Vision – Change – Growth #Engage109

“Great organizations demand a high level of commitment by the people involved.”
– Bill Gates

Vision (eyesight) is one of our five senses, eyesight is how ‘sighted’ people get input from the world around us. Eyesight is something that I do NOT take for granted, especially due to personal circumstances over the past six months. In this blog post I am going to draw parallels to my personal experiences with my vision and the concept of Vision in terms of organizational growth and change.

For 35 years I wore eyeglasses to correct my vision – correct as in meaning to improve sight. Sight in terms of what I could see with focus, distance, depth, perception, etc. I could still “see” without glasses, but my “vision” was distorted. With a distorted vision, I was not able to fully “see” or take in the world. The change I needed to make in my life was the change to wear glasses to “correct” my vision.

Often our vision needs to be corrected so that change and new methods can be embraced for improvement

Last year I started to lose my clear vision in my left eye (even with the change I had made 35 years prior) – even with glasses, the vision in my left eye was deteriorating. Again, I had to make choices: 1. let my vision deteriorate and accept a new limited reality; or 2. embrace change again to “correct” my sight.

During the period last year when my vision was departing from my left eye  I discovered I was developing cataracts. A cataract “grows” on the lens of the eye and impedes sight. During this experience the first change method I used to correct my vision, eyeglasses, was no longer sufficient.

For 35 years one method of correction worked and I was able to “see”. All of a sudden, out of nowhere I had two options: 1. live with limited vision or 2. have cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is not Lasik surgery; lasik works on the cornea (see the image at the left). Cataract surgery requires the removal and replacement of the lens in the eye. I also discovered during this process of stress, uneasiness, chaos, dissonance, “cheese moving” so to speak – that I needed to replace the lens in both eyes not just in my left eye. So … for a guy who is queasy with “health” stuff … I had to make a choice to confront my fears, confront risk and uncertainty and depart with the habits I had developed over a 35 year glasses wearing period.

So, after two surgeries – successful thankfully – my vision had not only been improved, but I did not need glasses anymore. My brilliant opthamologist inserted a distance lens in my right eye (still 20/20) and a reading/mid range lens in my left eye (20/20 reading and mid range). Wow – change was awesome! Wow – surgery and recovery was not so bad after all.

A change model I use in graphic form is the Virginia Satir change model (depicted in the image to the left). Applying this model to my personal health changes, the discovery of cataracts equate to the foreign element (by red triangle) introduced in my life.

Initially there was resistance (step 2). I was scared, angry, resentful, concerned, confused, and uncomfortable. The chaos, step 3, was the surgery, recovery and my experiences in those settings.

The Transforming Idea (red triangle at the bottom of the image) was the fact that after two surgeries I had better eyesight  than I had ever had. NO more glasses! NO reading glasses! The ability to wear sunglasses! No limited night vision. This all led to “integration”, step 4, and a new status quo. The change was fantastic and the new status quo was far better than the old one!

Change is a process, change is part of life, change is inevitable. Few of us seek change but in the end, many changes are far better than “that’s the way we have always done it” mentality.



ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

In the Deerfield Public Schools, District 109, we are engaged in a Strategic Planning process. Strategic means change, improvement, new, different. Strategic Planning means that the Satir Model of Change will now be applied to our organization.

In strategic planning organizations (in our case as a public school district) the Board of Education sets the mission, vision, values, and goals, and the superintendent and leadership team works to develop objectives for each of the goals. Each objective aligns to a goal.

Each goal is also aligned with the values or guiding principles. Those principles are aligned to the portrait of a graduate (beginning with the end in mind).

The portrait of a graduate is aligned to the vision and mission. I’m deliberately stating all of this to set the stage for how vision and change are coming to the Deerfield Public Schools! Our past 3.5 years have been filled with completing plans made by previous boards and leaders – we are proud of these plan completions and I have penned a number of blog posts about the impact of these changes. Now, the stage is set for the next few years to be guided and directed by and grounded in the new Strategic Plan.




In terms of strategic planning, setting the stage for what we hope to become, or setting the vision, is a complex process of input, review, soul searching, input searching, and hope.

Vision on in an organization refers to an aspiration   — or hope about the future.The vision describes what the future will become. It describes how the organization will lookin its future. The visions that get actualized are those that are based upon shared values and ideals.

