How School Leaders can Shift their Focus
Imagine you are observing a teacher and you receive a call to go support three different classrooms where students demonstrated behaviors that disrupted classroom learning. What would you do? This was part of my role as a school leader and I was presented with an opportunity to change these scenarios. I was in a position to identify what was happening with our kids and why. Equally important, I knew I was in a position to support teacher development.
Asking Crucial Questions
I had to figure out a 3rd way. My big questions were: What does the data say? Does the data represent you/us? How do we move the data? So I did the research. I contacted my friend, a school psychologist. I learned about the functions of behavior. I led a PD for teachers about the functions of behavior and replacement skills. I observed classrooms and even did classroom culture resets.
Checking in Often
I met with the kids in the morning and the afternoon to discuss their target goals and just to see how they were feeling. Although challenging at first for the teachers, they became experts in identifying goals, conducting check-ins after every block, building positive relationships and doing data checks. I am grateful to the leadership team for stepping in to support this shift. All of it worked. For me it was amazing to see the students and teachers grow-no texting for support, no throwing chairs, etc. The highlight of my day was seeing the kids smile when I walked in their class and observe them engaged in academic work and how excited they were to show me their logs at the end of the day as we walked to the playground. One of the best compliments I received was from a student who said, “Ms. Davis, you are my favorite principal.” The teachers also thanked me for supporting them.
#SchoolLeadersMatter
School leaders matter because we set the culture tone for a school and this will play out through our decisions and actions. For us it sometimes means shifting our priority focus to address root causes of an underlying problem we do not anticipate so that students can receive the support needed in order to be successful. I am glad that to have been a part of this shift because I am a better leader because of it.