Partnering to “Make A Difference”
The economic resources
of education systems in Kansas have been stressed mightily in the last few
years, while the demand for improving student performance has increased. Sound familiar? It’s a
situation many state organizations are in across the nation, forcing us all to
ask ourselves what services we can continue to afford to deliver in an era of
resource scarcity.
Business gurus such as
Keith McFarland and Peter Drucker coach that difficult economic times are
actually prime times for businesses to strengthen themselves by refocusing on
their core missions and customer needs, and re-evaluating their strategies for
service delivery.
Putting this theory into
practice, at the Kansas Association of School Boards we heard from our member
districts and agencies that one of their largest areas of need was the lack of
quality professional development for school and district leaders. And through a
refocus on the part of our mission to “provide a culture of collaboration,” we
sought a partner to help maximize resources and allow us to provide such PD
opportunities on a large scale.
We chose to work with
McREL, a leading non-profit education research and service organization based
in Denver, together developing a partnership that gave our KASB staff leaders
the training to deliver McREL’s leadership PD program, called Balanced
Leadership. Through the partnership, KASB has helped hundreds of principals and
administrators statewide gain skills and knowledge about research-proven leadership
practices that are positively linked to student achievement. Additionally, the
partnership agreement allowed KASB to retain a share of the training fees when
we deliver the PD, providing our organization with a financial benefit.
That initial partnership
worked well, so this past summer KASB again partnered with McREL to provide our
school leaders with training on a classroom observation program called Power
Walkthrough. This web-based program runs on tablets, iPads, and other
mobile devices, and helps principals turn brief classroom observations into
meaningful opportunities for coaching teachers to higher levels of performance.
As of now, 26 districts across the state are using the program, and they’re
seeing deeper discussions throughout their schools on the educational practices
that make a difference for students. Data generated from the program also
gives principals and administrators insight into how well PD initiatives are
being implemented within their schools and districts. As a result, these districts
are becoming more efficient and focused on using research-based instructional
practices in their classrooms.
As the old saying goes,
“timing is everything.” In July 2012 the state of Kansas received an ESEA
waiver from the United States Department of Education, allowing the state to
move in a direction that is more aligned with our local needs and
values. As part of the waiver, all districts in Kansas must implement an
evaluation system that is formative in nature by the fall of 2014. The established
partnership between KASB and McREL has given our local school districts options
to consider when adopting a formative evaluation system, as McREL’s teacher and
principal evaluation systems is approved by the state as a viable option that
meets the ESEA waiver requirements. School districts across Kansas have taken
an interest in the evaluation systems because of their research base, ease of
use, and focus on the right leadership and instructional practices to help
students achieve at higher levels.
To further serve our
member school districts, KASB partnered with our statewide network of
educational service centers, expanding the capacity of our collaborative system
by helping local ESC centers become trained to provide high-quality
professional development in their regions. Although it is early in development, it appears to have enhanced
interest and participation from educators around the state.
These partnerships have
allowed KASB to strengthen our capacity to deliver great services to our member
districts, meeting their needs even in a time of resource scarcity. By becoming
facilitators, connectors, and quality assurance managers, we can maximize our
own staff efforts within KASB and continue to provide these services.
Through the partnership
approach, we retain local control, context, and relationships, while also
giving our members access to the best national education research, products,
and experts.
Our challenges are ever
present, but our shared goal of improving student achievement has forged a
strong relationship for everyone in the coalition. And in the end, the
students, teachers, and educational leaders of Kansas have been the true
beneficiaries of this partnership.
The past couple of weeks the KASB Leadership Services team
has been on the road working with new school boards. Stops at Manhattan, Oakley, and Sublette the
last week of April and this past week at Clearwater and Greenbush. Nearly 400 people have attended the sessions
that included many administrators and mentor board members. The topics revolve around the seven powers of
a school board. 
Gary Sechrist shares the importance of building a “positive”
board culture. He shares and explains
the governance clock to help new board members understand the role of the board
in leading the school district.
Discussions on trust, communication and teamwork help new board members
understand the importance of building relationships and focusing on leadership. 