A shared vision is powerful because members of the organization synthesize their hopes and aspirations in support of the common cause – or SHARED VISION. As a leader my aim is to inspire a shared vision. My aim is to generate ideas and synthesize multiple points of input into coherent action plans. My aim is to plan for change that is powerful, meaningful, and that becomes all hands on deck change.

Kouzes & Posner, authors of the Leadership Challenge, have found through extensive research across industry, that the 5 Exemplary Characteristics of leaders are:

Model the Way/Inspire a Shared Vision/Challenge The Process/Enable Others to Act/Encourage the Heart

Over the past few years our leadership team has spent significant time engaged in book review, 360 degree assessments based upon the Leadership Challenge LPI 360, and as a team we have strived to embody all five of these characteristics in all that we do as we lead and serve. The leadership framework upon which Nick Polyak and I frame in our upcoming book, The Unlearning Leader, is based on the 5 exemplary practices of a leader! These practices resonate with me and my leadership team.

By Inspiring a Shared Vision, when the “foreign” element is added into the mix, and the old status quo is challenged (challenge the process is another of the exemplary practices of a leader) the resistance is lessened and the pain is diminished when large numbers of stakeholders are engaged in the planning, vision creation, and planning!

In the Deerfield Public Schools we received more than 1,700 people’s input into our Strategic Plan – our district has 3000 students from 1,850 families, so the 1,700 voices helping guide our work give me great comfort that all voices are on the table as we prepare to make our system better – and as we prepare to make changes in our system.

Just like my personal experiences with change have had painful and uncomfortable moments, and just as I did not control elements of what happened to me, our organization is on the path toward meaningful change!



For another post at another time, I’ll explain how my perfect vision and my revised status quo was once again challenged as a torn retina became yet another foreign element in my life creating chaos, and change. As I march towards my new status quo I’m proud that my medical team, family, friends, co-workers, and employer have all helped inspire a shared vision in me — quite literally and figuratively!

To the future ….

As always comments are welcomed and encouraged!

How school superintendents explored the future of learning together

“When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb.”
– Patanjali

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This following is from a blog post I co-authored with Nick Polyak, and it is originally published on the Google EDU blog

How school superintendents explored the future of learning together

As education leaders, we’re expected to have all the answers. When we don’t, we solve problems by talking to our peers. The School Superintendents Association (AASA) invites administrators and educators to come together and talk about the challenges superintendents face, like how best to integrate technology in the classroom. This is a focus of the AASA’s digital consortium leadership cohort, which recently reached out to Google to see how they could further the AASA’s goal of leading new ways to use digital media in classrooms. We also reached out to Education Reimagined, an organization that advocates a paradigm shift to learner-centered education.

Google hosted a meeting of the AASA’s digital consortium with Education Reimagined at Google’s Chicago office in July 2016. Our discussion led us to realize we were thinking about the problem we wanted to solve in the wrong way. We had been making plans for how technology would transform our schools without considering one of the most important voices — our students! “The group’s discussion was a powerful reminder that we don’t make decisions in a vacuum,” said Mort Sherman, Associate Executive Director of the AASA. Putting student voices at the center of everything we do will help us design the future with them and for them. This will be a long journey for all of us, but one we are thrilled to embark on.

Putting student voices at the center of everything we do will help us design the future with them and for them.

Discovering student voices

At the Google office in Chicago, Education Reimagined Director Kelly Young kicked off the day by emphasizing the need to put students at the center. She advocated for a student-centered approach, where learning revolves around the needs of individual students instead of traditional classroom structures. She also encouraged us to bring students to the event to make sure that student input informed all of our discussions.

Google then worked with us to leverage their innovation methodology, informally known as “10x thinking” or “moonshot thinking” to help solve the challenges we were facing. It’s a version of “human-centered design thinking” that helps participants develop solutions while keeping the end-user at the center of the process.

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Superintendents used a design thinking process to explore learner-centered education
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In the STAT program at Deerfield Public School District 109, students facilitate a technology review committee meeting.

As we began, it occurred to us all that students are our users, and our users weren’t part of our conversation as much as they should be. Without their input, we wouldn’t be poised for success, because we weren’t empathizing with their daily experience. By going through the 10x process with the students present, we gave them a voice in a way we rarely do. As the realization of user-centric education sunk in, we were excited to share our takeaways with our schools.

