When Mission, Vision, and Values Count More
than Resources, Requirements, and Results
Dear Colleague,
"A leader's role is
to raise people's aspirations for what they can become and to release their
energies so they will try to get there." -- David Gergen
Introduction
I am a collector. . . I collect things. But the things are not “collectables,” and
this is not a hobby.
I collect articles, research, and
information that relate to effective school and schooling practices.
Every day, I get about 15 to 20 e-mails from
different organizations—including the federal government—that highlight new
policy and practice reports, newly published research, and different
thought-leaders’ perspectives on more effective approaches for our schools.
After deciding which reports, research, or
perspectives have the greatest potential impact for my work, I then read,
analyze, and decide which pieces actually will impact my work.
The analysis is critical. . . because
some pieces either (a) do not conform to the existing research on effective
student, staff, school, or system practices; or (b) they used poor research
approaches themselves—rendering their results and conclusions null and void.
The analysis is also critical. . .
because some “good” research and practice simply cannot be transferred and
applied to the specific people in some of the specific places where I work.
Ultimately, I have to determine how to
integrate the best new and relevant practices and perspectives into my work.
* Some new practices “add value” to, or supplement,
what I am doing.
* Others supplant current practices,
requiring me to “retire” past, now-obsolete practices.
* Still others require additional field-testing
to determine whether they can make a viable contribution to my work.
In the end, though, the success of any (new)
school and schooling practice is more about the (shared) leadership
decisions that support its implementation. . . rather than the management
decisions that go into its selection.
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_ _ _ _ _ _
The Revolving Door of
the Superintendency
"Rowing harder
doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction." -- Kenichi Ohmae
According to AASA, The School
Superintendents Association, the average tenure of a school superintendent
in this country is about six years. In
contrast, The Council of the Great City Schools notes that the average
tenure of a school superintendent in one of the 50 largest urban school systems
in the U.S. is about 3.2 years.
Personally, I have consulted
with districts, who have literally had a superintendent “revolving door”. . .
having had three or four superintendents, acting superintendents, and new
superintendents in a four or five year period of time
Typically, when this happens:
* The School Board has fired the
Superintendent because it changed its composition (through the election
process), changed its direction or functioning (e.g., from macro- to
micro-management), or hired the wrong person;
* The Superintendent was
unprepared for or was mismatched with the leadership needs of the system, misrepresented
his or her actual managerial style or approach (only to run afoul of the School
Board, community, or staff), or was using the district as a stepping stone to
the “next best district”; or
* There are compelling (if not
toxic) elements or dynamics within the district that the Superintendent can’t
overcome, or that undermine the Superintendent’s ability to succeed.
_ _ _ _ _
Regardless of the reasons
(although they are important to discern), a number of negative
outcomes often result from a series of superintendents in a short period
time. These include:
* Student outcomes suffer . . .
which may require the next superintendent to focus his/her strategic,
organizational, and managerial goals on short-term student “fixes,” rather than
long-term essential needs
* Staff may be resistant and/or
less committed to the next superintendent’s “call to action”. . . not because
they disagree with the call, but because they do not trust or believe that the
superintendent will stay to see the call through
* Administrators and Schools may
not receive the resources, attention, and/or interventions they need, because
the new superintendent (a) needs three to ten months to develop relationships
and learn, first-hand, about these needs; and (b) begins his/her tenure
(typically on July 1) after the district’s strategic plan, budget, and
personnel placements have been set by the former (“lame duck”) superintendent
* The District—as an
organization—is just tired. . . tired of the “starts and stops,” the changes in
leadership styles and strategic directions, the disruptions in progress and the
unfamiliarity with deficiencies, the shifts in the “balance of power” and the
political games played to “get the new superintendent’s ear”. . .
_ _ _ _ _
Critically, the new
superintendent must quickly evaluate the underlying reasons and impact of the
“revolving leadership door” in his or her district. If the district is in organizational crisis,
immediate steps to stabilize the situation must occur. If the district is stable, more time to
develop relationship and to learn about the system, schools, staff, and
students is possible.
In the end, it comes down to strategic
leadership . . . knowing who to involve, what to prioritize, when to act, where
to focus, and how to build momentum that leads to success.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A Case Study on Resetting the Course of a
School District
"Management has a
lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the first
question for a leader always is: 'Who do we intend to be?' Not 'What are we
going to do?’” -- Max
DePree
During the past year, I have been consulting
with a district on the West Coast that has experienced a revolving
superintendency door. At the beginning
of the current school year (i.e., last July 1st), it hired another
new superintendent who actually is from, lives in, and previously taught in,
the district. As a native son, the “good
news” is that he knows and understands the history, demographics, and
complexities of his community, and (to some degree) the district (even though he
has worked outside the district for a while).
The “challenging news” is that he had to
re-enter the district in a new and administratively higher role, he has
numerous organizational challenges to address (declining enrollment, a community
with a weak economic base, an open-enrollment county), and he still has the
“revolving door” issues—discussed above—to navigate.
