course reversal – giving up if you will.

The anticipation of breakthrough results is exciting. Being close has a downside however.

Anticipation has consequences. If we don’t realize the results we expect there are at least three potential consequences that could severely set us back. They are:

1. Disappointment

2. Discouragement and possibly

3. Disillusionment

We must be therefore careful, deliberate, and very intentional with assessing our current state of capacity to understand and make sense of:

· Where we currently are, where we’ve been and where we still want to go; and

· Implementation fidelity or lack of, of our initiatives, programs and practices

We are indeed close – but we must also be realistic as well as pragmatic with our anticipation of both individual and organizational performance this spring.

As I have stated of recent, we must at all cost stay the course. As our instructional year resumes, it is with the greatest sense that we can and we will breakthrough.

We are close!

“Pithy and Trite”

Though we prepare for a much-earned break, the work nonetheless continues at a relentless pace. Akin to the proverbial redesign of an airplane in flight, the transition to the Common Core Essential Standards (CCES) continues with our sights on having our anchor documents completed so that unit and lesson planning can begin in the months leading up to the beginning of the new instructional year in August.

The work so far has been evolving. It’s messy. At times confusing, frustrating, and seemingly redundant. However, the plan, our plan has always been to have each instructional staff know, understand, and apply the CCES effectively and efficiently. There are no shortcuts.

The belief and practice of copying work from somewhere else will not create the capacity to efficiently and effectively know, understand, and apply what the “core” is designed to achieve – a deeper, more robust teaching and learning experience. Yes, arguably there are voices in the marketplace saying that the “core” is virtually the same as past standards. They are wrong.

The “core” will fundamentally change instruction.

For learners to demonstrate mastery of the new core standards will demand instruction in each class, each grade, and each subject area to be more intense, applicable to predictable as well as unpredictable “real-world” application, and well, authentically rigorous and relevant.

But we have a problem. The words “rigor” and “relevance” need to be removed from our lexicon.

Why?

Since the mid-1990’s when rigor and relevance became associated with standards, individual or groups inconsistently defined and applied their meaning. As has been the practice in education, the terms, concept and application were made illegitimate by a lack of deep understanding of what they meant. Educators love terms and many simply nodded their heads as if they understood what rigor and relevance demanded in terms of teaching, learning, and assessments. More egregious in practice, often the terms were flippantly used to impress parents, peers, community, business and the educational community with the appearance of a deeper, more robust level of teaching and learning – in word at least.

Our present danger by using rigor and relevance as terms to describe the new standards is making the demands of these standards pithy or trite. They are far from similar to current state standards. They are more demanding of the learner to demonstrate learning at a higher level.

Therefore, to falsely believe that the transition to new standards can easily be achieved by taking work from others will not work.

The hard work, time consuming work of deconstructing and reconstructing the standards through identifying prior, explicit, and introductory vocabulary, the level of learning required, learner task analyses, skill task analyses, assessment prompts, and the identification of resources will result in a deeper, richer understanding of what the standard demands instructionally. Further, this work will result in a deeper, richer understanding of what each learner must demonstrate albeit through creating, evaluating, analyzing, or applying skill, knowledge, or experience.

The airplane is in flight.

April leads to May and state testing. Yet, April and May must include thoughtful, purposeful, and intense work on our anchor documents. It seems ominous to expect each of us to work on next year presently. Yet, we must. The months of June, July, and August include the work of unit and lesson design, new Benchmark construction, and training for all staff with new assessment formats in our formative assessment system. Someone else or a small group of staff cannot do this work. This work requires each of us rolling up our sleeves and diving deep into it.

So far, our staff have demonstrated not only the willingness but the commitment to making this work happen. I appreciate it. More importantly our students, parents, and community will appreciate you and the work next year as we begin the new era of the “core”.

Though it may seem like a lot, scratch that – it is a lot to expect in rebuilding not just remodeling the plane in flight. We must however encourage as well as support one another especially as we enter what may be the most challenging of all the steps in the alignment work – the skills task analysis.

In the weeks ahead, each of us must accept there will be additional demands placed on our time. There will be longer days.

That being said, we must also keep our eyes on the present prize – each student demonstrating their learning this year.

Want To

Governor Perdue made it abundantly clear at the NC Association of School Administrator’s annual conference in Raleigh this week that education is her passion and she will make the remainder of her term laser focused on restoring the funding necessary to drive improvement.

She also made it clear that this has nothing to do with politics rather it has everything to do with children. “Economic development and education are synonymous – you can’t have one without the other”, she stated. At one point, she paused, lamenting, “surely the students of North Carolina are worth a half penny”.

If we are to succeed in preparing each student to compete, to fulfill the promise of an education we cannot do more with less. Pushing the curve of change is not inexpensive. As an example digital conversion requires connectivity, hardware, software, and an enormous investment in teachers to facilitate learning differently.

Do we have the passion to stand up, speak out, and advocate for each learner?

The events of the past couple weeks leave me less than optimistic however. We have undertaken a very expensive initiative in our human capital development work. The unprecedented investment of time and resources to assist teachers and principals that to date have not demonstrated through their teaching or leadership the level of performance expected and required is costly. What makes it worse is these very same educators complain about the inconvenience of intensive monitoring, observation, and feedback, leading to collaborative planning creating lessons and units as well as work plans, and having to give account for their performance. Further exacerbating our human capital development initiative is a belief that those that have not produced expected or desired results know what they need to do so. Hence, blatantly refusing to accept support or passively aggressively complying, staff have experienced mixed improvement.

Yet, where staff have not only accepted but also embraced this support we see not only improvement in the educator performance, we see improvement in student performance. It strikes me odd that staff in the same schools and in some cases the same hall don’t see the improvement in others and wonder, “hmm, I wonder if …”

Leadership is no different than the classroom teacher when it comes to asking, seeking, accepting, and applying the feedback into practice. In fact, the inability by leadership to model, to make sense, to humbly risk, and to champion initiatives proven effective in Anson County let alone in other systems in our state or country is simply baffling.

This week I was interviewed by researchers tasked with evaluating the North Carolina Race to the Top plan and role DPI has played especially in turnaround school systems. Their conclusion is that Anson County has a very logical, rational, and thoughtful plan. In fact one of the best they have seen in the state. They queried me, what are the obstacles in the way?

I responded with the candor that I write each week, “Capacity and sense of urgency by each staff is not at a critical mass to tip us from an inconsistent underperforming to consistently high performing school system”.

Hence, we are investing in our staff to see, hear, and feel the “what”, the “why”, and the “how” of effective practice in all facets of our system. No easy task to be sure. There is an assumed “want to” perform at a high level that must be present to really move forward. This is what isn’t at a critical mass – the want to. We are still teetering more or less with a “have to”.

Once we have the “want to” critical mass – look out. We will see unprecedented improvement and performance. In fact, I predict that once we have the “want to” in place, “all in” will not be at issue with any one especially our students.

Rephrasing the challenge that Governor Perdue voiced on Thursday, “isn’t every child worth it?”

Seriously, isn’t the passion, the conviction, and the heart of every educator the success of children.

Again, I ask isn’t every child worth the change we must make to ensure their success?

We must “want to” change. We can do so through abandoning ineffective practices and programs. We must replace them with evidence, results based practices and programs.

We have the data from what works and what doesn’t’ work. The challenge is do we “want to”.

Do you want to?