PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

PALMDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT

PRINCIPALS DISCUSS HOW THEY

PROMOTE COLLABORATION FOR THEIR STAFF, FOSTER CREATIVITY AND CURIOSITY FOR LEARNING AT THEIR SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.

Articles by: Mrs. Rena Thorogood

Dr. Krishna Spates

Dr. Beverly Martin

Dr. Regina Tillman

MRS. RENA THOROGOOD, BARREL SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Barrel Springs Elementary School promotes school wide collaboration between staff, students, parents and community members Collaboration is a skill of working together, sharing knowledge and experiences and pursuing a common goal in a group which is implemented throughout the week in Barrel Springs TK through 5th grade Professional Learning Communities. The teachers collaborate openly and honestly regarding their strengths and needs as educators in various academic areas in order to receive the support they need.

In the learning process collaboration has proved to be an essential knowledge, needed for better understanding of the inner structure of the group in order for teachers to use their strengths to empower their professional learning community Our school is focusing on PLC + and the teachers know the plus is them The teachers collaborate within their grade level and across grade levels to ensure our school creates and maintains high expectations for all students which is a critical component of PLC + The teachers review and discuss student data in order to determine the barriers to student achievement. After identifying the barriers the teachers, support staff and various community leaders collaborate and discuss strategies to implement in order to decrease and eventually eliminate the barriers to student academic success. Students are also provided opportunities to collaborate with their peers throughout the day in order to share their thoughts and understanding regarding various subject matters.

The Barrel Springs staff do not work as individualists in trying to meet the differentiated needs of our students, but they unite and collaborate effectively with colleagues and parents in order to meet the needs of the whole child. Our teachers and support staff are also participating in teacher clarity to ensure they have a clear understanding of what students should know and be able to do in order for them to be prepared for college, career and the global world.

As the Principal and Educational Leader of Barrel Springs Elementary my focus is to promote collaboration across the entire Barrel Springs campus to ensure we are united in meeting the academic, social and emotional needs of every Barrel Springs Elementary student

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DR. KRISHNA SPATES, SHADOW HILLS ENGINEERING & DESIGN MAGNET ACADEMY

Aa middle school Principal, I promote collaboration for my staff and foster curiosity for learning at my school by being willing to sacrifice expediency for efficiency, focusing on positivity and creating structures that allow all members of our team to have a voice in the decisions that impact their school community. It is expedient to make decisions in isolation, but it is not efficient because when we do not engage our community it is not possible to get the best outcomes for our students and families and it will actually require more time trying to repair issues stemming from making the decision without your team Valuing collaboration requires patience, trusting the process and confidence knowing that when we engage our community – the people who are vested and love their school communities will take more time but will produce the best outcomes for students and the adults in the building who support them

Principals lead by unleashing what Achor (2020) terms big potential -- principals working to transform schools recognize the school’s success is determined by how they complement, contribute to, and benefit from the abilities and achievements of people within the school community and once we put “others” back into the equation, and work to make others better, we ignite a virtuous cycle of cascading successes. Leadership requires that we work to bring out the best in others by building our collective capacity to serve students well.

The role of the principal then is to to develop collaborative cultures and leadership of others to the point where the leader becomes dispensable (Fullan, 2020). Leadership then requires the principal to disrupt isolation and shift the culture from a collection of learning silos to a learning community who collaboratively engages in iterative cycles of data analysis, collaboration and innovation in an environment free from judgment to create space and a climate that is conducive to learning together. However, to begin moving to that judgment free space where people begin to trust one another, to ask questions, share data, and be able to say, “you know, I don’t know” Achor (2018) goes on to say that the height of our potential is predicted by the people who surround us and if we cultivate positivity in organizations, we are surrounded by more positive people, we create a culture where people work faster, are more creative, and are more collaborative With more people focusing on the challenges school systems we can create a synergy that comes from cognitive diversity leading to better outcomes because it requires people stretch out of their comfort zones and consider new perspectives and ideas and gives space for all people working in school systems irrespective of title, to lead with their ideas from any seat (Achor, 2018).

Leithwood et al. (2004) remind us that there are no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader. According to Krasnor (2015) principals are second only to teachers as the most influential school-level factor in student achievement but unlike teachers, principals impact all the students in a school Effective principals raise the achievement of a typical student in their schools by two to seven months of learning in a single school year; ineffective principals’ lower achievement by the same amount (Krasnoff, 2015)

As a principal, I am clear that leadership matters and is critical to providing all students with the schools they deserve and ones that, as educators, we have a moral obligation to ensure exist. Leadership is not about what I can do; instead, it is enacted care -- being thoughtful, taking time to continually learn alongside our team, remain always mindful and a knowing that I must earn and maintain the communities trust, establish an inspiring vision -- speak into existence what we can become together using the talent and expertise in the building, highlight individual and our collective strength, creating systems of pressure and support, enable collaboration, co-construct and establish high expectations for teaching and learning, and develop our collective capacity to learn together to meet our students' needs I have learned that if the school moves forward it is because of the collective effort of our entire school community and if the school does not move forward it is because I failed to lead effectively. Transforming schools to improve school experiences for students, the adults that serve them and families to advance student learning outcomes is what I consider greatness. Kouzes and Posner (2016) indicate that greatness is not the exclusive domain of the talented, greatness is the result of visionaries who persevere, focus, believe, and prepare; it is a habit, not a birthright. It is a journey and with our teams, we can do great work for students.

