If You Could Not Fail?

The month of 'AprilMayJune' is a challenging time for schools around the country.  It is the time of year when plans are being made for September, and there are numerous difficult decisions that need to be made to prepare the school for the fall.  As I am sure it is for everyone, the preliminary budgets come in to us that never seem to be enough, the staffing is so tight that it seems nearly impossible to make it work, there are courses that are over-subscribed and others under-subscribed leading to difficult decisions about which classes to run.  This time of year can be a stressful time for everyone, and for me, it has been no exception.

Feeling a bit torched after these past few weeks, I thought that I would shelve the professional reading for a night and let a mindless movie wash over me as I sunk into my couch with a bathtub-sized bowl of popcorn.  The movie of choice was called New Year's Eve, and it absolutely met the minimal expectations that I had for it.  However, in one particular scene, one actor was eulogizing his father.  Within this eulogy, he quoted his father, and the quote stuck with me:

"What would you do in your life if you knew that you could not fail?"

Interesting.


Over the last several months, I have read countless blogs about the 'importance' of failure.  How failure teaches us things.  How failure is a part of life.  How it is important in schools for us to 'let students experience failure' so long as we are there as the safety net to help them lick their wounds as they bounce off of the proverbial rock bottom.

I know that I could be in the minority, but I just don't buy it.  To this end, I have yet to find compelling evidence that failure is teaching kids what we want them to learn.  I have heard plenty of anecdotal reports of the importance of failing, but the solid evidence behind the 'just dust yourself off and get back up' school of thought has never come across my desk.  We talk of failure as though it is simply collateral damage, a part of life.  But for many of our struggling learners, the damaging effects of failure are lasting and real. Maybe the research proving me wrong will surface, but...

...but forget the evidence.  In a time that we are asking students to be critical thinkers, to be creative dreamers, and to solve problems that do not yet exist, which phrase would you rather your son or daughter hear from their teacher or principal?

"In your life, it is important that you experience failure.  I know this to be true.  Don't worry, you will be stronger for it."

or...

"What would you do in your life if you knew that you could not fail?"

Putting this into context,  how many times do we have to coax students (or our own children.....) to even remotely contemplate trying something new?  How many times as adults do we have to force ourselves to step out of our comfort zone?  To this end,  I would venture to guess that if the level of encouragement proffered to us was commensurate with the 'importance of experiencing failure'  comment, we likely would retreat to our corners and not bother trying anything new at all.

We have to be careful when we say that it is important to 'experience failure'.  How much of this failure is the right amount?  What happens when a student decides that they have experienced 'enough' failure, and decide to quit.  What if they have experienced so much failure that we lose them altogether?  Now what?  Is that the right amount?

Call me Polyanna, but I want students to try the things they would not normally try.  To do things that they would normally not think that they could do.  And the only way to get them to do those things is to build the belief that they CAN do it, to help them scaffold the task so they have the appropriate level of challenge, and to build their resiliency skills so when they are confronted with the inevitable challenges that will come they choose to persevere.   In short, I want them to approach their courses at school as though they cannot fail as opposed to thinking they might fail and that failure is good for them.


At an Assessment Conference I attended several years ago, I heard Rick Stiggins say something that has stuck with me to this day:

"It's not important whether children hit the target today.  It's whether they come back to try again tomorrow".


By believing students will be successful, guiding them closer to the target, and having them approach their education as if they cannot fail, we will make the creative problem solvers that will come back and try again tomorrow.

That is the school that I want.

Communication Isn't Everything

As a school leader, have you ever felt this way about your staff meetings?

"I told our staff that there were times in the past that I dreaded staff meetings.  I dreaded them because there were times that I didn't feel safe.  When people spoke in disrespectfully to each other, and harshly to me.  When people's non-verbal communication was negative.  When I was tired of hearing complaints.  When I was tired of feeling like a pseudo-lawyer, negotiating on behalf of students.  When I felt as though I alone was expected to solve a problem that I felt could only be solved by the collective.  When I didn't know the answer.  When there was no real communication even though were supposed to be communicating.  I used to fret through sleepless nights before staff meetings, and stew through evenings after them. "

If so, I encourage you to read on.

