SECURING BUY –IN BARBARA ASHCRAFT, WVDE COORDINATOR OFFICE OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVE AND LEADERSHIP LINKS Student Advisement
Mar 31, 2015
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…