Effective Teaching...
by Harry and Rosemary Wong

April 2002

Even Superintendents Do It

When you walk into Wal-Mart you are usually greeted by a precious, mother-like lady who hands you a cart and says, "Welcome to Wal-Mart." You buy, not because the cart is large, but because the lady who greeted you established a relationship. When Sam Walton began Wal-Mart years ago in Arkansas, he went to his suppliers and said, "I want to develop a partnership with you." That same philosophy has been transferred to how Wal-Mart treats its customers and may explain why Wal-Mart is so successful.

Ask any second-career teacher who has been in the business or sales world and that person will tell you that company meetings endlessly drilled in the importance of "relationship." Relationships hold marriages, friendships, teams, work forces, and businesses together. People buy when they believe that a relationship has been developed between the buyer and the seller.

Watch an effective teacher. They know this simple but powerful fact too. There is an assignment on the board (the shopping cart) and the teacher is standing at the door greeting every student (the lady who hands you the cart), establishing a relationship every day. Whereas, the ineffective teacher is in the room yelling at the students to "sit down," "find your seat," and "stop talking," while blaming the students (the customers) for the day's problems.

Leaders Are Seen and Are Accessible

This powerful truism came as the headline of the Newsletter from the Sunnybrook School District 171 in Lansing, Illinois, where Dr. Joseph J. Majchrowicz is the superintendent and instructional leader. He, personally, leads a 10-hour staff development training program for his staff. Before we talk more about the Sunnybrook Schools and its superintendent, let's look at some knowledge that is well known.

This we know:

• The only way to have good schools is to have a team (there's relationship again) of effective teachers who work together as a learning community. Thus, effective teachers = quality schools.
• It is what teachers know and can do that determines student achievement; it is not the program the teacher uses or the teacher's philosophy.
• A large-scale study found that every additional dollar spent on raising teacher quality netted greater student achievement gains than with buying another program.
• There is no way to create good schools without good teachers.

It is unfortunate when we hear from teachers who tell us that their superintendent talks to them over a television set. Or, even worse, they have never seen the superintendent, much less met him or her.

Leaders are seen. Leaders are accessible. Leaders lead and they lead by caring enough about the success of their teachers that they will roll up their sleeves and model instructional leadership. This brings us back to Dr. Joe Majchrowicz of the Sunnybrook School District in Lansing, Illinois. He personally leads and teaches a 10-hour class on effective schools. He also chairs the 18 member District Quality Review Team that annually analyzes and evaluates staff practices in the area of effective schools research.

Sunnybrook is a district that is 25 miles south of Chicago next to the Indiana border by Hammond. Originally, it was an agricultural community of Dutch onion farmers. Today, it is a typical suburban area of primarily residential homes. The student population is about 50/50 Caucasians and African-Americans with a small percentage of other groups. Approximately 47 percent of the teachers have a master's degree and the average teaching experience is 17.5 years, so a culture of well educated, experienced teachers capable of producing excellent results is present.

In past columns we have talked about teacher leaders, staff developers, and principals who are instructional leaders. In this column, we share with you that even superintendents do it!

In the Flowing Wells Schools of Tucson, Arizona, state superintendent of the year, Dr. John Pedicone, accompanies a bus tour when the new teachers begin their induction program. He acts as a "tour guide" on a chartered bus trip throughout the school district. A Trivia Contest is part of the planned activities, which includes historical, interesting, and relevant information about the district. This activity demonstrates the culture of the district and allows the teachers to experience and become a part of the Flowing Wells community. A relationship is built with the induction program leaders, the community, and each other on this bus tour.

Dr. Kathryn Robbins, superintendent, of the Leyden High School District in Franklin Park, Illinois, personally leads the training of the new teachers in their new teacher induction program. They have created "Leyden University," which is the district's continuing staff development program.

Bridget Phillips, principal, at Goldfarb Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, is an instructional leader. She and her staff train the student teachers for one semester and the other semester is used to train the first year teachers. At Goldfarb there is a community of learners who learn and grow together. The staff agreed on a set of school-wide procedures and these are listed in our January 2002 column.