Today, our outstanding Professional Development Committee put together a tremendous PD session for our staff.  For the past several months, our staff has been working collectively to brainstorm ideas and strategies to improve social responsibility in our school.  A number of staff members volunteered for a committee and met numerous times over the course of the year, and a part of their work was the creation of our PD day today.

The day began by the committee discussing its' work to this point.  They had struggled with defining social responsibility, and realized through this definition process that they were missing a critical voice--the voice of our students.  As a result, members of the committee did a number of focus groups to get a sense of what students perceptions were about our school and the people within it.  The committee told us that they had collated the findings, but wanted us to really hear the voice of the students.  And so, they invited four students from four very different groups in our school to come and speak to our staff--and that was today.

With the help of one of our teachers as the moderator, our large staff were captivated for more than an hour, listening to what students had to say about US and the way we do business.  They told us so many things, like how they want us to get to know them, to say hi to them, and treat them with respect.  Or how they want structure and rigor, but flexibility that respects them and what they do in and out of school.  It was riveting, and I was so proud of each of them and the level of mutual respect that we had for these students and that they had for us.  One thing that was very special for me was each student on the panel and the student focus groups were in agreement on one point--our students feel like they go to a good school, and are proud to tell this to their peers and friends from other schools.  Neat!

In the afternoon, our staff and I went into our Socratic Circle exercise, something that we have been doing over the last 18 months.  In this model, our staff gets divided into an inner and an outer 'circle' (or in multiple circles with inner and outer circles, depending on the topic).  The inner circle begins having an open dialogue about a particular topic (today was social responsibility and digesting the information that had been given to us by our students) while the outer circle watches.  What is interesting is that the outer circle is not focusing on the topic, they are focusing on the INTERACTIONS between the members of the inner circle.  The outer circle has a rubric that they refer to while the inner circle is discussing the topic, and once the inner circle has completed their discussion, the outer group gives them feedback on how they interacted with the other members of the group.  The outer and the inner groups then switch, the roles are reversed, the conversation continues, and the feedback is given to the second group once they are done.  Ultimately, the goal of the Socratic Circle is to learn how to respectfully communicate with and listen to a group of peers in a safe manner within an authentic discussion that is meaningful to the participants. 

When we first started using the Socratic Circle, many of our staff admitted that it seemed a bit like a contrived mechanism that felt more than a little bit weird.  But after doing this on a number of occasions, our staff re-affirmed today that this mechanism has made our large staff a better group of communicators, a better group of listeners, and a more cohesive unit in discussing and solving problems.  Awesome.

On a personal level... I revealed to our staff that there were times in the past that I dreaded staff meetings.  I dreaded them because there were times that I didn't feel safe.  When people spoke in disrespectfully to each other, and harshly to me.  When people's non-verbal communication was negative.  When I was tired of hearing complaints.  When I was tired of feeling like a pseudo-lawyer, negotiating on behalf of students.  When I felt as though I alone was expected to solve a problem that I felt could only be solved by the collective.  When I didn't know the answer.  When there was no real communication even though were supposed to be communicating.  I used to fret through sleepless nights before staff meetings, and stew through evenings after them.

Yes, of course.  That was me.

But as this day unfolded, I realized that we were authentically communicating all day long.  With our kids.  With each other.  And through the Socratic Circle exercise, the level of communication has moved to such a high level: from 'talking' and 'hearing' to seeking to understand and respecting the opinions of others, even when we disagree with each other.  It has made me realize that we are moving forward.

So if you have ever felt the way I did from time to time about our staff meetings, I strongly recommend you try Socratic Circling.  Not once, but a few times.  I will predict that you will see a dramatic change in the way that you and your staff interact.  Even if you already are having high level conversations about student achievement and your school, I believe that this exercise will elevate your discussions even further.

Because I am realizing that communication isn't everything.  When you are dealing with people like we all do every day, I realize communication is the ONLY thing.

What is Authentic Parent Involvement?

Last evening, I was pleased to host more than 400 parents and students to our Welcome Night for our incoming Grade 7s.  It is one of my favorite nights of the year.  And while I do spend some time giving information about our school and the opportunities that are available, information dissemination is one of my lowest priorities for the evening.  My main goal is simple: when they leave that evening, I want them to feel good about their student coming to our school.  Whether this is through their feeling a personal connection to something in the presentation, or seeing other parents and students there in the gym, or just coming into the school and sensing the excitement from their child about making the jump to high school, I just want them to leave feeling better than when they came.

