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Education is fundamentally An

imaginative Act of Hope (Novak, 1996)

The Las Cruces Public Schools, in partnership with students, families, and the community, provide a student-centered learning environment that cultivates

character, fosters academic excellence, and embraces diversity.

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Invitational EducationStan Rounds, Superintendent

Las Cruces Public Schools

Administrators’ RetreatAugust 2012

Centennial High School

Revitalizing the EPSSRevitalizing the EPSS ProcessProcess

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A young boy was watching Michelangelo chipping away at a block of marble no previous sculptor had ever wanted. As he saw David emerging from the stone, he asked, “Sire, how did you know he was in there?”

Just as Michelangelo freed David from the stone, inviting professionals free students from

preconceived notions of what they can do and what they can become!

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Purpose of Today

In your school and cluster teams, think, reflect, strategize, and vision what we are doing well and vision for productive change.

Identify issues that are inviting (blue cards) and disinviting (orange cards).

Understand some key components of invitational education and apply these components in our schools.

Establish a mindset to ensure that our EPSS is our strategic plan that guides our actions and ensures that student achievement is our measure of true and profound accountability (monitored monthly).

Use concepts of invitational education to guide our strategic design - PEOPLE, PLACES, POLICIES, PROGRAMS, and PROCESSES - to have a more profound impact on student achievement.

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reflection

• Take five minutes to think of a student, a child, a grandchild, or some other child you know well

• If you have a picture of this child on your cell phone, take a look at it and reflect on why this individual is so special in your life

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Why Invitational Education?

Engaging a more positive school culture

An invitation to image, create, and think with your colleagues, not only today, but on a continuing basis.

Time to take a step out of our immediate environment and (re)imagine what is possible.

Opportunity to change the system - NOT REFORM- but rather TRANSFORM

“Shift” to “L ift”

Creating a culture of “responsacountability” (responsibility to own the accountability)

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What is Invitational Education?

A systematic way to describe communication in schools and other human services that results in learning and human development

A theoretical framework and practical strategies for creating effective schools and other critical services

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Self concept is the picture people construct of who they are and how they fit into their perceived world

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Self-concept theory

Self-concept includes learned beliefs.

Beliefs are influenced by how a person interprets and acts upon events.

Self-concept is manifested in ongoing internal dialogue, or the “whispering self”(Purkey, 2005).

The truest form of accountability is individual accountability.

There are three constants in life...change, choice, and principles (Covey)

Accountability breeds response-ability (Covey).

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Everything a teacher does, as well as the manner in

which he does it, incites the child to respond in some way

or another and each response tends to set the

child’s attitude in some way or another (Dewey, 1931).

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Invitational EducationAn Overview

PD360

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Motivation is internal and continuous

Every person has motivation. If not, they would do nothing.

Rather than trying to motivate people, cordially summon them to see themselves as able, valuable, and responsible, and to behave accordingly.

Effective leaders trust people to be capable of overcoming obstacles and accomplishing positive goals and having confidence that they will do it.

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Invitational Education is a metaphor for a model of an education process that

consists of five value based assumptions about the nature of people and their

potential.

Trust

Intentionality

Respect

Care Optimism

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Optimism

Invitational educators are optimistic about, and committed to, the continuous appreciation and growth of all involved in the education process.

People (students) possess untapped potential in many areas

People (students) have just begun to use their many social, intellectual, mental, and physical skills

Better things are likely to happen when self-defeating scripts (negative talk) are held to a minimum

Human potential is always there, waiting to be discovered and invited forth

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Trust

Trust is derived from recognition of the fundamental interdependence of human beings.

It takes time, effort, and collaboration to establish trustworthy interactions

Trust is established through interlocking human qualities of:

Reliability

Genuineness

Truthfulness

Intent

Competence

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Respect

Invitational educators believe that people are able, valuable, and responsible and should be treated accordingly.

Personal and professional behavior demonstrates respect.

Those who value respect will find ways for students to succeed.

The stance of inviting schools is that people have inherent worth and personal accountability.

Respect recognizes each person’s right to accept, reject, or negotiate the message sent to them (positive or negative)

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care

Care is the ongoing desire to link significant personal means with worthwhile ends.

The personal need for joy and fulfillment is realized in the process of producing something of value.

No aspect of Invitational Education is more important than the educator’s genuine ability and desire to care about students, their growth, and their accomplishments.

Care has its own ingredients of:

Warmth

Empathy

Positive Regard

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Intentionality

Invitational Education is characterized by PURPOSE and DIRECTION.

