Part 1 of 3 Becoming Competency Based

It’s becoming more and more clear that we will not return to “school as normal” in the short term.

The fact is, ‘normal school’ circa March 2020 won’t ever be back. Nor should it.

The fact is, ‘normal school’ circa March 2020 won’t ever be back. Nor should it. While none of us signed up for such a drastic and sudden transformation of our educational delivery system, we have stepped up to the challenge.  By many measures, we are succeeding. Staff have gained skills in short time. High percentages of students have devices and connectivity, prerequisites for distance learning.  Collaboration is multifaceted and growing.

If we are honest though, the “COVID crash” is a real thing.  Most alarming,there will be a widening of the achievement gap, which leaves too many of our promising children behind.  In reality, even disparate outcomes for historically underperforming students persisted at sickening levels even when we were conducting school in a traditional context. But now, things are getting even worse; Students who struggled in face to face settings, are struggling mightily with digital learning.  

This is our moment to re-imagine education.  

This is our moment to re-imagine education.  In a reflexive response to a sudden pandemic, our implementation of distance learning has been less than consistent across states, counties, districts, schools and classrooms (In our district, teachers are provided three implementation options for delivery of instruction).  And while public health models project varying scenarios for our next two years (see “This is the Future of the Pandemic”), now is the time to dream, to take risks, and to keep our most vulnerable, promising students at the center of our designs. 

Since we are driven to deliver on the promise of public education, I want to see three seismic shifts explored and launched over the next two school years.

1. Move to a competency based system of advancement towards a meaningful high school diploma.

Our efforts to educate every young person in America are rooted deeply in the belief that all men (and women and young people) are created equal with inalienable rights to pursue life liberty and happiness. We, perhaps too easily, assent that all children have this opportunity.  The problem is, publicly reported achievement data suggests otherwise. We see too many students dropping out before they complete high school.  We see disproportionate levels of students of color underperforming, compared to white peers.  We see English language learners making less than expected progress.  And we see students matriculating through grade levels, even conferred diplomas, without demonstrating baseline prerequisite skills that we, as a system, agree are important.

Since we (prek-12) have over thirteen years time to position students for success in a world we cannot yet see, we must be honest about some of the assumptions we are making along the way.  Too easily, we assume that:

• Seat time is paramount.
• Learning is a linear process that mimics the pace of standards introduced at each grade.
• Smart is performing well on assessments.
• Brilliance must be communicated and demonstrated through English speaking and writing.
• Students deserve about the same amount of support.
• College is accessible to everyone.

Many of these assumptions are weaker than the US economy during the shut-down.

I believe we can proactively challenge them by implementing a competency based educational system, paired with highly targeted systems of support.  A bold move like this will double-down on our belief that all students CAN learn.  A bold move like this will force us to think of students as individuals, on unique paths towards meaningful graduation.  A shift like this will relieve educator shame associated with not having every student at the same place by May of every academic year.  A move like this will add healthy pressure to educator teams to innovate.  Additionally, it will give educators freedom to try on new approaches with students.  As a correlation to the medical profession, it will mean having educators shift self perceptions, from being general practitioners to specialists trained to address unique symptoms of patients (students).

An approach to competency-based education is one in which students advance, based on mastery of content, rather than time on a topic/ in a grade.  This approach acknowledges that students are at different places in their understanding, yet gives them the agency to make decisions about their learning experience.  Support for students in this model is individualized, because it must be, accounting for unique learning needs.  

The National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) identifies “focusing on understanding and mastery” as one of the key practices that improve student achievement for all students. Following robust research and experience in high performing schools, NCUST defined and delineated what a focus on mastery looks like. It is NOT “covering a set of concepts, skills, or pages during a period, day, or unit.” Instead, it is “focusing on getting students to understand specific content or skills.” CompetencyWorks estimates 6-8 percent of school districts in the United States are currently implementing competency-based education at some level. This shift is, and must, come. Now is a perfect time for us to make great strides in this direction.

