Today I had the privilege of taking my CPI refresher class.  I love this training!  For years I was a certified trainer, and I truly can’t say enough about the great things CPI does!

My colleague and trainer today shared the fabulous clip below.  It was a great reminder that as leaders (teachers, administrators, and more!) we must remain calm, cool, and collected when we face even the toughest of circumstances.  Our calm is contagious and those you lead are watching!  What kind of contagion will you spread today?

Viviane Robinson out of the University of Auckland has a great free course available to school leaders:

Fullan, Michael.  Kid’s Can’t Wait.  Winter 2014

Associated with degrees of school/district autonomy under the following conditions:

1. Focusing on powerful pedagogies linked to deep student learning

2. Transparency of results and practice

3. Principal and teacher collective participation in instruction

4. Purposeful collaboration with other schools/district

5. Shared standards, metrics and evidence regarding progress

6. Establishing processes that ‘systematize the work’

7. Mutual commitment to combine internal and external accountability

Right vs Wrong Drivers RIGHT DRIVERS

 Capacity building

 Collaborative work

 Instruction

 Systemness

WRONG DRIVERS (Enablers)

 Accountability

 Individual teacher and leadership quality

 Technology

 Fragmented strategies

Maximizing Impact from Instructional Leadership

 Be specifically involved in instruction so that teachers are knowledgeable about its

nature and importance.

 Resist the micromanaging of one teacher at a time.

 Focus on actions that will shape the culture of learning more powerfully.

 Develop the professional capital of teachers as a group.

Agent of Change

 Moves people and organizations forward under difficult conditions

Leading Learning

 Models learning and shapes the conditions for all to learn

System Player

 Contributes to and benefits from system improvement

The Leader Learner: The Principal’s New Role

To lead the school’s teachers in a process of learning to improve their teaching, while To increase impact, principals should use their time differently. They should direct their energies to developing the group. (p. 55)

Learning alongside them about what works and what doesn’t. (p. 55)

The principal does not lead all instructional learning. The principal works to ensure that intense instructional focus and  continuous learning are the core work of the school and does this by being a talent scout and social engineer, building a culture for learning, tapping others to co-lead, and, well, basically being a learning leader for all. (p. 90)

Skills for Leading Change :

1. Challenges the status quo

2. Builds trust through clear communication and expectations

3. Creates a commonly owned plan for success

4. Focuses on team over self

5. Has a sense of urgency for sustainable results

6. Commits to continuous improvement for self

7. Builds external networks and partnerships. (Kirtman, in The Principalship, p. 128)

Andy Hargreaves gets right to the point about what truly impacts student achievement!

I recently listened to a great talk by Michael Fullan on Choosing The Right Drivers, and this may have been my favorite quote:

“If you are strong on the vision but weak in the strategy the wrong drivers will fill the vacuum.” Michael Fullan

I am a big fan of the Harvard EdCast, and have been a listener for along time.  Recently they had Atul Gawande on talking education!  Need I say more?  Check out the interview, you won’t be disappointed!

Harvard EdCast: Doctor/Professor