Shift your paradigm

In Episode 34, we spoke with leaders from Norris Academy in Wisconsin. Norris is a a small public school near Mukwonago, WI serving the needs of learners from a variety of diverse backgrounds and changing the lives of its learners through the power of learning. Learners at Norris gain life, career and community experiences through an innovative approach that builds learner agency (ownership) and self-efficacy (worth) while addressing four dimensions: academic, employability and career planning, citizenship and personal wellness. Together these four dimensions lead to life, career and community success. In addition, the Academy leverages educational, behavioral health and community resources to provide an integrated service for disadvantaged learners and their families.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders approach challenges through a design-thinking process. At Norris, the work of transformation has gained momentum as the result of communication of the vision and involvement of stakeholders in a comprehensive five level process. Transparency guided by a compelling vision is one of the main components leading to Norris Academy’s success as a learner-centered environment.

Takeaways

Norris Academy is the outcome of a call for urgency to transform – moving from a compliance, ritualistic environment to one that is student-centered.

In the first year a design thinking process was used to look at the structures and policies, instructional framework and roles and responsibilities of those in the school. This resulted in the Norris Macrocosm, a framework with six core elements:

• Empowered learning – developing urgency stories, learner profiles, knowledge/skills/dispositions for success, competency continuums
• Four dimensions of competency-based learning – Learning occurs within four dimensions – academics, employability, citizenship, wellness
• Open-walled plans and pathways – learning specialists conference with learners to identify goals, problem-finding processes, pathways to graduation
• Learning network – redefined roles and responsibilities of people within the system – interdependent relationships; What are the communities that learners can engage with (I.e. STEM, business and human services, etc.)?; community transition plans
• Operating practices – What is the design process we use to develop? What is our communication framework so that all key stakeholders understand the vision? How do we develop each other as practitioners and leaders?
• Learner-centered infrastructure – What is in place behind the scenes – policy, procedures, LMS, technology?

Learners find something they want to participate in or learn about and present a project/pursuit pitch to the adult staff. The learner defines the learning they will experience and how they can engage their peers. The adults then take the learner’s idea and make certain their are opportunities for academics, employability, citizenship and wellness. The adults then bring the project/pursuit pitch back to the learners with some additional ideas. Once ready, the opportunity is open up to all learners in the academy for participation. An example shared includes a cardboard boat regatta design challenge and race. Projects such as this one are highly personalized and contextualized. The process and outcome are tied back to graduation competencies and include many opportunities for open-walled learning. Johnna and Paula shared other examples as well.

Learners participate in open-walled conversations and experiences with experts around careers. Speakers are also brought into the school.

Competencies are tracked using Epiphany Learning. Learners design their learning pathways in this software environment. Learners also keep track of their learning in a portfolio. Many times competencies are clustered together. The way they allow student choice and voice along the way, along with documentation of competencies, allows for building a transcript that translates to colleges.

The greatest barrier that Norris needed to overcome was mindset. Examples include the transcript and adult roles in the organization. Learning looks different. It doesn’t have to be a teacher in charge of a class for a period of time during the day. How can we as a connected team work to service learners in different, unique ways? Mindset shift is critical. Norris has overcome this barrier through a design process. They have developed a process of five levels of stakeholder input unique to Norris. When there are perceived barriers, the design process is engaged to develop a means to overcome that barrier. This approach demonstrates how Norris puts people first before the system. Learners take precedence over efficient systems. Johnna and Paula shared examples of challenges solved through the five level design process: transcripts and open-walled learning.

What they do with their young learners they do with their adult staff. This includes learning profiles, personal goals and pathways to growth. Learners have a profile. Staff have the same. As an organization, Norris does this as well.

Johnna suggests to those working on school transformation to stay the course and don’t compromise the vision. It’s challenging, but rewarding work. Keep all the stakeholders involved and over communicate. The design process needs to be distributive. Keep reflecting on promising, emerging practices. What do you need for those practices to become enduring? Communication. Reflection. Involving stakeholders.

Paula reminds us that there will always be challenges. Approach them through a design process.

