Boosting Moraleby Scott S.

Smith
The poet Theodore Roethke once said, In a dark time, the eye begins to see. And in the
wake of these recent layoffs, in this dark time of tremendous insecurity and uncertainty,
it is imperative that we maintain a clear vision both of the way things are now and of
the way they will be.
It probably comes as a surprise to no one that after our merger with Calco
Pharmaceutical and the consequential layoffs, I have called everyone together. I am not
going to pull any punches in this discussion. You are my staff, and I want to be frank
with you. I want to tell you what I know about the immediate future of this company. I
want to empower you with these facts. I want to create an atmosphere of security,
understandably no easy task when some of our coworkers have just been downsized.
But we now need to move forward to ensure our own jobs. And I believe together we can
do this. Today, I'm going to share with you the three-step plan that is going to take this
company into its next phase of existence.
Let me first say, though, that no more layoffs are in the immediate future. If you are
sitting in this meeting listening to me, you do have job security. Please take that in. This
company needs you. All of your jobs are essential. This is a fact.
Now for our three-step plan for a better, more lucrative future: merging, identifying, and
modifying. Step One: Merging. Change is never easy. Transition is often uncomfortable.
But the outcome can reap tremendous benefits for all. The merging phase of the threestep plan is going to be the hardest. The way we are used to doing our work is going to
be questioned. Our operations and methods will be closely scrutinized. It is enough to
make the most secure worker feel a little shaky. But, hear me, this is just part of the
process. Nothing about this phase is personal. We are not looking to cut back any more.
We are looking to move forward.
You will not be alone during this phase of our plan. This is the most important thing for
you to remember. I have an open door. If you need help, please come to me. If you need
reassurance and guidance, please come to me. If you just need someone to hear your
frustration with this process, please come to me. I am not just paying lip service. During
this first phase, my sole job is to be there for you and to make this difficult transition
easier for you. Your job during this first phase is to become more aware. Pay attention to
what is going on; make observations about what is working and what is superfluous.
Think about the positive changes you'd like to see here. Keep notes. The more you
notice, the more you can participate in the exciting changes taking place.
Awareness leads us into step two of our plan, identifying. We need now to identify
changes we need to make; we also need to identify what already works. Your notes and
observations from phase one are critical in phase two. If you're happy here, your
comments can help indicate what we need to continue doing to keep you happy; if you
are unhappy with what you see going on, they can be used to make changes. But, if
your voice isn't heard, you can't be part of the solution. Phase two gives you a real
opportunity to create a more idealized work environment. I am not just asking to hear

the voices of department heads. I want to hear everyone's opinions executives,

assistants, associates, and staff. During phase two, everyone's opinion carries equal
weight. We cannot correct problems we don't know about. I cannot urge you enough to
speak out. Please, take advantage of your power.
After we have merged and identified our strengths and weaknesses, we will be ready to
move onto phase three, the modification stage. This is the point in our process where we
will put your feedback into action. After the corporate department receives your input
and analyzes it, we will work on the necessary retooling and revamping to take our
company into the twenty-first century.
In summation, what may seem like a dark time of uncertainty to you right now, actually
provides an opportunity, as Roethke observed, to see more clearly than ever. Open your
eyes. Take notice. Make suggestions. Help us to notice, to identify, and to modify. And if
you do, I promise you that you'll find the future looking brighter than ever.

Three Simple Steps To Improving Student

Achievement
By John OConnor
O'Connor is the author of the AASA book Turning Average Instruction into
Great Instruction.
Our charge as school leaders is to radically increase student
achievement. The good news is that how we reach that goal is simple. If
we are going to increase student performance, we must diligently focus
our schools on the one critical factor that has the greatest impact on
student achievement -- classroom instruction. In fact, decades of
research clearly shows that what happens between teachers and students in our
nations classrooms has the greatest impact on how well those students learn.
In the educational arena, we have tried virtually every initiative and silver bullet
available. We have adopted new programs, restructured schools, realigned
organizational charts and spent millions of dollars on quick fixes. In many cases, we
have made the solution much more complicated than it needs to be.
At the end of the day, the element that must change in order to consistently increase
student achievement is instruction. Our goal will not be met if we provide average
instruction in some classrooms and even good instruction in others. We must provide
GREAT instruction.