As a nation, we’ve been consciously and subconsciously wedded to a factory model of education. We send students through lessons, units and grades as widgets on a factory belt. To break away from this, we will have to get increasingly comfortable with having students at different places and paces. But shifting autonomy to students holds promise for increased relevance and motivation for learning. If we are able to adequately support students along the way, students will make it through “learning pits” and have real reason to celebrate their success (Zaretta Hammond).  Beyond that, we will have complete assurance that our graduates are ready to take on some of the world’s most vexing challenges.

“How about you hop out of the truck and let me pull it in?”

With those fourteen words, I went from King of the Campground to Billy Boy Scout.  To be fair, backing in a fully-loaded 18 foot travel trailer, right up to an electrical stand, is an earned skill.  It requires turning the steering wheel opposite of the direction you want to go, then following the back wheels of the rig.  It requires using all your mirrors and employing the spacial sense of a seasoned trucker.  It requires engaging all these skills while going in reverse…while the onlookers judge your skills.

On that day, in that campground, I tapped out.  I cried “Uncle!” 

And I let a full blown stranger do the job for me.

You can ask my wife; It took a full thirty minutes for me to get over it. After superfluously thanking my fellow camper, I engaged in some good old fashioned negative self-talk.  I belittled myself. I promised to ‘nail it’ the next time. Then finally I employed the deep breathing techniques that I had learned this year in counseling. After all, I was camping to get some relaxation and stress relief; This wasn’t supposed to be a stress inducing activity.

Later that evening, while toasting marshmallows to a golden brown tint, I had a thought:

How many of our students experience this level of frustration and perceived failure in our classrooms?  Do they lean on others to complete tasks for them when it gets too difficult? Do we, their educators too easily hop into the driver’s seat and accomplish their challenge for them?

Those questions are important to ponder.

But this question might be the most salient:

Do our students get enough low pressure, positive practice with the skills we are asking them to perform?

I believe that backing our camper into tight spaces, with everyone watching, is a skill that I will master.  But I don’t think I’ve had enough opportunities to practice in safe spaces. Each time we pull up to the campground, it feels like the Superbowl.  My kids can’t wait to get out of the vehicle to ride their bikes. My wife encourages me, and then braces for the fiasco. And my negative self talk emerges from the shadows of my brain. 

All of that is about to change.  In the next month, I intend to create some space for positive practice.  I’m going to hitch the trailer to my truck, drive to the largest parking lot in my neighborhood, and work on backing into tight spaces.  I know that I will knock over some cones. I am quite sure I will spend a good chunk of time there. But I also know that I will be pumping my fists and celebrating some expert trailer navigation.

As you think about leading teaching and learning in your context, how will you create safe spaces for students to apply high level thinking and intellectually demanding skills.

To experience true success, we all need safe space for positive practice.

“What’s good?”

On the streets of my ‘hood, and in the vernacular or teenage youth that I regularly interact with, this is a common greeting.

“What’s good bro?”

A bit like “What’s up?,” it accomplishes the more-proper “Hello, how are you doing?”  But it does more.  “What’s good?” elicits a positive response.  Both implicitly and explicitly, it begs the question: “What are you thankful for?  What are you celebrating?  Where is there light in your life?”

Paying attention to the good in our lives, both at the macro and micro levels, is the door to joy and contentment in our lives.

The transformative impact of gratitude practices are hardly believable, and yet indisputable.

One of my closest friends, who happens to be an accomplished professor and researcher, has added to this emerging body of work.  In his publication, “Cultivating a Grateful Disposition, Increasing Moral Behavior and Personal Well-being,” Joseph Bankard reasons that “Because life is a gift from God…we should strive to live in a consistent state of gratitude…But it requires intentionality and hard work…[but]…in the end this effort equips us to live grateful, happy and moral lives.”

