Systems That Learn

1. Dr. Timothy Mitchell Rapid City Area Schools Administrative Advance 8-5-13 Systems That Learn

2. Systems That Learn “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other” John F. Kennedy Words never spoken Speech to be delivered November 22, 1963-Dallas,TX

3. Systems That Learn Welcome and Introduction of New Staff

4. Agenda 7:30-8:00 Continental Breakfast 8:00-9:00 “Systems That Learn”-Part I 9:00-9:15 CSAC Feedback Survey 9:15-10:00 Support Services 10:00-10:15 Break 10:15-10:45 Human Resources 10:45-11:15 Indian Education 11:15-11:45 Federal Grants/Assessment 11:45-1:00 Lunch--(On Own)

5. Agenda 1:00-1:30 Curriculum and Instruction 1:30-2:00 Business Office 2:00-2:15 Break 2:15-3:15 Special Education 3:15-3:45 Technology 3:45-4:15 Student Achievement 4:15-4:30 “Systems That Learn-Part 2”

6. Administrative Advance In Latin, the word retreat means "to draw back." Many view retreating in a negative way - that it is somehow cowardly or unproductive. Gaining perspective before action is the best way to advance.

7. Administrative Advance What do we do during our ADVANCE: • Invest in yourself and your relationships • Quiet the mind to help see things clearer • Time to reflect on difficult decisions • Plan and strategize your vision • Celebrate past success

8. What will she need?

9. RCAS Mission Building a community of life long learners, one student at a time.

10. RCAS Vision All Rapid City Area School students will achieve to their full potential.

11. RCAS Goals Goal #1: RCAS will develop a guaranteed and viable curriculum in all grade levels and in all courses so that all students have access to the same essential learning. Goal #2: RCAS will develop a comprehensive system of assessment that is aligned with content standards, curriculum materials and instructional practices. Goal #3: RCAS will develop diverse opportunities for students to learn and be academically successful.

12. RCAS Priorities • Guaranteed, Viable, Relevant Curriculum • Life and Career skills • Technology Literacy (21st century skills) • Staff Effectiveness and Organizational Capacity-Building • Comprehensive System of Assessment • Diverse Opportunities for students to learn and be academically successful

13. Systems That Learn-Year 2 Learning Target: To build a district-wide shared understanding of PLC principles, practices, and concepts with an emphasis on the four critical questions and how they interconnect and support each other. To develop a high-performing collaborative team at the district and building level in order to achieve the collective purpose of high levels of learning for all students

14. Systems That Learn-Year 2 Learning Target: To clarify what all district employees must know and be able to do to achieve a high performing learning culture that supports a highly functioning PLC. To develop and deploy frequent team-developed evaluation processes to provide specific and immediate feedback to the district that will support the development of a highly functioning PLC. 

15. Systems That Learn-Year 2 Criteria for Success: The RCAS Administrative Team will develop as a Learning Team with a shared focus, shared priorities and shared understandings that support a highly functioning PLC. The RCAS Administrative Team will shift all behavior to align systems, structures, process and policies to create a high performing learning culture that will support a highly functioning PLC.

16. Systems That Learn Part 1 Leading to Learn Learning to Lead

17. Systems That Learn District-wide Survey-Spring 2013 218-Comments 80-Positive 87-Neutral 51-Negative Review of comments-Trends -Lack of consistency, understanding and confusion as to the work

18. Seven Leadership Practices *Creating and Sustaining Collaborative Relationships *Aligning Systems *Facilitating Shared Responsibility *Building Coherence and Clarity *Modeling Practices and Expectations *Reflecting on Leadership Effectiveness of Self and Others *Developing Leadership Capacity in Self and Others

19. Seven Leadership Practices The first three represent the core leadership practices Building coherence and clarity serves as the base The last two encircle the core work and extend and broaden the core and base

20. Seven Leadership Practices Changing practice requires focus and commitment to developing new beliefs and skills. These leadership practices help to create successful, sustainable PLCs

21. Building Coherence and Clarity Helping individuals understand the why and the what with consistency is critical. Building coherence and clarity underpins each leadership practice

22. Building Coherence and Clarity “Change can not happen unless educators bring people along, and people will not change without a compelling reason” Reeves

23. Building Coherence and Clarity Devoid of a firm foundation in the area of the compelling WHY question all organizations do indeed “stand on shaking ground”

24. Building Coherence and Clarity Each time resistance is found, leaders must redirect their efforts to engage their colleagues in building a personal rationale and shared understanding of their collective work.

25. Building Coherence and Clarity In the absence of coherence and clarity, change becomes confusing, chaotic and ultimately unwieldy. Building coherence and clarity is foundational and it is imperative in everything we do.

