INSIGHT—Spring/Summer 2006

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL SPRING/SUMMER 2006

INSIGHT

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p. 12

p. 18

Volume 21

No. 1 FEATURED ARTICLES

p. 23 Striving for Student Success through Effective Leadership

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by Barry Haenisch and Evan Smith Shares how leadership capacity among all professionals in Pampa ISD—teachers, campus-based administrators, and central office administrators—has been built, nurtured, and developed

Lamesa ISD—A District Primed for Change

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by Keith Bryant Focuses on steps undertaken in Lamesa ISD to allow students to reach a targeted level of excellence, including curricular initiatives, walk-through training, and a promotion/retention policy

Crunching Numbers: Using Data and Evaluation to Develop Leadership Capacity

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by Stacey Edmonson and Julie Combs Defines three processes for school leaders to use to improve student learning: inquiry, data collection/analysis, and action planning

ALSO OF INTEREST…

Most Influential Books

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by Kay Waggoner, Mima Gonzalez, Darryl Cross, F. Larry Sullivan, Rosanne Stripling, Barbara A. Sultis, and Linda Henrie Offers reviews of seven influential books that have motivated and inspired administrators over the years as well as offered relevant and practical management and leadership principles Honorary Life

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Recognizes TASA Honorary Life Members 2006 and encourages retiring administrators to nominate themselves or others Corporate Partner Showcase

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Recognizes TASA President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold level Corporate Partners for their support of the association and its mission

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Officers DEPARTMENTS Upcoming Events at TASA

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President’s Message

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Executive Director’s View

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Book Review: A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life

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TASA Headquarters Staff Executive Director Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems

Johnny L. Veselka Paul L. Whitton, Jr.

Arturo Guajardo, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, 1 Henry Herrera, Alice ISD, 2 Larry W. Nichols, Calhoun County ISD, 3 Leland Williams, Dickinson ISD, 4 Gail Krohn, Nederland ISD, 5 Mike Cargill, Bryan ISD, 6 Mary Ann Whiteker, Hudson ISD, 7 Eddie Johnson, Harts Bluff ISD, 8 John Baker, Seymour ISD, 9 H. John Fuller, Wylie ISD, 10 Jerry Roy, Lewisville ISD, 11 George Kazanas, China Spring ISD, 12 Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD, 13 Rick Howard, Comanche ISD, 14 Alan Richey, Bronte ISD, 15 David G. Foote, Dalhart ISD, 16 Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD, 17 Michael Downes, Big Spring ISD, 18 Paul L. Vranish, Tornillo ISD, 19 John Folks, Northside ISD, 20

At-Large Members

Design/Production

Emmy Starr

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

INSIGHT

Executive Committee

Ann M. Halstead

INSIGHT is published triannually (spring/summer, fall, and winter) by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2005 by TASA. All rights reserved. TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use. Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators. INSIGHT is printed by Thomas Graphics, Austin, Texas.

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Alton J. Fields, President, Pleasanton ISD Kay Waggoner, President-Elect, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Thomas E. Randle, Vice President, Lamar CISD Michael Hinojosa, Past President, Dallas ISD

Robert Duron, Socorro ISD Adrain Johnson, La Marque ISD Patricia Linares, Fort Worth ISD Alicia Thomas, North East ISD

Editorial Advisory Committee Alton J. Fields, Pleasanton ISD, chair Jerry D. Christian, Alamo Heights ISD Robert J. Duron, Socorro ISD Fred Hartmeister, Texas Tech University Jim Hawkins, Killeen ISD Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD Alicia H. Thomas, North East ISD Kay E. Waggoner, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

Upcoming Events at TASA Excerpts from TASA’s Professional Development Calendar For more information about any of these workshops/trainings, please call TASA, 800-725-8272, or go online at www.TASAnet.org

Starting in

June

Improved Questioning

Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy

Three-Day Training-of-Trainers Seminar with Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes

Three Academy Sessions led by Experienced Superintendents and Other Practitioners

g • • • •

Who Should Attend Curriculum and Instruction Specialists Staff Development Providers Principals Teacher Leadership Teams

g What You Learn • To restructure classrooms to make the learning environment more active, more student-centered, more constructivist, more inquiry-based, and more metacognitive—in other words, more engaging to all students, especially those in the NCLB subgroups • To understand the theory and practice of effective questioning

g Who Should Attend • Aspiring Superintendents g What You Learn • Preparation for the Superintendent Job Search • June 26, 2006 (Session Three)

• June 7–9, 2006

SMART Tools for SMART School Leaders Two-Day Institute with Anne Conzemius and Jan O'Neill g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • Central Office Administrators • Principals and Leadership Teams g What You Learn • Power of using collaborative processes for focused, data-driven learning and improvement • SMART Schools process that creates the motivation for team action and experimentation • Skills and knowledge needed to successfully implement professional communities in your schools, including the ability to translate data into SMART goals and a willingness to engage in continuous improvement of your professional practice • June 19–20, 2006

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Take the High Road PRESIDENT’S

Last June seems a long, long time ago from where I stand now. I never would have guessed, as I took

MESSAGE

up the president’s gavel back then, that over the next 11 months our public schools would ride out storms that we could never have imagined. We couldn’t have foreseen Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the challenges and turmoil these vicious storms would wreak on both Texans and our neighbors in Louisiana. We couldn’t imagine that communities across our state would need to shelter displaced Americans—friends, family, and strangers alike. Nor could we have envisioned the role Texas public schools were about to play.

Last September, just days after Hurricane Katrina struck, I was at a meeting in Austin with a group of TASA committee members. The purpose of the meeting was overshadowed by the hurricane’s after-

“Well, to this seasoned superintendent, the ‘politics’ seem petty in light of the real-life

math and uncertainty about what might be asked of our schools. One superintendent, however, brought it quickly into focus for us when he remarked, “It doesn’t matter what we have to do or how we have to do it—the important thing is to get these children into school and back to a routine.”

And that’s what we did. Superintendents, administrators, teachers . . . even our students! In some form or another we all took up the task of creating stable environments for children sometimes hundreds of miles from their homes. We didn’t need a “photo op” to galvanize our efforts . . . we just buckled down

trauma that surrounded us in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes. ”

and did what we do every day—the best we can with what we have in order to make a difference for every child who crosses our door. Katrina and Rita presented tremendous challenges, many of which are yet to be resolved. And, in spite of our best intentions, there were some decidedly un-Hallmark moments throughout the ordeal. But in the end we made it work, and it was our combined experience, expertise, and compassion that enabled us to succeed.

I’m thinking of the last eight months as I watch the wrangling going on at the State Capitol these days.

People who worked together in the face of a national tragedy find themselves edging apart—or being wedged apart—in the legislative process. “Oh, it’s just politics,” people say over and over. Well, to this seasoned superintendent, the “politics” seem petty in light of the real-life trauma that surrounded us in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes. As INSIGHT goes to press, the Third Called Session is still going on and none of us can guess how it might all end. I’ve decided to take the high road, however, and I ask you to do the same. Remember this year with unconditional pride in the profession we’ve made our life’s work and in the men and women who share our passion and enthusiasm every day. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as TASA president—it’s an experience I have treasured.

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Advocacy Matters EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW “And, as was so evident in recent weeks—superintendents—especially, have been an invaluable resource to legislators on all sides of the debate…”

The Third Called Session of the Seventy-Ninth Legislature has now dealt with the issue of “meaningful discretion” in response to the Texas Supreme Court mandate. Simultaneously, the legislature has bought down property tax rates, established new standards of equity and recapture, and enacted a number of programmatic reforms. One of the more significant measures impacting school districts is the requirement that future property tax increases will be subject to voter approval, rather than being decided by locally elected boards of trustees.

Following a brief respite from the legislative debate, we are prepared to begin working on our legislative agenda for the 80th Legislature, just eight short months away. In addition to the significant changes related to tax rates and school funding, there is a major emphasis on high school success and college readiness, as well as new provisions that modify the accountability system, particularly in relation to low-performing schools. At TASA, we look forward to working with superintendents across the state to facilitate a smooth transition in addressing these new requirements. Some provisions, like the school-start date, will not be effective until 2007-08. Others like those associated with school district efficiency and awards for student achievement and educator excellence, will require careful attention to detail.

Superintendents, school board members, and other education leaders throughout the state should be applauded for their engagement in the legislative decision-making process over the past two years. The work of the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools during this period has been historic, so much so that one of the Legislature’s interim charges has been to study the use of taxpayer money to “lobby” the Legislature. We have offered our assistance to the legislative committees who are engaged in this effort and expect this to be an issue in the next legislative session. We have argued that we have a responsibility to ensure the full consideration of issues affecting public schools and the students we serve. And, as was so evident in recent weeks, superintendents—especially—have been an invaluable resource to legislators on all sides of the debate on school finance, property tax relief and reform. As stated by former Attorney General John Cornyn in a 1999 opinion, “it would be unreasonable to deprive public entities of the same access that private companies have, when they have the public interest in mind.” On that basis, with the involvement and input of TASA members statewide, we will continue to advocate public policy that enables all students in Texas public schools to achieve their highest potential.

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Striving for Student Success through Effective Leadership

by Barry Haenisch and Evan Smith

If students are to achieve educationally, all adults within the school must function together and understand and accept the different leadership roles that they perform. Many people are eager to provide leadership in a school, but they are unsure of how to share their talents. Sometimes leaders are unable to identify or articulate the many talents that they possess. Leadership capacity among all professionals in a school—teachers, campus-based administrators, and central office administrators—can be built, nurtured, and developed.

LEADERSHIP CAPACITY Developing the leadership capacity within the administrative team of Pampa ISD really began in the summer of 2004 when the superintendent read Jim Collins’ book Good to Great. While not a book on educational leadership or educational reform per se, the book opened his eyes to the type of leadership one offers to an organization to move it toward excellence.

Informal discussions about the book and its ideas with other school administrators led the central office administrators in Pampa ISD to begin a study during the fall of 2004 of leadership and the qualities of leadership that seemed to impact organizations positively. In addition to the Collins book, the group studied John C. Maxwell’s Leadership 101 and 21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader. Additionally, group members discussed The Truth about Managing People by Stephen P. Robbins; Leadership 12

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and Self-Deception from The Arbinger Institute; and If You Want It Done Right, You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself by Donna M. Genett. The book studies and discussions were held two afternoons each month during the school year.

Mentoring the Reflective Principal. While the book studies were in progress, the superintendent, the Pampa High School principal, and an elementary school principal attended training provided by TASA called “Mentoring the Reflective Principal,”created by Dr. Carolyn Downey. In the workshop, participants learned techniques and attitudes that open communication lines between the central office staff and campus leaders. The protocol that is established allows trained central office personnel to be on campuses for a purpose, and the purpose is to learn from the principals’ perspective their campus strengths and concerns.

Techniques for guiding campus administrators’ thinking and actions are practiced and modeled. Implementation of planned and organized visits by the superintendent to each campus on a regular schedule in the 2004–05 school year helped create trust as well as honest conversations about the state of the schools.