In a December 19, 2015 blog (CLICK HERE), I discussed The
Ultimate Organizational Strategies for School Success. Described within a “voyage” or “journey”
metaphor, the strategies were summarized in the following Seven C’s:
* Charting the Course
* Collecting the Supplies
* Cruising with Purpose
* Checking Coordinates
* Correcting for Drift
* Containing Crises
* Celebrating the Voyage
While the new “West Coast Superintendent”
clearly had to multi-task within all seven of these C’s, he also had to
strategically decide how to enlist the sustained commitment and collaborative
efforts of his “crew”. . . that is, all of his instructional and support,
certified and non-certified, staff. This
was an essential task as the “revolving door” had left many of his colleagues
bruised, bitter, and skeptical.
He began this process by focusing first on
“customer service”... rededicating his district to creating a positive,
supportive atmosphere for parents, guardians, and caretakers that included
personal interactions (especially at the School Office level) that were
consistently friendly, respectful, timely, and solution-focused.
Critically, he “walked the walk” as he
engaged his staff using the same approaches.
He then made a crucial decision. He decided that the district needed to
rededicate itself to a common mission, vision, and set of values. While he knew that this was “Strategic
Planning 101,” and that this might further fan the flames of skepticism
(because this is where most new superintendents start), he also knew how to
accomplish this process.
In short, he had to personally oversee
this process, and engage with every one of his staff.
Significantly, I know that he did
this, as he and I met with every grade level, at every school. . . with every
non-certified paraprofessional, secretary, maintenance, and other support staff
person in every nook and cranny of the district . . . in small groups over a
short period of time.
Moreover, this followed . . . a month
before. . . a keynote address that I gave to the entire certified and
non-certified staff (including bus drivers) that emphasized the importance of
focusing on students’ social, emotional, and behavioral status as an essential
pathway to their academic and later life success.
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_ _ _ _ _ _
A Brief Research-to-Practice Aside
"It's not what the
vision is, it's what the vision does." -- Peter Senge
On December 13, 2016, the RAND Corporation
published School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds
Act: Evidence Review.
With a goal of promoting effective school
leadership as a strategy for district and school success, the Report provided “a
synthesis of the evidence about the effectiveness of school leadership
interventions, identifie(d) activities that should be allowable under the Every
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and offer(ed) guidance to educators and
policymakers on the use of research-based practices in school leadership.”
In general, the research summarized in the
Report demonstrated that different facets of school leadership can have important
effects on student achievement. This is
especially important given ESSA’s emphasis on giving states and districts more
self-determination and flexibility in using federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds
to facilitate stronger student outcomes.
_ _ _ _
_
Specific to my West Coast Superintendent and
his decision to rededicate his district to agreeing on a common mission,
vision, and set of values, the RAND Report concluded:
“... research identifies conditions that can be
influenced by principals and are associated with student success: developing
and communicating a vision; establishing a culture of high expectations for
students and staff; monitoring and supporting instruction; evaluating teachers;
hiring, developing, and retaining school staff; maintaining student discipline;
managing the school budget; and engaging with the community. . .
Several meta-analyses identified
leadership actions associated with improved student achievement, including
supporting the development and use of curriculum, instruction, and assessments;
building a shared culture of achievement; establishing goals and expectations;
resourcing strategically; planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and
curricula; promoting and participating in teacher learning and development; and
cultivating an orderly and supportive environment.”
Thus, among these different conditions and
actions, the Superintendent believed that:
* “Developing and communicating a (shared)
vision” for the district through its staff and schools and staff would ...
* Establish “a culture of high expectations
for students and staff” that would build “a shared culture of achievement,” and
that
* This would then increase everyone’s
commitment to the district’s school and schooling initiatives and practices,
such that student success could be maximized.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Generating the District’s Mission and Vision
"A vision is not
just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call
to become something more." --
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
As noted earlier, the Superintendent decided
that the best way to generate the initial drafts of the district’s new mission
and vision statements was to meet with every staff member in the district in
small groups. Once in those groups, the
Superintendent led a guided group discussion using a semi-structured set of
questions that he and I generated ahead of time.
While the building principals (who were
present for every group discussion in their school) recorded the recommendations
generated by each group on chart paper, I integrated the information into
progressive drafts (as we went from group to group and school to school) of the
district’s new vision and values statements, respectively.
After describing the goals and objectives at
each small group meeting, the Superintendent then expressed his comfort with
the District’s existing Mission statement. While open to discussion and change, it turned
out that virtually all of the staff collectively liked the Mission statement
and supported the Superintendent’s inclination to keep it.
Thus, the District’s Mission Statement
remained:
Inspire
. . . Believe . . . Achieve
_ _ _ _ _
Relative to the Vision and Values
statements, respectively, we then asked each group to suggest ideas, wording,
and descriptions that captured what they wanted their District and its staff to
reflect, represent, accomplish, and be.
It was these descriptions that I crafted into separate draft statements.
After all of the small-group school
meetings, the draft results were presented to a District Leadership Team
that had been previously chosen, and that had met prior to (and had given input
into) the school meetings. This Team had
representatives from every school in the district, as well as non-certified
staff representatives, and they took the draft results and finalized them on
behalf of their colleagues.