Connections to Practice

• The Norris Macrocosm demonstrates the complexity of this work. Many of the elements are consistent with our Profile of a Graduate work and our learning beliefs. The model is just different.
• While we have articulated the knowledge, skills and dispositions our learners need to be successful upon graduation, we have yet to articulate clear competencies at various places along the continuum of time with us.
• We have often come back to this idea of shifting mindsets. This conversation with Norris has reinforced the idea that this work is primarily about shifting mindsets.
• We are working to build the same knowledge, skills and dispositions in our adults that we expect in our younger learners. We also aim to create the same kinds of professional learning environments for adults that we want for our younger learners.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• While it’s not clear what the urgency was that was fueling transformation, how do we create more urgency in our organization as we move from invitation to expectation?
• How might our learning models iterate across time depending on learners, beliefs about learning and reflecting on our practice?
• What are defined competencies for our Profile of a Graduate?
• How do these defined competencies become integrated into our teaching and learning?
• What impact does this work have on curriculum documents?
• What can we learn from their competency model and creating a transcript that is useful to colleges?
• How are we doing with shifting mindsets? How do we know? What can we do differently? What are our barriers?

Next Steps for Us

• During the upcoming leadership team retreat, reconnect with our WHY? and use it to build urgency to fuel the transformation.
• Reflect upon how our work has changed over the past several years. How does that help inform future work?
• Design competencies in the areas of our Profile of a Graduate for the various grade spans.
• Consider redesigning curriculum documents to more accurately reflect knowledge, skills and dispositions.

In Episode 33 we learned about the transformation in Elmbrook Schools, a public school district located near Milwaukee, WI, serving over 7,000 students. Elmbrook is quickly becoming a leader in personalized learning, supported by a robust technology platform. Classroom environments support student engagement, collaboration, student voice and choice, and flexible work spaces.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders strategically approach building the capacity for shift with teachers and other leaders. Leaders create a culture for others in the system to learn, unlearn and relearn. Over the course of years, Elmbrook fostered change in teachers and leaders using a cohort model of professional learning. When they reached a tipping point, it was time to move from invitation to expectation. Since this work is about shifting mindsets, a well thought out plan for support is critical to build a contingent of believers.

Takeaways

Elmbrook is a school district that had achieved much success in the school-centered paradigm. After years of lack of risk taking, Dana and Mark worked to create a culture across the organization that fostered more strategic risk taking. Their pivot to learner-centered has been a journey of approximately five years. They have learned that change is a journey that takes time.

What created the spark for transformation? Five years ago, an invitation was sent out to a cohort of interested teachers – teachers already doing transformational work in their classrooms. Those early years consisted mostly of conversations and professional learning around the shift. The 42 participating teachers were then invited to write a grant to support further transformation in the classroom. Seventeen grants were awarded. The cohort model continued to be replicated. “Now it’s no longer an invitation, it’s an expectation. All of our educators are expected to annually create a personalized learning action plan. They now have to be team based. They now have to be tied to our district goals and initiatives.” What was a grass-roots endeavor has turned into a “treasured system.”

In this movement from invitation to expectation, the members of the first cohort became the leaders that built momentum toward the shift. “We just kept building this contingent of believers.” Principals were also provided with opportunities to shift their mindsets. They are active participants in learning with their educators. “Nothing is going to happen well unless our principals, our school-based leaders, are completely in-it-to-win-it with us. And they are and have been.”

In this transformation, Elmbrook innovators have given up the notion that content is king. Mark shared how access to information has changed as a result of technology. Now they ask the question: How are students authentically engaged? Helping equip teachers for the shift has been supported by quality professional development. “Control” is one of the areas that is a work in progress. Elmbrook has made headway in shifting control in the classroom, and there is work yet to do. Elmbrook is also working on providing all learners with that control over their own learning.

One of the challenges has been urgency. What does “excellence” look like? The community is fairly stable with many adults having attended Elmbrook school and presently achieving life success. Some parent find the shift scary. A final challenge shared included the amount of learning that teachers need to experience as part of the shift. The student clientele is becoming more and more diverse. Everyone needs to learn, unlearn, relearn. “I feel like a new teacher all over again.” From a leadership perspective, it is a challenge to keep teachers excited and motivated to explore new possibilities of learner-centered.

