1.      The importance of purposeful and strategic data collection and study to examine and improve school performance. This data, thoughtfully and skillfully interpreted, informs us of gaps and confirms success. The improper collection and use of data can mislead and distract us from our priorities.

 

2.      The importance of leadership vision and, in particular, servant leadership. There is always the danger of forgetting that schools today are lifeboats, not cruise ships. When we become satisfied, we become less critical of the systems and policies that generate barriers to access. 

 

 

3.      “Good kids will look after themselves”. I have heard this statement three times from serving administrators over the last 15 years. I take real issue with this statement. My first objection is that this statement inherently masks and excuses poor performance. We know that teacher preparation and expectations are amongst the most critical variables in classrooms and schools (Lezotte & Mckee Snyder, 2011). Why then, do we ignore and dismiss high-performance teachers and prevent their success from being multiplied and spread throughout education? Why do we provide an excuse for students to “fall through the cracks”? Why are we not systematically intolerant of “cracks” in any case? My second objection is that “good kids” are made, not born, through a collective investment. We don't even objectively know who they are, or who is worthy to deserve this title. By definition, we are accepting that students with merit and potential will fail. We accept that other students will not rise on the tide of ever-improved practice and student growth that can only come from high quality teaching and learning. 

Schools are complex. An overly simplistic metaphor cannot capture the essence of modern schools. Conflicting efforts miss opportunities for synergies, as do "One room schoolhouses". An ecosystem consists of complex and interrelated variables connected in ways that must be studied to be properly understood and influenced. The picture shows an impressive attempt to build and support the entire rich ecosystem of a Greek island. I visited this on the island of Crete in 2019. It is the plan of a single person with a grand vision. They understood the organic nature of the structure and its synergistic processes.  Many others saw the need for it and supported the vision to bring it to fruition.  I view the energy that flows through the system as the effort invested at all levels by stakeholders.                                           
Lezotte, L. & McKee Snyder, K. (2011). What effective schools do: Re-envisioning the correlates. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.                                 

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