SECURING BUY –IN BARBARA ASHCRAFT, WVDE COORDINATOR OFFICE OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVE AND LEADERSHIP LINKS Student Advisement.

SECURING BUY –IN

BARBARA ASHCRAFT, WVDE COORDINATOROFFICE OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVE AND LEADERSHIP

LINKS Student Advisement

You want me to do what?

When are things ever going to stopcoming at me?

Barriers to Change/Buy In

Legislated school reform (RTI, NCLB)

Expiring initiatives before full

implementation

Change-related chaos Frequent administrator and staff turnover

helps perpetuate this upheaval

Barriers to Change/Buy In

Poor management of staff (no one in charge) Limited or poor management of resources …

some lessons require additional information (signs, games, free resources not ordered)

Weak Leadership skills and management practices lack of skills to manage the change process does not personalize the change process and secure

support for struggling staff members.

Barriers to Change/Buy In

Inadequate staff development: Processes are

not in place to ensure staff learning that enables

deep understanding of desired practices and the

development of new mental habits, content

knowledge, required skills and behavior.

Staff may simply be weary of trying the next

flavor of the year.

RESISTANCE

is the outward

expression of the fearof losing something

American Student Achievement Institute

The Unconscious Gap…

We may associate potential constructive change with a personal attack on cherished values and beliefs exposes personal weakness or deficiencies.

Calabrese, R. L. (2002). The leadership assignment: Creating change. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Until staff becomes aware of the existing gap between our current performance and our potential performance, we remain satisfied; they believe that they are already achieving their maximum performance.

The grieving process over loss of a program

Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance

Changing Attitudes: Sending new messages

FROM: This too shall pass

TO: This is here to stay

FROM: Too much to do

TO: A lot to do now, but the payoff is well worth it

More time to teach

Fewer behavior problems

Changing Attitudes: Sending New Messages

FROM: Losing Instructional Time

TO: Every minute is a learning opportunity

This IS instructional time

FROM: This won’t work here.

TO: What can I do to make this work?

AND

If we were getting the results we want we wouldn’t need to change

Sending new messages

Changing Attitudes: Sending New Messages

FROM: Kids won’t take it seriously

TO: LINKS can be offered for credit and kids take it seriously if YOU take it seriously

FROM: Kids don’t care about this stuff

TO: Kids need to know how much YOU care

FROM: This is not my job

TO: Helping students succeed is everyone’s job. It is what we are all about.

Moving toward change…

Calabrese, R. L. (2002). The leadership assignment: Creating change. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Pre-implementation

Early-Implementation

FULL Implementation

Stage 1: Pre-Implementation

Select School Planning/Steering -

Get the Right People on THE Bus! Attend Training – Raise Personal

Awareness Get BUY IN of steering team Begin early stages of planning.

Set specific work plan with dates and who does what

Follow through when you return to your site

Stage 1: Pre-Implementation

Create YOUR Structure of Support

Stage I: Define Roles

Leadership is key School principal/coordinator must…

Be chief promoter of LINKS Actively monitor program Hold everyone accountable Be solution-focused… not problem focused

Don’t get caught up admiring the problem Provide ongoing professional development

See Do’s and Don’ts

COMMIT TO FULFILLING YOUR ROLE!!!!

Stage I: Define Roles

Establish who will do what/when Who will coordinator be? What will he/she

do? What will advisors do? What will the counselors do? What will your leadership team do?

COMMIT TO FULFILLING YOUR ROLE!!!!

Stage I:Awareness

Steering Committee Continues to meet Complete “Questions to Ask” Set Preliminary Timeline Plan Staff Development to Introduce LINKS Invite staff to set vision for school Invite staff’s input on curriculum…by grade

level

Stage I: Awareness

Define YOUR Expectations from LINKS Implemention What are your personal goals? What could you do if your goals aren’t met? What are things you want to happen? What do you not want to happen? How do you feel about being here? Do you have negative feelings that may

keep you from fully benefiting? How can you change that?

