August 8, 2006 Superintendent’s Summer InstituteAugust 8, 2006 Superintendent’s Summer Institute

Leadership for ChangeLeadership for Change

In theIn the

Beaverton School DistrictBeaverton School District

by JEROME COLONNA, Superintendentby JEROME COLONNA, Superintendent

THE POWER OF LEADERSHIPTHE POWER OF LEADERSHIP

from Change Forces With a Vengeance by Fullan, 2003

Leadership is to the current decade what standards were to the 1990’s. Standards, even when well implemented, can take us only part way to successful large-scale reform. It is only leadership that can take us all the way.

“What a leader does determines what everybody else is going to do. The people don’t pass the leader. An organization’s growth doesn’t outpace the leader’s progress.”

“One of the most amazing things to me is how much room there is at the top. On the other hand, it’s jam-packed and crowded at the bottom. On the streets of average, there’s traffic and congestion, but success has so few people on the roads. It’s amazing how the higher you go, the less people there are. Only 3% of the people in the United States have a library card. 6% of Americans believe Elvis is still alive. Trust me, there’s a lot of room at the top.”

“As a leader you should learn like you’ll live forever and live like you’ll die tomorrow. Either way, you’re covered.”

In Pursuit of Potential

From Leadership Wired by Dr. John C. Maxwell

This information is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s free monthly email Leadership Wired, Jan. 2006

The Power of 212The Power of 212

“At 211 degrees, water is hot.

At 212 degrees, it boils.

And with boiling water, comes steam.

And with steam, you can power a train.”

From 212 The Extra Degree, by S.L. Parker

DISTRICT GOAL FOR 2004-2009DISTRICT GOAL FOR 2004-2009

Increase academic achievement districtwide with a special emphasis on literacy and mathematics gains for each student.

Narrowed Focus: The District GoalNarrowed Focus: The District Goal

Broadened Base of LeadershipBroadened Base of Leadership

Accountability System

NumeracyNumeracyLiteracyLiteracy

One Goal, One Focus!One Goal, One Focus!

SUPERINTENDENT’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES(from July 1992 to July 2006 and Beyond)

1. Being disliked for the right reason is preferable to being liked for the wrong reason. . . . Abraham Lincoln

2. Avoid short-term solutions for long-term problems.

3. Understand and pinpoint problems before trying to solve them.

4. Continually search for ways to say yes.

5. Select service over self-interest. . . .Peter Block

6. Recognize and respect the interests of all constituents.

7. Treat adversaries as future partners.

8. Consider citizen and employee complaints and concerns as opportunities for improvement.

9. Realize that most conflicts can ultimately be solved by effective communication processes.

10. Know that a more focused, motivated team always beats a collection of more talented but complacent individuals.

11. Stop doing unimportant things and focus on doing the most important thing (Pre-K-12 Literacy) better than any other school district in the nation. . . .paraphrased from Jim Collins

12. We stop being leaders when we are absolutely convinced we are right.

13. It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of relationships, that is, how well we know and trust one another.

14. Chance favors the prepared mind; when opportunity comes it is too late to prepare. . . .a combination of quotes from Louis Pasteur and John Wooden

SUPERINTENDENT’S MULTI-YEAR GOALS(Originated November 2003 and Updated in August 2004, 2005 and 2006)

I. Leadership for The District Five Year Goal*

*District Goal for 2004-2009: Increase academic achievement district-wide with a special emphasis on

literacy and mathematics gains for each student. The intent is to give every student the skills to succeed in challenging courses, meet academic standards, graduate from high school and be fully prepared for a

range of post-secondary education and vocational options.

Raise District-wide Expectations for Academic Achievement

Make projected annual improvement in reading, writing and mathematics for all students with a special emphasis for high poverty, high mobility, Hispanic/Latino, Black, and Native American student groups that have been historically less academically successful as compared to the achievement of the District’s total student population.

BEAVERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT Strategic Leadership and Direction

School Board, Principals and Staff, Central Support, Parents, Interagency Relationships & Community

Develop school and department

improvement plans to achieve the District Goal

Core Values & Beliefs

Central Office collaboratively

supports and refines the work of schools and departments

Accountability for Performance on 23 District Goal Standards

IV. Continuous Monitoring

and Revision as Necessary

II. Continuous Gathering of Data

I. Identify Strengths, Areas for Improvement,

Opportunities, Needs and Challenges

District Five Year Goal: Increase academic achievement districtwide with a special emphasis on literacy and mathematics gains for each student.

III. Develop New Programs and Plan

Interventions Systemwide

Communication is not about talking, it is about listening.

We get into trouble for taking too much, we rarely get in trouble for listening too much.

We need to hear things as they are; we usually hear them as we are.

Reality is best established from multiple points of view; your ideas represent one point of view which is not

necessarily the truth.

Usually what you have to listen to is more important than what you have to say.

The need to be right kills meaningful dialogue.

Don’t assume that your interpretations represent the facts.

Adapted from a presentation by Mark Milleman

COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS for Leaders

RelationshipsRelationships

“The quality of adult relationships within a school has more to do with the effectiveness of a school and the achievement of its students than any other factor.” Roland Barth

“It is, in the final analysis, always, and, all about relationships.” Margaret Wheatly

One Train to Heaven, One Train to HellOne Train to Heaven, One Train to Hell

“What the founder of Headstart says is all too true - every baby born in this country gets on one of two trains - one bound for heaven or one bound for hell. And the children on the train to hell can see the kids on the other train. The tragedy is that our society has built so few switching stations to help youngsters change their lives.”

Eli Newberger, M.D., DirectorResearch Training Program on Family Violence

Boston Children’s Hospital

Life on the train

A while back, I read a very interesting book that

compared life to a train ride or a series of train rides.

Life is like a train ride, it read. We get on. We ride. We get off. We get back on and ride some more. There are accidents and there are delays. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy, some will

result in profound sorrow.

  Wenn wir geboren werden und in den Zug einsteigen, treffen wir Menschen, von denen wir gauben,

dass sie uns während unserer ganzen Reise begleiten werden: unsere Eltern.

  When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey.

Those people are our parents!

Sadly, this is far from the truth.

Our parents are with us for as long as we

absolutely need them. They too have journeys they must complete. We

live on with the memories of their love,

affection, friendship, guidance and their ever

presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually

become very important to us, in turn.

These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, whom we will learn to love, and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a

jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along .

Others, will encounter many upsets, tears,

losses on their journey.

Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to

anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an

everlasting impression when they get off….

Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarcely leave

a sign that they ever travelled along with you

or ever crossed your path…

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own.

Then again, there’s nothing that says we can’t seek them out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be

able to sit next to them because that seat will already be

taken.

That’s okay …everyone’s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes.

We must strive to make the best of it… no matter what...

We must constantly strive

to understand our travel

companions and look for the best

in everyone.

Remember that at any moment during our journey, any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in

need of our help.

We too may vacillate or hesitate, even trip… hopefully

we can count on someone being there to be supportive

and understanding…

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don’t know when our last stop

will come.

Neither do we know when our travel companions will

make their last stop.

Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

Personally, I know I’ll be sad to make my final stop…. I’m sure of it!

My separation from all those friends and acquaintances I made during the train ride

will be painful. Leaving all those I’m close to will be a sad thing. But then again, I’m certain that one day I’ll get to the main

station only to meet up with everone else. They’ll all be carrying their baggage… most

of which they didn’t have when they first got on this train.

I’ll be glad to see them again. I’ll also be glad to have

contributed to their baggage… and to have

enriched their lives, just as much as they will have

contributed to my baggage and enriched my life.

We’re all on this train ride together. Above all, we

should all try to strive to make the ride as pleasant

and memorable as we can, right up until we

each make the final stop and leave the train for the

last time.

All aboard!

Safe journey!!

BON VOYAGE!