Serving the Campuses. In 2005, the high school principal became the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. In August that year, the executive director for special programs attended the Mentoring the Reflective Principal training. After the first level of training was completed, the district

had three central office administrators with training in effective campus visitation. Campus visits were expanded to include all of the trained central office leaders meeting with the campus principals.

Individually, the superintendent, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and executive director for special programs are scheduled to be with the principals of two campuses each month. In this way, six campuses each month have a focused visit. The principal is responsible for creating the agenda for the time spent together. A walk-through of eight to ten teachers’ classrooms is a part of each scheduled time to informally diagnose the status of curriculum delivery and instructional practices. Time is also provided for ongoing coaching, mentoring, and support; to review the current status of school improvement efforts; to consider the various methods the principal employs to influence and coach campus staff toward higher student achievement; and to identify personnel issues that need addressing. While the superintendent’s visit is global in nature, the assistant superintendent’s and executive director’s time is focused on their job responsibilities as they relate to the campuses. These visits have proven to be invaluable tools in building trust and providing the central office with a way to realize its mission of serving the campuses to help them succeed.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS In the fall of 2004, all of the district’s administrators embarked on a journey to explore why our students were not able to demonstrate the kind of academic success that we hoped for them. The journey was in three parts.

With the help of a facilitator from our service center, we spent a day discussing our personal thoughts about why academic excellence was evading many of our students.

After each administrator had the opportunity to voice opinions, we worked in groups to combine the many responses into categories, and then we worked to reach consensus on the importance of each broad category.

Ultimately, it was decided that poor The purpose of the third meeting was to devise communication and lack of time were the a plan to bridge what our hearts told us was biggest contributors wrong with what the data told us needed to to the frustrations that the staff felt. be improved.

A week later, the administrators met again to study our data to try to draw academic conclusions concerning our challenges as a school district. After hours of steady, productive work, we identified the district’s specific academic concerns.

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Bridging Heart vs Data Concerns.

The purpose of the third meeting was to devise a plan to bridge what our hearts told us was wrong with what the data told us needed to be improved. Campus leaders, principals, and central office administrators were included in the meeting. During the meeting, it became obvious to the group that establishing professional learning communities (PLCs) at each campus provided the vehicle to bridge the chasm between time and communication identified in the first meeting and academic concerns supported by data from the second meeting. With the help of the Region 16 staff, all of the district’s campuses began a study of Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker’s work in building PLCs. Also, the philosophy of Philip Schlechty in his book Working on the Work influenced several principals. In the spring of 2005, the superintendent challenged each campus to have viable and active PLCs at work by the start of the 2005–06 school year. While the “what” (PLCs) was mandated, each campus was allowed to design its own professional learning community.

Establishing PLCs. Dr. Shirley Hord of the Southwestern Educational Development Laboratory was contacted to provide technical assistance to campus principals as they began the process of organizing and designing their campus PLC. Dr. Hord began by meeting with campus and district leaders to define “professional learning community.”

Following the initial visit, Dr. Hord provided training in Pampa to principals and campus staff on the “nuts and bolts” of PLCs. Additionally, all campus administrators and teacher leaders on each staff attended Professional Learning Communities at Work institutes or the DuFour and Eaker Summit in various locations during the current school year.

While the district is still taking “baby steps” in our development of viable PLCs, the teacher collaborative time each campus built into its school schedule has

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“What started to be a quick look at and revision of the central administration’s mission and vision became a bit more complicated than anticipated. ”

provided the bridge for our “heart vs data” concerns, because teacher leaders have time to communicate on a campus vertically and horizontally about curriculum concerns that they identify.

Teachers lead the collaborative time, and it has been amazingly productive time. As we learn to utilize the PLC collaborative time even better, PLCs hold the promise of transforming the work of the district campus-based staff.

Modifying the Mission and Vision. During the summer of 2005, the central office administrators realized that their mission would need to be modified if they were to be a strong support for the creation and work of campus PLCs. What started to be a quick look at and revision of the central administration’s mission and vision became a bit more complicated than anticipated. After central office administrators searched their souls to identify the values that they refused to compromise, both a mission statement and a vision statement for working with others in the district were written, refined, and published. Central office personnel have

tried to use the statements to guide their leadership opportunities when working on campuses this school year. In many ways, the new statements have focused our attention on a common ground, and they have made us a stronger team. The mission statement says, “As servant leaders, we will empower, support, and seek to understand the needs of others. Using a collaborative approach, we will continually improve by expanding our knowledge, skills, and trust while never forgetting to take time to focus on our successes and to enjoy each other.” The vision statement says simply, “To provide all staff with the tools they need to ensure that all students achieve or exceed grade level expectations.”

Aligning the Written and Taught Curriculum. An initiative in Pampa ISD to better align the written and taught curriculum is underway. Using grade-level and subject-area teacher leaders, the district is working with a collaborative of educational service centers to strengthen the information that our teachers deliver to students.

Emphasis is on teacher-created lessons that are TEKS-based, student-focused, and presented in an interesting and relevant way.

Teachers are receiving training on their leadership role in the process and in developing skills that will lead to a successful and useful curriculum product. A key component of the curriculum work is training that is offered to campus administrators. Systemic Pursuit Optimizing Teaching in Texas training, also called “SPOT a Leader” training, is being offered to each administrator along with teacher leaders in the school district. “SPOT a Leader” is intended

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to offer participants the skills to verify— during walk-through visits in a classroom—that a strong, viable curriculum is being taught using the best and latest powerful instructional practices. Most importantly, the administrator is taught specific coaching and mentoring techniques to improve, when necessary, teachers’ performance.

Identifying Future Leadership.

Because of the lack of strong administrative candidates for administrative vacancies, the district is offering training to teaching staff and other professionals employed in the district who might like to investigate the possibility of becoming an administrator or taking on a leadership position in the district. One afternoon each month, professional employees who want to develop their administrative understandings and skills are invited to participate in a discussion and book study with practicing campus-based and central office administrators.

Situational issues are discussed, and the book Leadership Courage

by David Cottrell and Eric Harvey is being studied. Individuals who participate are provided with opportunities to perform professional administrative duties on various campuses during the year. Current administrators, principals, and assistant principals are also an active part of this group, which allows for the sharing of personal experiences that enhance the conversations. This is a powerful tool in looking toward the future of our district by identifying future leadership.

“…the main mark of superintendents upon the end of their tenure is how many good leaders they leave behind who can take the organization even further

CONCLUSION According to Michael Fullan in an article he wrote for The School Administrator, February 2005, the main mark of superintendents upon the end of their tenure is how many good leaders they leave behind who can take the organization even further toward excellence. “A superintendent’s long-term impact is literally through other people,” he says. Fullan describes leadership development in schools as “…absolutely critical.”

Strong leadership from teachers, other professional staff, campus administrators, and central office administrators is needed for schools to succeed in their mission of educating all. A key component of developing leadership is providing individuals with the skills and practice needed to internalize the qualities that flower into leadership. In Pampa ISD, we are committed to helping each person develop so that our students are ultimately the winners.

toward excellence.”

Barry Haenisch is superintendent, and Evan Smith is assistant superintendent, at Pampa ISD. Scheduling Consistent Campus Visits. Consistent campus visitation is another component of effective leadership development.

Scheduled weekly visits are set up on each campus so that administrators and teachers have the opportunity to interact with district-level administration. This practice was initiated in 2003 by the superintendent and evolved by 2005 to the addition of scheduled visitation by other central office administrators. Providing the opportunity to have conversations/collaboration in a “just in time” model continues to allow for the growth of campus administration. This practice has enhanced the communication and trust among all stakeholders in the district.

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“Most of these students enter our schools without the environmental support from home that is conducive to learning. Instead of seeing that as an obstacle or excuse, we see it as an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in the future lives of the children we serve.”

Lamesa ISD— A District Primed for Change

by Keith Bryant

L

amesa is located one hour south of Lubbock and one hour north of Midland.

Our community was built primarily through the agricultural successes of cotton from the depression through the boom crop in 1973.

Additionally, some oil, gas, and industrial interests are interspersed.

During the 1990s, as our population began to shift away from reliance on agriculture, our community was successful in attracting two state prison facilities. Thus, the community has been able to survive and thrive through a willingness to embrace change in order to gain future success.

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Similarly, our student population has shifted drastically during the past two decades.

Declining enrollment has been a challenge for most of the school districts on the South Plains and in the Permian Basin. For instance, in the early 1980s, enrollment topped out at just over 3,000 students. By the mid-1990s, the number being served had dropped to 2,750 students. Lamesa ISD currently serves an enrollment of 2,050 students. Included in the drop in population during the past 20 years has been a shift in our demographics as well.

What once was a district with a 30 percent minority enrollment and 35 percent economically disadvantaged population has become a district with 72 percent minority enrollment and 68 percent economically disadvantaged. The challenge has not been in educating students in terms of racial numbers but instead coping with the changing demands of educating a larger percentage of children who come from backgrounds at or near the poverty line.

Most of these students enter our schools without the environmental support from home that is conducive to learning. Instead of seeing that as an obstacle or excuse, we see it as an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in the future lives of the children we serve.

42 district with a per-pupil wealth level of $129,000 and a tax rate of $1.50 with no bonded indebtedness. One of the fascinating accomplishments of the district has been the recent upgrading of facilities without the issuance of bonds.

Lamesa ISD has four campuses: South Elementary School, serving grades K–2, North Elementary School, serving grades 3–5, Lamesa Middle School, serving grades 6–8, and Lamesa High School, serving grades 9–12. Lamesa is a Chapter

Lamesa ISD celebrated its 100th anniversary during 2005. The tendency to rest on one’s laurels while hallmarking anniversaries is tempting. However, with a new century of serving students upon us, the district has undertaken some landmark

Ken McCraw, currently serving as executive director of the Texas Association of Community Schools, served as superintendent at Lamesa ISD from 1994 to 2005.

During his tenure, he orchestrated an initiative in which the district undertook more than $12 million worth of renovations, including the complete remodeling of both North and South Elementary schools. The focus was on remodeling aging facilities into educational environments that were more conducive to learning and provided safety and security. Through careful fiscal management, money was saved over a period of time and then spent on renovations. Because we were declining in enrollment and were not obviously a fastgrowth district, Lamesa ISD was able to employ a "save then spend" mentality.

While we still have capital improvement projects on the table that are prioritized, the district is now able to shift much of the emphasis to improving what goes on inside the classroom.

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steps to affect the direction of the district and the education of our students. Therefore, we adopted a district mission statement: Excellence in Education. This statement may sound trite, but every decision we as a district undertake will be measured against this standard of achievement.

Because those in leadership positions are relatively new to their positions, the district is ripe for change. I am in my second year as superintendent, and my two assistant superintendents are in their first year in their positions. Two principals, one assistant principal, and our special education director are in their first year; and the other two principals and two assistant principals are in the midst of their second year on their current campuses.