After meeting in Chicago, we returned to our districts to put this learner-centric approach into action. Leyden High School District 212, for example, created two student advisory board member posts, giving students the opportunity to weigh in on meaningful decisions. Another, Deerfield Public School District 109, set up the STAT program (Student Technology Advisory Team), in which students provide their input on how technology in the classroom impacts them and what tools, devices, or practices are relevant and effective from their perspective. These are just two examples of the learner-centric transformation happening across the country.

Cementing our progress

More recently the AASA’s digital consortium re-convened in California to discuss, among other things, how we could turn this “aha” moment into action. A huge barrier to action is getting buy-in from teachers and parents, most of whom grew up in a classroom-centric education system.

Consider this: each of us spends over 16,000 hours in the classroom — that’s a lot of experience to work against. So together, we’re working to develop ways for schools to pilot learner-centric education without abruptly abandoning the classroom model. Google’s approach to innovation had us work through six questions in groups. We asked questions such as “If I look back in 12 months, how will I know I succeeded?” We ended the session with answers to some of the questions we had posed, bearing in mind our work isn’t finished.

We’re still working to implement learner-centered education in schools. And it’s not easy. When we meet next spring, our superintendents will report on progress made in individual schools and districts.

It took combining Google’s approach to problem solving, the philosophy from Education Reimagined and the amazing network of superintendents brought together by the AASA to help us think differently about the role of technology in learning. Now that we’ve identified the paradigm shift that needs to happen, we’re excited to share our moment of realization with districts, schools, and classrooms across the country.

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Vanessa Gallegos, left, of East Leyden and Noelle Lowther of West Leyden were introduced as student representatives for the school board during a meeting on May 12 at East Leyden High School.

Illinois 5Essentials PARENT Survey – a letter to my community #Engage109

“Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.” – Thomas Jefferson


Every other year the state of Illinois asks school districts to survey students, teachers, and parents to complete a statewide climate survey called the 5Essentials from the University of Chicago. As part of our continuing efforts to get input and learn in what areas we succeed and in what areas we need improvement, we ask every member of our school community to complete the surveys.

From a letter I sent:

“Beginning November 16, students, teachers and parents across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the fourth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. …This year, District 109 is participating, and asking parents to share their thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness.

Please click here to take the survey.

If you have children in more than one school, please take the survey for each school. The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Your participation will help the District understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.

  • Effective Leaders
  • Collaborative Teachers
  • Involved Families
  • Supportive Environments
  • Ambitious Instruction

Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.

All teachers and 6th through 12th grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. These reports will be sent to schools and districts in March 2017 and will also be included in the State School Report Card. If at least 20 percent of parents complete this survey, a parent supplement will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the State Report Card.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for parents will be conducted November 16 through January 16, 2017. Thank you so much for giving your valuable time and input. We are listening!

Sincerely,

Mike

Michael Lubelfeld, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Deerfield Public Schools District 109
517 Deerfield Road  |  Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 945-1844 x7231
http://www.dps109.org | https://dps109supt.edublogs.org/


Text-a-Tip: 24/7 anonymous support for students who need help for themselves or a friend. Text 224HELP to 274637 to connect with a trained counselor.

A Sense of Urgency – Time for INNOVATION – #Engage109

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
– Winston Churchill

changeimage I often write about change, the need for change, and for innovation in schools. The model of public education under which we operate was born in an era long gone. It was designed by people long gone. It worked for an economy long gone.CSWju_OUsAAJMue20160126-202024-uenv2v.jpg

Last year I had a life-changing, impactful experience helping change the situation for people in the Dominican Republic on the LifeTouch 2016 Memory Mission Trip. I and many others had the honor of helping to build a school for people in an area where none had existed (beyond 4th grade). That school is almost open! That school is just about to change the equation for life and culture and society forever. I was able to see, hear, and feel what change is. I was able to be part of something way larger than me! I am still humbled at the fact I was able to serve so many in such an impactful and meaningful way.

 

For the past quarter century I have been fortunate to engage in public education. I’ve been a teacher (in both English and Spanish), a social studies coordinator, an associate principal, a principal, an assistant superintendent; and now as a superintendent I serve.

I and my colleagues have dedicated our lives and professional careers serving children, teachers, and communities. We study, we read, we experience reality in the classrooms, we know what needs to be done! What we don’t know we learn – what we don’t understand we figure out – what we know is that “zip code based educational practices are unfair”.

The old state house in Boston, MA. The balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was read publicly in 1776 and 1976.
The old state house in Boston, MA. The balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was read publicly in 1776 and 1976.

