March Madness is upon
us! We have been playing the “game” of
school improvement all year and those spring OVT (accreditation) visits are about to
start. It’s crunch time! We want our results to lead to April Achievement
and May Magic. Can we feel the excitement in our halls, our
classrooms, our meetings? Is our team focused on the desired
outcomes? Have we accomplished all that
we set out to do? What do our stats (data)
say? Has our preparation put us in a
place of strength as we enter these critical “contests” or face the challenges
before us? Does each player know his/her
role? Does our team (staff) believe we
can succeed? As we assess the
competition for now and in the future, what will our team and our game plan
look like as we take the court?
School leaders can
learn from the NCAA version of March Madness.
While local newspapers may want area schools to compete against each
other for “best scores, highest seeded schools, etc.,” the real challenge is
competing within our own system to improve from year to year. Just as college coaches and teams do each
season, we start long before March to ensure we are prepared. We create long range plans that include performance
goals and actions which are based on the review of data, ongoing needs
assessments from the previous year(s), input from people invested in the team’s
performance, understanding of best practices, and a vision of where the team
wants to go. The coaches (building
leaders) put the plan into action by ensuring the team is built on trust, has
the best personnel in the right positions, understands the necessary knowledge
and skills, and is provided ample practice time and support so that the selected
strategies can be effectively implemented.
When each player believes in his/her own ability to make a difference
and step up when the game is on the line; when the team has bonded, is working toward a common
goal, and has learned to trust each other, then the efficacy of one becomes the
collective efficacy of the team and everyone wins!
Upper management (central office) and other invested groups
(BOE, Stakeholders) have roles in the success of the team through their
financial support to ensure the best resources and personnel are in place, to
provide the best learning experiences for the players and coaches, and to be willing
to work side by side with the team through the learning and implementation
processes. Maybe just as important are
their roles as encouragers and supporters.
Cheering in the stands is a great motivator!
As the team huddles for the last time before the big
game, we expect that the game plan is understood by all coaches and players,
but we also expect that they realize adjustments must be made along the
way. When individual players can see
what needs to happen and have the ability and permission to make those
adjustments, the team can be even more successful! When
coaches micromanage and have to call every play, or are overly critical of
mistakes that are bound to happen, the confidence and efficacy of their team
diminishes. When change is warranted and
coaches or players fail to make adjustments, progress stalls, and the win
(improvement) may slip away. All of this
requires continuous reflection and study on what works, what didn’t and what we
will do about it.
The culmination of our “season” begins with March Madness
and ends with May Magic! How is your
leadership supporting the challenge of goal achievement? How is your team competing as the action plan unfolds? Will the kids be the winners
as we “play the game” of school improvement?
Ultimately we are looking to do what works best. As spring turns into summer, what will we do
in the off season to make next year even better? Team members come and go, and leadership
turns over, but the quest to field the best team possible and be competitive in
March Madness and beyond is always before us.
And because it’s school and not just one game, we can’t be satisfied
with “One Shining Moment,” but we can and should celebrate this journey of many shining moments over time!