“Every school district has wonderful qualities that make it beneficial for children, but the purpose of the audit is to point out areas of deficiency so that a district can correct them and improve…”

CURRICULAR INITIATIVES Curriculum Audit By looking at test scores and student achievement in all areas, it became evident that our district was mired in mediocrity. This was not an intended or desired state, so we decided to take several steps to move us toward excellence. After months of discussion with our stakeholders, including the board of trustees, administrators, teachers, and the district planning committee, Lamesa ISD requested a curriculum audit through TASA. TASA’s Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center coordinated a time for the site visit in September of 2005. Approximately eight months before the audit, our curriculum director, Pat Newberry, our English/social studies instructional specialist, Debbie Park, and I went through the Level 1 audit training entitled Curriculum Management Audit Training, Level I: Curriculum Assessment Design and Delivery. This intensive three-day session was very helpful in preparing our district for a curriculum audit.

Some preparation of the board and staff was essential for the success of the audit. The first step in preparing for a curriculum audit was to educate the board and staff that the audit findings would not be positive in nature. A district that chooses to be audited must understand that it is for self-improvement and not for positive reinforcement. Every school district has wonderful qualities that make it beneficial for children, but the purpose of the audit is to point out areas of deficiency so that a district can correct them and improve student learning and student success. There is always an inherent risk when one asks an outsider to bring the magnifying glass and point out inequities and shortcomings, but our administration and board felt it was a risk worth taking to move toward excellence.

The second step was to secure funding for the audit. Our board was very receptive to prioritizing the audit when building the budget for the 2005–06 school year, and it was the first curricular initiative to be funded. The board understood the importance of the initial step that the audit would take toward making our students more successful academically. While the cost was a significant expenditure of funds for a district our size, we certainly felt that 20

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the benefits of allowing our district to discern how to better educate our children outweighed the costs associated with the audit.

The next step was the preparation of material for the audit, and this proved to be the most time-consuming portion of the experience.

Several months before the audit, our administrative team began collecting the requested documents that would serve as the basis for the audit findings. Individual curriculum documents that had been developed in the last three years were gathered and sent to the team of auditors. Additionally, demographic data, budgets, financial audits, memos, and other critical district documents were compiled and sent to the team. In all, approximately 16 boxes of documents were prepared in advance for the auditors.

The final step was the actual audit experience in the district. The curriculum audit was conducted on-site in Lamesa ISD from September 19 to 21. The audit team consisted of three current school practitioners who are trained and certified by Curriculum Management Systems, Inc. The lead auditor is a current superintendent in Texas, another auditor is a secondary education administrator in a Texas district, and the other auditor is a human resources administrator for a school district in Kansas.

The auditors brought instant credibility to their work since they are in the trenches on a daily basis in their own districts.

The audit began with the auditors interviewing me on Sunday evening. The next two days consisted of individual interviews with every administrator and board member; and group interviews

with the district and campus improvement teams, parents and community members, and any other school employee who desired to participate. The auditors then visited every campus to conduct short walk-throughs of the classrooms to gauge the written versus the taught curriculum and to discern trends in teaching methodologies evident in the buildings. The audit concluded with a summary meeting with the audit team, my two assistant superintendents, and me. The opportunity to participate in the audit began to shape the direction that would be taken once the audit report was returned to the district.

Walk-Through Training One finding of the curriculum audit was that our administrative staff had not been trained in effectively monitoring the taught curriculum. During the past year, our administrative team conducted a book study of Carolyn Downey’s Three-Minute Classroom WalkThrough. Each administrator was assigned a chapter on which to report during our monthly administrative meeting, and all felt the book study was a success. Therefore, I decided to pursue the Downey training in the district for our administrative team.

I contacted TASA and arranged for Betty Burks, associate executive director for Instructional Support and Leadership Development, to come to Lamesa for the training. It was mandated that every district administrator clear their calendars for two days of training in this methodology. Arrangements were made for the campuses to be covered in the absences of the administrators.

The training was very successful. We spent the first half of each day studying the Downey walk-through model, and the second half of each day was spent doing walk-throughs and putting into practice what had been modeled during the morning.

Perhaps the most meaningful experience of the training was observing Betty Burks conduct a reflective conversation with a teacher who agreed to participate. Downey speaks of the importance of the follow-up conversation in assisting the teaching staff to engage in reflective inquiry that dignifies individuals through professional conversations. The reflective conversation allows administrators to treat teachers as colleagues rather than subordinates, and this in turn empowers them to be motivated to become better learners as practitioners.

In order to implement what was learned, I formulated a plan for the remainder of the school year to implement the model. I let each principal select three to four teachers on their campuses who would be willing to participate as reflective teachers for the remainder of the year. I wanted solid teachers loyal to our district who wanted to improve their teaching skills. A meeting was scheduled with them to explain why they were chosen and what the process involved. Each one wholeheartedly agreed to participate in helping us as administrators become more proficient in monitoring the taught curriculum. Future plans call for us to expand this reflective practice to more teachers per grade level or subject area next year, with full staff implementation in the next two years.

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Promotion/Retention Policy Perhaps the greatest challenge undertaken by our district was a decision made by our board during the summer of 2005 supporting a recommendation I made in regard to promotion and retention. Beginning this school year, students in grades 3–8 will not be promoted without successfully passing the Reading and Math TAKS test. Ninth- and tenth-graders will not receive credit for their corresponding English or Math class unless they pass the Reading/ELA or Math TAKS test for their enrolled grade level.

About the same time we began the 3-tiered model, we applied for and received the Reading First grant. We sought this opportunity with the understanding that we would implement the 3-tiered model using the grant money. Coupling this money with teacher attrition, we reallocated some previous teaching positions into four different roles: a Reading Coach and an interventionist in grades 1–3.

If a student scores one standard error of measurement (SEM) below the true score, and the teacher and principal believe the student is ready for the next grade level or credit class in high school, the student will be promoted or receive credit if it is a high school course. There will be two opportunities for retaking the exam. One will be made available at the end of the current school year, and the other will be during the summer.

For years, the pressure has been on the school and the teachers to ensure that students were prepared to pass standardized tests. Now, the parents and students bear some burden with real consequences if the student fails. This change has been communicated to parents and stakeholders through the news media, parent/teacher conferences, newsletters, open houses, and the parent/teacher organization.

3-Tiered Model of Reading The most significant academic undertaking in recent memory began three years ago. Pat Newberry suggested that the district begin the 3-tiered model of reading in our elementary schools. The 3-tiered approach is based on scientifically based reading research that focuses on additional time for small-group intervention based on a teacher-student ratio of no more than one to five.

In our district, every classroom from kindergarten through third grade has the NCLB-mandated 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction, which we term Tier 1. Our basal program in Tier 1 is Scott Foresman Reading 2000 in combination with Scott Foresman LINKS, which is the add-on for intensive phonics instruction. Using the TPRI and DIBELS assessment instruments, students are tested frequently, and the students who perform below acceptable are placed into the first-level intervention group, which is Tier 2. These students receive an additional 30 minutes of reading instruction each day for 12 weeks in an intensive setting with an interventionist. The intervention program in Tier 2 is SRA Reading Master, enhanced by methods from Lindamood Bell, the Reading Academies, the Vaughan-Gross Center, and LETRS. After the completion of 12 weeks, again using benchmark data from the TPRI and DIBELS, students successful in Tier 2 are returned to the regular classroom. Others could remain in Tier 2 for further help or be placed in Tier 3 for 30+ minutes of even more intensive intervention.

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In Good to Great, Jim Collins speaks of the importance of getting the right people on the bus, and placing them in the right seats.

That was our approach with the interventionists. These individuals were carefully selected for the positions, and the district invested significant time and resources into their training. The result has been a group of well-trained, dedicated reading experts who know and practice the scientific approach to teaching reading.

The 3-tiered approach has translated into great success as 98 percent of our third-graders passed the reading portion of the TAKS during the 2004–05 school year. With that success, the district decided to fund two additional interventionist positions—one at kindergarten and one that covers fourth and fifth grades. We expect continued success with the models in place.

Conclusion Through all of these endeavors, Lamesa ISD is striving to fulfill our mission statement of Excellence in Education. Using the initiatives described, we feel we are overcoming obstacles and allowing our students to reach the targeted level of excellence in their entire school experience.

Keith Bryant is superintendent at Lamesa ISD.

Crunching Numbers: Using Data and Evaluation to Develop Leadership Capacity

"What separates the schools that will be successful in their reform efforts from the ones that won’t is the use of one, often neglected, essential element—data."

(Bernhardt, 1996, p. 1)

by Stacey Edmonson and Julie Combs

S

chool leaders should understand and be able to lead an organization toward improvement using a variety of tools and processes. Evaluation is embedded in the process of improvement. While there are a few models for improvement, basically all cover similar processes. For example, Love (2002) defines six phases of inquiry process designed for schools to follow to improve student learning. While in most models the phases are listed in a sequence, they are rarely followed in linear order. Improvement is a recursive process and can move many directions depending on the needs of the campus. Love’s six phases are framing the question, collecting data, analyzing data, organizing data-driven dialogue, drawing conclusions and taking action, and monitoring results. A more concise model for school leaders to use will be described in the following sections; in this model, evaluation can be defined through the processes of (a) inquiry, (b) data collection and analysis, and (c) action planning.

Inquiry: The Need for Data For those leaders with a propensity toward action, it can be tempting to shortcut the evaluation process. Some mistake action for progress. Others mistake change for improvement.

Utilizing effective evaluation processes can ensure that the resulting action will solve the identified problems or concerns.

Good diagnostics support good decisions. Thoughtful questions and meaningful data can make the difference between mere action and true progress.

Asking Good Questions. Evaluation is a critical process in a cycle of improvement activities and includes the framing of questions, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. An initial process of evaluation involves inquiry.

According to Webster (1982), synonyms for inquiry include investigation, examination, question, or query (p. 727). Inquiry is the process of asking questions and discovering options for the purpose of individual or group improvement (Love, 2002).

School leaders who effectively use inquiry for the purpose of organizational improvement share particular characteristics: they value the participation of other professionals, demonstrate active listening and trust-building behaviors, and confidently assume risks created by the questions posed. Although individuals can use the process of inquiry for personal improvement, the context of inquiry for organizational improvement includes all members of the school community. Because interpersonal relationships can pose significant challenges, some leaders may conclude that inviting additional opportunities for discussion only creates more potential for conflict. Perhaps these leaders lack the facilitation skills to manage group discussions or have not realized the value of group contribution. Effective leaders understand the limits of their own thoughts and biased perceptions. They have witnessed the synergy of a well-facilitated group and the resulting quality of collective thoughts. They value inquiry and solicit input from individuals in the school community.

Reflection. Because effective leaders value the outcomes of the evaluation process, they engage in regular reflection both as individuals and as an organization. Reflection has become a routine practice for these improvement-minded individuals.

Furthermore, reflective leaders plan regular times during the year to engage staff in the processes of evaluation and view these activities as valuable development opportunities. For example, staff meetings, staff development days, and site council meetings

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are used to pose questions, analyze data, and draw conclusions.

After awhile, evaluation becomes part of the “way we do things around here.”

The benefits of creating a norm of evaluation for an organization are numerous. Individuals become more objective in their own problem solving. Teachers transfer the practice of data collection and analysis to their classrooms to improve the learning of students.