My wife too, has pointed me towards this transformative practice. In response to the reading “One Thousand Gifts” by Anne Voskamp, she started naming instances of “eucharisto.” On days that were once broadly characterized by “good”  “so-so” or “bad” she started specifically listing the bright spots of her days.  Some days they were just fleeting moments. Other days they were more lasting events.  But every day, she named and scribed a handful.  In her words, “To be honest, seeking out three items was sometimes all I could manage. Often, just my hot cup of coffee and a quiet house were two of my three. What I do know is that my perspective on life altered. I began to see the world differently.”  Today, she continues to list moments she is thankful for; the list is now exceeds 13,000. Practicing gratitude changed everything for her.  As an eyewitness to this daily transformation, I am a believer.

With this kind of promise and buoying power, might this also be a near-essential practice for the 21st century educational leader?  After all, there are plenty of challenges, high demands, and disappointments that can drag us down, and burn us out of the profession.

Last year I took on a daily practice of gratitude in the school context.  I started by adding “gratitude action” to the 7:10-7:20am slot of my Outlook calendar.  If the practice is important, then it deserves at least ten minutes of my day, right?  In that calendar slot, I would write heartfelt thank-you cards to staff.  I would post a celebration on the school social media page.  I would walk over to a classroom and affirm a teacher. Or I would list a small accomplishment in the back of my Full Focus Planner. I still don’t know how to measure the change it made.  But it made a difference in my leadership.

I assert that committing to a daily practice of gratitude is an essential leadership skill.  It will at least give us a better shot at a long career.  At best, it will help us lead from a positive place that has lasting impact on the adults and children for whom we work for.

I write this as a personal “call to action” for myself.  Three months into the school year, I am too often giving my attention to what is challenging and troubling.  I am letting hard things color my countenance and impact my perspective.  I want to lead from a different place.  And because I know the door that leads to contentment and joy, I am re-committing to a practice of gratitude.

Instead of asking myself “What’s required?” or “What needs my attention today?”  I am going to take a cue from my teenage brothers and sisters, asking…

“What’s good?”

So…I received a failing grade for day 1 of the Guatemala experience. In fact, I didn’t even make it there.

After successfully navigating a border crossing into Tijuana and onto my first flight, things were looking good. I even made huge progress on my required reading “Silence on the Mountain,” by Daniel Wilkinson. We arrived in Mexico City as scheduled, and I even located my next gate ahead of time. Making the assumption that I could approach the gate for the following flight 30 minutes in advance, I located, purchased, and enjoyed a delectable bowl of tortilla soup. It was creamy, just the right temperature, and even garnished with charred chiles. After paying the bill, I headed across the hallway to my gate.

“Lo siento, senor, su vuelo ya lo dejo, perdio su vuelo.”

I missed my flight? What? But the plane wouldn’t leave for another 25- 30 minutes! I made some sense of the explanation, learning that all passengers for this flight showed up three hours early and had already been bused to the tarmack. What now?

The answers to “What now?” were not good. In fact, they brought a grown man to tears in public. No thanks to AeroMexico’s TERRIBLE flight policies, here were the answers:

• Spend over an hour locating your baggage that was left behind.
• Pay $200 as a penalty for missing your flight.
• Have your return flights from Guatemala voided.
• Be offered, then turn down a $600 flight into Guatemala the next afternoon- which cost slightly more than the first class tickets hunted for and purchased for the entire trip, months ago.
• Travel back and forth between terminals, on a sky train, trying to book a flight out by nightfall.
• Have your incredible wife on the phone most of her afternoon, working to book flights, dispute charges.
• Miss the first day of Spanish 4 Educators programming in Guatemala.
• Give up. Pay penalties. Book a next day flight for $318 with another carrier.
• Find a hotel. Get a shuttle. Find a bed by 11:00 PM.