This
finalization was accomplished in a single two-hour meeting where different Leadership
Team groups reviewed, discussed, edited, and agreed on different pieces of the
vision, and then value, statements.
As part of this process, all of the suggestions
from the small group school meetings were posted on the walls of the room—and
everyone was given time to complete a “gallery walk” to make sure that no
important contribution was missed.
Eventually, all of the recommendations of
the different Leadership Team groups were considered, and the entire Team separately
considered first the entire Vision, and then the entire Values, statements . .
. eventually reaching a consensus on both.
_ _ _ _ _
Relative to the Mission Statement,
the result was the following:
INSPIRE:
All staff in the West Coast School District embrace, include, and serve
all students from across our Community—creating a culture of excellence;
challenging them to be successful, continuous learners, academically, socially
and emotionally.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
BELIEVE:
Using student-centered curriculum and engaging instruction, enhanced
with cutting-edge technology, we provide positive and safe classrooms that
focus on the whole child.
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ACHIEVE:
With students, parents, and community as equal partners, we are
dedicated to preparing confident, healthy, respectful, and responsible students
who can succeed and be productive tomorrow, next year, in high school, and in
their post-graduation college and/or work careers.
Students... Staff... Parents... and Community together.
We are proud
to be the West Coast School District.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Generating the District’s Values Statement
"Vision animates,
inspires, transforms purpose into action." -- Warren Bennis
It was intriguing to watch the District Leadership
Team discuss the Values Statement—knowing that this statement was the most
personal part of our discussions.
Indeed, in finalizing the Values Statement, the Team agreed that they
needed to hold themselves professionally and personally accountable to
their students, colleagues, school/district, and community; while also holding
their colleagues similarly accountable.
Significantly, in the small group school discussions
leading up to the District Leadership Team meeting, an important evolution
occurred as the Superintendent and I moved from school to school. Early on, the staff at one school wanted the
Vision Statement to begin each statement with the words, “We will.”
Later, one school was concerned that the
collective “We” would allow some individuals to “opt out” of their personal
responsibility. . . so long as the majority of their grade level or school
demonstrated the values.
This school recommended that each statement
begin with, “I will.”
Still later, when the Superintendent shared
the change from “We will” to “I will” with the remaining schools, the debate continued
without a clear consensus.
Ultimately, the Superintendent and I drafted
the wording “Individually and Collectively” to represent both important
viewpoints. This wording was strongly
supported by the District Leadership Team—all of whom had contributed to the
earlier discussions at their individual school and grade levels.
_
_ _ _ _
Once the District Leadership Team finished
its deliberations, they adopted the following Values Statement:
Individually and Collectively:
* We come to school committed and
prepared to do our best—demonstrating high and consistent expectations for
ourselves and others.
* We recognize and value everyone’s
unique talents, skills, abilities, and potential.
* We accept responsibility for our own
learning and behavior, while supporting the growth and development of others
through our actions and words.
* We communicate with others in kind, patient,
respectful, and inclusive ways.
* We value and build caring and
compassionate relationships with others—actively listening to understand where
others are coming from.
* We address challenges using
collaborative problem-solving methods that focus on clear and measurable
outcomes.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Summary
"Leadership is the capacity to
translate vision into reality." -- Warren Bennis
In the context of strategic
leadership and decision-making, there are “many roads to Rome.”
While the outcomes remain to be
seen, the West Coast Superintendent made some critical decisions as to how to
address his District’s revolving superintendent door— consciously and directly,
in the first year of his tenure.
For my part—having watched the
Superintendent “in action” across many days, schools, questions, and
personalities—I have no doubts that his personal and professional efforts to
collaboratively engage his staff will be successful.
As an aside. . . As I
wrote this Blog, I debated (with myself) whether or not to share this
District’s mission, vision, and values statements. On one hand, I was concerned that other
districts might simply “copy” these statements and use them for their own. On the other hand, I wanted to celebrate the
outcomes of the District, and provide a “real” example to my readership.
You can see the result of my
debate.
But please understand: It is not just the words in these statements
that are important, it is the process.
I have worked with thousands of
districts over the years. . . often guiding them through this same essential strategic
process. And every time, the results
have had important differences.
But the biggest difference
has been the staff discussion, debate, agreements, and disagreements. . . that
ultimately brought the staff together, and helped them to (re)commit to
themselves, their colleagues, their students and schools, and their parents and
community.
In the final analysis, it
is not the words on the paper. . . it is the sustained collaborative, collegial
commitment—in daily action—to what they represent.
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_
I hope that this BLOG—with its Case Study
and supporting research—have resonated with you.
As always, I look forward to your comments.
. . whether on-line or via e-mail (knoffprojectachieve@earthlink.net).
If I and/or my colleagues can help you in
any area of the school and schooling process, we are happy to provide a free
one-hour consultation conference call to help you clarify your needs and
directions on behalf of your students.
As noted, “there are many roads to
Rome.” Critically, though, in education,
we all need to be on the road to the next level of success. Our students cannot wait. We cannot sit—for too long—off the road at a
“rest stop.”
Best,
Howie
