Commitment to Professionalism and Serving Students

For the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to work with Michael Greening, Principal of Royal Oak High School in Royal Oak, MI. My role was to support Michael’s work to enhance his school’s services to students. Royal Oak High School was created in the fall of 2006 with the merger of Dondero and Kimball High School and was confronted with the need to create its own unique culture out of the legacy of the two former high schools.

Each summer Michael’s invites the staff to meet with him in one of three roundtable discussions about the school, its program, and its services. The discussions are transcribed, shared with all staff and serve as of the ways to focus continued improvement efforts. For the past three summers Michael has asked that I observe the sessions. I've been impressed with the open, transparent discussion and the lack of defensiveness among participants.

Out of these discussions emerged a shared recognition that Royal Oak High School could benefit from a recommitment to serve key principles of professionalism and ethical behavior. A Code of Professionalism/Educator’s Guide was created and referenced throughout the year. It said that “everything we do must be governed by the fundamental principles of integrity, compassion, excellence, creativity and accountability.” Further, it committed adults to being “respectful, fair, and courteous in all professional interactions with our educational partners, including colleagues, parents, students, and the wider Royal Oak community.

The statement reminded people that “all members of our school community have a sense of responsibility and accountability to each other.” It concluded with “The strength of our school is build upon the relationships within it.”

What a powerful statement! More importantly, it was developed based on the staff’s interest in affirming their core beliefs about how they should work with one another and with students and their community. This shared commitment is what makes such statements impact school life.

This summer Michael scheduled more roundtable discussions. One of the things that will be discussed is how well they are doing on making their shared commitment to students work.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about ways you work with your teachers and community to build shared commitment and to keep the focus clearly on student success.

Inspiration to Start the Day

I love coffee and have recently noticed that Caribou Coffee has put interesting comments and phrases on napkins and coffee cups. Some of my favorites include:

• Life's too short for: grudges, faking anything, waiting for change to happen, crabby people or putting profits before people.

• Learn to say thank-you in ten languages.

• Spend time with your kids, tomorrow they're a day older.

• Be the first to apologize.

• Only look back if it makes you smile.

• Have a favorite charity.

• Dare to adventure and

• Be the first to enter and the last to leave the dance floor.

Such straightforward and insightful messages. If only everyone lived their life by these powerful ideas. Thank you Caribou for providing some inspiration to go along with my morning cup of coffee.

Physical Activity and Student Learning

Today I visited North Valley High School in the Three Rivers School District outside of Grants Pass, OR. I was there to talk with principal Linda Hugle about her school and the success they've had during the past few years improving student learning. Linda described several recent initiatives including implementation of a trimester schedule but was most proud of the opportunity provided for students to have some physical activity during the school day. In addition to longer passing time between classes Linda arranged to have exercise equipment installed on the school lawn outside the front door. Students are able to use the equipment between classes, during lunch and before and after school. The combination of physical activity, fresh air, and an opportunity to relax a bit during the school day is valued because of the positive connection to student learning.

Linda and her staff are congratulated for taking the initiative and doing something that would be unheard of in many comprehensive high schools. It is a great example of focusing on students' needs and finding a way to meet them while maintaining an excellent academic experience.

Caring for Students and their Families

The current economy has impacted students and families in significant ways. A recent report from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth reported that in over half the states there has been a 50% increase in homeless students since 2007. The nation's official poverty rate was 13.2% and for children younger than 18, 19%. The US Department of Agriculture found (Nov 2009) that food shortages, even outright hunger characterize the current economy. The number of Americans running out of food each month rose to 16% of the population.

Schools are responding in respectful and caring ways to this crisis. I recently learned about a program at Mitchell Elementary School in Ann Arbor, MI. About 60% of Mitchell's students qualify for free or reduced price means. The staff works with Chartwells, the district's food service provider, and with Food Gatherers, a local non-profit organization to gather food and pack backpacks that students take home on Friday. Principal Kathy Scarnecchia says that keeping students "fed and healthy" helps them to be more successful in school. Students return the empty backpacks on Monday.

What a wonderful way to support students, their families, and commit to the success of every student.

Current Economy's Impact on Schools

Almost every day the media reports on the impact of the recession on families. I recently wrote about the impact in a Research Brief I prepared for The Principals' Partnership (www.principalspartnership.com) and was reminded about the need for principals and teachers to take the impact into consideration when working with students and their families.