26. Building Coherence and Clarity In the absence of organizational coherence and clarity, the beliefs of a few, even when presented with strong conviction and authority seldom have staying power to carry the work forward.

27. Building Coherence and Clarity Key Concepts: -Focusing on the ONE Thing -Answering the WHY Question Before the HOW -Clearly Communicating Priorities -Framing Collaborative Conversations to Ensure Shared Understanding

28. Building Coherence and Clarity Focusing on the ONE Thing Collins (2001) stated that great organizations “simplify complex world into a single organizing idea, a basic principle or concept that unifies and guides everything”

29. Building Coherence and Clarity Focusing on the ONE Thing Every failed organization had a gradual movement and retreat from the fundamental purpose and guiding principle of the organization. (Collins)

30. Building Coherence and Clarity Focusing on the ONE Thing Effective PLC leaders: Did not waiver in their belief in the fundamental purpose and guiding principle “facilitating high levels of learning for all”

31. Building Coherence and Clarity Focusing on the ONE Thing Simplify, Simplify, Simplify KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly)

32. Building Coherence and Clarity Answer WHY Before WHAT Rationale that all understand and share Use data to identify the rationale Link all actions to the idea Ensure support for all aligned programs

33. Building Coherence and Clarity Clearly Communicate the Priorities Intentional and Thoughtful with Communication Not a One-time Event Develop the Common Vocabulary Invest Time and Emotional Energy in Dialogue

34. Building Coherence and Clarity Framing Collaborative Conversations Less Meetings—More Dialogue Less Speaking—More Listening

35. Building Coherence and Clarity The journey is first and foremost about orientation. Developing coherence and clarity through building capacity is key to helping everyone in the organization.

36. Systems That Learn Part 2 WHY? It is All About Learning!

37. Systems That Learn Consider the following questions: *Have researchers ever shown that teacher isolation is more educationally effective strategy that teachers collaborating toward common goals? *Is there evidence that top-down management is more effective that teacher problem-solving and leadership at all levels of the school system?

38. Systems That Learn Consider the following questions: *Is there evidence that school structures based upon standardization are more effective that school structures that are differentiated based on actual student needs? *Lastly, is there any evidence in the private or public sector that employees do not need frequent training and quality supervision throughout their career?

39. Systems That Learn The answer to each question is “NO”. There is no research that supports the claim that high employee performance is based on isolation, top down management, standardization and lack of employee training.

40. Systems That Learn The Big Idea The learning dynamics that a teacher establishes in his/her classroom is similar to the learning dynamics a principal/instructional leader establishes in his/her school, and is similar to what a superintendent does to promote learning within the district leadership team.

41. Systems That Learn Decreasing costs and increasing student achievement can not be opposing goals. Resource allocation needs to be part of the solution. The hardest part is winning the support for these bold and necessary decisions.

42. Systems That Learn Working smarter as a school or school system does not require a larger school budget

43. Systems That Learn Strengthening the adult learning will benefit students: *When School Boards learn *When Central Administrators learn *When Building Administrators learn *When Schools and departments learn *When individual teachers learn

44. Systems That Learn Overarching Theory When a school systems learns, continuous improvement enables educators to close achievement gaps and ensures that all students grow and develop as learners.

45. Systems That Learn Creating team time does not guarantee improvements Structural change is not cultural change. Simply altering the schedule to provide time to meet does not create conditions for learning.

46. Systems That Learn “School leaders and teachers need to create schools and classroom environments in which error is welcomed as a learning opportunity, in which discarding incorrect knowledge and understanding is welcomed, and in which teachers feel safe to learn, re-learn, and explore knowledge and understanding” J. Hattie

47. Systems That Learn What Do We Need to Do? *Listen, listen, listen *Be willing to display fallibility *Invite participation & dissent-value open and honest communication *Reframe failures as learning opportunities

48. Systems That Learn In order to disagree, learn from mistakes, successfully manage conflict, and continually learn, the systems needs sufficient: Trust Capacity building for ALL educators Collaboration in All directions Leadership at all levels

49. Systems That Learn-Year 2 Learning Target: To build a district-wide shared understanding of PLC principles, practices, and concepts with an emphasis on the four critical questions and how they interconnect and support each other. To develop a high-performing collaborative team at the district and building level in order to achieve the collective purpose of high levels of learning for all students

50. Systems That Learn-Year 2 Learning Target: To clarify what all district employees must know and be able to do to achieve a high performing learning culture that supports a highly functioning PLC. To develop and deploy frequent team-developed evaluation processes to provide specific and immediate feedback to the district that will support the development of a highly functioning PLC.