Managing and Leading an Instructionally Driven

School Culture 

Rebekah MarlerConsultant, Replications Inc. 

School Team Activity: 

Take two minutes to individually record the MOST ANNOYING, SEEMINGLY NEVER ENDING, interruptions that happen to you as you attempt to do the job you are hired to do.  

Share those with your team and together compile your top ten list of the most commonly experienced biggest time drains that you would wish upon a star to never experience again.  ( 10 Minutes)

Each team will share their Top Ten ( 5 Minutes)

Expected Outcomes: • Awareness of necessary commitment of all team members to

balance the management and leadership of effective school cultures. 

• A list of "BUFFYs" ( An Organization Sheet Yellow Page Style of point people/experts)

• A framework/process for BUFFYs of the world to make their secret systems known to the world and to train and develop at least one other person/team to fulfill those tasks. 

• A top ten list of the most annoying time drains and a process for doing something about it other than venting at the end of the day.

• A completed process map for an issue of the team's choice.• An individual schedule of the day/team schedule for week(S). • A team commitment and plan for holding a minimum of two

weekly meetings strategically and intentionally focused on instruction.

          Interdependent Values

oInhaleoRestoAsleep

•Exhale•Activity•Awake

In schools we are constantly managing interdependent values but are rarely aware of it, and it usually shows. 

• Breadth• Mind• Structure• Standardization• Focus on KIDS

• Depth• Heart• Freedom• Differentiation• Focus on STAFF

Today's focus will be on the interdependent value pair that is most crucial to creating successful school communities.

MANAGING AND LEADING. 

Distinguishing between Managing and Leading 

MANAGING

• Scheduling• Budgeting• Procedures• Facilities• Distribution of time and

resources

LEADING

• Visioning • Culture• Communication• Team building• Advocacy• Coalition Building

GOAL:Create effectively managed "SCHOOL-WORLDS OF LEARNING" driven by the

training and development of ALL members. 

HOW:  Develop tools such as process maps and the consistent use of daily/monthly/yearly calendars that enable us to maximize the

use of time and human capital and effectively MANAGE as well as we LEAD.

This may seem easy, right? Perhaps in our "Superhero/Freedom Writer/Joe Clarke" romanticized view of education.  But we all know  it takes a lot more than inspiration, creativity, and love to run an effective organization. 

In order to reach all students in the current landscape in which we all work, we cannot rely on pockets, small groups, hallways, or departments of success.                         ( BUFFY GOT IT??)

Who are your "Buffy"s? The BUFFY is the person who ALWAYS handles  the situation... ( usually known as the "POINT PERSON" or "EXPERT".  

Take a moment as a team to brainstorm all of the "Buffys" in your school community in the following areas ( and you will no doubt have more than those listed here).  • Attendance and Lateness• Testing• Parents• Grades/Assessment• Fieldtrips• Discipline• Scheduling• Professional Development

     E-Mything Education: http://www.e-myth.com/cs/user/print/post/on-management

  The core philosophy behind the E-Myth Point of View on Management is the idea that businesses should be systems-dependent, NOT people-dependent. The secret of successful business management--successful people management--is systemization. Systems free your people to pay attention to the things that matter while all the routine things take care of themselves. Systems raise the level of performance of your people. The E-Myth management strategy is the same for companies with 2 employees, with 25 employees, or with 150 employees!

E-Myth continued:   THE HOW DO WE DO IT HERE:  Must be developed,  documented in operations manuals,  taught,  trained,  practiced, lived, revised, AND most importantly: ."

Principals must be lead-directors in creating  "an environment for these systems in which

doing it is more important to your people than NOT doing it. A place where doing it

well becomes a way of life for them. "    

-Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited, Chapter 16

             

THE # 1 System to Free Your Time and Your Team's Time to focus on "WHAT MATTERS" IS SCHEDULING EACH DAY/WEEK/MONTH with specific activities and outcomes AND making commitments to follow through NO MATTER WHAT!

Individual Exercise: Individual Scheduling Tool (15 min)   

Team Scheduling and Commitments:• Determine the "HOT SPOTS" within each day• Determine weekly "HOT SPOTS"• Determine monthly "HOT SPOTS"• How are our human resources allocated during these

times to manage equitable distribution of time/effort and stress load?

• How can we plan IN ADVANCE to address the allocation of our time and human capital to ensure that our commitment to INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT AND GROWTH  is not derailed?

 

Process Map Gallery and Demonstration

• Text based • Training based• Professional Development and accountability • Creation of tools to support process maps ( Request

Forms)• Tools that guide students through learning processes

(Link to Scaffolding and Differentiation)• Transparency,Training, and "LIVING SPACES"