Principal's Role in Education Reform

  1. Establish a Sense of Urgency
    bulletopportunities or crisis -- demand change now
    bullet Cohort Reports Show current Educational Trends in Need of Change
  2. Create a Guiding Team
    bulletGather change agents with credibility, skills, authority to lead the change
    bulletUtilize Department Chairs
    bulletKeep Communication Flowing
    bulletListen & Evaluate
  3. Develop a Vision & Strategy
    bulletClear, Uplifting Statements of the Goal & How to get there
    bulletCreate Pride in Programs (Use Program Descriptions)
    bulletUnderstand Engaged Teaching & Learning
    bulletCreate a Campus Motto -- "Change"
    bulletCollect Data -- Observations & Campus generated Assessments
    bulletFocus on Data, Focus your people on Data -- Not on Opinion!
    bulletMake Data-driven Decisions -- >"Show me the Data!"
    bulletDo NOT change UNLESS Data tells you to Change.  Change for Change Sake is a Mistake!
  4. Communicate the Change Vision
    bulletClear, Uplifting, REPEATED messages -- Pride in the Profession, Pride & Passion for Teaching
    bulletMonitor & Give Feedback -- Monitor & Give Feedback --->Growth Plans ASAP
  5. Empower Organization Members
    bulletRemove obstacles, change structures, "get the right people on the bus, get the wrong people off the bus" (From Good To Great by Jim Collins -- if you haven't read it, get a copy)
    bulletReward New Ideas & Risk-taking
    bulletAllot Resources to the Change Process (Title 1, AR, Compensatory, Campus, District, EYP)
  6. Generate Short-term Wins
    bulletCelebrate and Reward early successes -- these are critical
    bulletReward people involved
  7. Consolidate Gaines & Continue Change Processes
    bulletDON'T Let up!
  8. Anchor New Ways into the Culture of the Campus
    bulletMake Change Stick by Monitoring and Mottos  (Push / Pull)
    bulletDon't let anything interrupt the flow of appropriate change

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From Kotter's (1996, 2002) 8-Stages of Change