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February 18, 2007
Three steps to help find opportunities to improve your school
During the month of February, most school executives are already looking forward to what they need to do and focus upon with planning for the upcoming year. Most of us won't likely engage in this act alone. Instead, the wisest among us will enlist others who can help us with possible opportunities for continuing growth. Our role as leaders is to help enlist others, evaluate possible approaches and solutions, and then implement the recommendations. You may find this model useful to try the following approach with your leadership team, school improvement teams, and other groups as well.
Step 1-Step back and step in. Step back from the day to day operations of your school and identify possible areas and situations that need improvement. Obviously, you'll use the data and facts unique to your school to help you in analysis. Once you've stepped back, get ready to step in to work with your team to find possible solutions.
Step 2-Look for outliers of expertise. ID people who are doing a terrific job at what you're trying to accomplish. Often, you'll find one or two people on your staff that are doing a terrific job in the area you've focused upon. You also want to enlist others that can help carry the message and bring in acceptance for what you are trying to accomplish. The biggest mistake school execs make here is to think they have to do it alone. This is not time for the Lone Ranger Syndrome.
Step 3-Examine the data, make assumptions, and challenge those assumptions. Making any type of improvement depends upon data and facts, not simply opinions. Once you think you have a possible solution, write down the assumptions that you are making with your plan. Is it dependent upon a particular source of funds (like a grant)? Is it dependent upon one or two key individuals? Finally, ask the members of your team to challenge those assumptions and see where your collective assumptions do not hold water.
Doing these three steps won't guarantee that your plan for next year won't have some hiccups, but it certainly helps reduce the likelihood.
What other tips do you have in planning for the upcoming school year?
Posted by chitch at February 18, 2007 12:44 PM