Leading Change in your School by Douglas B. Reeves

Leading Change in your School provides some insight into how to approach change; specifically if you are a new administrator. Essentially, don't implement anything new without first taking a critical look at what policies, procedures, or curriculum can be modified or taken out. The author uses the metaphor of pulling weeds before planting flowers. Before you can begin to implement anything new, pulling the weeds - so to speak, is the first step to insure that whatever change is implemented, will flourish. Sounds easy enough, but it's not. Whenever change is implemented, obviously there is going to be resistance. That resistance is going to stem from teachers and staff. So how do you go about effective change? Well, the author suggests that along with pulling the weeds, one must also change the actual culture of the school. This is no easy feat, and the Mr. Reeves suggests that we follow the four imperatives of cultural change:

1. Define what will not change
2. Organizational culture will change with leadership actions
3. Use the right change tools for your system
4. Change in culture requires relentless personal attention and "scut work" by the leader

There you have it, simple, straight forward, succinct, and practical. Okay, I get this concept, but what changes should I make where it will have the most positive impact on student achievement? Well, again, Mr. Reeves has the answer. Providing great teachers is the first step in this equation. Now, I must mention that he briefly states that typically schools place the least qualified and least experience teachers with the most demanding students; where teachers with the most experience get the "higher" group of students. Do you see something wrong with this concept? It only makes sense to me that if we really want to bridge the achievement gap, that we place the best teachers with the most demanding students. I don't believe it's rocket science, which further confuses me on why we would ever do that. Anyway, the second change agent is providing those great teachers opportunities for professional development. Collaboration is next, and time management is last; specifically, the time used in meetings.

One interesting concept the book talks about is how to interview a potential administrator. Historically, most districts have scripted questions asked by a panel of some sort. The interviewee may also have to present some type of presentation to the board. Once that is complete, the board decides on the best candidate. This is an okay system, but Mr. Reeves recommends an alternative. First, have each candidate conduct a classroom observation, and then debrief on the findings. Second, have the candidate complete a data analysis of the school and have him/her come up with propositions for improvement. Third, have the candidate review student work. This system can be completed in one day with all candidates participating at once. I think this is a brilliant idea; one that can be used for teachers as well.

Food for Thought

Treat every student in your school as if they were rich. Imagine hat you are the headmaster of an elite private school where parents are paying $20 - $30 thousand dollars in tuition per year. Parents have the highest expectations that their children will receive an elite education. Now imagine that students are reading below grade level. What would you do? Would you do everything in your power to make sure those kids get to grade level as soon as possible? Now we should ask ourselves, is there any reason why students in our public schools deserve anything less than those at elite private institutions? The simple answer is no. The next question is, how do we make that happen?

On another note, Jenks Public Schools in Oklahoma has been bridging the literacy gap with exuberant success with a concept called proactive intervention. For example, you know that Johnny is two grade levels behind in reading. So, the natural option is to put him in remedial English class and encourage him to read at home. Proactive intervention does that plus provides an intensive reading intervention program right from the get-go. There is no waiting until he flunks classes. His parents are called in the first week of school, and accommodations for his intervention are put into place. Johnny is not in ELL or special education. This is a no brainier, but unfortunately, not many schools provide this service.