April 2009

The Tools for Success

The Economic-Stimulus Bill

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, says, “Spend the money quickly, but spend it wisely.”

The recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requires every state to take steps to improve teacher effectiveness.

It does not say to change the structure of the school, install a reading program, or recycle the fads we have tried over and over again with no success.

The Act says, “Improve Teacher Effectiveness.”

To improve a classroom, school, or district, we must train the teachers and develop their effectiveness.

John Goodlad, while at UCLA, reported looking at 40 years of educational innovations and did not find a single one that increased student achievement.  What he did find:

The only factor that increased student achievement was the effectiveness of a teacher.

Effectiveness is not a fleeting concept.  What it takes to be effective and how to achieve it is known. 
This month we share with you four successful educators who have seen the benefits of having successful
teachers and know how to bring about these benefits.

You work just as many hours as the education leader in the neighboring school.  Their test scores are higher, their children have fewer behavioral problems, and their classrooms buzz with learning—and you’re left to wonder why this is not happening at your school.  What are your colleagues doing that you’re not doing? 

The components of success are well documented.  And it has nothing to do with programs, money, secrets, or luck.  We’re about to introduce you to four successful educators who all subscribe to the same mantra: 

If everyone knows what to do, they will do it!

So what is it that they are doing and how do these leaders get their schools to do it?

Procedures Help Get a New School off to a Running Start

Wayne Watts, a principal in Georgia, says, “Three years ago, my system asked me to open our newest middle school.  We are now in our third year of operation, and I can attest to how important routines and procedures are when starting a new school!”

Wayne says, “Because our staff and students knew what to do and when to do it from Day One, we were quickly able to establish our school culture, which we refer to as ‘The Davis Way.”

There are schools that have been around for decades and still have no discernible school culture that sets them apart from other schools.  Yet, in three short years, the staff and students at General Ray Davis Middle School have so identified with its school-wide procedures, that they are able to proudly claim ‘The Davis Way’ as their own!

“This has paid off tremendously,” says Wayne, “In two years, we’ve earned the highest student achievement scores in our system.  Several of our subjects are in the top 10% of achievement in the state for their grade levels, with our 8th grade Social Studies in the top 4%.”   

Of course, as with everything else—be it playing a musical instrument, driving a car, or doing a sport—the more procedures are practiced, the better they are learned, and the faster they become routines.  They are like automatic reflexes—procedures and routines are carried out without even thinking about them.

“Procedures and routines created the structure that helped make this happen.  It is so simple—everyone knew what to do, and so they did it!“

“My staff is talented and capable, but having the structure and a way to get things done has helped us create a great learning and teaching environment.  Having procedures in place allows our teachers to focus on teaching, and to let their skills blossom—to the benefit of our kids.”

Savvy Schools Make Good Investments

“Ultimately, it is a great investment that improves instruction the other 170 days of the year.  Our teachers and students are much happier as a result,” says Mike.

“Our procedures have become the routines by which we function, and the proof is in the test results.  Our scores have achieved heights we only dreamed about.

“Our academic index jumped from 83 to 110 and it wasn’t the result of one or two isolated changes.  The Wongs have shared ideas used by so many effective teachers and these ideas have provided a culture for our school.  It is this culture that has enabled our other efforts to be more successful.

A Great Way to Start

Dr. Jerry Ralston is superintendent in Glasgow, Kentucky.  His expects district-wide success and he gets it.

He says, “In Barren County Schools, we expect procedures to not only be in place—they also need to be understood and affirmed by everyone.  In line with this, our staff shares PowerPoint presentations on their First Day of School Procedures. 

“As a result, we just had the best first day of school in the eight years that I have been superintendent.  I continue to be amazed at how implementing procedures in school has impacted our staff and students.  We are having a most productive year.”

Mark Wilson, is a principal in Madison, Georgia, and was recently selected the 2009 National Principal of the Year.  An educator for over twenty years (Mark began his career as a Social Studies and English teacher in South Carolina), he became a principal in 2003.  Mark is too modest to say so himself, but as fellow educators, we are tremendously proud of his success and feel the need to shout out:

It took Mark barely six years to become one of the best principals in the United States.

How did he do it?

Mark implemented a school-wide culture of procedures—does this sound familiar?

Mark continues, “On top of that, our school has a creative schedule that allows the staff to have T3 (Thursday Teacher Time) every week.  On Thursdays, our students report to school at 9 a.m.  and our teachers come in at 7.30 a.m.  During this time, we are in our Professional Learning Communities with our new, newer, veteran, and very veteran teachers split up among groups. 

“We make sure each group has a mix of teachers at different points in their career who bring varying perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the table.

“This is our professional learning time, and since the year began, we have been collaboratively studying The First Days of School.  It gives us a great springboard to focus on what we want most at Morgan County High School—high expectations for all, great classroom management with practiced procedures, and student mastery of lessons.”  Mark says,

“Crucially, our work—be it individually, in small groups, or as a whole group—is not being done in a vacuum.  Our teachers read, share, and discuss, and they are able to help one another become better teachers.”

All this benefits the students, and of course, they are happy, productive, and fulfilled teachers.

1. Instructional Effectiveness
2. Classroom Management
3. Working with Parents
4. Serving as an Effective Employee and Team Member
5. Improving Capacity to More Effective Instruction

Under Mark’s leadership, the school has dramatically increased the number of students taking Advanced Placement and other rigorous courses. And since 2003, the school has raised its graduation rate by more than ten points to 82 percent. It has also closed the achievement gap in critical areas such as English language arts.

Mark says, “We have always been a very good school with caring, hardworking teachers.  But even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you don’t keep moving!”

You Can Be Successful, Too

At the start of this column, we wondered what it was that esteemed leaders do to enable successful schools.  As you can see, there is no secret.  It is simply a case of “everyone knows what to do, and so they do it!”

Procedures, routines, and processes that are confidently and consistently applied school-wide and even district-wide allow teachers to focus on teaching, students to focus on learning, and success to be achieved by all.

There is no hocus pocus, bag of tricks, special programs, or multi-million dollar school endowment fund involved.  There is just a school-wide or district-wide culture of success, and a drive to continually become more effective teachers. 

Encore, Encore

On the other hand, you know a school in need of help the moment you set foot on campus. With no money spent (an important consideration in these economic times), and with just the convening of a staff meeting, the road to success can be under way.

Also, read pages 328 to 330 about Lee Douglass’ school.  Each day, the students remind themselves about their mission in coming to school (learning!) with a school-wide morning routine.  Their test scores are extraordinary and it is because they have managed to establish a comprehensive and coherent culture of learning.

The Tools for Success Revealed

The cause-and-effect results from establishing procedures in your school are well known. The examples we have just shared document a culture of success.

The Tools for Success are encapsulated in three easy words—Procedures, Procedures, Procedures.  Such a simple tool for such a powerful result.  Procedures aren’t hard, they cost nothing to implement, and they produce results that are priceless.  In successful classrooms, schools, and districts, everyone knows what to do and does it. 

You now know what to do.  Please just go and do it!

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