The Answer Is in the Room: How Effective Schools Scale Up Student Success / Edition 1

by Alan M. Blankstein

Overview

Learn the secrets of successful schools

Citing wisdom from top educational experts and building on what is already working, award-winning author Alan M. Blankstein offers tools for finding excellence in schools, scaling these practices across learning communities, and transforming low-performing schools into high-performing schools. His five-step process includes:

• Identifying and assessing excellence
• Creating an action plan
• Assigning resources such as time, materials, etc.
• Transferring excellence in the form of knowledge and skills throughout the school and district
• Sustaining the excellence

Also included are effective strategies for sustaining student gains, closing gaps within and between schools, building leader capacity, and increasing community commitment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412998765
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	06/02/2011
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Award-winning author and educational leader, Alan Blankstein served for 25 years as President of the HOPE Foundation, which he founded and whose honorary chair is Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A former “high-risk” youth, Alan began his career in education as a music teacher. He worked for Phi Delta Kappa, March of Dimes, and Solution Tree, which he founded in 1987 and directed for 12 years while launching Professional Learning Communities beginning in the late 1980s. He is the author of the best-selling book Failure Is Not an Option®: Six Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools, which received the Book of the Year award from Learning Forward. Alan is Senior Editor, lead contributor, and/or author of 18 books, including Excellence Through Equity with Pedro Noguera,. He also authored some 20 articles in leading education print including Education Week, Educational Leadership, The Principal, and Executive Educator. Alan has provided keynote presentations and workshops for virtually every major U.S. Ed Org, and throughout the UK, Africa, and the Middle East. Alan has served on the Harvard International Principals Centers advisory board, and the Jewish Child Care Agency, where he once was a youth in residence.

Table of Contents

List of Figures x

List of Tools to Help Answer the Question in the Room xi

Preface xii

Acknowledgments xv

About the Author xxi

Dedication xxii

1 Why We Can't Wait to Scale Student Success 1

The Power of Positive Deviance Saves Millions of Children in Vietnam 2

Applying Positive Deviance to Education 2

Good News for Scaling Student Success 3

About This Book and Chapter 4

Some Common Core Principles of Networking and Positive Deviance 5

Challenges to Scaling Success in U.S. Education 6

The Moral and Economic Imperative for Change Is Now 9

What Works, What Doesn't, What's Next? 10

The Big Question 11

2 A Process to Create Sustained Student Success 13

A Movement Is Born in U.S. Education-and Exported to Other Nations 13

The Catalyst to Change 15

The Create Process 15

The Advantages of the Create Process 24

The Big Question 24

3 The Courage to Commit to the Work 25

Defining Courage 26

A Pillar of Courage 31

Building a Collective Commitment to Scale Up Student Success 31

7 Tools for Constructing a Large-Scale Community Commitment 32

Create and Courageous Leadership: Qualities of the Courageous Leader 36

The Big Question 39

4 Resources Are in the Room 40

The Most Valuable Resource: Focused Commitment Over Time 42

The Second Major Resource: Patience and Urgency 45

The Third Major Resource: Steering Committee 45

How to Get Time to Collaborate 47

Getting Down to the Details 47

The Big Question 48

5 Taking Stock of the Excellence in the Room 49

Is There Excellence or Positive Deviance to Be Found? 50

Defining Excellence Is Done Twice by the Lead Teams 50

Developing a Community to Question the Answer: Language, Purpose, and Norms 52

Improving Instructional Practice: Change the Methods and You Will Change the Outcomes 57

The Big Question 60

6 An Action Plan for Engaging the Entire Learning Community 61

Developing a Common Language for the Action Plan 62

Key Challenges to Address in the Action Plan 64

Reentry Plans to Engage the Larger School Community, Build Trust, and Ensure Transparency 64

Developing Smart Goals That the School Community Wants to Achieve 66

Successful Implementation of Smart Goals 68

Identifying and Assessing Excellence 70

The Big Question 72

7 Transference of Knowledge and Skills Throughout the Learning Community 74

Transferring Knowledge and Skills Within the School 75

Transferring Knowledge and Skills Throughout the District 79

Tuning Protocol 80

The Big Question 83

8 Embedding the New Learning in the Culture for Sustainability 84

Three Pillars of Embedding the Process in the School Culture 87

The Big Question 92

Tools to Help Answer the Questions in the Room^* 93

Tool A Writing an Instructional Smart Goal Worksheet 95

Tool B Strategies for Making Time 97

Tool C Agreement of Purpose Worksheet 99

Tool D Creating Group Norms: Facilitator Guide Example 101

Tool E An Example Participant Handout for Creating Group Norms 105

Tool F Steps of Instructional Learning Walks 107

Tool G Indicators of Quality Instructional Learning Walks Observation Sheet 109

Bibliography 111

Index 114

Editorial Reviews

The goal of every leader should be to inspire excellence without exception. Alan Blankstein’s new book illustrates this through diverse case studies and vignettes. All school leaders should have this book in their library.

