SBDM LEADERSHIP FOR
BACKGROUND
In Spring of 2021 former Kentucky Commissioner of Education, Jason Glass, embarked on a “listening tour,” a series of town hall meetings throughout the state. These meetings allowed Kentuckians to share highlights and opportunities of growth in Kentucky’s education system. The “listening tour” culminated in the United We Learn Report, presented at the KY Education Summit and kicked off the vision for the future of education in Kentucky, United We Learn.
Three big ideas – students, innovation, and community – form the vision for the future of public education in Kentucky.
THREE AREAS OF UNITED WE LEARN VISION
■ Vibrant Student Experiences
■ Encouraging Innovation
■ Collaboration with our Communities
The United We Learn Council was formed to partner with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) to advance the vision.
UWL - VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Audrey Gilbert, former chair of the United We Learn Council, reflects on the work. “My time as interim chair has shown me how important an active stakeholder voice is in this kind of democratic process. As the chair, I will ensure that we maintain and improve our processes of empathy, inclusion, co-creation and reci-
At its August 2024 meeting, the Kentucky Board of Education discussed an assessment and accountability prototype in development that focuses on “an accreditation-style model that includes a vibrant learning experiences indicator. Schools would submit evidence to an external evaluator and the local board of education and receive ratings on rubrics with feedback for improvement.”
“Together, we can build that type of accountability system that lifts our students up and lifts our communities through vibrant learning experiences, innovation, and collaboration with our communities,” Commisioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said. “We have a responsibiity to give that to our students.”
Audrey Gilbert, graduate of Frankfort High School, former student member of KASC’s board of directors, and United We Learn Council Co-Chair.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher, center, speaks with members of the Kentucky Board of Education during their meeting at Kentucky State University.
Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, Aug. 8, 2024
The KUWL Council has created this Moonshot to show the timetable for the new assessment and accountability system.
WHAT’S OUR GOAL?
This session will enable council leaders to empower our students and adults to have more vibrant learning experiences tomorrow than they had yesterday.
Participants will leave this session:
■ Feeling confident in recognizing a spectrum of vibrant learning.
■ Recognizing the benefits of vibrant learning for students and adults.
■ Knowing concrete actions for building and maintaining a learning environment that empowers, supports, and encourages vibrant learning experienced for adults and students.
ACTIVITY 1: TAKING OWNERSHIP OF YOUR LEARNING
❑ Quickly decide who will have each job up until the break and who will take over that job after the break.
❑ Record the names in the chart below.
JOB ASSIGNMENTS NAME FOR 1ST HALF NAME FOR 2ND HALF
*Facilitator
Timekeeper Recorder
Reporter
*The Facilitator:
• Ensures that everyone understands the activity
• Gets things going
• Encourages participation from each group member
INTRODUCTION TO VIBRANT LEARNING
ACTIVITY 2: REFLECTING ON OUR EXPERIENCES
PURPOSE: Using the experiences you just recalled and shared, your group of four or five will craft what you collectively think embodies a vibrant learning experience.
❑ Individually answer each question in the table below.
❑ Use the space provided in the table to jot down answers to the questions.
WHAT MADE YOUR EXPERIENCE MEMORABLE?
What elements about the experience stuck with you?
What about the experience gives you energy when you recall it?
What adjectives would you use to describe the experience? (What did it look like? Sound like?)
❑ Once everyone in your group has had time to reflect individually, compare your answers with each other.
❑ In the space below, write down three words below that capture commonalities among your memorable experiences.
❑ Be prepared to share them with the other groups.
Three words that capture what our memorable experiences have in common are...
WHY CARE ABOUT VIBRANT LEARNING?
Vibrant learning isn’t an education buzzword. ‘Vibrant’ is just a descriptive word that all of us can dig into and internalize. As we work together today, we want you to build your own understanding of what makes learning vibrant. Vibrant learning can be as much yours as anyone’s.
Dictionary definitions can provide a helpful foundation as we continue to build a common understaning throughout the session today.
Vibrant means:
■ pulsating with life, vigor, or activity
■ energetic, exciting, full of enthusiasm
■ holds your attention…could even be gripping or riveting
Based on the Cambridge Dictionary
“
“There is a deep longing among educators and parents alike for schools to be places where children want to be rather than have to be.”