Creating a New School Vision

In the spring of 2001, the Sunnybrook School District 171 formed a broad-based panel to analyze the systemic effectiveness of its schools and to define future goals for the district. The committee's work was completed and its findings reported to the Board of Education. Many goals were identified and action plans were developed that cover all aspects of education. A new vision for the district was created, which states

To help implement the vision, The Effective Teacher video series was chosen as a vehicle for building the effective schools philosophy. One of the important aspects of this work states that in every classroom, and in every aspect of school life, specific procedures for behavior must be clearly defined and maintained. These procedures would then become routine practices that are necessary for a school of quality.

Dr. Joseph Majchrowicz, explains, "Our goal is to develop a quality organization where teachers will be managing systems based on routines, which will make for a more efficient system. The development of routines will increase the likelihood of Sunnybrook being successful within our curriculum and instruction framework. The effective school philosophy is a formula for long-term success that is enduring, not a short-term achievement which may not be lasting."

Throughout the district, specific procedures for behavior in common areas are now in place. These include the appropriate and expected behavior for arrival, dismissal, passing periods and hallways, playground, locker areas, assemblies, lunchroom, bus, washrooms, and even the drinking fountains. These procedures define proper behavior and tell children exactly what is expected of them in these situations. When children learn and follow these procedures---when they know what is specifically expected of them in various situations---there is less time spent on disciplinary actions and more time on education.

Student Expectations and Procedures

Working with a Quality Review Team of administrators, teachers, and parents, they finalized and implemented a set of school-wide procedures when school began this past fall. All of the teachers instructed the students on the following expectations and classroom procedures so the teachers could begin instruction.

SUNNYBROOK SCHOOL DISTRICT #171

COMMON AREA PROCEDURES

Bus

Arrival

Passing Periods and Hallway

Playground

Drinking Fountain and Washroom

Dismissal

Locker Areas

Assemblies

Lunchroom

Core Values

Effective schools can be easily identified because the people subscribe to a set of core values. When this happens you have a school culture. Culture is defined as the practice and values of a group of people.

• Practices refers to the procedures used by everyone in the group, in this case the school-wide procedures.
• Values refers to the fundamental beliefs that govern a group of people.

The key words are "a group of people." You cannot have a culture of individuals existing in isolation from each other. Thus,

• Ineffective schools are populated by a bunch of people, locked in their own rooms, doing their own thing. The teachers are there putting in time, solely for a paycheck.
• Effective schools have a learning community, a family, a team of people all subscribing to the same set of values and using the same set of uniform practices or procedures. The teachers are there to make a difference in the lives of people.

Core values give life purpose, vision, and a mission. It is the procedures that are practiced by a group that will see that the core values are reached.

So, what is your district or school's vision? If you have one, then articulate it with a structure of procedures so that people can reach the vision. If there is no vision or culture, the district or a school proceeds, year-after-year, like a rudderless boat.

Research has shown that organizations or schools that strive to achieve quality development of its people (staff and students) are able to identify and emphasize their core values.

Sunnybrook School District #171 identified four such common values that will be woven into the culture of the district. They are at the very heart of doing "What's Best for the Kids." It is expected that everyone will do their best and expect others to:

Does It Work?

Richard Larkins, principal of Nathan Hale School in the Sunnybrook district, reports:

Another principal in the Sunnybrook district, Bruce E. Christensen of Heritage Middle School, reports that

It's Really Your Choice

Since last September we have presented a series of articles showcasing effective teachers, principals, schools, staff developers, and superintendents who truly know what effective teaching is all about---the kids and their success and achievement. Repeatedly we have said

It is the teacher who makes the difference in the classroom.

You can blame and accuse everything and everyone else for why you're having a hard time, but remember; you chose to become a teacher.

It certainly wasn't the pay that lured you into the schoolyard, nor was it the promise of weekends off. You signed on the dotted line because you firmly believe you can make a difference in the life of a child and, more than ever, make this a world better place because of who you are and what you represent to your students.

Some school districts are the Lexus of learning institutions---always in the relentless pursuit of perfection, spending dollars on teachers and kids to create a vehicle that just hums on the roadway of life, out performing the competition year after year after year.

And then there are other institutions that are just that---institutions. . . .

We've given you the keys to test drive success. Review our past articles to select elements of effective teaching to implement in your classroom. It's never too late in the school year to take a victory lap with your students.

So, esteemed colleagues, it's time to Start Your Engines!

For a printable version of this article click here.