Intentionality explains the how of Invitational Education and pulls together the OPTIMISM, TRUST, RESPECT, and CARE that are essential to being a proficient professional.

In practice, Invitational Education focuses on the PEOPLE, PLACES, POLICIES, PROCEDURES, and PROGRAMS that transmit messages promoting human potential.

Education is never neutral. Everything and everyone in and around schools adds to, or subtracts from, the educative process.

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Theory into practice

• Human potential can best be realized by

Places;

Policies;

Processes;

Programs; and

People

The five “Ps” provide a framework to collaboratively

address, evaluate, modify, and sustain a positive total school

environment

Enhancing the EPSS process

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PEOPLE

• Invitational Education begins and ends with people.

Every person - teachers, custodians, food service professionals, counselors, bus drivers, educational assistants, secretaries, principals, and students - is an emissary for Invitational Education

People create a respectful, optimistic, trusting, and intentional society within inviting schools

If policies, procedures, programs, or policies inhibit people achieving established goals, they are altered when ever possible

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No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care

(Purkey, 1996).

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Places

Because they are so visible, PLACES are a good place to start the practice of Invitation Education

If classes, offices, and hallways, common rooms, cafeterias, playgrounds, and restrooms are neat, attractive, and well-maintained, they show people care about the entire school

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Inviting/Disinviting

What do you see?

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Policies

Include mission statements, directives, codes, rules (written and unwritten) that regulate the school

Policies influence the attitude of those involved in the school

It is especially important to write inviting policies about attendance, grading, discipline, and promotion

Policies should pass the Invitational Education litmus test: Do they reflect trust, optimism, respect, care, and intentionality

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Programs

Programs should encourage active engagement with robust content

Programs that appear to be elitist, sexist, homophobic, discriminatory, or lacking in intellectual integrity must be changed or eliminated

IE encourages group guidance and conflict management integrated into the curriculum

School safety is promoted

Small group collaboration enables students and adults to extend their interests and learning

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Processes - the way we do things in this school

• Processes are characterized by a democratic ethos, collaborative and cooperative procedures, and continuous networking among teachers, students, parents, staff, and the community

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The ladder - Levels of functioning

Level 1 - Intentionally Disinviting

Level 2 - Unintentionally Disinviting

Level 3 - Unintentionally Inviting

Level 4 - Intentionally Inviting

•It is possible for a message, no matter how well meaning, to be perceived as disinviting.

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Level 1Intentionally disinviting

The message is that people are incapable, worthless, or irresponsible

These people may excuse their actions as “good” for students

There is no justification for being intentionally disinviting

People who operate at this level should be removed from daily contact with those they should be serving

•In this lowest level of functioning, behaviors, policies, programs, and places are deliberately meant to demean, diminish, shun, or devalue the human spirit.

•

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Level 2Unintentionally disinviting

Level 2 people can be condescending and are often obsessed with policies and procedures

Their classrooms, for example, may be disorganized, boring, and filled with busy work

Students and teachers in Level 2 schools may have low morale and high absence rates

In frustration, Level 2 individuals may resort to Level 1 behaviors

It is a concern when all five “Ps” are unintentionally disinviting

• Professionals who function at Level Two are typically well-meaning, but may not reflect upon their actions.

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Level 3Unintentionally inviting

Professionals who function at Level 3 are generally effective but can’t explain why

These teachers lack the ability to use “dependable guidance systems” like aviators who fly by the seat of their pants

If what accounts for their success fails them, they may resort to Level 1 or 2 behaviors

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Level 4Intentionally inviting

Level 4 professionals know why they are doing what they are doing, so they examine and modify their practice to continually grow.

They are persistent, imaginative, resourceful, and courageous even when the going gets tough.

They affirm, yet guide students, deliberately choosing to be caring and democratic.

They focus on what is most important in education - an appreciation of the individual, respect, and high expectations.

The have the courage to stand up to cynics and critics because they have a defensible theory of practice.

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Just as teachers invite or disinvite students, student behavior can invite or disinvite teachers. However,

teachers have the ability and responsibility to continually invite students. Teachers are the professionals and should be the

primary source of the “inviting message”.

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At the end of your School leadership meeting

Newsweek has selected your school as the school of the year

Write the article to share with your colleagues on what the schools looks like, feels like, and how it reflects the most responsive learning environment to the students you serve

Tell us about the essential elements that caused your school to be selected school of the year

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After a decade of high stakes testing, zero tolerance, threats of mandatory retention, low achievement, and negative labeling of

students, teachers, and schools, a renaissance is

in sight.