Parents and community members believe that decisions based on data are more reliable and trustworthy. Over time, members of the organization understand the system for approaching problems.

Such structure aids in communication and credibility for the school community. Therefore, superintendents and principals are wise to consider using portions of multiple meetings to consider a single issue, working through the process of asking thoughtful questions about the issue, reviewing data, and finally facilitating group dialogue to reach a plan of action.

Choosing Issues to Evaluate. As superintendents and principals consider the importance of evaluation, they may ask, "What should we evaluate?" One will not have to look far to find problems that need solutions. A principal often will discover a multitude of issues in daily conversations with teachers, students, and parents. The bigger challenge, perhaps, is narrowing down the issues and identifying the priorities of focus for the campus. A starting point would be to review the district’s or school’s campus improvement plan.

Often, improvement plans contain several activities that ideally are connected to achieving specific campus or district goals. Sometimes, measurement of the activities is outlined in the plan. Because campus improvement plans have a way of expanding to include all local, state, and federal initiatives, principals should isolate those activities most critical for the improvement of specific growth areas for the campus. In addition to campus improvement activities, other problems will arise in informal conversations with teachers and parents. For example, teachers may note that students are not motivated to complete homework assignments. Other teachers may comment that students have weak composition skills when writing sentences and paragraphs.

Parents may witness that their child is not interested in reading books for pleasure. In addition, valuable information can be gleaned by the principal from frequent visits to classrooms. Again, problems that 24

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need solutions will not be difficult to locate; the difficulty arises in prioritizing. To pinpoint a list of issues to evaluate, principals can suggest priorities for their school based on knowledge of state, district, and community expectations, and/or they can seek a consensus from staff.

Data Collection & Analysis: Making Meaning After the problems or activities that will be evaluated have been identified, the next consideration is data sources. For many in education, data accompany bad news. Test scores decline.

Absenteeism increases. Funding decreases. Often in response, administrators react hastily with revised goals and new programs hoping to close the gap. Despite the attached meanings and emotions, data are neutral. Specifically, data show what are observed and expressed using words or numbers. It is the added conclusions and judgments regarding the data that create the negative associations or connotations. Therefore, a district or campus leader will have to model the positive use of data for improvement.

For evaluation purposes, multiple data sources are superior to single sources. When selecting data to analyze, the identified problem and questions must be considered. What data best answer these questions? What data are easily available? What other data sources might provide additional insight? For example, when evaluating student learning, many school committees analyze state assessment

scores for instructional weaknesses. Depending on the exam’s purpose, state assessment data can be helpful in identifying individual student needs as well as trends related to school curriculum and instruction. While tests are helpful for identifying instructional areas for improvement, other data are needed to understand the complete picture of a district’s or campus’s quality. Student work products can be analyzed for specific characteristics. Teacher, staff, student, or parent interviews can provide additional insight, as can focus groups of any of these or other constituencies. Likewise, written surveys sent to targeted groups are often an excellent source of campus or district-level data on any variety of important topics.

One area often overlooked in evaluation is the application of learning outside of the school. Parent surveys and student interviews can reveal how students are applying learning and integrating study habits into their lives apart from school. Other rich data sources to be considered include portfolio assessment and other means of alternative assessments. For leaders involved in the process of organizational improvement, data are viewed as valuable tools that inform and guide the work of the school.

Action Planning: Putting Your Work to Work Test scores, portfolios, interviews, surveys, demographic trends, focus groups, observations . . . once the data are collected, then what happens next? School leaders must use the data that they have collected and analyzed in order to develop action plans for the future. Ten years’ worth of data are as useless as no data at all if they

only sit on a shelf or in a report and are never moved into action.

Effective leaders must sit down with the data that have been collected and decide what those data mean for their district or campus—where does this information take us from here? Do we need instructional reforms, such as alignment in the curriculum, modifications to teaching strategies, additional professional development options, understanding of curricular scope and sequence, or an emphasis on vertical or horizontal teaming?

Who will be responsible for these changes, both at the micro and macro levels? What resources will be needed to put these plans into action—how much money, how much time, how many people? How will we measure the impact of these reforms? What will tell us if they are working, and what results are we looking for and expecting? What further and future evaluation will we need? The interpretation of data and resulting actions clearly separate the managers from the true leaders.

Action planning is rarely a solo activity. Committees and groups with a clear mission and set of expectations are often the most effective way to move planning forward—consider the adage that "two heads are better than one." However, also remember that no plan or reform will please everyone. Change is difficult, and there will always be those persons who resist change no matter how much it is needed or how well it is planned. Decisions should be based on the data collected—for example, what do our test scores tell us, what can we learn from the student interviews, what do our survey

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results mean? In sum, when developing action plans, be sure that all relevant data are considered and that the plans are clear, specific, and measurable.

One More Thing to Consider: Ethical Issues Leaders of improving schools behave in ways that exemplify high ethical standards when dealing with evaluation and data analysis.

They are trustworthy. They respect all members as co-laborers in the improvement process. At the same time, they are excellent group facilitators who utilize dialogue to move the group towards the accomplishment of shared goals.

Asking tough questions and reviewing data requires tact, guts, and trust in the people and in the process. Uncovering issues of inequity in instruction, at least in a moral sense, requires action. Principals who use inquiry effectively combine it with trust-building behaviors. While data alone are neutral, analysis of data and resulting conclusions often lead to the consideration of ethical, moral, and legal responsibilities. Dealing with data forces leaders to think about these issues. Many would like to avoid such questions in the first place, but such an attitude will not bring out the questions that empower change.

An administrator is wise to consider the possible consequences of sharing data. Once a problem is identified, individuals may quickly try to determine the causes. Rather than focusing on multiple contributions, individuals resort to blame and fault-finding in a quest for quick answers. A leader who wants to establish a norm of evaluation will have to develop structures that encourage collaboration and productive dialogue.

Trust is an essential quality that will support reform. Most writers describe trust as a balance of several invisible qualities such as being reliable, competent, respectful, honest, and open (Bennis, 1999; Bryk & Schneider, 2002). Studies show that employees have higher satisfaction in organizations that communicate about policies, plans, decisions, and goals (Hamilton, 2001). In addition, communication is related to kindness and character issues.

Do our words model integrity and honesty? What are the intentions and motivations behind our words? How do we handle our frustration? Do we criticize or belittle others? Do we address concerns maturely? And how do we handle dissenters? Do we shut them up or listen to understand?

Although it may seem unusual to include information about ethical actions and trust in an article related to data and evaluation, such ethics and trust-building behaviors are essential if meaningful inquiry, data analysis, and action planning are to occur.

Bringing It All Together: The “So What” Factor Data are not to be feared, nor are they intended to collect dust on a shelf. And data-driven evaluation is a tool, not a “gotcha” technique intended to find blame for areas of deficiency. In fact, evaluation is a vital and necessary component of moving districts and schools in the right direction and of finding areas of improvement 26

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that can be sustained over time. Developing leadership capacity among superintendents and principals for using evaluation effectively so they can in turn help schools—and thus students— progress forward is an important goal. Superintendents, leadership preparation programs, and experienced administrators should all help ensure that today’s leaders, and tomorrow’s leaders as well, are able to use data to evaluate their programs, faculty, resources, and schools or campuses overall. And perhaps even more important is the modeling of trustworthy behaviors by current practitioners and professors when interpreting, reporting, and utilizing data. Through the processes of inquiry, data collection/analysis, and action planning, all administrators are capable of using evaluation to make a lasting impact on their schools. Evaluation allows leaders to develop direction; those who lead without direction are ultimately bound to get lost.

Stacey Edmonson and Julie Combs are assistant professors at Sam Houston State University, Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling.

REFERENCES Bennis, W. (1999). Five competencies of new leaders. Executive Excellence, 16, 4–5.

Bernhardt, V. L. (1996, September). Data makes the difference with school reform. Quality Digest. Retrieved on March 17, 2005, at http://www.qualitydigest.com/past1996.shtml Bryk, A. S. & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Hamilton, C. (2001). Communicating for results (6th ed.). Belmont CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Love, N. (2002). Using data/getting results: A practical guide for school improvement in mathematics and science. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

Webster’s new world dictionary (2nd college ed.). (1982). New York: Simon and Schuster.

by Stephen R. Covey

Reviewed by Kay Waggoner When asked if I would like to contribute to the spring issue of INSIGHT, I was excited about the opportunity to share my thoughts. Over the years, I’ve read many books that have been both motivational and inspirational, but none more than The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. His book conveys a “principlecentered, character-based, inside-out approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness.”

Covey’s habits are based on principles—deep, fundamental truths that become guidelines for behavior. His discussion of behavior is almost biblical in nature as he speaks to the importance of honesty, integrity, courage, and compassion.

One of the most influential segments of his book addresses the value of a personal mission statement. He entices the reader to “begin with the end in mind” and to live life accordingly. For me, this approach has proved invaluable.

To set the stage, let me take you back in time over a quarter of a century. I first embarked on the journey to develop a personal mission statement during my tenure at Stephen F. Austin State University under Dr. Duke Brannen’s tutelage. As one of his class assignments, he challenged us to develop a statement of personal beliefs. I took the challenge to heart and spent a weekend roaming the woods of East Texas, thinking, reflecting, and exploring my mind as well as my heart. In my mind, I revisited lessons of childhood, words of wisdom from Dad and Mom, and moments of truth when I internalized beliefs and values. After wrestling with these concepts, the next step was much easier. Simply put, I transcribed my thoughts on paper. The resulting statement of personal beliefs led to the development of a mission statement. Both have withstood the tests of time and served as anchors and beacons during difficult decisions and transitions in my personal life and career.

I didn’t have the pleasure of being introduced to Covey until years after penning my personal beliefs and mission statement. I read his book (the first time) while completing research for my dissertation. His wisdom validated for me what I had come to know and appreciate. Each chapter provided a springboard for additional learning and personal growth. I was intrigued by his insights and wisdom. I admired his talent for exploring the heart, soul, and mind. I loved his approach to life and connected to his concept that we are responsible for our own lives. In essence, my life has been a pilgrimage. I am who I am because of what I believe in and value rather than because of what others think of me or how they judge my actions or behavior. I am comfortable with who I am and what I believe in. I know what I am about. As Covey so eloquently conveys from the Psalmist, “Search your own heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life.”

If you haven’t had the opportunity to explore the treasures of Covey’s book, I would encourage you to take the time to read it. After reading and reflecting, draft a personal mission statement. As Covey states, “Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” I can only echo Covey’s advice. Invest in yourself.

Explore your heart and mind. Embrace who you are and who you want to become. Believe in yourself. Forgive yourself. Treat others the same way. Give second chances. Be good at forgetting. Give others the credit when compliments are received. Take the hits when things don’t go well. When all else fails, trust your personal compass. Take heart in the realization that tomorrow will bring fresh opportunities and new challenges to leave the legacy you want others to remember.

Most Influential Books

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Kay Waggoner is superintendent at GrapevineColleyville ISD.

