Time to Face the Strange Changes!

1. Time to Face the Strange Changes! Back-to-School 2013-2014 ‎

2. The Elephant in the living room CHANGE.

3. Climate Changes Beyond Us “Never before has public education been so collectively under attack. Thus, never before has there been such a need for public education to stand together.” --Pat Mannarino All for one and one for all!

4. What we know about change The Stages of Grief The Stages of Change CHANGE CAN MEAN THE LOSS OF WHAT’S “ALWAYS BEEN” • Denial (This isn't happening to me!) • Anger (Why is this happening to me?) • Bargaining (I promise I'll be a better person if...) • Depression (I don't care anymore.) • Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes.) • Pre-contemplation (Not ready; consciousness raising) • Contemplation (Getting ready; self-reevaluation) • Preparation (Ready; self-liberation; helping relationships) • Action (Reinforcement, management, control) • Maintenance (habit; no temptation for relapse)

5. What we know about change

6. What’s so difficult about change? THE NEGATIVES MAKE CHANGE DIFFICULT: • Change means loss; we must honor that which is lost • We must face reality and honor the “implementation dip”: • We worry there may be no immediate gains • We see costs as immediate and concrete • The benefits seem distant and theoretical

7. So, how do we negotiate successful change? • How do we take the fear out of change? • How to we mitigate the feeling of loss? • How do we minimize the depth of decline? • How do we decrease the duration of recovery? A POSITIVE LENS IS THE ANSWER!

8. The Game Plan 1. Resolute Leadership + Empathy • Evidence PERSISTENCE with FLEXIBILITY • Identify problems and be candid about their presence • Be empathetic and non-judgmental to build the capacity for solving problems 2. Getting to the Heart of the Matter • Elegance is the subtraction of weight so that you can end up with the essence of the issue • Collins’ Simplexity: finding the smallest number of high-leverage, easy-to-understand actions that unleash stunningly powerful positive consequences • Ooching

9. The Game Plan 3. Encourage Risk-Taking as Learning • Ready-Fire-Aim • Don’t try to be perfect; do try to be better • COMMUNICATE • Data Accuracy Give people new experiences in relatively non-threatening circumstances with leaders as learners, too. Remember, WE ARE ONE!

10. Let’s Talk About the Changes….

11. Changes to the Master Schedule THIS WE BELIEVE . . . • 1. Every student has a right to learn and experience appropriately challenging and relevant learning opportunities. The ways schools organize teachers and schedule students have a significant impact on the learning environment. As such, the Master Schedule is designed for students and for students' needs. • 2. Master Teachers are highly effective with all students. Therefore, teachers should have the opportunity to effectively impact all students throughout their day. To the extent possible, teachers will have a schedule comprised of WEIGHTED (H, CHS, and AP) and UNWEIGHTED (CP and "core") students each year. • 3. Work loads should be fair and equitable. To the extent possible, teachers within a department should have relatively equal numbers of different preps throughout a day. • 4. Most teachers have a course that is a particular area of interest and strength. To the extent possible, at least one course preference (from a list of three rank-ordered preferences) will be honored in the construction of the Master Schedule.

12. Changes to the Master Schedule • Semester lunches for flexibility • Some combined 9-10 or 11-12 HR to allow for this flexibility • Flexible courses • Pre-Approval Form for 4-day courses • Audit option for 3-day courses • Tutor Center • Deputize the Study Halls • Provide Keystone Study Halls • Homerooms • None in the Cafeteria; all in teachers’ rooms • Smaller numbers • Special Education teacher availability • Attendance change from Pd. 1 to all periods • Alternative Education Game Plan

13. Schedule Change Protocol Reminders • Students may experience schedule changes due to: • Course failures that have not been reflected on the original schedule • Summer School course completion (credit recovery or enrichment) • Enrollment in Keystone semester courses as a result of state assessment scores below Proficient • New enrollment • Other administrative considerations regarding the Master Schedule (e.g. balancing lunches, etc.) • Schedule changes due to error correction will occur during the first week of school.

14. Schedule Change Protocol Reminders • Students will see you with a form if they want a LEVEL change • No changes will be honored without the approval of both the sending and receiving teachers • The form is to ENCOURAGE dialogue, not replace it! • Requests for elimination of an Intervention course will not be honored • The data (grades, CDTs/informal assessments, test scores) evidence a gap in learning for the students placed in the interventions • It would be educationally irresponsible of the school district to fail to take steps to close the gap

15. What’s To Come? How will all of this change affect our Climate?

16. What We Know about Our Climate • We must stand together and work together, using all of our resources to the benefit of our students. • People: Communication (Lisa) • Place: Physical Plant & proper use of facilities (Tim) • Program: Consistency (Tom) • Pride: (Gerry) • Possibilities: Respect (Leslie)

17. You can take my factories, burn up my buildings, but give me my people and I’ll build the business right back again.--Henry Ford

18. Lessons in Leadership THE WHAT • Goals are lighthouses in a stormy sea of change • Curriculum, Instruction, & Diversity • The Five Pillars THE HOW • Resolute Leadership + Empathy • The Heart of the Matter: Simplexity • Risk-taking based on good data • High quantity: frequent communication • High quality: Authentic/transparent communication

19. ONE BITE AT A TIME… How Do You Eat AN Elephant? TOGETHER!

20. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.--Henry Ford