Fostering More Vibrant Schools, ASCD
ACTIVITY 3: WHAT ROLE CAN SBDM COUNCILS HAVE IN VIBRANT LEARNING?
❑ In a group of three, decide which person will read part A, part B, and part C.
❑ Individually, read the excerpt.
❑ As you read, think about what the council’s role could be in ensuring your school has vibrant learning experiences.
❑ Highlight key words that point to actions the council might take or responsibilities the council has.
❑ Compare your thoughts with your group.
❑ Reflect on the role a council might play in vibrant learning.
Part A
2(c)1. The school council shall have the responsibility to set school policy that shall be consistent with district board policy and which shall provide an environment to enhance the students’ achievement and help the school meet the [Kentucky Education] goals…and goals for the district established by the board.
2(i) The school council shall adopt a policy that shall be consistent with local board policy and shall be implemented by the principal in the following additional areas:
...2. Assignment of all instructional and non-instructional staff time;
...6. Planning and resolution of issues regarding instructional practices;
Part B
(2)(g) The local superintendent shall determine which curriculum, textbooks, instructional materials, and student support services shall be provided in the school after consulting with the local board of education, the school principal, and the school council...
(2)(g) Subject to available resources, the local board shall allocate an appropriation to each school that is adequate to meet the school’s needs related to instructional materials and school-based student support services, as determined by the school principal after consultation with the school council.
Part C
2(j) Each school council shall annually review data as shown on state and local student assessments… After completing the review of data, each school council, with the involvement of parents, faculty, and staff, shall develop and adopt a plan to ensure that each student makes progress toward meeting the Kentucky Education Goals.
The plan will …include the targets, strategies, activities, and a time schedule calculated to eliminate the achievement gap among various groups of students…. The plan shall include but not be limited to …the following areas: (a) Curriculum alignment …; (b) Evaluation and assessment strategies to continuously monitor and modify instruction …; (c) Professional development to address the goals of the plan...
PERSONAL REFLECTION
In your own words, what role might the council play in vibrant learning?
UNDERSTANDING VIBRANT LEARNING
All of us have experienced learning in our lives that was deep, rich, authentic and meaningful to us – the kind of learning that made an impact and that taught us important lessons that we carry with us through our lives. Conversely, we also have all had learning experiences that were “shallow,” meaning they were at the surface level only. Shallow learning are the things we almost immediately forget or that were so repetitive and routine in nature that they don’t really require your brain to be meaningfully engaged.
Former KY Commissioner Jason Glass, December 2022
Vibrant learning can be as much yours as anyones and you can lead, empower, and support your school in being more of a “place where children want to be rather than have to be.”
ACTIVITY 4: HOW IS OUR STATE DEFINING VIBRANT LEARNING?
The United We Learn (UWL) Council recently approved a definition of Vibrant Learning Experiences.
❑ Read the UWL Council’s definition of Vibrant Learning Experiences in the box below.
❑ Circle words that came up through our initial study of vibrant learning today.
Learning that matters to students.
In partnership with families and communities, students are agents of their own learning, engaged in relevant, authentic and joyful learning opportunities. Vibrant learning honors students’ cultural wealth, gifts and interests. Vibrant learning culminates in the application of knowledge and skills demonstrated through personalized products.
United We Learn Council
ACTIVITY 5: APPROACHES TO VIBRANT LEARNING
Vibrant learning can take many different forms depending on the situation, the content, and the age of the participants. Now, we will be exploring some of the different approaches that schools in Kentucky are using to create vibrant learning experiences.
❑ Your facilitator will assign your group to an exploration station.
❑ In your station, read the description of the vibrant learning approach.
❑ Your group is responsible for creating a chart which communicates the main points of the approach.
On your chart:
❑ Create a drawing, symbol or graphic to represent the learning approach.
❑ Write three words that encompass the main features of the approach.
❑ Complete this sentence frame: (The name of the approach) is a way to make learning vibrant through...
When all of the groups have completed their charts, your facilitator will have participants:
❑ Rotate to each chart.
❑ Read the chart and note in the spaces provided below:
(1) new characteristics to add the What is Vibrant Learning? chart:
(2) themes/characteristics/words that keep coming up or seem to be very important to our understanding of vibrant learning:
“Academics in a vibrant school are not undertaken as drudgery, but with a playful spirit. ….