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Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times

by Donald T. Phillips

Reviewed by Mima González Donald T. Phillips’ Lincoln on Leadership provides both fascinating historical and biographical insights into Abraham Lincoln as well as relevant and practical management and leadership “principles” that are as useful in today's business world as they were almost 150 years ago. Phillips claims that he took Sandburg’s Lincoln biography for leisure reading to a weeklong management seminar and that Lincoln was the epitome of everything that was discussed during his training.

He contends that leadership is a nebulous and abstract set of guidelines that is difficult to learn without viewing it empirically through someone like Lincoln.

Phillips has compiled an impressive body of research, quotations, and stories that serve as parables for how a person can provide truly great leadership. He examines leadership through Lincoln’s interactions, both oral and written, as an aspiring country attorney, a senate candidate, and, ultimately, president and commander in chief during the Civil War. “Lincoln Principles” appear at the end of each chapter that serve as practical tips that can be used by leaders at all levels. Each tip is brought to life in chapters that focus on the innate leadership traits that make Lincoln one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history. Leadership attributes are categorized into four broad categories: People, character, endeavor, and communication. Within each category, Phillips provides several chapters that explore “modern management theory” that, in his opinion, Lincoln mastered long ago. These include management by walking around; alliance building; use of persuasion; need for integrity in all dealings; and the power of a clear, well-communicated vision.

In studying some of the leadership and people skills that Lincoln used to achieve success during turbulent times, the author finds a number of useful lessons for today’s leaders. “Get Out of the Office and Circulate Among the

Troops…Persuade, Rather than Coerce…Lead by Being Led…Keep Searching Until You Find Your Grant” are just a few of Phillip’s intriguing chapters. Lincoln’s long and difficult search for his ideal general is especially interesting. In addition, Phillips’ writing style makes the book fun to read in that he allows Lincoln to speak for himself, quoting extensive excerpts from his letters, speeches, anecdotes, and jokes. Some of the more interesting points Phillips makes in his book, while including historical examples from Lincoln’s life, include that a good leader must: 1. Deal with unjust criticism.

2. Be persistent and focused on goals.

3. Encourage innovation and risk-taking by others.

4. Be succinct and consistent in communication.

5. Be decisive at the appropriate time and place.

6. Be honest and have integrity.

7. Use persuasion rather than coercion.

8. Never underestimate the power of informally talking with subordinates.

All in all, this is an excellent read, full of practical advice on how to treat people with respect and dignity. I would recommend this book for any person who would like to be able to harness the basic tenants of leadership in understandable, everyday terms. It is Lincoln’s "common man" style that makes these lessons so relevant. This is not ivory tower, academic theory; but rather, practical, real-life lessons that can be put into practice by leaders at all levels in any organization.

Mima González is assistant superintendent at Victoria ISD.

by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg

Reviewed by Darryl Cross Four years ago, as part of a book study, I read Kevin and Jackie Freiberg’s account of the success of Southwest Airlines, NUTS! This is definitely one of the books that has provided inspiration to me as a leader. It is a story of business success, but it held for me insight into leading people to work together collaboratively to address the challenges facing us in public education. Throughout the book, the concept of principle-centered leadership, as demonstrated by Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher, is clearly apparent in the success of Southwest Airlines.

The book provided a fascinating look at the culture of the community at Southwest. There is a clear set of core values that includes the common business values such as profitability, low cost, and service. But there are also these values present: family, fun, work, individuality, hard work, and altruism. There is a sense of balance at Southwest Airlines that recognizes each employee as an individual. This represents a philosophy of operation that is a key to the success of any group of people working together passionately for a common goal. For me, one of the strongest messages was the first “attitude” in what is called the “eleven primary attitudes” of the Southwest philosophy. The first attitude reads: “Employees are number one. The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers.” This is a powerful statement that made a lasting impression on me as a leader

trying to continually improve my ability to motivate staff, build teams, and meet the needs of our customers in education.

As one reads the book, you begin to get a sense of the learning community that exists within the company. This is built upon a system of trust, risk taking, passion for the work, and celebration of individual and team contributions. For me, it was easy to make the connection to the work in which we are engaged in public education.

Being a strong believer in the power of relationships in our work, this book reinforced for me the knowledge that it is the people in the organization that make the difference.

In closing, I feel the most powerful learning for me from reading NUTS! centered on the concept of leading people through influence. In the book, the factors associated with influential leadership were summarized as follows: 1. Walk your talk.

2. Focus on things you can control.

3. Be prepared.

4. Sharpen your political skills.

5. Love people into action.

6. Listen for more than you hear.

This is a list that requires continual work and practice. Reading NUTS! gives one a glimpse at what is possible when all six factors are present in an organizational culture. I hope that you will take the time to pick up a copy of NUTS! and that it will prove as valuable to you as it has to me on my leadership journey.

Darryl Cross is assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Weatherford ISD.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

by Malcolm Gladwell Reviewed by F. Larry Sullivan

Most Influential Books

NUTS!

One of my favorite quotes from Warren Bennis (1986) is his famous question, “What has become clear to you since we last met?” What

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has become clear to me since reading Malcolm Gladwell’s best seller The Tipping Point is the phenomena of significant social change, both good and challenging, as a result of sometimes unrecognized forces that drive changes or “tipping points” in our educational settings and organizations.

The Law of the Few Gladwell begins by introducing the concept of “The Law of the Few,” or more specifically, how social epidemics are often driven by a few exceptional people—people with unique and powerful communication skills—people with a rare set of social gifts. In his treatise on “tipping points,” Gladwell identifies three specific types of exceptional people or messengers who make “The Law of the Few” work—Connectors, Mavens, and Persuaders. He also notes that in creating epidemics, the messenger is critical, and it is only through outstanding messengers that an epidemic spreads.

Connectors are those critical messengers who are uniquely able to move fluidly through social strata.

They do more than just know a lot of people; they actually facilitate the spread of the epidemic through word of mouth.

Mavens (from the Yiddish meaning one who collects knowledge) are those who seek out “the best deal” and then share that information widely. A Maven who is also a Connector can have an exponential impact on how families and the community as a whole view your schools.

Mavens are first and foremost collectors and, then, purveyors of information. They have a social agenda, and they love sharing that agenda.

Gladwell’s last figure in the trio of power messengers is the salesman or Persuader. A Persuader is someone who utilizes emotion with contagious effectiveness. Some might call these Persuaders “senders”—people who are so naturally effective at spreading an idea, concept, or emotion that many others are prone to believe them.

In my role as CEO of an urban school district, I found Gladwell’s identification of these key communicators right on target with my own experiences. Identifying and cultivating those who are not only Mavens and Connectors but also Persuaders can be of amazing value in moving forward the agenda of a district. In the world of today’s superintendent, the ability to effectively sell public education, not only to our consumers of services but also to our patrons who support us with their taxes, is a critical skill.

Recognizing, recruiting, and developing the Connectors, Mavens, and Persuaders in our communities is an aptitude that may well prove to be a survival skill.

Stickiness Factor Gladwell’s second key concept is the Stickiness Factor. Stickiness implies that a message has a dramatic impact. It is a message that attaches to the “mental Velcro” in our brain. It is a message that you cannot get out of your head. A message with “stickiness” can accelerate a contagion, like socioeconomic evacuation of a public school, by an exponential factor. An incident sending a message of unsafe schools can undo years of proactive, positive marketing, solely due to the fact that unsafe schools is a “sticky” message.

Power of Context Gladwell’s final concept is the Power of Context.

An obvious example of this Power of Context is the message we send when we do not maintain clean, well-cared-for campuses. I have always referred to this as “curb appeal.” Gladwell references a wellknown criminology concept called the “Broken Window” theory to illustrate this concept. Simply stated, research has confirmed that when we do not fix a broken window, we lower the expectations of everyone to care for a facility; when we do not enforce a dress code for one student, we give permission for everyone else to “sag.” All of these are examples of the Power of Context that I have personally seen have a dramatic effect on how students behave, how parents behave, and, most dramatically, how parents vote—both at the ballot box and with their feet. Gladwell states, “. . . we are more than just sensitive to context. We are exquisitely sensitive to it” (p. 140). The Power of Context proposes that it is the little things that count toward creating a positive or negative social epidemic.

Conclusion Fortune magazine stated that The Tipping Point would, “. . . make(s) you see the world in a different way” (book cover). In my leadership role of an urban district that has to date beaten the “SES tipping point” phenomena, I found this book both affirming and alarming. I am even more convinced that one of the secrets of today’s successful CEO is a thoughtful understanding of this amazing social phenomenon that Gladwell calls “the tipping point.”

F. Larry Sullivan is in his eighth year as superintendent at Texarkana ISD. REFERENCE Gladwell, M. (2000). The tipping point. New York, NY: Little, Brown. (ISBN 0-316-34662-4)

by Malcolm Gladwell

Reviewed by Rosanne Stripling Leaders must know when to think and when to blink.

As a former superintendent and now as a college dean who also teaches decision making to future superintendents, I’ve prided myself in making important decisions that are data and logic driven—giving myself as long as possible to make the decision, methodically gathering information, and weighing the potential consequences of each option.

That process has served me relatively well, even though I have certainly had my share of decisions in which the outcome could have been better—in some cases, a lot better.

In blink, Malcolm Gladwell proposes a new name for an old concept of decision making—intuition— and provides psychological and physiological explanations for how it happens and why it often works, even in high-stakes decisions. “Blinking” occurs when a person filters out all but the most critical information related to an issue and reaches a split-second conclusion or impression, instead of applying a logical thinking process. Gladwell calls this “thin slicing”—a rapid cognition process that draws upon a person’s alternate consciousness and can occur as quickly as within two seconds of being confronted with a dilemma.

I think Gladwell’s best example of this process is described in the first chapter of the book. When a 6th century B.C. Greek sculpture was offered to the Getty Museum with a price tag of $10M, the museum’s lawyers and scientists spent months of painstaking investigation to determine the statue’s authenticity. The “intuitive repulsion” of several Greek antiquity experts immediately upon viewing the statue was contradicted by scientific evidence that supported the seller’s claim. It was only after Getty made the purchase that the statue was determined a “modern forgery.” In a single glance—in a blink—and without being able to articulate exactly what was wrong, the experts captured the essence of the statue that the Getty team missed even after 14 months of research.

How do we develop the “blink” ability, and when should we rely upon it instead of logical thinking in decision making? This ability is not a gift but

is developed through storing the associated outcomes and consequences of past experiences deep in the brain and automatically generalizing the lessons learned in a new but similar context. I think it relates to Thorndike’s theory of transfer as well as being a product of wisdom—the synergy of education and experience.

As I reflect over many years of decision making, I conclude that “blinking” may be more reliable when our intuition is telling us not to do something (i.e., refuse to buy a fake statue, delay a bond election) even when the preponderance of data tells us to do so. For example, I should have relied upon my blink instinct several years ago when hiring a person for an important principal position. Even though the person interviewed well, submitted an impressive résumé, and had positive references, my instinct told me immediately that something just wasn’t right. But I needed a principal and wanted this person to be a match, so I ignored my instinct and offered the job. Big mistake! Less than nine months later I was embroiled in a termination that generated a lot of negative publicity for me as well as the school district.

