Learning Transformed

8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today

Eric C. Sheninger

• Publisher: ASCD
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781416623892
• eBook ISBN: 9781416623922
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

With all that we know about how students learn, the nature of the world they will face after graduation, and the educational inequities that have existed for centuries, maintaining a traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning is tantamount to instructional malpractice.

International security, the success of global economies, and sustainability as a global society all depend on the success of our education system in the years to come. It's our obligation to prepare our students for their future—not our past.

Authors Eric C. Sheninger and Thomas C. Murray outline eight keys—each a piece of a puzzle for transforming the K–12 education system of teaching and learning—to intentionally design tomorrow's schools so today's learners are prepared for success... and stand ready to create new industries, find new cures, and solve world problems.

The traditional model of schooling ultimately prepares students for the industrial model of the past. If we want our students to become successful citizens in a global society, we must dramatically shift to a more personal approach. Failure is not an option. We can no longer wait. Let Learning Transformed show you how you can be a part of the solution.

The authors encourage you to use the hashtag #LT8Keys to continue the discussion online.

---

Chapter 1

---

Creating a Culture of Innovation

Leadership and school culture lay the foundation.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Role of Leadership

---

Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.

Steve Jobs

---

The influence of leadership is second only to the influence of the classroom teacher in determining student success. The effect of leadership is also greatest in schools with the highest levels of need (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005).

So what is true leadership?

When people come across the word leader, it often precedes the word follower. Leadership is not about attracting others to follow. This notion conveys a sense of power, authority, and control that might serve one well in the short term (by getting others to fall into line through conformity), but it doesn't create the innovative conditions necessary for sustainable change. The definition and resulting perception of leader needs a makeover.

Great leaders don't tell people what to do but instead take them to where they need to be. There is no agenda to create a harem of followers or disciples. True leaders know that their success is intimately tied to the work of the collective. As such, they encourage risk taking and create a culture of innovation and trust. One person doesn't win a war, an election, or a football game. The pinnacle of success comes from a dynamic team approach where each person knows that he or she has an important role to play—that the work has meaning. We can also say with certainty that one person doesn't singlehandedly build a successful business. This same principle undoubtedly applies to schools and districts, as school leaders must be creative and forward thinking in obtaining streams of human talent and capital resources required to sustain their success.

The following acronym has been developed to add context to the evolving role of leadership in schools today. The best leaders do the following on a consistent basis:

Learn

Empower

Adapt

Delegate

Engage

Reflect

Serve

Learn

Learning is the heart of the work. Great leaders are committed to professional growth since they know there is no perfection in any position—just daily improvement. Leaders engage in both formal and informal experiences to improve their practice, which will ultimately have a positive effect on student learning (Leithwood et al., 2004). Leaders make the time to learn and get better on a daily basis and, in turn, make their learning visible as an inspiration to others. Leaders who love their work are always learning.

Empower

A key element of effective leadership is the ability to empower others to take risks, remove the fear of failure, and grant autonomy to innovate. A recent study that surveyed 1,500 workers from six different countries showed that humility is one of four critical leadership factors for creating such an environment (Prime & Salib, 2014). People who are empowered find greater value in the work they are engaged in. Empowerment leads to respect and trust, which builds powerful relationships focused on attaining a clearly articulated vision.

Adapt

Continuous change is inevitable. As such, leaders must embrace a sense of flexibility and openness to change when the need arises. In fact, the best leaders will be proactive and "create change" before external influences force it. Research has shown that the ability to adapt to an array of situations, challenges, and pressures is pivotal to accomplishing one's goals (Yuki & Mahsud, 2010). The research illustrates that leaders need to have mental models that facilitate understanding about the complex effects of their behaviors on multiple objectives and that stress the importance of balancing competing values. Leaders need to appreciate and take advantage of opportunities to increase their self-awareness of relevant traits, skills, and behaviors, and they need to develop necessary skills before they are needed. In addition, they are comfortable navigating unclear situations while blazing an unexplored trail. The research also shows the need to recognize responsibility for helping others develop and use the skills and behaviors required for flexible and adaptive leadership (Yuki & Mahsud, 2010). Success in life is intertwined with our ability to adapt in order to survive. Such evolution through adaptation creates better leaders.

Delegate

Delegation is an essential aspect of distributive and collaborative leadership; no leader can do everything by himself or herself. Research has shown that extending leadership responsibilities beyond the teacher is an important lever for developing effective professional learning communities in schools (Morrisey, 2000). Building greater capacity in staff through purposeful delegation is also an important means of sustaining improvement (Fullan, 2001). The decisiveness to delegate certain tasks and responsibilities is not a weakness. On the contrary, it enables leaders to apply sharper focus to areas of greater importance. Collaborative leadership also builds confidence in others' ability as coleaders of an organization—even when they don't have a fancy title or letters after their name.

