Overcoming Challenges in Implementing a School-Wide

Approach(A Divine Comedy: Dante’s Inferno)

Robin WilliamsAdams Elementary

Logan, Utahrwilliams@adams.logan.k12.ut.us

www.adams.logan.k12.ut.us

Key Points:

• Establish a Felt Need• Find Your Anchors • Build Capacity

• My sincerest apology toEnglish teachers for myuse of Dante.

Establishing A “Felt” Need (Limbo, the Home of the Innocent)

• Demographics of school changed rapidly.

• New principal, and 8/23 teachers non-tenured. (7 in first year)

• Learned helplessness. “It’s not my problem.”

• “The kids/parents don’t care.”

Establishing A “Felt” Need (City of Dis; Heretics)

• High stakes testing (AYP and State Test)• New State Language Arts Core• New District Literacy Model• Very low scores-close to failing. “Passed

by the hair of our chinny, chin, chins.”

• To come later: use the crisis……..

Cultural Contradictions (The Lustful and The Gluttonous)

• Kingdoms had been built that didn’t make sense. --Why did the librarian make all of the decisions?-Why did tenured teachers have all of the “good” kids.-Why did one aide make all of the scheduling decisions according to whom she liked?

• Isolation-hoarding of materials-sometimes even hazardous room conditions.

Cultural Contradictions(The River Styx: The Wrathful, Slothful, and

the Sullen)

• 23 disjointed curriculums, with most needy receiving up to four different curriculums in a day. “It’s not my job to…….”

• No school connections• Resource not connected• Speech not connected• ESL not connected

Chaos(The Violent and The Fraudulent)

• Poor teaching in many classrooms.• Good teachers that felt unappreciated-

“Why bother?”• Most “at-risk” were sent to

paraprofessionals for interventions-with little progress.

• Discipline was considered out of control by parents-fights were common.

Anchors

Used State Core and District Literacy Model as our anchor.– Began study groups reading research

and books related to teaching reading, and teaching children of poverty.

– Curriculum mapping-horizontal and vertical, including ESL and Resource.

– Agreement on what we knew needed to be done and what the barriers were.

Building CapacityNew Culture

– We are here to help each other.– We know our target-we need to know how to

have laser-like precision to meet the needs of every child.

– We need to have wrap-around, consistent horizontal and vertical instruction.

• Bad cop/Good Cop-Use of coach. Weekly literacy team meetings.

• Created opportunity by connecting staff development with connected homework and assignments for teachers that demonstrated skills, and required working with the coach.

Building Capacity-be strategic• Data discussions-use of assessments such as DIBELS,

DRA, running records, etc. (What do these data mean, what have we tried, what makes sense? Movement from summative helplessness to formative problem-solving.)

• Commitment to differentiated, small group guided reading hour. The most at-risk have one hour of differentiated interventions with certified staff. (All hands on deck)

• Staff learned about best practice, explicit teaching, Guided Reading, Words their Way, interventions, and yes, research.

Building Capacity-be strategic

Classroom Environment-Helping each other– Horizontal and Vertical agreement on:

• Classroom setup and

strategy posters• Routines• Schedules• Basal adoption• Use of resources• Class library-organization

Practicalities-be strategic

• Swimming pool example- “We are all learners”• All hands on deck and working together. Put egos

aside.• Everyone is in the pool.• Coach and lifeguard-not interventionist.

– Coach builds teacher capacity versus taking thehard kids.

– Coach builds paraprofessional capacity.

• This is now embedded in our culture, humor, and analogies.

(The Traitors)

Practicalities-be strategicAnticipation of teacher perceptions

– BUILD CAPACITY• Be willing to label the “non-negotiables” after using

opportunity for collaboration.• ”This” is non-negotiable. “What do you need to get

there?”

– Celebrate those that are reaching and succeeding-in every possible

public arena-news, newsletters, nominations, meetings, notes, etc.

Practicalities-be strategic• External crisis can be your friend.• Create crisis by using observation and

withheld evaluation technique.• Open classrooms at times-be everywhere

with everyone-bring dignitaries, school board, parents, principals, guests, the mailman, any excuse to open doors.

• If they gripe in Mrs. Meanie’s room, visit often. NO CLOSED ROOMS!

Practicalities-be strategic• Be willing to schedule times, aides, lunches,

ESL, Resource, differentiated instruction, etc. (All of those things that are considered barriers.)

• Protected literacy block with wrap-around, connected instruction.

“We can make it work-just tell me what

is most important to you-as a team.”Recognize how hard they are

working.

Empower, don’t Enfeeble!• DO NOT CULTIVATE VICTIMS AS THEY

WILL TURN ON YOU!– Never say, “Do it because research says.”– Never say, “We have to do it because the

Feds, the State, or the district says we have to.”

• Come back to, “Is this best for kids?”– Use crisis to move to a better place.– Play, Be World Class, Be there, Make their

day! (Fish Philosophy) – Reinforce, support, frame, do, find, build

confidence.

Pitfalls-Be Strategic• Teachers melt down in arenas that are

unexpected. Your course is to be out there and available. Tell them you are there for them, or nudge them, “It is hard, are you sure you are up to this?”

• Be the positive cheerleader-it will reinforce those that need and deserve it, and drive the others crazy enough

they might leave of their own accord.

Pitfalls-Be Strategic• Anticipate/Be Strategic. Help teachers

build their brick house.• Talk to your best and worst teachers-ask

their perceptions-use these conversations to maneuver. Be everywhere-be strategic.

• Use specific feedback-learn how to label bad behavior.

• Label unacceptable practices.• “I know you want to…..”

Dante’s Paridiso• First Sphere. The sphere is that of souls who abandoned

their vows. (The freedom of the will, and the inviolability of sacred vows.)

• Second Sphere. The sphere is that of souls who did good out of a desire for fame.

• Third Sphere. The sphere is that of souls who did good out of love.

• Fourth Sphere. The sphere is that of souls of the wise.• Fifth Sphere. The sphere of souls who fought and are

notable warrior souls.• Sixth Sphere. The sphere is that of souls who personified

justice. • Seventh Sphere. The sphere is that of the contemplative. • Eighth Sphere. The sphere is the abode of all the blessed.• Ninth Sphere. The is the abode of angels.

Inferno or Paridiso?Adams has moved to Paridiso levels of Four-Seven:

with a few approaching the abode of angels.

Adams Elementary“Academic Excellence and Growth

for All”

• Peter Afflerbach, “You do not get the kind of results Adams Elementary has had with programs, you get that from hard-working, focused relationships.” UCIRA-November 2006

Key Points:

• Establish a Felt Need• Find Your Anchors • Build Capacity

– EMPOWER, don’t enfeeble

• Time, focus, continuity