Reading blink has helped me realize that as education leaders who must make critical decisions every day that often affect the physical and psychological well-being of others, as well as the expenditure of stakeholders’ tax dollars, we must know when to think and when to blink. They both play an important role in our decision making responsibilities. In new situations for which we have limited knowledge and experience, relying on the logical approach to data collection and deliberating possible solutions should probably prevail. However, I believe that taking advantage of our cognitive thin-slicing ability, even when intuition is contradicted by evidence, can increase our percentage of good decisions, certainly a worthy goal in the imperfect world of a superintendent. The Getty curator’s poignant confession encourages me to consider my “blink instinct” more seriously in the future: “I always considered scientific opinion more objective than esthetic judgments . . . Now I realize I was wrong” (p. 17).

Rosanne Stripling is currently serving as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Education and professor of Education Administration at Texas A&M University—Texarkana.

Most Influential Books

blink * The Power of Thinking without Thinking

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INSIGHT

The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable

by Patrick Lencioni Reviewed by Barbara A. Sultis If you think about A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life intertwined with a research article, you get the basic approach to this book. It can be read in one sitting—but you will continue to refer to it. The fable stresses five things that every manager, educator, community member, or parent might use on their way to success. It forces one to engage in ongoing behavioral self-examination, which is hard for many leaders to do.

In his first year as a CEO, Andrew O’Brien had been, in his own words, “unspectacular.” He didn’t know why he had not been successful. Like many of us, he was in search of the “silver bullet” that would solve all of his problems. On a ride home in a train one evening, O’Brien comes across a man who, with the assistance of three other men, explains the five temptations that are faced by all leaders sometime in their careers. It turns out that the entire conversation he “thought” he had with the four strangers had been a dream. O’Brien is convinced, though, that the message in the dream was real—and realizes that the secret to success comes down to resisting the following five temptations: 1. Choosing Status over Results [You avoid making decisions that might damage your reputation, your ego, or your status. This temptation is the hardest one to fix.]

2. Choosing Popularity over Accountability [Many leaders want to be liked; therefore, they fail to hold subordinates accountable for their performance and behaviors.]

3. Choosing Certainty over Clarity [The leader waits to take action or make a decision until all facts are gathered. Sometimes leaders should make decisions with limited information.]

4. Choosing Harmony over Conflict [Many leaders want “harmony” in the workplace.

Leaders need to foster “productive ideological conflict,” which encourages people to engage in

passionate, heated conversations that solicit differing perspectives.]

5. Choosing Invulnerability over Trust [Many leaders come across as invulnerable, not opening themselves to challenges or productive discussion with others, which prevents the building of trust. They don’t allow others to see their “human” side.]

At the end of the book, the author, Patrick Lencioni, presents his model—a summary of why executives fail—and offers simple advice and an illustrative flow chart. He believes that there is a “sequential impact of the principles on one another,” beginning with trust. This progression, in reverse order, illustrates the impact of these principles on one another—trust lets healthy conflict occur; conflict leads to clarity; clarity allows accountability; and accountability ensures results. The self-assessment diagnostic tool at the end of the book affords one the opportunity to examine his/her leadership style as well as identify one’s “susceptibility” to a given temptation.

The underlying premise of the book, which resonates throughout, is that chief executives who fail have given in to one or more of the five temptations. This concept is hard for us to accept. Knowing that these temptations will be ever-present, we have to be willing to engage in ongoing behavioral self-examination. If life at the top of an organization is to be productive, we have to be true to ourselves, morally and ethically.

In the major decisions I make as superintendent, I always try to maintain my moral compass—to be honest and true to myself and my values.

Since each of these temptations involves basic human will, it will ultimately be the leader’s choice to decide how to approach the “work” of the organization to achieve success. This book emphasizes the importance of trust, conflict, and accountability in an organization. It encourages me to continually examine my priorities, beliefs, vision, and leadership style.

Barbara A. Sultis is superintendent at Goose Creek CISD.

day-to-day actions aligned with the organization’s basic and unifying idea…guided it to success.”

Good to Great

by Jim Collins

Reviewed by Linda Henrie In his first book, Built to Last, Jim Collins identified certain companies as great because they met rigorous standards for a sustained period of time.

He compared them with similar companies that had potential but never achieved the same level of success. Though Collins identified the characteristics of great companies, he did not answer the question of how other businesses made the transition from good to great until the research and writing of his follow-up book, aptly titled Good to Great.

Although Good to Great is geared more toward business, its concepts can be applied to any field.

The research identified seven characteristics of companies that successfully moved from mediocrity to greatness and sustained that level of performance for 15 years. Those characteristics included the involvement of “level 5” leaders; the importance of getting the right people on the “bus”; the determination of confronting the brutal facts as a basis for improvement; the identification of what an organization does better than any other organization; the existence of a culture of discipline; and the understanding that technology is an accelerator, not a cause, of improvement.

All of these qualities of good-to-great companies were undergirded with what is called the flywheel concept—the idea that there was no single defining action that led to success. Rather, the study showed that consistent, day-to-day actions aligned with the organization’s basic and unifying idea— its hedgehog concept—guided it to success. With each push of the flywheel, the organization gathered momentum on its journey toward greatness.

By contrast, the comparison organizations tried to skip steps and jump immediately to breakthrough, a path that had a counterproductive effect.

Reading Good to Great had a tremendous impact on my understanding of what is required to achieve greatness as a school district, and the book’s concepts continue to become more meaningful with time and further reflection. First, the importance of developing future leaders was underscored; as a result, we have begun documenting processes and refining our leadership development program. The fact that the leadership of great companies came from within the existing organization affirmed the importance of growing leaders.

As we know, school districts live in a data-driven world; however, our approach to disaggregation has become even more tenacious because of our determination to “confront the brutal facts” to help drive improvement. We also take a different look at technology, ensuring that we make purchases to accelerate our path to improvement.

In addition, the concept and visual image of the flywheel has also had a tremendous impact, because we ask ourselves whether certain plans for improvement are aligned and believed to be a push on the flywheel. As an organization, our thinking seems to be more reflective through the planning process.

Each and every concept in the book has had a positive impact on our thinking and raised the level of our discussions. Those on our central office improvement team use the same language and stay focused on our vision and mission. Good to Great has made a difference in our organization, and we believe that application of the research will support our district’s improvement efforts.

Linda Henrie is superintendent at Mesquite ISD

Most Influential Books

“…the study showed that consistent,

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TASA HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS 2006 If you will be retiring from education this year, don’t forget to submit your nomination for Honorary Life Membership in TASA. The association’s Honorary Life Members are school administrators who have demonstrated extraordinary devotion to education and to the association.

The Constitution provides for awarding Honorary Life Memberships to retiring administrators who meet the following criteria: ✔ Retirement from one of the ❏ administrative positions listed in Article III, Section 2, of the TASA Constitution ✔ At least 25 years of experience ❏ in education ✔ Ten years of membership ❏ in TASA ✔ A member of TASA upon ❏ retirement ✔ A record of outstanding service ❏ to the education profession ✔ Approval by the TASA Executive ❏ Committee Honorary Life Members receive regular news and information from the association, including TASA publications such as our professional journal, INSIGHT. Honorary Life Members also are listed in the TASA Directory. If you are eligible for Honorary Life Membership or want to nominate another individual, please complete the online 2007 Nomination Form at www.tasanet.org > Honors and Awards > Honorary Life Members.

Nomination forms are due in the TASA office no later than Friday, December 1,

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GLENN R. ACKER Superintendent Copperas Cove ISD 6/30/2006 35 JAMES C. ALLISON Superintendent Highland ISD 7/27/2005 31 JAMES M. BAIZE Superintendent Gatesville ISD 6/30/2005 29 LAWRENCE BUSSARD Assistant Superintendent Dumas ISD 12/1/2005 43 THOMAS R. CAMPBELL Superintendent Goliad ISD 5/31/2005 30

ROBERT H. CLEMONS Executive Director Rio Brazos Education Cooperative 12/31/2004 42 MIKE CLIFTON Superintendent Italy ISD 6/30/2005 30 JERRY W. COOK Superintendent Duncanville ISD 4/1/2005 33 D. MICHAEL CROSSLAND Superintendent Spring Hill ISD 12/31/2005 43 GARY L. CROWELL Area III Superintendent Fort Bend ISD 6/30/2005 36

MIKE CARDWELL Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Greenville ISD 12/30/2005 36

SHIRLEY DAVIS Superintendent Huntington ISD 6/30/2005 31

DOROTHY A. CARTER Superintendent Seguin ISD 6/30/2005 37

EDDIE DERR Superintendent Florence ISD 6/30/2005 36

BEVERLY FELTS Superintendent Fannindel ISD 1/1/2006 38 MICHAEL H. FORD Superintendent Zavalla ISD 6/30/2005 32 ROBERTO E. GARCIA Superintendent Robstown ISD 2/28/2005 33 WELDON HAFLEY Superintendent Eagle Mt.-Saginaw ISD 6/30/2006 40 DON G. HANCOCK Superintendent Connally ISD 6/30/2005 34 CHARLES F. HART JR. Superintendent Canutillo ISD 12/30/2005 39 JAMES O. HESSON Superintendent Jefferson ISD 4/20/2005 37

TASA’s 2007 Honorary Life Memberships will be presented at the TASA Midwinter Conference on Monday, January 29, 2007, at the Austin Convention Center.

If you have any questions or would like to find out if you are eligible for Honorary Life Membership, please contact Brettany Rhodes, manager, Membership and Data Services, in the TASA office, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

Listed by name, position and district at the time of retirement, date of retirement, and years in education.