Driving home after the Welcome Night, I began to reflect on parent involvement in schools.  Earlier this Spring, I was privileged enough to see Larry Rosenstock (from High Tech High) speak to a group of district and school based administrators in British Columbia.  During his address, he alluded to something that surprised (and then later resonated with) me:  he talked about how he felt that parent involvement promoted inequity in education.  At the time, I was a bit shocked and stunned, and there was a strange and tangible ripple that flowed through the room of more than 400 people.  It seemed to be such a bold statement.  But as Rosenstock explained, if you were to take his context in San Diego as an example, he would predict that the majority of parents that would choose to be significantly involved would be parents from areas such as La Jolla (one of the most expensive zip codes to live in the United States), and less (if any) from the impoverished areas of the city.  And as a result, he felt that the values that would be promoted at PAC meetings or forums for parent involvement would be those from a small and select group of people that was not representative of his school community.  He felt that the parent involvement that was most important was to have parents come to the showcase evenings that take place at his schools so they can see the work of their children.

And tonight, I read a thought-provoking post by Will Richardson called "Getting Bold with Parents" in which he details the efforts by a particular Superintendent to involve parents in conversations about education.   Within this post, Mr. Richardson states:

"Parents are the most important constituency to engage in conversations around the shifts we are experiencing. We have to be willing to provoke and engage in those conversations on an ongoing basis."

From where I sit, in some small way, this flies in the face of what Larry Rosenstock was saying at HTH. Wow.  Two 'educational heavyweights' on different sides of the coin.  What to do?

Just to be sure, I want to clearly articulate a few things about parent involvement in schools.  Firstly, I think that parents (and students) are our clients, and we need to be insatiably curious about their perceptions and feelings about education and the service that we provide in our schools.  This might put me more on the end of the continuum that Will Richardson describes.  Conversely, having been in education for sixteen years in three different school districts, and having read dozens and dozens of blog posts and articles about the subject, I am still struggling to find a model that gets authentic parental involvement from a truly representative group in a school community.  This puts me more on the other end of the continuum where Larry Rosenstock was coming from.

Yet there is another piece to this.  What is the parent involvement that we want?  Have we really qualified this?  I believe that if you asked District staff, school-based administrators, teachers, students and parents what effective parental involvement in schools and school reform looks like, you would likely get a wide range of answers that each have an equal amount of validity.  Do parents need to be involved in administrative things such as budgeting and staffing?  In pedagogical issues such as teaching methodologies and assessment?  In policy discussions that govern our schools and school personnel?  In the macro-issues of educational reform?  In all of these, some of these, none of these?  What is the right amount?  A lot? A little? And perhaps the most important question of all--do parents WANT to be involved in these things?  In schools and education, where the pace of change can be oft-regarded as two paces slower than glacial, do parents want to commit the time and effort to helping us do our jobs when they have jobs of their own?

I ask these questions without presuming to know the answers.  But one thing that I am sure of is this: I want the support of our parents in our school community.  To this end, I need to be insatiably curious about their perceptions of our school and the education that their child is receiving from us.  I want parents to support our teachers, and our teachers to over-communicate with them about their student's progress.  I want them to support our programs, to come to games, performances, assemblies and art exhibits so they are part of our tribe.  And I want parents to support their child so they feel loved and happy each day when they come to school. 

Of course these supports are not as far-reaching as what Will Richardson describes in his post with respect to engaging parents in the quest to make sweeping changes in education.  However, until each of us is able to clarify the purpose and process of authentic parent involvement by answering some of the questions above, I fear that this parent involvement we are striving for will remain hit and miss at best, and at worst, perpetuate some of the inequities described by Larry Rosenstock.

When the Rubber Hits the Road

Several months ago, I had reached a saturation point with posts, articles and tweets that were centered around 'what we need to do'.  We need to create lifelong learners.  We need to make school more meaningful.  We need to change, well, basically everything.  An excerpt from that post:

"On a daily basis, I read countless newspaper articles, impassioned posts, and convincing studies that shout out "we are failing children", "change the system", or "do something different".  These excellent resources are written by talented, skilled educators who work in the system today and clearly care deeply about students and student learning.  And to this end, I agree with all of the posts (or at least almost all of them) that I have read.  But then I think about Mom's comment in the Detroit Public Schools investigative report--"I know you care, now what are you doing to show it?". "


And this, to me, is the penultimate point:  while we can talk until we are blue in the face about what is wrong in education, I still find it far more productive to hear how people are making the rubber hit the road. 