References

Achor, S. (2020). Positivity Matters in Times of Crisis. Retrieved from trainingmag com website: www trainingmag com

Harris, A , & Jones, M (2020) COVID 19–school leadership in disruptive times. School Leadership and Management, 40(4), 243–247 https://doi org/10 1080/13632434 2020 1811479

Krasnoff, B (2015) Leadership Qualities of Effective Principals Education Northwest, 1–10 Retrieved from http://nwcc educationnorthwest org/sites/default/files/researchbrief-leadership-qualities-effecti ve-principals pdf

Leithwood, K , Harris, A , & Hopkins, D (2020) Seven strong claims about successful school eadership revisited School Leadership and Management, 40(1), 5–22 https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077

To successfully work together towards a common goal as a school we start with open communication and clear expectations which builds mutual trust with all stakeholders. Teachers are essential to my school’s success, and it’s paramount that they feel safe, respected and valued. Getting everyone on the same page even though it can be a difficult task, allows my team to build capacity and ownership in the process.

Team culture dictates how people behave and work together, so it’s important to set the tone by establishing the right values and attitudes I start with the end goal in mind which is student success Defining clear expectations for responsibilities and communication also influences how people work toward a common goal Being upfront with expectations and how you want the team to communicate, encourages discussion with mutual respect. I make it a rule that everyone can voice their opinion, but once a decision is made, everyone needs to commit to it. This gives my team members autonomy to do research and provide ideas that I have not thought about.

As the Principal, I lead from the middle by having a team of teachers who are members of the Site Leadership Team. This team develops and monitors our annual school work, plans our focus and analyzes trends and patterns of data from different sources in order to select goals related to student achievement and school conditions which support student achievement

Additionally, my Leadership Team increases the achievement and engagement of every student through continuous improvement of instruction, assessment, and culture in alignment with our school’s unique goals. The level influences teachers in collaborative work as a shared vision and goals can lead to that sense of ownership.

This also develops a sense of community. At its core, collaboration is relational. Getting to know your colleagues, understanding their passions, and taking the time to connect on a personal level can help members gain mutual respect and look past differences to ensure student success This builds trust and influences the effectiveness of our collaborative work A climate of trust can help establish the safe environment that’s necessary for open communication which results in a shared vision that equals success for our students When teachers feel a part of the decision-making process, it empowers them to work together for the success of all our students. They become visionaries and allow creativity to fuel their lessons and make classrooms impactful and engaging.

DR. REGINA TILLMAN, TAMARISK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

My name is Dr. Regina Tillman and I have been an educational leader in my organization for over 17 years. I have taught various grade-levels early in my career and have had the opportunity to impact the lives of students, families, and school staff for over 27 years. My vision for my life and work are one in the same. I want to make a considerable impact in the lives of others, and contribute to the belief that there is nothing in the world that one cannot achieve.

As a transformational leader, I have always employed the principle of collaboration in creating positive organizational change that is sustainable This comes in the form of the structure of creating effective PLCs – Professional Learning Communities Through these collaborative structures I meet weekly with my teachers gaining knowledge and skills to create sustainable collaboration and extensive change. We have many different types of collaborative teams such as, grade-level teams, leadership teams, and reading collaborative teams and we work collectively together to create change in instruction, learning, and school culture. As the leader of my school, I create and develop a shared vision for my organization, inspire others to embrace this change, and model the change I want to see in my school community.

The learning environment is enhanced through creating an environment of sustainable collaboration and inspires teachers to create an atmosphere in the classroom that fosters student creativity and curiosity for learning

Teachers are given the time and structure they need weekly to collectively develop instructional plans that promote critical thinking, problem solving and hands-on learning in the classroom. As we continue to develop our sustainable collaborative environment, teachers feel safe to share best practices and ways to improve instruction and learning in the classroom. As the instructional leader, I visit classrooms weekly, give feedback on what I see and ways to improve learning for students. I meet with my grade-level teams weekly and guide the process to stimulate and encourage creativity in the classroom

My vision for my life work is to make a difference in the lives of as many children as I can reach I see my future as being the type of transformational leader that supports everyone in my organization to see the leadership potential within, and through the empowerment of shared leadership we can change a child’s path in life; regardless of life’s circumstances. I want to look back on my life and know that I made a significant contribution to the world, even if I only touched one child in a positive way, or changed the way one organization believes about the possibilities of all children, I have done my job!

Thank you for reading this paper. God Bless!