Engage

In today's global, sharing economy, access to relevant, up-to-date information is vital. Leaders understand this fact and develop strategies to authentically engage with their stakeholders through multidimensional communication and by taking control of public relations, developing a positive brand presence, and establishing an effective feedback loop (Sheninger, 2014). One of the greatest challenges for today's school leaders is the ability to create an environment that cultivates each person's intrinsic motivation. An ecosystem of engagement flourishes when leaders understand the foundational drivers of human engagement—the need for trust, a sense of belonging, the need for hope, and the need to feel invested in the work. Increased engagement results when leaders meet stakeholders where they are, encourage two-way communication, and become the "storyteller-in-chief."

Reflect

It is difficult to find a great leader who does not regularly reflect on his or her own work and effectiveness. Reflection, which can be defined as the process of critically thinking about your behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values, has been identified by numerous researchers as an important part of any formal or informal learning process (Schon, 1983; Kolb, 1984; Mezirow, 1998). Leadership is learning, and learning is leadership—at both the individual and group levels. The ability to reflect, however, is not necessarily an inherent attribute; it must be cultivated over time. Unless one is actively engaged in the practice of reflection, it is doubtful that this capability will develop on its own (Roberts, 2008). In a digital world, reflection can take many forms and results in greater transparency. It's not how one chooses to reflect but an emphasis on consistently integrating the process that defines a great leader.

Serve

Beyond the notion of titles and power, leadership is about serving others. The best leaders work diligently to meet the needs of others, as they realize it's not about them; it's about obtaining the organizational vision; and for schools, that's doing whatever it takes to serve the community and all of its children. Leaders must model the behaviors they seek, empower people to expand their personal capacity, and put the needs of the organization above themselves. Leaders flourish through their influence—not because of a fancy title. Serving others taps into one's heart and soul as these leaders are driven by far more than a position of power or a paycheck. In a study done by Sipe and Frick (2009), it was found that "servant leadership" was the predominant factor in an organization's level of success. Ultimately, the best leaders don't add more followers; they develop and empower more leaders.

Model Your Vision; It Starts with You

---

The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.

Seth Godin

---

I (Eric) remember back to my days as an elementary school student. Boy did I have a warped sense of what leadership really was. Back then, recess leaders (that is, on the playground) were perceived as those who had the most athletic ability. These individuals were always in a position to select the kickball teams or control the organization of literally every activity. This was not only accepted but also embraced by every kid. Herein lies the problem. Social hierarchy determined how the teams would be organized. One by one, kids were selected based on how well he or she could kick a ball. This always left a feeling of dread among those kids who were picked last every time. In this example, I, like many of my fellow classmates, made the conscious decision not to step up and lead.

Maybe this example is not the best one to articulate my view of leadership, but then again, maybe it can get the point across. Reflection of those days at recess has taught me a great deal about what leadership is and—most importantly—what it isn't.

We first have to look at the underlying methodologies of how society determines or anoints leaders. There are many assumptions when it comes to leadership. One that is regularly portrayed is that leadership is somehow an inherent trait that is either passed down from prior generations or something that is bestowed upon someone. Although DNA influences our personalities, leadership skills are developed over time. Throughout history and in many cultures, there have been people who were born into a leadership role, but for the most part, monarchies have become a thing of the past. Another prevalent assumption is that leaders are granted power and influence through their titles, positions, or abbreviations. In some cases, they might have decision-making power but be ineffective, detrimental leaders. This begs the question as to whether having power is really a characteristic of our most effective and influential leaders.

We need to move past preconceived notions about who qualifies to be a leader. There is no ownership right of dynamic leadership. Effective leadership has very little to do with titles and positions, especially in the context of leading and intentionally designing schools. During the countless conversations we have had, a common theme is prevalent among many educators who seem to believe that real change can only come from adults who have a specific title (such as a board of education member, superintendent, central office administrator, principal, or supervisor). These conversations often continue with stories of many so-called leaders, anointed by title, who did anything but lead.

Ineffective leadership squanders opportunities to transform organizations in positive ways. Leaders by title (LBT) often exhibit many defining characteristics such as egos, power trips, taking credit for the work of others, handing down mandates/directives, invisibility (i.e., they're never seen or around when needed), ruling by fear, and insecurity when their ideas are challenged in the open. They commonly tell others what to do without having done it themselves or assisting in the process. LBTs work to convince or mandate others to do something instead of modeling the way.

