achieving excellence through innovation. what every charter school principal needs to know to create...

ACHIEVIN

G EXC

ELLENCE

THROUGH IN

NOVATI

ON

WHAT EVERY CHARTER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL NEEDS TO KNOW TO CREATE AN EXEMPLARY SCHOOL

Allan R. Bonilla, Ed.D

abonilla1@yahoo.com

www.coaching4educators.com

WHO AM I ?

ALL TRUTHS ARE EASY TO UNDERSTAND ONCE THEY ARE DISCOVERED; THE POINT IS TO DISCOVER THEM

OUR FOUR TRUTHS

STRUCTURED VISIBILITY

DELEGATION to COLLABORATION to CHANGE

CULTURE/CLIMATE/CELEBRATION

LEADERSHIP COACHING

TRUTH # 1

STRUCTURED VISIBILITY

DAVID NOVAK, CEO YUM BRANDS

“I continually get feedback about being even more visible. When you are the leader people want to see you. They want to touch you. They want to know that you’re in tune with them”.

WHAT IS STRUCTURED VISIBILITY ?

It’s AMIt’s PMIt’s WalkthroughsIt’s Cafeteria timeIt’s HallwaysIt’s Extra Curricula

WE ARE IN A PEOPLE BUSINESS:IT’S PEOPLE FIRST, THEN PROGRAMS

AN OPEN LETTER TO ADMINISTRATORS FROM JUSTIN TARTE, TEACHER,

UNION,MOWill you please come to our classrooms more often. We

are really doing some awesome, innovative and creative things with our students, and we would love to share our experiences and successes with you.

Your time is extremely limited and you are always busy, but we would really love it if you were more visible in the hallways between classes.

Justintarte.com

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

TYPICAL DAY ON CAMPUS

HOURS in OFFICE ?

HOURS in CLASSROOMS ?

HOURS WANDERING AROUND ?

TRUTH # 2

DELEGATION

COLLABORATION

CHANGE

DELEGATION

Delegating to those with the right strengths and interests is what it’s all

about.

KIM MARSHALL PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP 3/08“The goal is clear: teachers handling instruction

and virtually all discipline problems, teacher teams using data to continuously improve teaching and learning, counselors preventing or dealing with students’ emotional problems, custodians handling the physical plant, students taking increased responsibility for their own learning, and the principal freed up to orchestrate the whole process.”

ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENT

• Clerk

• Tech Pro

• Teachers

ANDREW CARNEGIE

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

SCHOOL BASED MANAGEMENT/SHARED DECISION MAKING

• Budget Committee

• Personnel Committee

• Curriculum Committee

• Discipline Committee

• Social Committee

• Parent Committee

• Who are our Teacher Leaders?

MIDDLE SCHOOL CONVERSION

• Committee

• Teams..names, rooms,

• Schedule..team, dept, faculty, SBM/SDM

• Curriculum..interdisciplinary

BLOCK SCHEDULE

• Research

• Committee

• Site Visits

• Report-back

• TrialA B C D E F 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 4 5 6 1 2 5 6 1 2 3 4

“The ultimate power to change is..and always has been..in the heads, hands, and hearts of the educators who work in the schools. Decisions must be made where the action is.”

( Sirotnik & Clark, Phi Delta Kappan 1988 )

TRUTH # 3

CULTURE

CLIMATE

CELEBRATION

CULTURE

Begins with a foundation of relationships built on caring and respect and appreciation.

IT’S PEOPLE FIRST…THEN PROGRAMS

WHAT DO WE DO TO PUT PEOPLE FIRST?

We ask for input

We say “What do you think”

We remember to praise

We accommodate personal needs

We care about others’ personal lives

We provide for creature comforts

We respect differences in others

We provide learning opportunities

THERE ARE TWO THINGS PEOPLE WANT MORE THAN SEX AND MONEY..AND THAT IS..RECOGNITION AND PRAISE

DEAN OF SCHOOL CULTUREACHIEVEMENT FIRST CHARTERS

Each school has a Dean of School Culture, Academic Dean, Dir. Of School Operations, and Principal.

Dean models how to build strong, mutually respectful relationships with students and families and supports teachers to do the same.

Dean has a talent for creating a warm and supportive environment.

CLIMATE

“The collective mood or morale of a group of people…a happy teacher is considered a better teacher and this attitude influences the quality of instruction. If happy people truly perform better, then leaders must create conditions in which happiness thrives.”

( Principal journal Mar/Apr 2008, Steve Gruenert, Indiana State University )

“The overall climate of a school begins in the classroom. Happiness may be the most overlooked variable of all. To be happy at school, we found students had to feel they were a valued member of the class.”

( David Hough, Ph.D , College of Ed. Missouri State Univ.)

DALE CARNEGIE

“Common Sense is not Common Practice.”

DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATEBALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

A positive school climate fosters student learning and creativity, collaboration among students, teachers, administrators and parents. It not only impacts student attendance but teacher attendance and retention as well.

CELEBRATION

“CELEBRATE WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF”

THOMAS J. PETERS, MANAGEMENT GURUIN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE What Do We Want To See More Of In Our Own

Schools?

• Academic Achievement

• Positive Behavior

• Teamwork

• 100% Attendance

• ? ? ?

WHAT DO YOU CELEBRATE?

• Honor Roll

• Attendance

• Teams

• Student of the Month

• Faculty Accomplishments

• Holidays

TRUTH # 4LEADERSHIP COACHING

• Life Coach

• Parenting Coach

• Executive Coach

• Literacy Coach

• Reading Coach

• Mentor Coach

SO…WHAT IS LEADERSHIP COACHING?

A school leader who uses coaching strategies:

• Listens more than talks

• Asks more than tells

• Provides feedback

• Helps set goals

WE ALL WANT EFFECTIVE TEACHERS

“What my school is learning, and what current research suggests, is that teachers do not improve by listening to someone tell them how to do something newer or better in their classrooms.”

( Noble Street Charter School, Chicago)

GOOGLE EMPLOYEES VALUED MANAGERS WHO

“Helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers.”

( NY Times, Mar 13, 2011 )

THE POWER OF QUESTIONS

• What worked well for you this week?

• What problems did you encounter?

• What can you do differently?

• What might you focus on?

• How do you feel about that?

• What are your challenges now?

• What is your game plan?

• What do you need to resolve this challenge?

“When people solve a problem themselves, the brain releases a rush of neurotransmitters like adrenaline. This phenomenon provides a scientific basis for some of the practices of leadership coaching.”

David Rock, Neuroleadership Institute

FEEDBACK

“I believe providing feedback is the most cost effective strategy for improving performance and instilling satisfaction.”

( Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson, One Minute Manager )

• So you feel that changing the seating arrangement will improve student behavior?

• Your science lesson certainly exhibited the strategies you learned in the in-service.

• You are going to work on improving homework assignments.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

CAN WE HELP TEACHERS USE COACHING STRATEGIES WITH STUDENTS?

What grade do you expect to receive in this class and how will you go about achieving that?

How will you go about completing your science project?

How do you know that you are working toward your goal of reading two novels per month?

Where are you so far in completing your social studies project?

CAN WE THINK OUT OF THE BOX?

"There are times to let things happen, and times to make things happen. Now is that time. You will either make things happen, watch what happens, or wonder what happened."

- Dan Millman from No Ordinary Moments

MY BOOK

Culture

Visibility

Delegation

Collaboration

Celebration

Coaching

Parents

At-Risk