Play is also increasingly recognized as a source of creativity and innovation. An environment where student initiative is encouraged, and curiosity and creativity are nurtured, is bound to be more exciting, engaging, and fun.”
Megan Tschannen-Moran and Davis Clement
https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/fostering-more-vibrant-schools
COMPONENTS OF VIBRANT LEARNING
While there are a lot of ways to engage students in vibrant learning, the different approaches have this in common:
Students are at the center of the educational experience.
For an experience to be vibrant, it must require student thinking that leads to learning, have meaning for students, and empower student ownership
We want today to be a memorable experience and one that allows you to take ownership.
THINKING, MEANING, AND OWNERSHIP
When students are really thinking about a task, what might they be doing?
What makes a learning experience truly meaningful?
When someone has ownership over their learning, what does that mean?
ACTIVITY 6: THINKING, MEANING, OWNERSHIP
❑ Your facilitator will pass out the Thinking, Meaning, Ownership header strips and description cards.
❑ Step 1: Lay the header strips on the left side of your workspace so that the text runs vertically.
❑ Step 2: Deal out the description cards. Take turns reading aloud and as a group decide which description cards go with each header strip.
❑ Your facilitator will show you a slide on the PowerPoint to ensure you matched the card correctly.
❑ Step 3: After your facilitator distributes the example cards, take turns reading those aloud. Together decide which description card the example card best matches.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
How did reading descriptions and examples of thinking, meaning and ownership deepen your understanding of vibrant learning?
ACTIVITY 7: RECOGNIZING VIBRANT LEARNING
❑ Your facilitator will show a series of video clips from classrooms.
❑ As you watch, see if you can find evidence of the components of vibrant learning.
❑ If you see evidence from the video clip, check the corresponding box.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Now that we have seen how the state defines vibrant learning, read different approaches to it, and applied its three components, how would you personally define vibrant learning?
WHY WE NEED TO LEAD VIBRANT LEARNING
WHY?
1. Vibrant, meaningful learning experiences motivate and inspire students (and adults), engage students in learning, and increase the likelihood that learning will be internalized and useful throughout their lives.
2. The SBDM Council has a legal responsibility to make sure all students learn and reach the Kentucky Learner Goals.
SBDM LAW — KRS 160.345
2(c)1. The school council shall have the responsibility to set school policy…which shall provide an environment to enhance the students’ achievement and help the school meet the goals established by KRS 158.645 [Kentucky Learner Goals] …
2(j) Each school council shall annually review data on state and local student assessments…
After completing the review of data, each school council… shall develop and adopt a plan to ensure that each student makes progress toward meeting the goals set forth in KRS 158.645 [Kentucky Learner Goals]…
Since 1893, Kentucky’s CONSTITUTION has specified that the General Assembly shall, by appropriate legislation, provide for an efficient system of common schools.
In 1990, Kentucky’s GENERAL ASSEMBLY defined the following goals for student learning in KRS 158.6451(b) to show the way toward a world-class education.
1. Use basic communication and mathematics skills for purposes and situations they will encounter throughout their lives;
2. Apply core concepts and principles from mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the humanities, social studies, and practical living studies to situations they will encounter throughout their lives;
3. Become self-sufficient individuals of good character exhibiting the qualities of altruism, citizenship, courtesy, hard work, honesty, human worth, justice, knowledge, patriotism, respect, responsibility, and self- discipline;
4. Become responsible members of a family, work group, or community, including demonstrating effectiveness in community service;
5. Think and solve problems in school situations and in a variety of situations they will encounter in life;
6. Connect and integrate experiences and new knowledge from all subject matter fields with what they have previously learned and build on past learning experiences to acquire new information through various media sources; and
ACTIVITY 8: KENTUCKY’S LEARNER GOALS AND VIBRANT LEARNING
❑ Go over EXAMPLE #7 with the facilitator leading a discussion among all participants.
❑ Divide A, B, and C among partners in your group.
❑ Read your assigned letter and using the components of vibrant learning, discuss with your partner the connections you see.
❑ Share your connections with the rest of your small group.
Kentucky Learner Goals Connection to Vibrant Learning
Ex.
#7 Express their creative talents and interests in visual arts, music, dance and dramatic arts.
