Success by Design,Not by Chance

Raymond J. McNulty, President

International Center for Leadership in Education

Leadership Conference Cypress Fairbanks ISD

Houston, TX

• Not an expert

• I’m a learner and I change my opinion based on what I learn.

SUCCESS BY DESIGN NOT BY CHANCE

Why I do this work…

WE need to become the agents of change.

Objects of Change

VS.Agents of Change

Federal/State Gov’t.

SEA

Schools, Colleges, Staff, Students, Board

Policy, Community

Schools, Staff, Students, Board

Policy, Community

Federal/State Gov’t.

SEA

Stop waiting for the cure … educators are the cure!!

THEMES

• Challenge is complex

• Aim of Education

• Motivation and Relationships

• Learning Criteria

• Learning Criteria and Closing Thoughts

THEME

• Challenge is complex

What happened to GM..??

We have a flawed perspective of always listening to our best

customers… They tell us how good the system is working for

them!

BANKING

• Sears

• IBM

• Xerox

What got us to where we are today in education,

will not get us to where we need to be!

We need fewer, clearer and more rigorous standards!

OUR PROBLEM IS NOT SIMPLY STANDARDS, BUT

“DESIGN” AS WELL!!!!

THEME

• Aim of Education

The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school.

We’ve created false proxies for learning…

• Finishing a course or textbook has come to mean achievement

• Listening to lecture has come to mean understanding

• Getting a high score on a standardized test has come to mean proficiency

Learning should have its roots in..

• Meaning, not just memory

• Engagement, not simply transmission

• Inquiry, not only compliance

• Exploration, not just acquisition

• Personalization, not simply uniformity

• Collaboration, not only competition

• Trust, not fear

• Basic Knowledge/Skills

• English Language (spoken)

• Reading Comprehension • (in English)• Writing in English • (grammar, spelling, etc.)• Mathematics

• Science

• Government/Economics

• Humanities/Arts

• Foreign Languages

• History/Geography

“Are They Really Ready To Work?”

Applied Skills

•Critical Thinking/Problem Solving

•Oral Communication

•Written Communication

•Teamwork/Collaboration

•Diversity

•Information Technology Application

•Leadership

•Creativity/Innovation

•Lifelong Learning/Self Direction

•Professionalism/Work Ethic

•Ethics/Social Responsibility

THEME

• Motivation and Relationships

Intentionally Non-CompliantStudent

LEAP PROGRAM

Dweck

Theory of Attribution

What Works Best?

• REQUIRE

• MANDATE

• FORCE

• EXCITE

• CREATE PASSION

• MOTIVATE

Motivation is a key ingredient for success in learning.

Talking with kids…

It’s not us against them!

ALL STUDENTS

• RIGOR

• RELEVANCE

• RELATIONSHIPS

ALL STUDENTS

• Relationships

• Relevance

• Rigor

“It is virtually impossible to make things relevant for, or expect personal excellence

from a student you don’t know.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

You can’t teach kids you don’t know….

Standardized Assessment

Necessary but NOT SUFFICIENT

STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES ARE AN

ACCURATE MEASURE OF STUDENT LEARNING AND

SCHOOL SUCCESS.

We behave like………..

OUR WORK IS COMPLEX

A test score is not a synonym for what a student has learned or a school has

accomplished.

TO DO THE JOB WELL

• QUANTITATIVE DATA

• QUALITATIVE DATA

• GREAT QUESTIONS…

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – I make learning exciting for my students.

86%

S – My teachers make learning fun.

41%

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – I am aware of my students’ interests outside of school.

84%

S – My teachers know my interests outside of school.

28%

Theme

• Learning Criteria

The Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century Learners ©

Success Beyond the Test

• Foundation Learning

• Stretch Learning

• Learner Engagement

• Personal Skill Development

Criteria• Foundation Learning (Achievement in the core

subjects of English language arts, math and science and others identified by the school)

• Stretch Learning (Demonstration of rigorous and relevant learning beyond the minimum requirements)

• Learner Engagement (The extent to which students are motivated and committed to learning; have a sense of belonging and accomplishment; and have relationships with adults, peers, and parents that support learning)

• Personal Skill Development (Measures of personal, social, service, and leadership skills; and demonstrations of positive behaviors and attitudes)

Foundation Stretch LearnerEngagement

Personal Skill Development

Foundation

StretchLearner EngagementPersonal Skill Development

Dimensions of the Learning Criteria

School Centered to Student Centered

Learner Engagement (15 pts. Max for Each)

• On Schedule to Graduate with Cohort Group

• Attendance Rate

• Tardiness Rate

• Submits Homework Assignments on Time

• Community Service

• No Discipline Referrals

• Participation in Extracurricular Activities

• Participation in Interscholastic Sports

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 0 15 00

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 025

00

25

50

75

100

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Perso nal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Foundation Learning

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 0

40

00

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 0

50

00

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 0

55

00

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 0

70

00

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria

0 0

80

00

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria STUDENT 1

8880

10091

0

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

Student Evaluation Using the Learning Criteria STUDENT 2

95 9075

45

0

25

50

75

100

FoundationLearning

StretchLearning

LearnerEngagement

Personal SkillDevelopment

Ind

ex

THEMES

• Learning Criteria & Closing Thoughts

SUCCESS BY DESIGN NOT BY CHANCE

Learning Criteria to Support 21st

Century Learners

Foundation Learning

Stretch Learning

Learner Engagement

Personal Skill Development

Components of School

Excellence

•Embrace a Common Vision and Goals•Inform Decisions Through Data Systems•Empower Leadership Teams to Take Action and Innovate•Clarify Student Learning Expectations•Adopt Effective Instructional Practices•Address Organizational Structures•Monitor Progress/Improve Support Systems•Refine Process on an Ongoing Basis

6

5

4

3

2

1

1 2 3 4 5

Rigor/Relevance Framework

Supported by Relationships

FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION

There’s no silver bullet!!

NO EPIPHANY

THEMES

• Challenge is complex

• Aim of Education

• Motivation and Relationships

• Learning Criteria

• Learning Criteria and Closing Thoughts

Success by Design,Not by Chance

Raymond J. McNulty, President

International Center for Leadership in Education

Leadership Conference Cypress Fairbanks ISD

Houston, TX