Changes that are implemented by LBTs are never sustained. What scares us the most about LBTs is that they have the ability and designated power to inhibit the changes that are so desperately needed. The perception of what a leader is needs to change, and it begins with you.

As is evident with LBTs, titles don't create effective leadership. Simon Sinek has said that great leaders don't wear the titles they have. Dynamic leadership is composed of a mix of behaviors, mindsets, and skills, which are all used to empower people to be at their best and operate at full capacity—far more than they thought possible. Such vision is a relentless force—a critical anchor that propels decisions—and it determines actions. In the case of schools, great leaders help others see the value of change by clearly articulating a compelling why and working to build support through consensus. As such, a laser-focused vision is a foundational prerequisite for any organization's success. An effective leader also has the courage to step in and make the difficult decisions that need to be made, since they previously calculated the risk-reward ratio. These leaders also stand by and own their decisions in the face of adversity, and they leverage their human capital to continuously refine and march toward the vision.

In our opinion, the best leaders have one thing in common: they do, as opposed to just talk. Leadership is about action, not position or chatter. Some of the best leaders we have seen during our years in education have never held any sort of administrative title. They had the tenacity to act on a bold vision for change to improve learning for kids and the overall school culture. These people are often overlooked and may not be considered "school leaders" because they don't possess the necessary title or degree that is used to describe a leader in the traditional sense. Nevertheless, the effect these leaders can have on an organization is much greater than an LBT. We need more leaders by action (LBA). Make no mistake about the fact that you are surrounded by these people each day. They are teachers, students, parents, support staff members, and administrators who have taken action to initiate meaningful change in their classrooms or schools. These leaders don't just talk the talk; they also walk the walk. They lead by example in what might be the most effective way possible: by modeling. They don't expect others to do what they aren't willing to do. It doesn't take a title or a new position for these leaders to be agents of change. LBAs drive sustainable change and make the transformation of learning possible.

Never underestimate your own unique talents and abilities; they have the power to shape the future of our schools and create a better learning culture that our students need and deserve. Everyone has the ability to lead in some capacity, and our schools—and the kids who are being shaped inside them—need more educators to embrace this challenge. Great leaders work to build capacity in these people and empower them to lead change.

Let's not accept the notion that all leaders are born or appointed to a position of power. Leadership is a choice and something that Stephen Covey (2009) has written about extensively.

Most of the great cultural shifts—the ones that have built great organizations that sustain long-term growth, prosperity, and contribution to the world—started with the choice of one person. Regardless of their position, these people first changed themselves from the inside out. Their character, competence, initiative, and positive energy—in short, their moral authority—inspired and lifted others. They possessed an anchored sense of identity, discovered their strengths and talents, and used them to meet needs and produce results. People noticed. They were given more responsibility. They magnified the new responsibility and again produced results. More and more people sat up and noticed. Top people wanted to learn of their ideas—how they accomplished so much. The culture was drawn to their vision and to them.

The most influential and effective leaders are those who

• Model expectations.
• Talk less and do more.
• Create a shared vision and implement it.
• Believe in taking calculated risks.
• Do not fear failure and learn to ‘fail forward.’
• Work tirelessly to build positive relationships with others.
• Collaborate for the greater common good.
• Constantly learn and reflect.
• Help others see the value in change.
• Focus on solutions as opposed to excuses.

Intentionally designed schools are led by high-octane leaders who model the way, build capacity in others, and create cultures of innovation. These leaders create the vision and make it happen. In their schools, learning is being transformed.

From Vision to Action

---

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.

Joel A. Barker

---

There is often a great deal of emphasis on establishing a vision when beginning the change process, and rightfully so. Effective leaders understand the importance of a shared vision and the need to articulate lofty goals and expected outcomes. A clear, well-articulated vision sets the stage for the time and effort required to fo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction. A Sense of Urgency
• Chapter 1. Creating a Culture of Innovation
• Chapter 2. Redesigning the Learning Experience
• Chapter 3. Ensuring a Return on Instruction
• Chapter 4. Designing Learner-Centered Spaces
• Chapter 5. Making Professional Learning Personal
• Chapter 6. Leveraging Technology
• Chapter 7. Collaborating and Engaging with the Community
• Chapter 8. Leading the Charge
• Appendix A. Future Ready Schools
• Appendix B. Communication a Concept with Instagram
• Appendix C. District and School Highlights
• References and Resources
• Study Guide
• Related ASCD Resources
• About the Author
• Copyright