Elmbrook has implemented a new learning opportunity for high school students – an internship program called “LAUNCH.” They decided to ask the question: How can high school be less of a power-down and more of a launch? After researching learning environments that focused on creating authentic learning environments for high school students, they found that other districts and schools had found a way to reshape the transition from high school to higher education/career. The program is off-site from Elmbrook’s two high schools. The program consists of strands – education, business analytics, global business – with more strands coming next year. Students work together with a school mentor and a business mentor on a solution to a problem from a local business. Businesses pay $7,000 to participate in the program. Students produce and pitch solutions to local business leaders.

Elmbrook believes this program not only benefits students, but will benefit the community when students return home after college. This is only the first year, but they look forward to expanding this work in the future. A project example includes a local company wanting students to analyze supply chain logistics and costs. Three students, utilizing their background, analyzed whether this company should be using an internal or external supply chain to supply steel to manufacturing sites. Students figured out a blend of internal/external solutions. The company saved over a quarter million dollars as a result of adopting the proposed solution.

Regarding learner-centered leadership, Dana and Mark believe the competencies they want to instill in their learners they also want in their leaders – purpose-driven change agents, responsible citizens, emotionally intelligent, kind, grateful, flexible and adaptable, intellectually curious, resilient and competent communicators.

When asked about advice, Mark suggested that we are in the business of managing dreams for learners and we need to take that responsibility to a whole new level. We need to deliver on every student, every time, all the time – no more lip service. We need to think differently about the role of teachers and learners in the classroom. When we start to do this, we will restore reverence back to education.

Connections to Practice

• We have used a cohort model as well with success over the past two years with Leading #YourSalisbury.
• Our principals have been active participants along side our teachers in the Leading #YourSalisbury cohorts.
• The journey seems to not have an “arrival.” It’s a process of iteration.
• Our community is becoming more and more diverse as well, and it is a challenge to balance the new learning required of learner-centered with meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse community – learners and parents.
• We started an internship program this year for our high school students.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How do we move Salisbury from invitation to expectation? Is this the year to do this, after two years of invitation and a growing cohort of teachers shifting mindsets and altering classroom practices to support learner-centered?
• How do we communicate the WHY to our stakeholders? Has that message been heard? Do we need to revisit it?
• How do we keep our leaders and teachers inspired to fully enter this world of learner-centered, even as we continue to be bombarded with state initiatives and a diverse community of learners and parents?
• The LAUNCH model is interesting! What elements can be done here in the Lehigh Valley?

Next Steps for Us

• Later this summer, we will be working with Paul Facteau from Apple, Inc. to help us design a plan with accountability mechanisms to move from invitation to expectation.
• We might need to engage teachers and leaders more in conversations around the challenges of moving toward learner-centered, especially as we want to move toward expectation. More supports will be needed and there is no better way to know how to support than have conversations and build those deep relationships with leaders and learners (parents as well).
• Pursue more partnerships with local business to create more learner-centered, open-walled opportunities for learners.

Episode 32 takes us to the Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center in CO and a conversation with Michael Soguero, a founding member and Director of Professional Development at the Center. We talked about a residential boarding school for learners who come from all over the country to experience success in this learner-centered environment. The school provides grounding for the Professional Development Center (PDC) work of supporting engaging, progressive education practices throughout the United States. The Eagle Rock PDC works with educators committed to making high school an engaging experience for youth. Through their unique services and offerings the PDC strives to accelerate school improvement and support implementation of practices that foster each students’ unique potential.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders help others see the possibilities in the vision. They take this stance and never waver. They may ask a question such as, “If we look at this project, the schedule, our curriculum, etc… through the learner-centered lens, what are the possibilities?” The leader tells the story, shares the anecdotes/data, and brings others in while being authentic about the truths and the challenges. All of this is done in the service of uncovering future opportunities.

Takeaways

Michael shared infomration about the diversity of courses at Eagle Rock. Students can participate in diverse contextualized courses. The topics are real-world and have real purpose. The open-walled approach provides many opportunities for learners – in the Rocky Mountain National Park, collecting dragonfly monitoing data for scientists, education and the prison system, etc.

There is no required number of courses at Eagle Rock – teachers justify course creation based on core competencies. In order to graduate, learners are required to demonstrate themselves as engaged global citizens who are effective in communicaiton, make healthy life choices, and expand their knowledge base and are leaders for justice. There is no sequence of math courses. Every course helps develop students in at least one of the four areas. Students choose their own courses, and they all have their own unique pathway, providing the learners with agency over their learning.