William Mingo

"A common-sense approach to addressing the obstacles and barriers that often stymie school success. By drawing on examples from schools that have a track record of beating the odds, Blankstein and his collaborators have created a resource that will be invaluable for educators who are searching for answers to the challenges they face. Insightful, enlightening and accessible. "

Pedro Noguera

Blankstein’s new book brilliantly summarizes a wealth of information about what works in closing the achievement gap. A must-read for practitioners.”

Tony Wagner

With the tools and techniques provided in Alan Blankstein’s new book, educators have the potential to uncover the answers to complex issues in education that are readily at hand. "

Deborah Childs-Bowen

"Blankstein makes it clear that communities can create schools in which all students thrive by tapping the capacities that already exist within them. The implications of that idea are truly profound! "

Dennis Sparks

"Alan Blankstein spells out a workable approach to school improvement rooted in experience and common sense. His book is a breath of fresh air and a welcome relief from the ideological banter that passes for school reform in the current climate. "

Edward Fiske

"The answer is not always in the room. Sometimes it's in the room next door. But help is often much closer than you think. Drawing on inspirational yet practical examples of health reform in Vietnam, courageous change in South Africa, and authentic improvements that get results in a range of American schools, Alan Blankstein demonstrates that throwing random reforms into the room through the door, or shouting at people in the room from up on the roof, are not ways that make positive change happen. Blankstein knows his people, knows his schools, and knows what brings about positive, professionally driven change. This brilliant little book not only shows what works, it dignifies the overly-criticized professionals who make it all happen. "

Andy Hargreaves

"In this practical new book, Alan Blankstein demonstrates that greater student achievement is within the reach of every school. It doesn't require vast sums of new money or an array of new programs. It does take a small group of educators committed to inquiry, planning, and action.They will find Blankstein's book to be a useful and inspirational guide. "

Hayes Mizell

"This book is phenomenal! It embodies everything I believe concerning excellence in education. Alan has documented the road to excellence. I will definitely use this book when working with districts on school improvement or moving from good to great! "

Deborah L. Wortham

Public education is filled with numerous success stories that, for some reason, aren’t being taken to scale. Alan Blankstein addresses this conundrum with practical advice that will benefit educators and students. He shows how to create a culture for success that will move the ball forward at every school and in every classroom.

Joel Klein

Alan Blankstein’s latest book is another must-read for educators who are passionate about bringing about change in education. The stories in the book illustrate resonant leaders who enacted the TEAM approach to school transformation. With a TEAM attitude, each leader was able to build TRUST, encourage EMPOWERMENT, establish ACCOUNTABILITY and provide MOTIVATION to bring about he needed change.

Marion Wilson

"With a new explosion of bad ideas for education reform, we need Alan Blankstein’s positive defiance! The Answer is in the Room is rich with tools for improving schools from the inside out. Blankstein reminds educators that we have more answers than we think—we can be the change we wish to see. "

John Wilson

"In The Answer is in the Room, Alan Blankstein applies the lessons he has learned from working with schools around his 'Failure is Not an Option' program. As usual, Alan offers practical and timely lessons for schools and districts. But in this new book, he goes further to talk about what it really takes to get the answers and he posits that we already know because the answer is in the room, and it must come from all of us. This is a timely and helpful book.

Paul Houston

"Every principle in this book is grounded in experience and illustrated with case examples from which any educator can learn. I believe the most essential elements for scaling up involve respecting and nurturing local examples of success, and having the courage to commit to positive change. The Answer Is In The Room has captured it brilliantly - now it's time for education policy to allow educators to bring the answer into the schoolhouse. "

 

Maurice J. Elias

"This book has it right—the secret is that there is no secret. With Alan, we need to shout it out. We do know how to scale up student success; we do have excellent instruction to surge into classrooms; and we do have communities of practice that bring stakeholders together who reject failure. This new system is aborning, and we need to celebrate its beginnings and tend to its growth. Readers: unite with purpose! "

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Robert C. Hughes

The Answer in the Room really does provide the answer to school improvement. What makes it great is that it is an economical and effective answer – we know what to do and can collaboratively apply the knowledge and skills that educators in the each district already have to achieve great gains in student learning. "

Ken O'Connor

When the well-being of children is at stake, people of all stripes are called upon to put aside personal agendas, find the humility and courage to do what is right, and let go of what has not worked. This book provides compelling reasons for doing this in education, as well as a powerful new methodology for success, and pathway to a brighter future.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

"Another passionate and stirring book from Alan Blankstein! Weaving together evidence, inspiring stories and resources, he leads the reader to an exciting place where it’s just the norm for everyone to learn with and from others within and across their schools. And it all starts with questions. So what are you waiting for? "

Louise Stoll

"Alan Blankenship once again addresses head-on the compelling dilemmas of our time. Yes, The Answer is in the Room and it demands that leaders bundle best practice and proceed with courage. "

Linda Lambert

In The Answer is in the Room, Alan Blankstein captures evidence of the school-level success which too many have until now thought simply not possible: when we as adults get it right, students can achieve at the highest of levels regardless of background.

Jon Schnur

When the well-being of children is at stake, people of all stripes are called upon to put aside personal agendas, find the humility and courage to do what is right, and let go of what has not worked. This book provides compelling reasons for doing this in education, as well as a powerful new methodology for success, and pathway to a brighter future.

Archbishop - Desmond Tutu