Fresh Perspective

Now that I have gotten a good night’s rest, a lukewarm shower, and a little bit of drip coffee, I have a new perspective. If I were on the Amazing Race, I would be out. If I were centrally focused on seeing Latin America “on a shoe string,” I would have to abandon the cause. If I were graded on my ability to navigate a stressful situation in Spanish, I would not have gotten a passing grade.

When I remember why I really left home for Guatemala, I may be getting exactly what I was after. Literally in a single moment, at gate 75A in the Mexico City airport, I experienced pieces of the reality many of my students face every single day.

• I lost privilege. I went from “first class passenger” to “man without a seat or a plan.”
• I experienced disorientation in a new environment.
• I was forced to use my budding language skill in emotionally heightened conversations.
• The kindness of people who helped me along with way, had an augmented impact on my spirit.
• Despite my best efforts, I felt defeated.

That said, I want to remind myself of a few things: 1) I am safe. A kind Columbian man highly discouraged my idea of taking the last leg of the journey by bus into Guatemala. Avoid cartels at all cost. 2) When we can solve our problems with money, our challenges are not as serious as they feel in the moment. This was not disease, or prison, or tragedy. Hard, yes. Tragic, no. 3) I have an incredible wife. 4) It’s the journey, not the destination. With some distance, and a safe landing in Guatemala later today, I am going to appreciate this recent episode even more. In the words of my team leader, “These things happen sometimes in the exciting world of international travel.”

I just hope to get a passing grade today!

A trusted staff member was the first to hear of the conscience bending, gut wrenching details that illustrate the northbound journeys of our newest students.  Soon enough, the whole country would read about it in the news. Reports emerged covering the shocking realities of children, separated from families and detained in cages well beyond 72 hours.  

“Hace frio!  Hace frio!” A newly enrolled first grader described the cranked up air conditioning of the detention centers that made it hard to rest.  

“Nuestras mantas eran como papel de aluminio.”  Maria shared, the blankets were like aluminum foil.  The children huddled together on the concrete, like litters of puppies, to share warmth.

“Estuvimos allí mucho tiempo.”  She felt like she was in the detention center for a long time.

Then, within days, she found herself sitting upright in a rigorous first grade classroom.  New words, both academic and conversational, whizzed by like camionetas (“chicken busses”) from back home.  There were new rhythms and routines to learn including breakfast in the classroom, guided reading groups, recess, and number talks. It felt like another planet to Maria.  But this was life en “los estados unidos.”

I am going to Guatemala, to see more clearly the reality of our newest families (including strengths, beliefs, cultural practices, hopes, and lived experiences).

Why were they willing to go through all of that? What is it like in their towns and pueblos that whole families would leave by foot, for good? How deeply will children and students be impacted by the arduous journey, senseless separations and lengthy detentions? And how might we welcome, create space, and support this particular wave of new immigrants in our schools?  Who will be their “safe people?” How long will they be with us?

These are not hypothetical questions for our learning community.  

Over the last school year, our school has welcomed over thirty students, originally from Guatemala. They join an exceptionally beautiful and diverse student body; 56.6% of our students identify as Hispanic. 46.6% of them are emerging bilinguals (referred to in most schools as English Learners). No matter how unforgiving their journey was. No matter how steep their climb towards academic success will be. Regardless of their citizenship or legal status in the moment. These kids are our kids.  

I want to be bilingual.

This year we had 42 students become bilingual, mastering reading, writing, speaking and listening with English as a second language. I figure that if our students can do it, then so can I.

Multiple times a day, I get the chance to connect with parents at our school. Many of them speak Spanish fluently, but do not yet have the skills to navigate our community. I want to be able to connect with them, hear their hopes for their children, and capture their best thinking for the good of the school.

I want to lead the charge towards cultural competence.

Sure, we have a culture fair. It highlights diverse cultures represented in our student body.  Whole classrooms learn about those cultures and traditions. Students perform dances and sing songs. Parents jockey for position to get the best photos.

But is this the highest level of cultural competence? I would argue not.

How might our school be a place that welcomes all families, pronounces our cultural differences, elicits participation of all, and celebrates their successes?

