The phenomenon of the turnaround school has become a focus for several districts across the country as they grapple with the changes resulting from more challenging standards while facing the ever-existent issue of closing the achievement gap across various subgroups of students. Student achievement results from states and their districts have revealed a chasm in academic achievement results between middle and upper class students and those who come from homes that are identified as being in poverty[1].
So what does it take to make this phenomenon happen? Where does a principal start when they enter a school that is need of a transformation to ensure that all students are receiving the quality of education they deserve?
I have been fortunate to lead a number of schools through the turnaround process. My experiences as a turnaround principal propelled me toward becoming a researcher and to investigate whether other turnaround principals and their schools did anything similar or different from what I experienced with the school communities I served. Here is what I have learned that leaders should think about when getting started with the turnaround process.
There is no one “silver bullet” to fix every school
School districts and charter management organizations are complex places. Every school has it’s own culture (good or bad). A “one size fix all” approach will not work to achieve the transformation of several school cultures. Every one of the five schools I led required a different approach toward having success. There are some basic leadership decisions and actions that help accelerate the process. However, how and when a principal utilizes these actions depends on the needs of the school. Principals require a certain level of autonomy to quickly meet the needs of the school community they serve or face a loss in momentum that can thwart even the best thought out plans for a successful school turnaround.
People first…programs second
I am often surprised at how many district and school leaders don’t get this one. The school community needs to be involved in the school turnaround process from day one. People don’t want things “done to them”. This leads to people working in compliance mode and doing the bare minimum to keep others happy and avoid getting into “trouble”. The most successful school leaders I have worked with understand that all of the stakeholders within a school community need to have a voice on how to proceed with any significant change initiative. This builds a sense of teamwork and shared responsibility toward solving the various challenges of turning around a school. This will go much farther toward creating sustainable change than throwing a pile of money toward the latest technology program or curriculum that is supposed to “fix” everything. Programs will go nowhere without buy in and a sense of purpose being set with the actual people who are charged with implementing them.
Do a few things and support the heck out of them!
Many principals try to do everything at once and get nowhere in the first year. Teachers start leaving the next year and people begin to question his/her leadership because there is not enough support for any of the initiatives to develop a successful trend or “Quick Win” to build on. Doing a few things at a high level of fidelity will create opportunities for success that will build confidence in staff and students to take on more challenges in the future. Think about going slow at first to go faster in the future. It will give your school a chance to make it to the finish line and increase their confidence in achieving more difficult tasks in the future.
Leading a school turnaround is rewarding work and has a large impact on the quality of life for children and adults. Taking small, calculated steps at the beginning of the process would help accelerate a school toward the success they seek.
This post is the first in a series of blog posts that will be focused on supporting schools and their leaders toward doing the difficult work of leading a school. Thank you for taking the time to read our first post and be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be alerted when we have a new post.
[1] Murphy, J. (2010, November). Closing achievement gaps: Lessons from the last 15 years. Phi Delta Kappa, 91(3), 8-12.
Scott is a proven school and district leader with 23 years of experience. He has led the turnaround of five different urban schools in Florida transforming their cultures into high functioning systems that produced record breaking results in student achievement and teacher performance. Scott is available to consult with schools, districts, and organizations to create a focused strategy that will lead to improved results, increased engagement, and overall results. He can be contacted at sneil@schoolleadershipsolutions.com
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