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Transformed by Literacy: An Overview of the Brockton High Story: Its ALL about Literacy!Empowering a Team: A How-To Literacy for ALL: Defining and Teaching Literacy Skills (Its about the adults, not the kids!)Implementing with a Plan (Success by design, not by chance)What Gets Monitored Is What Gets DoneDevelop Your Action PlanFinal Thoughts1

Agenda for the day

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It Takes a TeamWhy a Team?Selecting the TeamEstablishing the Ground Rules/Mission/GoalsRunning the Meetings/ Making DecisionsRoles and Responsibilities of the Team2

2WHY DID WE BEGIN WITH A TEAM???Leadership Matters! We have never seen a school that achieved anything significant for students without a good leader. McLaughlin and Talbert Good leaders grow schools where the organizational culture is energized, collaborative, and results focused. As a result teaching and learning in all classrooms are always getting better. Jon Saphier, Research for Better Teaching

Defining LEADERSHIP So, what is leadership?Leadership is getting people to do what they need to do, but either cant or wont.Leadership is not a position; it is a disposition for taking action.BUT How do you get people to do what they need to do because sometimes they cant, or wont! Empowering a Team:changes the manner in which the members of a system work with one another allows members to make decisions for optimizing resources and learning experiences to benefit the students

Empowered professionals have the power to do what they need to do. ICLE says about us: top down support for bottom up reform.

Empowering a Team:Restructuring Committee our think tankEvery department represented with a mix of teachers and administratorsBalance of new teachers and veterans, new voices and voices of experienceChallenge for Change funding

Step ONE: Empowering a Leadership Team

I couldnt work without the Leadership Team. Not only do they provide valued input, but they truly make my job easier! SELECTING THE TEAM Selecting the TeamHow do we get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people into the right seats?Jim Collins, Good to Great

11 Selecting the Team Application- Written and interview according to contract Recruitment Go after the people you want! Even if you have to drag them kicking and screaming!

12 Selecting the TeamWho should be on the team? Represent all constituencies (subjects, grades, veterans, new teachers) Balance new voices and veterans Balance of teachers and administrators (majority of teachers)

13 Selecting the TeamImportant criteria to consider: Trust Communication Collaboration Humor

14 Selecting the Team Question we are often asked:What about parents and students, did you include them?Restructuring Advisory Committee

15 Your turnBegin to design your team:*What will be the composition of the team?*How many people will be on the team ?*What criteria are you using for selection of the team? Now what?You now have a team together.What do you do with them?ESTABLISHING THE GROUND RULES, MISSION, GOALS

Ground Rules/Mission Key questions: Whos in charge? What is our purpose?/What do we believe in? What rules to we operate by?

19 Ground Rules/MissionWhos in charge?Recommendation: Co-ChairsPrincipal and a teacher

20 Ground Rules/MissionWhat do we believe in?First decisions:What do we stand for?Mission?For us: High Standards, High Expectations, NO Excuses

21 Ground Rules/MissionWhat do we believe in?We set only two goals:Improve students academic achievementPersonalize the educational experience for every student.

22 Ground Rules/MissionThe RulesKeep it simple: 3 rulesRespectful dialogue (we had some great fights!)Criticizing only with a suggestionWhat happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

23RUNNING THE MEETINGS, MAKING DECISIONS

Running the meetings, Making decisionsEstablish a meeting calendar in advance so everyone can plan (for us, Saturdays, once a month 8 a.m. to noon) Co-Chairs set meeting agenda in advance Follow agenda, begin on time, end on time! Keep minutes of every meetingDecisions by consensus, everyone must participate

25 Beginning the Process How we BeganBackground research, readingExamined the data to guide the process:As Deep Throat said to WoodwardFollow the money So we said FOLLOW THE DATA!Bit of a snag The Great Shakespearean Fiasco

26 Beginning the Process How we Began So, it was back to the drawing board to figure out a different approach. That led us to LITERACY for all. More on the specifics of how we developed that in the next session.

27ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TEAM

Serving as Teacher Leaders, providing faculty voices, feedbackLeading and facilitating faculty discussion groupsConducting the professional development, presenting the Literacy Workshops (Train the trainer approach)Providing support for colleaguesChairing the Restructuring Subcommittees Responsibilities of the Team

AND, WHAT THEY DO NOT DO!

They do NOT evaluate! Support, NOT evaluation.Not involved in the monitoring of the literacy implementations.

Responsibilities of the Team What they do NOT do

The discussions are powerful, focused, spirited. It is about teacher leadership. The Power of Teacher Leadership