I am looking forward to reconnecting with my deepest leadership motivations. I am a school leader that exists to see teams realize equitable learning results for students.  English Learners (ELs) have long been a vexing subgroup. Notably, research tells us that it takes about five years for learners to reach their full linguistic development. But other formidable factors contribute to the historical underperformance of this group of students. I’m looking forward to a) spending time in their shoes- as a second language learner and b) thinking through additional supports that we may be able to provide as they take on a new and challenging language. I lead, in part, to generate and implement creative solutions to the pressing challenges our community faces. This particular challenge demands our best thinking, our deepest empathy, and our persistent efforts. 

For this school leader, it starts with a 9;30 am flight out of Tijuana tomorrow morning, bound for Guatemala.

Follow my learning and experiences here and on twitter: @JustinMPhillips Stay tuned for upcoming post: Why I Really Went to Guatemala

It was a regular stroll through the office. That’s until I spotted the tackling dummies. Three clear plastic bags, packed tight with styrofoam balls, purposed for reading bean bags, were delivered that morning. They stood waist high and taunted me to take them on. Sure, I had classrooms to visit and a tight schedule to keep. But I wasn’t going to back down. So…I took the challenge.

BAM!

My tackling form was ‘on point.’ Onlookers in the office saw why I graduated from my high school as the school’s all time leader in number of tackles #hookem. Following a moment of disbelief, they burst into laughter!

“WHaaaaaa!! HAaaaaaaa!”

Getting up off the ground, I looked off into the distance and asserted “You didn’t know I had that, did you?” Straightening my tie and re-attaching the radio to my belt, I went metacognitive. “Wow, I really needed that.”

That’s truth. I really did.

We all need moments of levity, of play, of laughter in the workday. There is much research that points to the health and value of play in the workplace. It positively impacts our well being. It positively impacts our production. And it positively impacts the working climate.

As a leader, I am at my best when I can toggle between tasks and connection. I am at my best when I can both push our team and connect with our stakeholders. Our work is both urgent and serious. We are preparing students for a future of success. Too many of our students are already behind, not yet demonstrating grade level proficiencies in reading, writing, and mathematics. But this important and urgent work happens through people. People, and teams of people, work best when there is a foundation of human connection. Play and laughter might be the quickest routes to that end.

The question remains, how do we balance the urgent with needed play, in the context of schools, in our roles as school leaders.

I don’t have clear answers yet. But I do know that I need help breaking away from the urgent, to be spontaneous, and to play at work. Recess helps. Bean bags, posing as tackling dummies, help even more.

School leaders are busy people. Our days are full. The pressure is great. The rewards are even greater.
Professional reading does not always make it into our daily routines. Leaders who are serious about continual growth lament the fact that they cannot read enough of the best stuff out there.

I want to give you the skinny on the professional reading that I am doing so that you can 1) Identify top priority next-reads 2) Gain exposure to a wider selection of helpful texts and 3) Save time and money by passing on books that do not connect in the moment.

Here’s the ‘skinny’ on The Four Disciplines of Execution:

The 411: The Four Disciplines of Execution. Chris McChesney, Sean Cover, and Jim Huling, Free Press, New York, 2012.

My Tweets: Too many schools analyze performance data after the fact, when it’s too late to impact performance. There are better ways that virtually guarantees success.  #thosekidsareOURKIDS

A Leader’s Take: I want to see our school become both high performing and attractive to families and employees.  It’s important to pay attention to how successful organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, achieve their goals. I am now more convinced than ever to focus on fewer efforts that leverage greater gains. In this text, the authors show us how to do it. It begins with identifying a measurable goal that is inextricably tied to the organization’s mission. Then lead measures (actions your team must take to achieve the goal) need to be identified. Additionally, a compelling and visible scoreboard should be developed to engage all participants. Finally, regular “check-ins” should be scheduled and conducted to update the team’s progress. While this sounds easy enough, there is more than enough data to show that leaders like us are proficient at identifying goals. We fail, however, to identify data points predictive of success and regularly celebrate our team’s growth. In short, we fail to execute. If you are ready for a systematic approach to achieving your organizations wildly important goals, then this may be the framework you were missing.