TASA HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS 2006

DONALD RAY JEFFERIES Superintendent West Orange-Cove CISD 6/30/2001 33

KEN MCCRAW Superintendent Lamesa ISD 12/30/2004 34

RICK SCHNEIDER Superintendent Pasadena ISD 12/30/2005 38

YVONNE KATZ Superintendent Spring Branch ISD 11/30/2004 39

DOLORES MUNOZ Superintendent Point Isabel ISD 6/30/2004 34

DAVID A. SHARP Superintendent Lufkin ISD 12/16/2005 36

LEONARD KENT Superintendent Fort Stockton ISD 6/30/2005 39

MICHAEL OWENS Executive Director of Human Resources La Porte ISD 12/30/2004 35

JIM SURRATT Deputy Superintendent Klein ISD 6/30/2005 41

BILL D. KINGSTON Superintendent Coahoma ISD 1/31/2005 29

BOBBY E. PARKER JR. Superintendent Waxahachie ISD 12/31/2004 31

JAMES TERRY Superintendent Mesquite ISD 6/30/2005 42

GAYLA H. LAWSON Professor University of Houston—Victoria 6/30/2005 36

RONDALL W. PRESTON Executive Director ESC Region IX 11/30/2005 38

RONALD L. URBANTKE Superintendent Riesel ISD 1/30/2006 37

EDWARD DALE LECHLER Superintendent Sealy ISD 7/31/2005 33

CAROL RAY Superintendent Lovejoy ISD 6/14/2005 31

JAMES S. WARLICK Superintendent Calallen ISD 1/31/2005 31

SAMUEL F. LUCIA Superintendent Bridge City ISD 12/31/2005 35

LYNN REDDEN Superintendent Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD 12/31/2005 29

GUY YARBOROUGH Superintendent Gladewater ISD 12/31/2005 29

RAYMOND L. LUSK Superintendent Lockney ISD 6/30/2005 37

SANDRA REED Superintendent Sharyland ISD 6/30/2005 36

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CORPORATE PARTNER SHOWCASE Thank You to TASA Corporate Partners This section of INSIGHT showcases products and services of TASA President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold level Corporate Partners. Our Corporate Partners support TASA and its mission through sponsorship of major association events throughout the year, including contributions for general session speakers, distinguished lecturers, receptions, meal functions, golf tournaments, and more. Their generosity makes it possible for us to enhance the quality of events we offer our members. Please take any opportunity you can to express your appreciation to these companies.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Apple ETS Scholastic SHW Group, LLP PLATINUM Pearson Educational Measurement PowerSchool Princeton Review Scientific Learning GOLD ARAMARK LifeTrack Services, Inc. PBK Architects Renaissance Learning, Inc. Riverdeep

Major Association Events ● Annual TASB/TASA Convention (TASA Leadership Luncheon) ● First-time Superintendents’ Academy—Four Sessions (Receptions, Dinners, Continental Breakfasts, Luncheons, Refreshment Breaks) ● Leadership Development Seminars and Institutes (Presenters and Meal Functions) ● TASA Midwinter Conference (General Session Speakers, Distinguished Lecturers, Receptions, Luncheons, Dinners, Continental Breakfasts) ● AASA National Conference on Education (Texas Reception, Texas Breakfast, President’s Dinner) ● Spring Conference for School Executives (TASA Leadership Luncheon, Executive Committee Dinner, Breakfasts, Luncheons) ● Summer Conference on Education (Executive Committee Dinner, Continental Breakfasts, Refreshment Breaks, President’s Reception, Leadership Luncheon, Golf Tournament) ● Executive Planning Retreat (All related events, including golf tournament)

Visit our 2006 Showcase ➔

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ETS ETS recognizes the need for schools to show continuous academic growth. Backed by the resources of 270 leading education researchers, ETS provides educators with the only suite of educational products and services designed to develop every student’s full academic potential. The result is improved school performance.

ETS products and services help meet the needs of educators at every level, from state education officials and school superintendents to school principals and classroom teachers. ETS provides custom assessments, program improvement, professional development, instructional data management, and online writing evaluation products and services.

Moreover, results from schools where ETS products and services are in use provide a simple testimonial: They work!

• In 2003, 87 percent of the schools using FOCUS ON STANDARDS™ met or exceeded their annual growth targets.

• Students in classes taught by teachers who were highly engaged in an induction program developed by ETS scored higher on assessments.

• Student writing scores on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Improvement (ISTEP) assessment at one Indiana high school were as much as four times better after the school began using Criterion Online Writing Evaluation.

Helping Educators Meet Today’s Requirements In the wake of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, ETS has assembled a suite of products and services designed to help educators meet demands for increased accountability for student achievement and school improvement. These products include custom large-scale assessments, professional development, online writing evaluation, and a suite of state standards-based program improvement and instructional data management products and services. ETS also provides the ETS Formative Assessment Item Bank, more than 12,000 items aligned to state standards.

• Assessment Solutions help state education departments and school district administrators meet the requirements of state and federally mandated testing programs. Building on the unique ETS legacy and our unparalleled experience in high-stakes assessments, ETS supports its clients in every stage of an assessment from concept through final publication and implementation. In addition to a number of state testing programs, ETS provides the PRAXIS Series of Assessments to assist state licensure officials as well as innovative online scoring capabilities.

• Professional Development Solutions are tied to research-based standards to help teachers at all levels (student, beginning, and experienced teachers) improve their teaching practices and aspiring or experienced school leaders to improve their practice or align their leadership with applicable standards. The PATHWISE Series includes professional development geared to improving induction, observation, data-driven decision making, and school leadership as well as teacher assistance packages and mini-courses to help teachers improve their practice in specific subject areas.

• Online Writing Solutions provides schools with Criterion, an innovative online instructional tool for evaluating and improving writing skills by providing immediate analysis of essay features, a holistic score, and diagnostic feedback. Criterion offers students unlimited opportunities to practice and submit essays, one of the most important elements in improving writing skills, and to receive immediate feedback in the form of an automated score. It enables teachers to create their own topics aligned with curriculum and standards.

Tools to Help Schools Make Sure No Children Are Left Behind The ETS Program Improvement, Focus on Standards, and Instructional Data Management System products are focused on helping school leaders and teachers make certain that no children are left behind by providing a continuous school improvement model.

• School Improvement Solutions help school leaders meet or exceed Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) growth targets. The solutions include Program Improvement (PI), a three-year, comprehensive, state-specific, custom-tailored program improvement. It identifies the essential standards needed to meet AYP requirements, successfully aligns material to pace standards, and provides on-site staff to work with district leaders to create a program improvement plan. PI provides tools to measure and monitor student performance. These include ETS Item Bank and auto generation of standards-based assessments. Educators are instructed on how to use data to guide instruction and improve student achievement.

Also part of School Improvement Solutions is Focus on Standards™ (FOS), an integrated, fully aligned set of educational tools and resources that help schools and students demonstrate improved achievement and performance. FOS provides state-specific, custom-tailored instructional improvement.

• Data Driven Decision Making Solutions helps school leaders and teachers make strategic and instructional decisions based on the results of formative and summative assessment data. It includes Instructional Data Management System (IDMS), an integrated approach to manage and use data to drive instructional practice and optimize learning results. IDMS supports a standards-based instructional approach that delivers user-friendly data directly to an educator’s desktop through a Web-based interface.

Experienced Educators Make The Difference As experienced educators, ETS’s Elementary & Secondary Education Division experts understand the demands of the classroom and the unique challenges school leaders face. We bring that knowledge and experience to the products and services we develop and to the educators with whom we work to improve student achievement and to support school performance.

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LifeTrack: From a Need…to a Service

Contact LifeTrack Services

• Imagine having access to graduates of your high school for information about how the school has done in providing readiness for postgraduate experience.

Phone: 1-800-738-6466

• Imagine that you have this information with a “rolling” population so you see trends each year from successive graduating classes.

Web Site: www.lifetrack-services.com E-mail: info@lifetrack-services.com

• Imagine that as your school makes adjustments, creates new delivery plans, and changes curriculum and instruction you have an excellent, easy to access, relatively inexpensive set of data to inform decisions and evaluate progress toward your mission.

This set of data is available now from LifeTrack Services, a company that TASA endorses. LifeTrack has experienced people who build simple surveys to provide input directly from graduates. They keep files of contact information and are able to get phenomenal response percentages long after students graduate. The service has turned out to be all schools have wanted and more.

They are effective and responsive to many hundreds of schools around the country.

Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act's accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. They must produce annual state and school district report cards that inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools are always trying to improve student knowledge and performance and are now under great public pressure (mainly from the media and politicians) to report to the public how they are doing.

Schools need ways to get timely, helpful, and important after-graduation information for planning and reporting purposes. They need a service that will connect with graduating seniors before they leave school and continue to follow their progress after they graduate.

Schools can make good use of information gathered through follow-up surveys …and it provides a by-product that helps gain student ongoing support—alumni officers’ access to the contact base for reunion planning five, ten, and more years after graduation.

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From the school perspective, you get help from LifeTrack’s experts and with them you design surveys to your specification. Questions can include any mix about the schooling your graduates had, or about postgraduate pursuits. You may want to know about: • Specific school programs • Student feeling about school atmosphere • Students’ sense before and one or more years after graduation about how high school prepared them for that next post-graduation step • Candid student views on school safety • Foundational programs • In what ways they did or did not feel challenged by school classes With a good student contact base, schools can start with a senior year survey and measure progress in subsequent years as changes and improvements are implemented. Schools can plan to check in regularly with several follow-up surveys after graduation to obtain more detail about the preparation provided by the school.

Think of it as an opportunity for a Senior Exit Survey, an Initial Graduate Survey (six months to a year after graduation), an Advanced Graduate Survey (typically five years out), and multiple opportunities over the years for public relations letters to alumni of the school and district.

In this time of challenge for public schools, as we examine most of what we do—from business practices to curriculum and instructional delivery—accountability has become a leading byword. Many schools have found excellent help in the engagement of a professional survey company that focuses on their student and graduate population. To your design, you get the company to develop the contact database, structure the surveys, and provide clear reports from your students and graduates to help you in planning and reporting for success.

Surveys of students can also be used to inform parents and communities about school progress and help meet some NCLB requirements for reporting.

You will find LifeTrack Services to be all you wanted and more. The company is effective and responsive to many hundreds of schools around the country.

“PBK employees operate daily on a die-hard ‘Can Do’ business mentality that emphasizes PBK’s corporate personality—to go above and beyond the call of duty…”

“…PBK has the experience and resources to take a school district from A to Z in a building program— and everywhere in between.”

Founded in 1981, PBK has 25 years of experience dedicated exclusively to academic and athletic facility planning, programming and design. PBK’s clients include more than 100 public educational institutions across Texas and have office locations in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, McAllen and League City. The firm is opening an Austin office in summer 2006.

PBK attributes its continued growth and success to one central core ideology: obsessive client service. According to the firm’s mission statement, PBK employees operate daily on a die-hard “Can Do” business mentality that emphasizes PBK’s corporate personality – to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure clients get the best possible service in the industry.

PBK’s services are comprehensive in nature. In addition to architecture, they offer district-wide master planning, bond referendum planning and promotion, facility consulting services (assessments, roof consulting, indoor air quality reviews, etc.), technology consulting, civil engineering, MEP engineering and construction administration.

From pre-bond planning, bond communication services, roof consulting and technology consulting, to full-service educational facility design and construction services, PBK has the experience and resources to take a school district from A to Z in a building program—and everywhere in between.

Recognized by numerous publications across the nation as one of the fastest growing and most

dynamic architecture firms in Texas, PBK has been awarded more than 115 Awards for Architectural Excellence in educational facility planning and design.

Most recently, PBK has completed several projects to be showcased in architectural exhibits this year.

Completed in August 2005, The Woodlands College Park High School in the Conroe Independent School District was designed using “lessons learned” from previous high school designs, and incorporates current technology to accommodate present-day curriculum needs. The Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District was completed in April and serves as a staff training and development center, indoor athletic arena and sports stadium. The 320,000-square foot complex also contains the district’s central athletic offices, a 16,000-square foot conference center and a community room that overlooks the stadium and arena, providing flexibility as a sub-dividable meeting room.

Programmed and designed by PBK, the new Atascocita High School in the Humble Independent School District was built with two goals in mind—more personalized learning and student achievement. The 435,000-square foot facility is modeled after smaller learning communities, a growing design concept that gives large schools a smaller, more personalized “feel.”

For further information, visit PBK’s website at www.PBKinc.com.

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APRIL 20, 2006 The Princeton Review Joins with School Districts in Dallas and South Texas To Expand College and Post Secondary Options for 35,000 Students The Princeton Review, a leading provider of test preparation, educational support, and college admissions services, has joined with schools districts in both Dallas and South Texas for a groundbreaking initiative. The Post-Secondary Success Initiative supplements current high school counselors with college readiness tools, test preparation, parent involvement, and professional development. The Program includes a wide range of services designed to enable Texas students to go on to higher education and post- secondary opportunities.

“We want all Texas students to have the option of successfully continuing their education beyond high school. The Princeton Review program will provide additional help and assistance to our students,” said Dr. Shirley Neeley, Texas Commissioner of Education.

This initiative was launched in the fall of 2005 at 5 high schools and 5 middle schools in Dallas ISD, and 5 high schools and 5 middle schools throughout 5 different school districts in Region One of South Texas, including: Lyford, Mercedes, Rio Hondo, Roma, and Sharyland.

Participant’s comments on Post Secondary Success Initiative: Dr. Sylvia Hatton, Executive Director, Region 1 Education Service Center “On behalf of the Region One Education Service Center and the approximately 89,000 high school students in our area, we are pleased to partner with the Texas Higher Education Agency and the Princeton Review on this very worthwhile endeavor. We are continuously seeking opportunities for our students so that they may have access to high quality programs that will benefit their educational careers and are grateful to organizations such as the Princeton Review who share the vision, hopes, and dreams that we have for our students.”

Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent Dallas ISD “The Dallas Independent School District has a renewed focus on ensuring that all students continue their education after high school. The College Readiness Initiative is to ensure that all students are academically prepared and provided the opportunity to attend college. We are excited about the partnership with the Texas Education Agency and The Princeton Review in giving our students access to a successful college experience.”

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Read Now with Power Up! Two Companies, One Goal: Research Based, Research Proven Read Now with Power Up! meets the requirements of No Child Left Behind and follows the recommendations the National Reading Panel and the Reading Next report. What’s more, research proves that the program helps teachers raise the reading levels of struggling readers.

Helping Teachers Build Stronger Readers Reading is the single most important skill that students learn in school. Just imagine how difficult it would be to succeed in any subject if you struggled to comprehend text, had a limited vocabulary, and felt frustrated every time you tried to read a book or even a homework assignment. It’s no wonder that so many struggling readers fall behind in school and often drop out.

But it’s never too late to help these students acquire the reading skills they need to excel in school and in life. That was the motivation for Renaissance Learning and Steck-Vaughn to join forces and create a reading intervention program called Read Now with Power Up! This breakthrough program helps teachers turn struggling readers into strong, confident, motivated readers.

Systematic, Scaffolded Instruction with Daily Progress Monitoring The program seamlessly integrates high-interest books with online lessons and activities— all revolving around character education and important reading skills. Both fiction and nonfiction books feature relevant themes that engage readers and get them excited about reading.

Before and after students read each chapter of a book, they learn reading strategies that improve comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, writing, and other key reading skills. And the

program’s web activities help students establish prior knowledge of their books. By the time students begin reading on their own, they are already familiar with and excited about the book’s theme, characters, and content. Also, they have developed the specific skills necessary to read the book successfully.

End-of-chapter and end-of-book quizzes give teachers a clear view of each student’s development in comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and specific reading skills. Also, easy-to-use reports help teachers monitor progress, personalize instruction, and intervene when students need extra help.

With Read Now with Power Up!’s combination of lesson plans and information feedback, teachers have the tools and resources they need to guide every student to become a better reader.

Selected by the Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) selected Read Now with Power Up! for inclusion in the state’s Intensive Reading Initiative (IRI) list of approved curriculum materials. To support the initiative, the Texas Legislature allocated funds for the 2005-2007 school years to campuses with the most difficulty in improving reading achievement. The IRI funds are earmarked for students in grades 4–7 who read below grade level and fail to meet the TAKS test standards.

To learn more about Read Now with Power Up, visit www.renlearn.com or call toll free (800) 656-6740, ref. #0000

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“SHW Group believes in the power of good corporate citizenship… and in the power of public education in Texas.”

Education design firm creates innovative schools for today’s students.

SHW Group Architects is a leading educational design firm serving schools and universities. Originally founded in Brownsville, Texas, in the 1940s, SHW has since branched out and is now one of the leading education design firms in the nation.

"We wanted to focus on something that contributed to society and the community, and there’s nothing more rewarding in architecture than creating learning environments that will shape the minds of our future," says Christian Owens, lead designer for SHW. A school offers the incentive of creating a building that has meaning. “It’s a way we can make a difference in the world. We believe passionately in public education. What better way to express that than focusing our practice exclusively on learning environments?” Owens says.

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION Places of learning also present the challenge of building around what’s happening educationally. “We must design an environment that supports the instructional program, rather than force the opposite,” says Owens. To better serve this need, SHW strives to understand the classroom by meeting with educators, seeking out educational trends at conferences and reading up on curriculum trends to gain a basic knowledge of curriculum and program agenda. “There is a big movement toward individual instruction, which we’ve translated into our designs as smaller, but flexible spaces that can be manipulated into larger spaces as needed.” One example is the firm’s creation of a zig-zagged wall between classrooms, which creates small nooks on both sides where teachers can create reading corners or other individualized study spaces.

Creating comfortable spaces for students is also an increasingly important necessity.

“Comfort contributes to better education,” explains Owens. As do special interest areas, such as a school library in Fort Worth where a counter-facing wall has fossils embedded in

limestone for rubbings. Other value-added areas include exposed water pipes and fire sprinkler systems so students can study the mechanics of the structure. Another school design incorporated a rainwater collection system to measure rainfall and process the water for gardens. Owens feels that environments with these components add to the quality of education. “We like to support what’s being taught with interesting design features that can become demonstration tools for teachers.”

Research demonstrates that aesthetically pleasing environments are places that students look forward to attending. Lighting can be critical to that goal. “There is mounting evidence that, for example, poor lighting hinders learning,” says Owens. Rather than use fluorescent lighting, SHW in some cases introduces diffused natural light. Layouts of spaces also incorporate considerations of ergonomics, noise levels and safety features.

EXPERIENCE AND GUIDANCE FOR CLIENTS While some school districts are wellacquainted with the architectural process, Owens recognizes that not every school system has experience in building new facilities and advises that the earlier SHW is invited into a project, the better. “One of the services we provide is long-range planning. We encourage clients to consider their facilities planning within the much bigger picture of a 15, 20 or even 30-year long range plan that leaves no stone unturned. Your facilities planning should be developed within the context of your vision and values for your district and community.”

SHW offers consulting services through every step of the planning process. “One you’ve got your long-range plan in place we then help design and synchronize a long-term bond plan with your long-term goals and vision,” Owens explains. SHW’s bond planning services include master planning, district-wide facility assess-

ments, citizen advisory committee coordination, and bond campaign communications.

A STEP FURTHER In today’s climate there is a shortage of support for public schools. Destructive criticism is plentiful. There are broad-brush, unsubstantiated claims of widespread failure in our public education system. The unfair criticism and general lack of support is undermining the public’s confidence in our schools and demoralizing the education profession, which is making it more and more difficult to recruit new teachers and retain the ones we have.

SHW Group has committed to do its part to help thwart these unfair attacks by signing on as the founding sponsor of Friends of Texas Public Schools and donating the time and talent of one its partners to run the organization.

Through Friends of Texas Public Schools, SHW Group hopes to balance the overwhelmingly negative public school debate with optimistic, factual accounts of success in our schools. By lifting up our public schools as places of triumph and achievement, we hope to restore Texans’ faith in our public education system.

“Our goal is to raise morale and bring a sense of optimism back to the profession,” said Scott Milder, President and Chief Executive of Friends of Texas Public Schools.

“We proudly embrace our schools as they strive to reach even higher standards.

Optimism breeds success; and children and teachers thrive in environments that are full of hope and encouragement.”

SHW Group believes in the power of good corporate citizenship… and in the power of public education in Texas.

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A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life

Book Review

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e all enter our profession brimming with enthusiasm and a passion for bringing learning to life for students. Along the way, we learn the limitations of our educational system and get lost in the day-to-day routines. A Hidden Wholeness helps us remember what’s important about being an educator.

Parker Palmer is the author of six previous books and is well known for his earlier books, Let Your Life Speak and The Courage to Teach. A Hidden Wholeness begins with an analogy we don’t see often in Texas—a blizzard. Palmer tells a story of farmers on the Great Plains who, at the first sign of a blizzard, tie a rope from the back door to the barn so they don’t join those who freeze to death after getting disoriented and “lost” in their own backyard.

We currently face blizzards of another sort— the dizzying array of social and economic issues we see daily on the news. Through this book, Palmer offers us a rope to help us find our way back home—back home to our passion for teaching and learning; back home to our sense of identity and integrity that can guide us through turbulent times.

Palmer describes what life can look like when we lead a divided life (where who we are has little to do with the outward persona we offer the world). We lead a divided life when “we refuse to invest ourselves in our work, diminishing its quality and distancing ourselves from those it is meant 50

INSIGHT

by Parker J. Palmer Published by Jossey-Bass, 2004. ISBN: 0-7879-7100-6

by Ed Tobia, executive director, Center for Teacher Renewal, Austin, TX

to serve”; or when “we conceal our true identities for fear of being criticized, shunned, or attacked.”

While it’s easy to say that we would like to live a life that fully integrates our role and soul, it’s not an easy task. As he explains the paradox of being alone together on this inner journey, Palmer describes a circle of

“Reconnecting Who We Are with What We Do” trust where we trust in our capacity to speak the truth. In such a circle, we trust each other to create and hold a safe space where we can speak our truth; and we trust that holding such a space can have transforming outcomes for individuals and institutions.

Throughout the book, Palmer lays out the principles and practices for creating circles of trust that help us find the courage to live a life that is “divided no more”; a life where we act from our deep sense of identity and integrity. A key principle is the creation of an environment that is both open enough for individuals to speak their truth yet bounded by the agreements of an open dialogue—a dialogue that does not seek to advise, fix, or set each other straight.

The processes described in this book have been tested over the course of the past 10 years in retreats and seminars with teachers, administrators, and university leaders.

Palmer thoroughly describes the events that take place in the retreats and explains the purpose of each—to bring down the walls that separate us from our inner truth and from each other.

There is a temptation to ask, "What does all this have to do with teaching and learning?"

A growing body of research (Bryk & Schneider, 2002) is demonstrating that trust in schools is a critical factor in improving student achievement. Furthermore, the literature on leadership indicates that good leaders exhibit the qualities of integrity and moral strength (Fullan, 2003). A Hidden Wholeness provides a map for the journey we must take to establish trust in schools and create the foundation for any school improvement work we undertake. The journey is made easier when we can connect who we are with what we do.

REFERENCES Bryk, A. & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. New York: Russell Sage.

Fullan, M. (2003. The moral imperative of school leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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