Did you know that . . .
• The poverty rate for children younger than 18 was 19%?
• Rural families have higher poverty rates than urban families?
• The use of food stamps has grown 32% since 2007?
• Sixteen percent of American families run out of food each month?
• Nearly 20% of the US population lost health care insurance since January 2008?
• Teenagers have the highest unemployment rate (27%)?
• One in five children (14 million) receive food from soup kitchens, food pantries or other agencies?
• One in eight Americans received emergency food help last year?

At Hadley Junior High in Glen Ellyn, IL they began Stephanie's Breakfast Club named for a teacher at the school. It's a chance for students to meet, talk with teachers, have a nutritious breakfast and prepare for the school day. Teachers volunteer their time and the food is donated. What a wonderful example of responding to the needs of their students.

How does your school respond to students and families in need? What programs or practices do you have to care for your students?

Courageous Leadership in Challenging Times

Last April I visited high schools in the Tucson Unified School District (AZ). My visit was to learn about how they work with their staff to improve student learning and promote school improvement. It was a difficult day because Tucson principals were informing teachers and other staff about personnel reductions planned for the 2009-10 school year. The reductions were extensive (nearly 20%) but both principals met individually with affected employees to inform them of the loss of their jobs and to individually talk with them about next steps. I was impressed with the compassionate, respectful way the principals handled difficult conversations.

I met with Patricia Dienz, principal of Pueblo High School and our conversation focused on strategies the principals use to improve student learning. Despite the difficult budget picture in Tucson, Pat talked about the commitment of the staff to make a difference in the lives of their students.

Pueblo, like many large high schools struggles to improve student attendance. Teachers and administrators at Pueblo found that when students had a positive relationship with at least one adult they were more likely to attend school. In response, they redesigned the advisory period, converting it into an Academic Check In (ACI) period. ACI meets twice each week in the middle of the day. Teachers work with 20-25 of their own students and monitor student grades and attendance. The time is also used to schedule make-up work, tutoring or for re-taking a test at the school’s Testing Center. Since implementation of ACI there has been both a decline in suspensions and an increase in student attendance. Patricia Dienz, principal at Pueblo, contributes the faculty’s results oriented approach as critical to their success. “We don’t just gather the data. We use it to make decisions about how to improve ACI. It works because it is done in a non-accusatory way. We just focus on results.”

Seeking Consensus

I’m fortunate to be able to work with lots of teachers and principals who are working together to improve their schools. Often I’m asked to help them design a process that will provide for thoughtful discussion of the issues and help the group reach agreement on how to proceed. Here’s some advice I give groups that are just getting started.

• Spend time agreeing on norms for both your operation and decision-making. I’ve always liked the Norms of Collaboration developed by Garmston and Wellman. Information can be found at www.adaptiveschools.com.

• Be clear about the process you will use to reach agreement. Consensus is often preferred but can be quite elusive, particularly when there are strong feelings about an issue. A few years ago I was introduced to the Fist to Five, a way to measure the level of agreement on an issue. I like the process because it avoids voting and creating winners and losers. When using the Fist to Five, ask every participant to raise his or her hand and indicate their support, from a closed fist (no support) to all five fingers (a great idea). It’s an easy way to determine where a group stands on an issue and the need to continue discussion. Many groups I’ve worked with continue the process until everyone can hold up at least three fingers.

• Always be clear and the purpose and goals for every meeting. Provide an agenda that is clear about topics, action that may be requested, and the time for each item.

• Consider using a parking lot to gather information from members about the meeting. A “parking lot” is one way to anonymously provide feedback to other participants and to facilitators. One model I’ve used is a grid of four blocks---one indicating what went well, one indicating what needs improvement, one for questions, and one for ideas to improve the meeting.

• Structure time for the group to pause and reflect on the meeting. Identify a way for every member to comment on the meeting and the processes used during the meeting.

• Keep notes of the meeting and allow time at the end of the meeting for the group to be clear about next steps and any responsibilities that may have been assigned.

I’m always looking for good ideas about how to assure that meeting time is productive and that members feel the processes have helped the group move forward. I’d love to hear from you about ways you make your meetings productive.