Fortunately, there are three simple steps that we can take as school leaders to
radically impact student achievement:
1. Build a Common Understanding of GREAT Instruction
If great instruction is the answer, then what are the components of great instruction?
If you asked that question of every teacher in your school, how many answers would
you get? If you got a different answer from every person, isnt that an extremely
inefficient way to move toward great instruction?
What would happen if you asked the same question of every leader in your building?
Would the principal, assistant principals, department chairs, lead teachers and
instructional coaches all have the same answer? Unfortunately, our teachers often
have different interpretations of effective instruction because our leaders are
providing mixed messages.
Truth be told, GREAT instruction includes specific elements. GREAT instruction is:

Guided by the Curriculum

Rigorous with research-based strategies
Engaging and exciting
Assessed continuously to guide instruction, and
Tailored through flexible groups

If we are going to radically improve student achievement, then we must acknowledge

that GREAT instruction has non-negotiable elements that must be seen in every
classroom. We must develop a common consensus of each element of GREAT
instruction across our leaders initially so that we can send clear and consistent
messages to our teachers.
2. Change Teacher Practices
The knowledge of GREAT instruction, unfortunately, is only the first step toward
increasing student achievement. Our teachers must actually provide great
instruction.
It may sound like the responsibility for increasing student achievement rests solely
on the shoulders of our teachers. They certainly play a part, a big part. But the
greater responsibility lies with school leaders: the central office staff, school
principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, teacher leaders and other
personnel who are charged with leading the school.
Once we accept that improving student achievement relies on the instruction that
occurs in classrooms, then we must realize that school improvement is completely
reliant on our ability, as leaders, to improve the practices of our teachers. If we are
successful at enhancing teachers instructional practices, then we will be successful
at improving student achievement. If we are unable to improve teacher practices,
then we will be unsuccessful.

In order to improve student achievement, we must have a deep and enduring

knowledge of the components of GREAT instruction and then we, as school leaders,
must develop the support, coaching, feedback, momentum and direction needed for
teachers to consistently improve their practices toward GREAT instruction.
3. Quit Doing Stuff that Doesnt Help
Unfortunately, we are often distracted. Our calendars are brimming with activities.
Many times, those activities are placed on us from the state department of education
or the central office. But, truth be told, we often create activities for ourselves and our
personnel that not only dont improve teacher practices, but actually distract us from
that mission. We often find comfort in completing administrative tasks rather than
focusing on teaching and learning.
We must challenge ourselves to toss out those activities that are having little to no
impact on student learning. We must be diligent in abandoning those activities that
clog our professional lives that are ultimately wasting our time. We must
courageously stop doing what doesnt work. We must focus our attention, almost to a
fault, on enabling our teachers to provide GREAT instruction in every classroom.
Our three steps to improving student achievement are straight forward and simple.
Unfortunately, that does not make them easy.
John OConnor is the executive director for special services with the DeKalb County
School System in Atlanta, Ga. His book Turning Average Instruction into Great
Instruction provides a road map for radically improving student achievement through
effective leadership and GREAT instruction

MET... MMMMetttttttttttt... Never has the word, met, sounded so beautiful. This
past week our elementary school received information that we have met our goal
of getting out of School Improvement within two years. It has been an insightful
journey. Contrary to popular belief, there is one positive aspect to a school being
placed in School Improvement: It opens eyes that growth has an opportunity to
happen.
One of the major negatives is that change is rarely welcome. People tend to like
the status quo and do not want the apple cart overturned. Our first year was
fraught with change; change in vision, strategies, instructional methods and
materials. Through it all, our staff preserved as we worked on our improvement.

Over the course of my educational experience I've collected a list of criteria that I
believe create an atmosphere ripe for improving student achievement. Here I will
call it:
Top 10 Ways to Improve Student Achievement and Create Learners
Disclaimer: This is by no means all that schools should be doing. Note that these
are broad actions; there are many more detailed actions that need to be taken.
1. Share a Vision -- Review your school's Mission Statement. Your new vision
should be tied to your district's Mission Statement, but build up on it. The vision
should describe why it is important to achieve your mission statement while
looking to the future. It should portray what will be achieved if the school is
successful in achieving its goals. Everyone should be invested in the vision with a
total buy-in from the entire school. You have to keep your eye on the prize and
never veer from your vision.
2. Your School Should Be a Change Agent -- Change agents are passionate
and driven about their vision. They make the tough decisions keeping what's best
for the students in focus. When complaints about change and improvement come
rolling in, and they will, pay close attention to your leadership and their
decisions. If the leaders of a district do not want to upset the teachers or parents
by moving forward, then your district's chances of improving are minimal at best.
It's then that you find out what your leadership is made of in your school; from
your school board on down to the principals.
3. Analyze Data -- Everyone involved must be data analysis; from the
administration to the teachers. The secret to data analysis is to do something with
the data. Many schools analyze the data and do not do anything with it. Celebrate
your strengths, keep the focus on improvement and draw up plans on how you're
going to improve on your weaknesses and implement it.
4. Introduce Students to Their Data -- As obvious as this may sound, many
times teachers take on the burden of the responsibility and do not allow students
to take ownership of their education. Involve students by sharing their data with
them from standardized test data to classroom data.
5. Increase Rigor -- Schools are looking for miracles and the cure is right under
their noses. Schools can do everything else in this list, including reducing class
size, but if a school does not increase the rigor in instruction and learning, they
are spitting in the wind. The key is recognizing the difference between hard