The school also has a PDC on site. The PDC does not export solutions to other places working toward learner-centered education around the country. They don’t take the courses they create and share/market to other schools. Instead, they find other communities and partners who are working to re-engage high school students. They work with schools who serve underserved learners who have a similar alignment. Maybe these schools want to bring in restorative practices or implement components of PBL.  During a visit to a  partner school, the team from PDC unearths the other school’s assets, determines their ingredients, and then designs what is possible.

What do learners do when they graduate? Michael reminds us the learner may not have the same chunks of science or English that other learners from more traditional schools possess. Although these differences exist, they are not barriers for learners as they move on to other opportunities. In fact, 60% of students go on to a 4 year college. Others enter the workforce. Finally, many choose to complete a year or two of service in the public community.

What do transcripts look like at Eagle Rock? Michael realizes the transcript needs to help the students put their best foot forward as they embark on the college application process. Although the course work is not traditional, the transcript is similar to existing high schools. Students pass competencies, exams, and then receive the translated credit on a trimester-based transcript. This back-mapping of competencies is done in service to the learner – to reduce the potential friction between the high school experience and college acceptance.

The PDC will work with other systems to develop unique solutions for them based on their assets and context. The team will work with systems to manage change.  Leaders need agile, design-thinking, user-centered approaches to creating solutions. Iterative processes should be baked into leadership competencies.  

What else does a learner-centered leader need to be able to do? The leader needs to start with a vision, to take a stance, and to protect the approach. Pressures will arise, and the organization may be tempted to drift back to what is easiest. The leader tells the story, shares the anecdotes/data, and brings others in while being authentic about the truths and the challenges.

Learner-centered leaders need to think of all aspects of education through the learner-centered paradigm – schedule, lunch, curriculum, etc. This is a significant shift which leaders need to develop. In order for this to happen, leaders need to shift the mindset – or adopt the new mindset. Then, lead.

Connections to Practice

• We are a small, suburban, public school district.  Approximately 90% of our learners go on to trade school, a 2-year college, or a 4-year college. Few students enter the military and/or work force.
• Our transcripts are very traditional. We took a small step forward with internships this year.
• We have a clear vision, and we all know the direction.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Our graduation requirements are very traditional. If we had a blended course or less traditional course, do we have the capacity/knowledge to backmap?
• Are we protecting our vision?  Does the invitation to expectation promote the protection of our vision? What evidence do we have?
• Have our leaders adopted or shifted their mindsets? Do we as leaders (along with our leadership team) embody this mindset and this work?

Next  Steps for Us

• As we grow our school within a school in our Middle School, we will need to develop a high school option. Could this high school course mirror Project Wonder?
• We are participating in a leadership retreat this summer.  During that session, we need to determine as a team if we are willing to commit to moving from invitation to expectation.
• Reflect on mindset. Maybe a reflective activity with our team to determine where we are, and where we want to go!

In Episode 31, we visited Innovations High School, the only Big Picture Learning School in Nevada, through a conversation with Taylor Harper, lead learner, and Julie Akers, a scholar graduating in 2018. In our conversation, we talked about how Innovations High School navigated the traditional constraints of public education to create a learner-centered learning environment.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders have an internal compass that guides them: They love the humans they are responsible for! The transformation at Innovations High School has not been easy as we learn from the conversation with Taylor and Julie. When the work gets messy and times get challenging, leaders go back to their core – why they are doing this work and how it impacts the lives of all that work in the system, teachers and learners. Human-centeredness makes all the difference in a transformation.

Takeaways

Systemic transformation can happen anywhere there are learner-centered mindsets fueling a learner-centered vision. Innovations is a public high school, and only five years ago, was one of the worst performing schools in the Washoe County School District. The school has been a Big Picture Learning school for four years, with year one being the most challenging. A key piece to recognize in the transformation is that Innovations did not start from scratch. The work acknowledged a school-centered system and the accompanying mindsets and gradually shifted toward the elements of learner-centered.