Stage I:Awareness

Steering Committee Continues to meet Complete “Questions to Ask” Set Preliminary Timeline Plan Staff Development to Introduce LINKS Invite staff to set vision for school Invite staff’s input on curriculum…by grade

level

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is contagious… but so is the perpetual cycle of

negativity and cynicism

What will you perpetuate?

Are you a…

Pilot Passenger Prisoner Or…. Highjacker?

How will you keep your prisoners from joining the highjackers?

American Student Achievement Institute

Stage 1: Awareness

Creating the VISION

Without a common vision,

the school is a

“collection of cottage industries operating in isolation

under the same roof.”Source: Jerry Bamburg, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

VISION

A lofty, bold statement of the wayour school will be if all of our dreams for

kids come true.

American Student Achievement Institute

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

What are the desired outcomes of the advisement program that you wish to implement/improve at

your school?

VISIONING EXERCISE

How will our school be different as a result of LINKS?

How will our students be different?

How will our staff be different?

How will our connection withParents be different?

American Student Achievement Institute

School data: Vision for change

Completion rate Retention rate by grade level Increase in number of students taking

higher level courses Disciplinary referrals (% of ISS, OSS) Attendance Rate Number of students participating in extra

help

Stage 1: Creating the VISION

Source: Jerry North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Describe your ideal school.

If you were watching the activities in your ideal school, what would you see?

Using phrases of paragraphs, describe what you would see students doing, teachers doing, administrators doing, and visiting parents or community members doing?http://www.mdk12.org/process/leading/shared_vision.html

Stage 1: Creating the VISION

Source: Jerry North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Describe your ideal student.What character traits will he exhibitWhat does he know?How does he behave?How does he think?How does he interact?

http://www.mdk12.org/process/leading/shared_vision.html

Stage 1: Creating the VISION

Source: Jerry North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Describe your ideal classroom.What does it sound like?How are students behaving?How do they interact?How do I feel?How do I interact with my students?

http://www.mdk12.org/process/leading/shared_vision.html

LEADING CHANGE VISION

COMMITMENTTRANSITION

LEADERSHIPTeam

American Student Achievement Institute

Stage 2: Learning, acquiring, practicing

How do your support your staff? Ongoing job-embedded professional

development Team teaching

How do you use and support your coordinator(s)

Professional learning communities Preparing for lessons in advance Discussing what went well Staying solution focused…how can you

solve challenges

BUILDING COMMITMENT

Trust

Passion / Excitement

Clear Communications

High Expectations

Low Ego / High Results

Toughness

American Student Achievement Institute

THE BALANCE OF TENSION

E VISION DATA

CURRENTDATA F

American Student Achievement Institute

Continuous Improvement

Fundamental change will occur in an environment supportive of change

Collaborative discussion, dialog, critique, and research

Everyone is a learner and a leader

Commitment to core convictions

Source: Hilliard, A. (1991). Do we have the will to educate all children?, Educational Leadership, 49(1), 31-36. American Student Achievement Institute

System of Support

Professional Learning Communities Time in School Schedule Fitting into existing system Involvement = buy in A system of support

LINKS Teams…Professional Learning Communities

Steering Committee (also decides on logistics) Public Relations LINKS Curriculum Team Professional Development Portfolio Development Evaluation Parental Involvement Senior projects Culminating Activity (Annual) Community Service Extra-Curricular

Stage 3: FULL Implementation Support New teachers – Have a process

for training Prevent Leader burnout – Passing the

baton… Co coordinators

Listening to the staff Avoid letting the minority RULE Solution focused – every problem has a

solution

The Unconscious Gap…

We may associate potential constructive change with a personal attack on cherished values and beliefs exposes personal weakness or deficiencies.

Calabrese, R. L. (2002). The leadership assignment: Creating change. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Until staff becomes aware of the existing gap between our current performance and our potential performance, we remain satisfied; they believe that they are already achieving their maximum performance.

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Courage, Courage, Courage!!

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless it is faced

James Baldwin

Reach for the stars…