questions and complex questions. Many teachers will tell you that they have
rigorous assignments, when in reality, they do not. This one thing will make the
biggest impact in not only learning, but in scores. If schools were to increase the
rigor and complexity, the scores would take care of themselves.
6. Teach Students the Levels of Rigor -- Teach students the difference
between recall, application, and strategic reasoning. When students learn the
difference between how much thinking is required to answer questions at each
level, it assists them in not only answering questions, but also in their learning.
I've taught the levels to my former students and it was a defining moment in their
careers as learners. This strategy paired with the above mentioned increasing
rigor in instruction and assignments is a powerful combination.
7. Expectations -- Expectations go hand-in-hand with increasing rigor.
Students will rise to expectations. Make sure the expectations are not set too low
and demonstrate an expectation that all students can achieve the objectives of
courses.
8. Teach Students How to Learn -- Students are taught what to learn. In
order for them to be successful as learners, they also have to discover how to learn
and todevelop an appetite for learning. I'm convinced that one of the reasons
some students do not succeed in college is that they sail through high school
learning the prescribed curriculum, but never learn how to learn.
Students, at an early age have to be taught how to:
self-regulate their learning
set their own academic goals
develop strategies to meet their goals
reflect on their academic performance
9. Teachers as Learners Environment -- Teachers are all about instructing
their students. Teachers should also invest in themselves. I'm referring to
teachers actively pursuing knowledge because they want to know more. The best
teachers continue to grow and don't rely solely on school designated professional
development hours as their outlet to learn new concepts and ideas about
education. This could include reading professional development books, blogs, or
articles online. One powerful way to continue to grow as an educator is to join an
online personal learning networkand/or develop one on Twitter.

10. Teach Smarter and Not Harder -- Incorporate research-based teaching

and learning strategies. In order to grow the district and its teachers need to be
on top of the latest developments in research-based strategies.
These are the highlights of what I deem as important to creating an atmosphere
that encourages student achievement. Our school still has changes that need to be
made. Hopefully, we will strive to continue the good work we have begun and
combine that with goals toward the future. Last year the number of schools in
School Improvementacross the United States was 12,599. That number is
staggering, but if there's one thing I know about educators, it's that we are
dedicated and we never give up. To quote the latest Robin Hood movie, we shall
"Rise and rise again until lambs become lions."

Introduction
Teachers and school-based administrators alike have searched to find ways to
increase student achievement in their schools. Several widely known and
discussed strategies include using data to drive instruction, employing highly
qualified teachers, and improving school leadership. Additionally, positive
student engagement in the classroom is another compelling factorbut not
as widely discussedthat research has reported to be critical in enhancing
student achievement (Akey, 2006; Heller, Calderon, & Medrich, 2003; GarciaReid, Reid, & Peterson, 2005). Positive student engagement is not an easy
term to define, yet we know it when we see it. Students are engaged when
they devote substantial time and effort to a task, when they care about the
quality of their work, and when they commit themselves because the work
seems to have significance beyond its personal instrumental value
(Newmann, 1986, p. 242). Engaged students also are more likely to perform
well academically. Therefore, teachers need a large inventory of instructional
strategies to engage a variety of students (Garcia-Reid et al., 2005). For
additional information on these topics, see The Centers January 2007
newsletter, A Teachers Guide to Differentiating
Instruction(www.centerforcsri.org/files/TheCenter_NL_Jan07.pdf). This
newsletter describes how student engagement impacts learning and outlines
ways in which teachers and school administrators can foster student
engagement.

What Can Teachers Do to Foster Positive Student

Engagement in the Classroom?
Teachers are key players in fostering student engagement (Akey, 2006;
Garcia-Reid et al., 2005). They work directly with the students and typically
are the most influential in a students educational experience. Creating a
culture of achievement in their classroom, developing interactive and
relevant lessons and activities, and being encouraging and supportive to
students are all ways in which teachers can foster student engagement in the
classroom.

Cultivate a Culture of Achievement

One method of enhancing student engagement is to cultivate a culture of
achievement in the classroom where instruction is challenging, students feel
comfortable asking questions, and students are expected to do their best. For
instance, a teacher might create an end-of-the-year academic goal for a
classroom as a whole or a specific goal for each individual student. In order to
show mastery of the goal, students must complete a research project or an
oral presentation. For example, students might be asked to research a critical
political issue such as immigration impacting the 2008 elections. Teachers
need to select a goal that is challenging but attainable and find creative ways
for students to work toward achieving the goal. Monitoring student progress
throughout the school year also will keep students focused academically and
invested in their learning. When students feel challenged, they are less likely
to be bored and disengaged (Akey, 2006). Teachers should aim to create a
culture in the classroom where learning is cool, and asking questions is not
only okay but expected. It may take some time to develop this type of
environment, but it can be done by setting clear, high, consistent yet
attainable expectations for all students. High quality instructionone that is
rigorous, aligned with content standards, and uses instructional strategies to
meet the academic needs of all studentsalso is a key factor in promoting a
culture of engagement and achievement in the classroom (Weiss & Pasley,
2004).