Recently, a colleague approached me about their interest in getting into school based administration.  She was busy preparing a resume and thinking about how she was going to approach the whole application process, and she wanted to get another perspective on some of the key points she should emphasize during her presentation that would demonstrate her potential to be a successful administrator.

I found this to be a complex question that I did not want to take lightly.  There are so many things to consider when it comes to characterizing effective leadership.  Moreover, it is my belief that future success is predicated on past practice, so I feel it is important to show what you have DONE to illustrate what it is that you can DO.

But after taking some time to think about this, my answer for my colleague hit me.  The concept that covers it in terms of leadership for me is IMPLEMENTATION.  What is it that you have implemented that you are most proud of?  It is my belief that implementation of an initiative on a large scale encompasses numerous characteristics of an effective leader.  While not an exhaustive list, these are some of the abilities that I feel someone possesses when they have successfully implemented a program or concept:

1. The ability to reflect and self-assessment:  If you are able to reflect, self-assess, and have the humility to admit there is an issue and the desire to change, you are demonstrating leadership.  If you can ask yourself questions such as: what do you do well in your learning situation?  How do you know?  What are the antecedents of these successes?  Where are areas for growth?  Where are areas that you just flat-out stink?  How do you know?  What are the reasons why you need to grow in these areas?  Can you be vulnerable enough to admit that you or your school might need some assistance to help ameliorate these issues? 
2. The ability to create a vision and a strategic plan:  Planning is a cornerstone for successful implementation, and great leaders always have a plan that begins with the end in mind. What is the desired outcome in your situation?  Why?  Do you have a compelling rationale and data to support your moving in a new direction?  Who are the key partners?  What questions should you be asking?  Where are the potential hurdles, obstacles and pitfalls?  What are the timelines and benchmarks? What are the negotiables?  The non-negotiables? How will you know when you have reached your goal?  What will be the measure of success?  How will you celebrate when you get there? 
3. Creativity:  Sometimes the solutions to issues can be solved by being creative with things that already exist.  This can apply to personnel, resources, or just the way that you approach the initiative in the first place. Great leaders don't just think outside of the box, they turn the box on its side, look at it as a diamond and wonder why it was used as a box in the first place.
4. The ability to effectively utilize existing and new resources: Nothing is 'free', and there is no more money, so get over that piece.  But saying that, not everything costs money,  What are you able to do in your current situation?  What you need to start doing? Stop doing? Are you using your existing resources in the most effective manner?  Can you look at alternate means of implementing your goal?  Are you using those juices from #3?  It is difficult to have an initiative come to fruition without the appropriate resourcing (please do not just hear MONEY when you hear resources), and by making resources come together, you have clearly demonstrated leadership.
5. The ability to collaborate and communicate:  No initiative can be successfully implemented without these.  Period. (And I am sure there are many of us that have discovered this the hard way).  Whenever you put forth a vision and a plan, you open yourself up to criticism that can come from all directions.  However, the mistake that I have made in the past was to get defensive or to disregard the criticism.  Or to surround myself only with like-minded individuals so I could easily justify my actions.  True leaders listen to the criticism, and to try to understand the source so they can get a more diverse perspective on the initiative.  They are able to take criticism and turn it into a positive that actually makes the initiative even stronger and more compelling.  They collaborate with supporters and naysayers, and through extensive communication that is based in greater understanding, they move forward.
6. Courage:  Finally, implementing an initiative takes courage.   There can be unpleasant conversations, attacks that feel very personal, hurt feelings, and sleepless nights.  There are the endless thoughts of "why am I doing this to myself?" when the status quo seems so much easier.  But to me, when someone has the fortitude and focus to keep their eyes on the vision that they had in the first place and be doggedly determined to move forward through adversity, they are showing leadership of the highest order.

I have not yet responded to my colleague who is considering administration, but I will soon.  However, I feel that if she or anyone else can proudly describe an initiative that they have successfully implemented from the embryonic vision to when they finally make the rubber hit the road, they will have described themselves as an effective leader that I would hire in a heartbeat.