A
#1 Use basic communication and mathematics skills for purposes and situations they will encounter throughout their lives;
#5 Think and solve problems in school situations and in a variety of situations they will encounter in life;
#2 Apply core concepts and principles [from all content areas] to situations they will encounter throughout their lives;
B
C
#6 Connect and integrate experiences and new knowledge from all subject matter fields with what they have previously learned and build on past learning experiences to acquire new information …;
#3 Become self-sufficient individuals of good character exhibiting the qualities of altruism, citizenship, courtesy, hard work, honesty, human worth, justice, knowledge, patriotism, respect, responsibility, and self-discipline;
#4 Become responsible members of a family, work group, or community, including demonstrating effectiveness in community service;
HOW DO WE NEED TO LEAD FOR VIBRANT LEARNING?
The main goal for this session is to enable council leaders to empower students and adults to have more vibrant learning experiences tomorrow than they had yesterday. As a leader, every time you interact with someone in the school community, you influence people positively or negatively. None of us should discount the ability we have to influence and inspire others.
Leadership is both formal and informal. No matter where you are, you can still impact the learning environment on a personal level. In this section, we’ll explore ways to lead on a personal level.
ACTIVITY 9: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
As an individual, decide actions you will take to promote an environment that empowers students and adults to have more vibrant learning experiences.
❑ Review what you’ve learned and/or were reminded of in this session.
❑ Decide two actions you will take (outside of your council role) to apply your knowledge/insight.
❑ Write those actions (personal leadership priorities) in the space provided below.
❑ Share ONE of your personal priorities with a partner and explain why you choose it.
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP PRIORITIES
What actions do I want to take as a result of what I’ve learned today?
In my life as an individual, I will: (Select one from these and/or write your own.)
❑ pay attention to what I’m passionate about learning and why
❑ reflect on my memorable learning experiences and what makes them so
❑ be conscious of my own level of engagement in experiences and what impacts that level
❑ reflect on the kind of model I am as a self-directed, life-long learner
COUNCIL MEMBER LEADERSHIP PRIORITIES
What actions do I want to take as a result of what I’ve learned today?
In my school role as parent, teacher, or principal, I will: (Read examples below to get the ideas flowing and then write your own.)
EXAMPLES
1. Empower others to lead
Have this conversation with a student/child close to you:
Share the leadership (share ownership), let your student/child experiment with new ways to do the chore/task that still meet the desired outcome. How could that responsibility be more meaningful? Authentic?
2. Lead reflection on memorable learning
Engage adults and/or students in informal conversations about memorable learning experience they’ve had. What made it special? How could you replicate that in other learning settings?
3. Build more vibrant learning experiences
Work to make learning experiences you lead more authentic by ======== and/or more relevant to the participants by =====.
4. Learn strategies for helping students be the leaders
Start an independent or group book study on ways to guide students to be the leader of their learning. One great option — Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning: A Playbook on Engagement and SelfRegulation (K-12) by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Sarah Ortega, John Hattie, Corwin Press, 2023
5. Lead adults and/or students in discussion that allows all of you to reflect on learning:
When have you been motivated to persevere through a challenging problem-solving experience? What helped keep you motivated?
When were you involved in a learning experience and got lost in it in a good way? Your mind was so engaged you lost track of time? What contributed to that?
First Things First - Mindset and Approach
The examples in the previous section set the stage for simple ways that council members can be leaders of vibrant learning in everyday life. While simple actions repeated regularly can have a large impact, your school might be ready to work on vibrant learning on a larger scale. If this is the case, the council can do this by setting the expectation for a vibrant learning environment!
When considering any initiative, the council should take a strengths-based perspective--one that inspires and empowers both adults and students. The focus should not be on weaknesses, blame, or fingerpointing. Well-meaning leaders could take a good idea and do damage if they are not careful.
Keep in mind that one of the key outcomes of vibrant learning on a large scale is establishing the kind of school where students and adults want to be. You don’t want to undermine your efforts through a process that erodes trust. By using a strengths-based perspective, the council can strengthen relationships, trust, and empower students as leaders of their own learning.
School Councils were included in the 1990 Kentucky education law to give the people closest to students the tools to improve achievement for every student. KASC’s keys provide a guide for fulfilling that responsibility.
A PROFICIENT COUNCIL:
Creates an Environment Where All Students Can Learn by
■ Empowering student MOTIVATION
■ Ensuring quality CURRICULUM and INSTRUCTION
■ MONITORING student mastery and responding to data
Complete School Council Proficiency Keys are in Council Connections.
