U Turn

A Recipe for School Reform

Tameka H. Davis ED. D.

• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781649528551
• eBook ISBN: 9781649528568
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Have you experienced educational burnout? Tired of burning the midnight oil strategizing on how to bring about change within your organization? Are you tired of holes being drilled in the boat while trying to reach your destination? Let's make a U-turn to change the direction of your organization toward success. U-Turn: A Recipe for School Reform equips educational leaders with the tools necessary to make a profound and lasting difference in the lives of students growing up in poverty by changing the culture of their learning environment and making learning relevant to their everyday lives. Dr. Tameka H. Davis transforms an elementary and high school that were classified as high-poverty schools into high-performing schools. In both organizations, Dr. Davis changed the ethos and culture, provided high-performance organizational management, high-quality aligned instructional systems, recruited and cultivated high-quality teachers and teaching, and led with equity ensuring that all students had access to opportunities and resources.

Readers should expect to

understand the urgency of poverty and how the learning environment has a direct impact on their academic achievement,

understand the importance of building authentic student relationships,

understand the importance of building the confidence of students,

understand the power of allowing students to have ownership of their data,

understand the rationale behind setting goals that are attainable for students.

Visit https://www.teacherleadershipacademy.com/ for more information regarding workshops and professional development.

Dr. Davis's leadership style is transformational to say the least. She is truly a blessing to the entire educational spectrum. Her love for educating children is clearly seen in her writing as well as in her leadership. Dr. Davis provides support to teachers and parents to ensure all students learn. Her strategic thinking and innovative ideas allow teachers to use their strengths and build their weaknesses from planning to implementing. I'm truly excited to learn so much more through this publication.

-Kristen L. Williams, MEd

Dr. Tameka Davis's books provide keen insight into becoming a transformational leader in today's educational climate. This book provides a real-world way to achieve transformational leadership. Her book can help any dedicated leader turn any school K-12 into a successful school with high achievement. The processes she has laid out in this book will be an absolute game-changer for a school that has been low-performing. She has included essential information about best practices and proven teaching methods for children in poverty.

-Stacey Vaughn, MEd

Chapter 2

The Quest for High Performance of Organizational Management

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

When one decides to lead, there are many challenges and obstacles to overcome. There is nothing easy about leadership, and it should not be entered into lightly. Whomever leads must be confident in their ability to make a difference and be willing to withstand ridicule and judgement. In the heart of every school leader lies the courage and the strength to make schools conducive to learning, create a safe and orderly environment, and establish a culture of learning. Leaders celebrate in the advancement of others and nothing thrills them more than the opportunity to create more leaders. Although leadership is often a double-edged sword that has its pros and cons, it is the most rewarding job on the planet. Anytime one seeks out to make an organization better than what they found, the changes they invoke comes with a price.

At Vicksburg High School and Sherman Avenue Elementary School, there were a number of systems put in place to ensure that students were allowed to thrive in an environment that was constantly working to ensure that students attended a school that was focused on high performance and organizational management. Class Dojo was incorporated as a behavioral and communication tool. Class Dojo also helped teachers keep track and set goals and expectations in the classroom. District policies were also followed in regard to response to intervention, and partnerships within the community were formed to ensure that students got the assistance they needed. Teachers also used SchoolStatus to make positive calls home to parents to remove communication barriers.

In addition, the building principal implemented non-negotiables at the start of the school year. The campus was closed, and teachers had to spend their planning period devising engaging lessons, reviewing data, and attending meetings and training. Teachers were asked to observe the twenty-twenty rule, which was a rule that stated that students could not leave class twenty minutes after the tardy bell or twenty minutes before the end of class. This was important so that teachers could introduce the lesson at the beginning of class and check for understanding and answer any questions at the end.

The environment was student-centered, and excellence was the expectation. Authentic relationships were fostered, and the entire student was educated. Restorative discipline was used in times of redirection and correction, giving the students opportunity to redeem themselves. As time went on, students began to think about the consequences of their actions and practiced self-discipline.

All of the adults in the building were engaged in monitoring the hallways and restrooms. Positive Behavior Intervention Support expectations were posted in classrooms and hallways and students looked forward to being rewarded for meeting academic and discipline goals. In addition, students had access to their counselors and were allowed to participate in student activities so that they could express their ideas and goals in a safe environment.

There is a word that many shy away from and a vast majority hate. It is a word often followed by actions that often require people to do things differently and put forth an extra effort. The word that I’m speaking of is called change. It is a fairly small word but can make or break an organization. Many find it difficult to do things outside of what they have been accustomed to do for an extended period of time. They become comfortable in the way things are done, and anything contrary to that puts them in a place of uncertainty. This sometimes makes it hard for people within the organization to see the vision and mission of the leader.

People often want things better, but not at the expense of requiring them to do things differently. Some downright hate it and start resisting the people who are trying to impose change. However, getting people on board to understand the vision and the reason for change is one of the hardest things to do in leadership. It is a phrase commonly referred to as buy-in. However, unless things are done differently, things will not change. Old ways will not open new doors. In order to achieve the goals of the organization, things will have to be done differently. You cannot have change without change. Everything that matters must be researched and systems and people must be strategically put in place to align with the vision and mission of the organization. However, this is often easier said than done. It takes planning and higher order thinking to implement the necessary system to make the organization successful and be able to sustain in the event tha...

Table of contents

• Shifting the School’s Ethos and Culture
• The Quest for High Performance of Organizational Management
• Providing the Structure for High Quality Aligned Instructional Systems
• Developing High Quality Teachers and Teaching
• Providing Resources and Equity to Ensure a High Performance and Information Management System