Our nation was founded on the principles that all men are created equal – well it’s time for all schools to be brought up to the highest of standards and results so all educational opportunities can be equal – level up is what I believe – rigor is what I believe – meaningful, viable, and differentiated curriculum is what I believe!

I’m proud of the many innovations in District 109! I’m proud of the courage of the public, Board, leadership team, teachers, students, partners, and everyone with whom we work in making a new reality for our local public education. Over the past four years we have changed more than perhaps had changed in the preceding 50 years. As a result, we now have the best learning spaces in many of our schools – we select the best teachers in all of our schools – and clearly we have an abundance of resources in all of our schools!

Our reality in Deerfield is such that we can change, innovate and improve for the future.

We must – it’s a sense of urgency in Deerfield as well as all over the nation. Thank you for your continued interest in our story and the support for our continued “Challenge the Process” attitude.

In order to stay up to date we join professional organizations, we study the latest research and train our staff to implement evidence based practices, and we share what we have tried, what has failed, our learnings from that which we tried again, and stories of how we have suceceeded.

One modern source of inspiration is TED talks. Please take the time to listen to courageous and successful leader Dr. Geoff Canada.

This TED Talk from Dr. Geoffrey Canada is a “must watch” and then a “must act” video message – as Canada says, we must REFUSE to let any child fail!

Who is Geoffrey Canada:
From: Bio information about Dr. Canada

Why you should listen
Geoffrey Canada grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in the South Bronx, with a mother who believed deeply in education. So upon getting his degree from Bowdoin College and continuing on to a masters in education from Harvard, Canada dedicated himself to working with kids in poor neighborhoods. In 1983, he accepted a position at the Rheedlen Institute in Harlem as education director. Seven years later, he became president and renamed it the Harlem Children’s Zone.

While the Harlem Children’s Zone started out focusing on a single block — West 119th Street — it has since expanded exponentially. It now encompasses more than 100 square blocks and serves an estimated 10,000 children, providing pre-kindergarten care, after-school programs, health care, college planning and classes for soon-to-be-parents.

Meanwhile, Canada has become known nationally for his work, appearing on shows as diverse as Oprah and This American Life. The recipient of the first Heinz Award in 1994, Canada was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News and World Report in 2005 and, in 2011, he was listed as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. Both Canada and Harlem Children’s Zone figured prominently in the 2010 documentary Waiting for Superman. And President Barack Obama’s Promise Neighborhoods program was modeled after HCZ, offering grants to programs in 21 cities across the country to try and emulate its success.

So now what are we going to do about this?

As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions, ideas, and conversation!

In District 109 we are engaged in Strategic Planning right now. Working with national expert ECRA Group we have held focus groups with stakeholders, interviews with Board members, and a survey is forthcoming.

I hope every member of the DPS109 community takes the time to complete the survey. We’re seeking the input of our community – it is a cooperative endeavor to run public schools. Looking forward to the next few years in our district I am confident that the innovations, change process, and overall improvements will leave a lasting legacy for decades to come!

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

5 Minutes in 5th Grade – Podcast of Student Voice – #Engage109

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Many years ago when I taught 8th grade students U.S. history and reading at Blackhawk Middle School in Bensenville, Illinois, the team of teachers with whom I worked grappled with the home/school communication conundrum. We did not have ready access to email or blackhawkmiddleschoolwebsites back then, and we did not always have the most compelling “packets” and paper reminders going home.

So we set up a weekly communication for the parents called “Behind the Nothing”. This was a letter which was a letter written by each student each week for their parents to see and learn what the students learned that week.

You see for most of our students, back then, when their parents would ask, “What did you learn today at school?”, the student would almost always reply, “nothing”. So we decided to create a communication from the student voice and from the student perspectives as a new way to inform their parents what they were learning! Well . . . a lot has happened in education, communication, and technology since 1993 when I first started teaching! Of course students were learning then and they are learning now!

In today’s blog post I’m sharing 5 minutes in 5th grade, a five minute podcast withwhatdidyoulearn students telling the listener what they learned at a recent outdoor education experience. Today’s teacher is equipped with far more tools for communication than the teacher of 1993. Using the application AudioBoom, I recorded the student’s voices on my iPhone. Click the link below to spend 5 minutes in 5th grade!

Special thank you to Dr. Dave Sherman, Ms. Megan Chin, Ms. Keidan, Ms. Kramer, and Mr. Templer and their awesome South Park School 5th grade students!

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER