1st – Build passion for change by reconnecting teachers with real issues.
Educators can easily become disconnected from the multitude of issues that should cause them to embrace change and improvement. School leaders can rebuild a passion by keeping their faculty and key stakeholders aware of these issues. A good starting point is to use a power point presentation that raises issues that our students will face as they become adults.
2nd – Redefine the vision by focusing on the classroom.
You can redefine the vision of a school around the core business of teaching and learning. Using a vision diagram teachers can participate in a thoughtful review of what should be expected in every classroom so that every child succeeds. The descriptors will vary, but you will be surprised how close they come to these commonexpectations. Once the expectations are agreed upon, allow teachers to identify stakeholder expectations to make this vision a reality. This becomes the foundation of your strategic plan and facilitates a series of actions to deepen the expectations to much greater specificity and result.
3rd – Model change by starting with yourself.
Great leaders model the attitudes and behaviors that they desire. This is perhaps the greatest source of growth in changing the culture of a school. There is much to gain in “practicing what you preach.” You must shed traditional behaviors and refocus on Improving Your Daily Practice.
4th – Build relationships around covenants and test them out.
Too often, campus relationships are built on transactions instead of covenants. People use the old approach of “Do for me and I will do for you,” which creates thin commitments that wobble when the transactions cannot be sustained. Covenants are beliefs that bind professionals together and are protected by the culture. Here is a little exercise to test the strength of beliefs vs. actions that you can use with your staff.