One Important Take-Away:  Only one in seven employees is able to name even one of their organization’s most important goals. 15% could not name even one of the top three goals their leaders identified. This truth lies at the very center of the organizational stagnation too many of us see.

Your Next Move: Make reading this book one of your top personal goals before 2019. Then execute that goal.

It Gets: 5 out of 5 apples.

We’ve always known that sharing food is a clear avenue to connection. Some of the greatest leaders have used this method to connect people in deep ways. In high school, my head coach would arrange for the whole football team to share a ‘carb-loaded’ meal at one house the night before the big game. Jesus, a leader in his own right, purposefully dined with individuals from all walks of life, culminating his teaching in the last supper. I once had a boss, in the non-profit sector, who made it a point to host a portion of the staff meetings at local restaurants. He knew that these meals would feed our sense of purpose, in addition to our stomachs.

At our school this year, we are banking on Tostada Tuesdays.  For us, it’s pretty simple. In the preceding week, staff members sign up to bring one of their favorite tostada toppings. They scrawl that selection on the staff mailroom door. A few of our office staff members organize the spread, remind staff to join us, and “voila!”  This relatively brief meal, scheduled monthly, will yield far more than six foot foldable tables, stacked with homemade food.  We are creating hubs for staff connection.

As a leader, Tostada Tuesdays give me both permission and space to sit down with key team members for relational and light conversation. In an industry where complimentary meals and off-site adventures are non-existent, we need spaces for authentic connection. So that I can be completely present during this time, the meal is booked as an appointment on my schedule. Additionally, I work to ensure that sufficient supervision is in place. This way, I am pulled away only in cases of emergency.

When we share food, we are sharing a piece of ourselves.  Not only are we having a shared experience, we are given the opportunity to share a piece of ourselves. Sometimes, our team members bring dishes that reflect their familial and cultural traditions. They show up with masterpieces that were made with love in their home kitchens. We are given the chance to give, receive, share, and express gratitude. And these actions are the building blocks of a healthy team.

School leaders are busy people. Our days are full. The pressure is great. The rewards are even greater.
Professional reading does not always make it into our daily routines. Leaders who are serious about continual growth lament the fact that they cannot read enough of the best stuff out there.
I want to give you the skinny on the professional reading that I am doing so that you can 1) Identify top priority ‘next-reads’  2) gain exposure to a wider selection of helpful texts and 3) Save time and money by passing on books that do not connect in the moment.

Here’s the ‘skinny’:

The 411: Micro-Resilience: Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, and Energy. Bonnie St. John and Allen P. Haines, Center Street Publishing, New York, 2017.

My Tweet: To be the best leaders we can, we need strategies for interrupting our own fight/ flight/ freeze responses. #MicroResilience offers how-to’s that may transform your days at school. #thosekidsareOURKIDS @bonniestjohn

A Leader’s Take:  Our schools are multi-dimensional spaces with simultaneous demands on our presence and time.  This book does two things: 1) Convince you that multi-tasking is not the goal. We perform at high levels when our brains are dialed in on one thing and we are fully present. 2) Suggests concrete ways that you can refocus our brains, release stress, and build resilience. If you want win more daily battles with mental exhaustion and perform at higher levels, this text holds the keys!

One Take-Away:  I see this as a practical guide to trauma-informed leadership. Instead of being ruled by the primitive stress-response systems of our bodies, we have the ability to interrupt and reset our regulatory systems. “The good news is that we can rewire ourselves and essentially upgrade our human operating system to cope with the challenges we face” (90).

Your Next Move: Make the order. Dive in. Take on just one practice!

It Gets: 5 out of 5 apples.