The Right People
It's good to be back to posting something related to education. This afternoon, while reading Good to Great, an important message stood out: great companies get the right people on board and then move in the right direction.
Part of what allows charter schools to make great strides in educating our urban students is their ability to get the right people on board. Meaning, a specific type of person seeks out the charter school. This person knows that extra hours will be asked for. This person knows that teacher accountability will be demanded. This person knows that student success is their sole responsibility.
The thought made me wonder two things: (1) Am I the right type of person for urban schools? (2) How many of my colleagues are the right type of person for an urban school?
posted by Mr. McNamar @ 4:32 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
very good book.
(Supt chose it to be used as a prof. reading/discussion text for all admins. This happened in another town where the supt wanted a professional learning community.)
Another staple within is to stay the course. stop turning the boat back and forth trying to get ahead. Let a plan be in place for a respectable time before you evaluate it and dump it, or change it.
Although schools can not be run totally as a business, this tenent is certainly applicable.
Too often, in your district, the powers that be choose a course of action that has proven ineffective in other places, or change the focus after too short a time. (often combining the two!)
Getting the right people on the bus in the correct seats, all pulling in the same direction really moves toward a goal, business or not.
There is a good deal of frustration when the target/goal moves, or the tools are ineffective and support is low for best efforts.
Sincere good luck with yours.
After 32 years in urban schools I have decided that the union has ruined teachers. You can't save a school by yourself. You need a team and teachers working beyond the norm. A union shop does not encourage this as teachers are only rewarded for showing up everyday.
Since unions want everyone treated the same and seniority controls everything, you only get mediocre results.
To improve schools get rid of unions.
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