Each school is unique and adults and students within your school are in different places on the vibrant learning journey. Some schools might not have vibrant learning as a priority, while others are heavily involved in initiatives that support vibrant learning.
ACTIVITY 10: THE JOURNEY AHEAD
Think about your school and personal knowledge of vibrant learning experiences in your school.
❑ Read the thought bubbles and descriptions of the journey markers below.
❑ Decide where you/your school is on the vibrant learning journey.
❑ Be prepared to use that knowledge to determine your commitment to future action.
Before starting any initiative, it’s important to make sure that your school has a culture that supports it.*
Some questions to consider about your school’s culture of vibrant learning:
■ Are families meaningfully engaged?
■ Do we delight in our diversity?
■ Does our school have a spirit of playfulness?
■ Is curiosity nurtured?
■ In our school, is learning engaging?
*The Vibrant School Scale, a survey developed by William & Mary School of Education, could provide useful information about your school’s culture related to vibrant learning.
ACTIVITY 11: MOVING FORWARD
❑ Circle the place on the Vibrant Learning Road that best matches where you think you are as a
Beginning Curiosity Commitment
Review Learner
❑ Use ideas from the road to complete the sentence frame below:
I think my school may be ready to/for__________________________________________
Vibrant student experiences are memorable. They are positive, unique, surprising, delightful, practical, purposeful and meaningful. They involve taking risks, making mistakes, overcoming challenges, light bulb moments, laughter and personal revelations. When students experience memorable lessons, what is learned moves from short-term retention to long-term memory, impacting future learning.
Michael Alsop, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music Education, University of Louisville
❑ Choose three concrete actions from the list below (or create your own) that you might be interested in your council taking based on what you think your council is ready for.
CONCRETE ACTIONS
❑ Complete the reflection questions below.
1) Which experiences required you to think by applying what you know, evaluating, critiquing, or problemsolving?
2) Which experiences were meaningful to you by the way they connected to your background or experiences, were relevant, or actively involved you?
3) Which experiences gave you ownership by giving you voice, choice, or opportunities for leadership?
RESOURCES AND RESEARCH — FOUNDATION FOR THIS TRAINING
For this workshop, we reviewed a lot of resources and research and tried to make the information understandable, engaging, and applicable for our SBDM parents, teachers, and principals.
To be sure we stayed consistent with the work on Vibrant Learning in Kentucky, we reviewed and used the following as a guide:
• Kentucky Education Goals for Students — from KRS 158.6451 to show the way toward a world-class education for all Kentucky students
• United We Learn Committees work on vibrant learning, including reading all meeting minutes
• KY Department of Education (KDE) and KY Board of Education (KBE) communication on vibrant learning
• Kentucky Innovation Guide
• Kentucky Board of Education model framework, Portrait of a Learner
• KDE’s Developing Competencies, Performance Outcomes and Indicators for a Portrait of a Learner Guidance Document
• The Kentucky Framework for Teaching (KyFfT)
• KDE’s Characteristics of Highly Effective Teaching and Learning
For understanding and teaching what vibrant learning is and how to implement it in classrooms/ schools/districts, these resources were invaluable:
• Fostering More Vibrant Schools, by Megan Tschannen-Moran and Davis Clement, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), 2018
• Vibrant Student Experiences: Leading the Way in Kentucky with Arts Education, by Michael Alsop, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Music Education, at the University of Louisville. (Bluegrass Music News; www.kmea.org), 2023
• Teaching Students to Drive Their Learning: A Playbook on Engagement and Self-Regulation (K-12) by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Sarah Ortega, John Hattie, Corwin Press, 2023
• The Shift to Student-Led, by Catlin R. Tucker & Katie Novak, Impress Publishing, 2022
• Deep Learning, by Michael Fullan, Joanne Quinn, Joanne J. McEachen, Corwin Press, 2023
All KASC’s work is screened through our foundational education beliefs based on the work of:
• Eric Jensen, brain-based learning principles and application
• Carol Dweck, growth mindset
• Anders Ericsson, expert performers and deliberate practice
• Amy Edmonson, psychological safety
• Trevor Ragan, creator and founder of The Learning Lab
• The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (casel.org)