Learning at Innovations High School is highly learner-centered. Learners have the opportunity to make many choices and have their voice heard along their educational journey, including the choice whether or not to attend Innovations High School. Learners also have the opportunity to lead “kick-in” and “kick-out” student meeting as well as gatherings. Another example of voice and choice: at the start and end of each trimester, learners take a survey and meet with their teachers to share feedback on the curriculum. Teachers then take that feedback and make modifications to ensure relevancy to the learners. Learners also have the ability to design an internship experience. Julie is currently involved in an internship in education. The “leave to learn” element of BPL is a core component of learning at Innovations High School.

Julie has a passion for education. Last year she was able to secure a job at a pre-school and found the work fueled her passion for learning. She then set up an internship at an elementary school. She felt like she fit in and the work really connected to her passion. Her teacher has mentored her throughout the internship process. Julie sees the classroom she is in as very learner-centered. Other internships Julie shared include art, music – any variety of internships based on learner passions.

The learners – or scholars as they are called – are responsible for locating the internships. They take the responsibility, often accessing a database that is available through BPL. Julie feels this builds responsibility. The learner sets up an informational interview, then a shadow day. If they feel they have a good match, an internship is established. The work of internships is evaluated through feedback from mentors and advisors. Throughout the process, learners set goals for the internship experience and compose regular reflections on their progress.

In the process of transformation, Innovations has had to let go of many components of the dominant school-centered paradigm. Historically institutionalized inequities have been torn down: how students come to Innovations, how learning happens, the conceptualization of teaching, and the role of learners. These shifts required much unlearning!

Learners have had to unlearn the instinct of, “Just tell me what to do.” Adults and learners have had to let go of the traditional lexicon: class became workshop; teacher became advisor; student became scholar. As a result of changes like these, Innovations became truly human centered; not curriculum, content, standard, test centered. This required adults to learn about the passions, interests and turn-offs of learners.

Taylor shared that learner-centered leaders need to know themselves well enough to know they don’t have all the answers, and there will be times when “I don’t know” is an acceptable response. Sometimes we don’t know exactly the path to get toward the vision of learner-centered. Learners place the human beings at the center of all decisions – adults and learners. “Love the humans you are responsible for. It is a compass that never goes wrong.” Leaders have both patience and impatience. Patience with the messiness – it’s going to be harder before it gets easier. Impatience with any time you see teaching and learning that is not learner-centered. Leaders must always call this out.

Learner-centered leaders must also have persistence and passion. Challenge archaic processes and policies. Be the squeaky wheel until learners gain the agency to activate their own learning experiences.

Advice for leaders who feel the zone of discomfort when expectations are not being met? Taylor suggests reconnecting with internal motivation. If you truly believe your learners can accomplish anything, you keep pushing because it will ultimately help them achieve their potential. “Don’t be afraid of the mess.” When you step back, you are a not-so-innocent bystander. “What got you into this work in the first place.”

Parting advice from Julie: “Don’t be scared of the change because that’s how we learn. Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet; just dive in and do it.”

Parting advice from Taylor: “We don’t have time to pontificate and read more articles. We have kids who are waiting. Don’t be afraid. Get in there and start the work. It’s going to get messy. Just keep focused.”

Connections to Practice

• We are a small, suburban, public school district. The Innovations story of transformation is inspiring!
• We piloted internship programs this year with much success, the “leave to learn” element of PBL.
• With our middle school “school-within-a-school” (Project Wonder), we are starting to shift our lexicon.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• What are our barriers to transformation? How can we look to Innovations High School to overcome the barriers typical of public school systems?
• What can we learn from the Innovations internship process/journey – interview, shadow day, internship?
• How do we provide learners with opportunities to asses and provide feedback on their learning experiences?
• How are we shifting our lexicon?
• How are we building relationships with teachers and learners? Does relationship building move beyond transactional?
• Could our leadership be more human-centered? What if it was?
• What is our why for doing this work?

Next  Steps for Us

• Expand the internship program at our high school. We received very positive feedback from the learners who participated in the pilot program. How can we make these opportunities available to all interested learners?
• Consider giving learners more ownership over the internship process, setting up interviews, shadow and the actual internship work.
• Engage student voice in feedback about learning opportunities.
• Shift the lexicon system-wide, especially as we move from invitation to expectation.
• Reflect upon this idea of human-centered leadership. Do we love the humans we are responsible for?