What We're Reading

Lageman, Heather & Bradley, Janice. (2026). The Hope-Centered Educator. Routledge,

Chapman & Hall, Inc.

I have heard that HOPE is not a strategy.  OK, and from my experience of fifty years in education, ‘without hope status quo wins.’  General Eric Shinseki said, ’if you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less.’  It isn’t about changing everything.  We want to keep effective strategies from the past AND prepare for an unknown future.

So, the question I ask is, ‘if there is no hope for a better future, why do anything.’  Heather and Janice are long-time educators, professional learning advocates, and I have seen first-hand the results of their commitment to learning, students, and staff. Scott Russell Sanders said, ‘memory grips the past, hope grips the future.’

Hope-Centered Educator is based on Snyder’s Hope Theory and is aligned with Richard Beckhard’s change model taught in business schools.

• Hope Theory (Snyder) requirements: Goals, Pathways, and Agency.
• Beckhard’s Model: Dissatisfaction with the current state, vision of a better future, and first steps leading to actionable results is greater than the resistance, therefore, change occurs. D x V x F > R = C.

This book is timely since there are record numbers of teachers leaving the profession; superintendents and principals retiring early or choosing another line of work; and confusion about how to prepare students for an unknown future.  Here are some key elements included in this book:

• Reigniting passion and purpose in teaching through intentional goal setting and results.
• Creating multiple pathways to navigate challenges of expanding diversity of students and parents rather than relying on rigid plans.
• Strengthening agency, aka efficacy, confidence, and emotional resilience.
• Designing hope-filled environments that support physical and psychological safety for both students and colleagues.
• Leadership actions that cultivate trust and collaboration leading to positive school cultures.

The chapters included on topics:

• The Power of the Positive Energy of Hope. Hope is a renewable psychological resource that ignites motivation and well-being.
• Start with You. Yes, you. Staff as learning guides must possess personal renewal, self-awareness, and reclaiming one’s sense of possibility. The adage that fits here: ‘you can’t give what you don’t have.’
• Hope Competencies. Communication, emotional intelligence, and collaboration which build trust in the system.
• Moving from Powerlessness to Empowerment. Educators must shift from being overwhelmed to proactively using strategies that produce results increasing efficacy.
• Leadership Actions that produce hope in the system. These actions show how leaders can model and sustain hopeful cultures.
• Designing a Hopeful Environment. This offers concrete tools for shaping classrooms and schools that generate hope.
• Experiencing Hope with Accountability. Feedback is a gift. It means people care enough to contribute. Hope helps promote responsibility, follow-through, and meaningful change.
• Conclusion: The Way Forward. Encourages ongoing reflection and growth. This is the concept of FeedForward. We can’t change the past, we can change the future.

In Hope-Centered Educators you will find:

• Concrete strategies to help to empowering, energizing, and effective ways to increase hope.
• Case studies of educators who have transformed their practice through hope-centered approaches.
• Tools for communication and emotional intelligence that strengthen relationships which is a prerequisite for learning.
• A step-by-step renewal process that supports long-term professional well-being. Hope must be sustainable to have long-term results.

Leaders at all levels, certified and non-certified staff can help create positive experiences in schools by:

• Reconnecting with your purpose as an educator. This is your WHY.
• Building healthier, more collaborative school cultures. This is your HOW
• Strengthening your emotional resilience and leadership presence. More HOW
• Creating classrooms where students feel empowered, capable, and hopeful. And finally, your WHAT

Here are a couple of previous posts about hope on the Learning Omnivore website:

• https://learningomnivores.com/rules/doom-loop-or-hope-your-choice/
• https://learningomnivores.com/keeping-hope-alive/

Lageman and Bradley promote and support KEEPING HOPE ALIVE.  Hope is contagious.  PASS IT ON.

Rodenberg. Michael. (2020). Bridge the Gap.  Colorado Springs, CO: EndeavorLiterary.

Rodenberg sets the tone for the book in the foreword.  If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, don’t read this book.  This book has specific strategies for those who want to redirect the future of a company.  These lessons are applicable to schools and districts as well as in the business sector.

The Goal:  Bridging the Gap is about bring together all kinds of people to achieve uncommon success. In the current times of multiple crises like finances, leadership succession, and lower morale in schools, it is the organizational leaders that will be the stewards of needed changes.

Here is a list of the process Michael used to redirect and unleash the talent in a company.

1. Survey the damage
2. Repair the foundation
3. Prepare for the future
4. Open the bridge

Survey the Damage – observe before making judgments. If you are an external consultant, first find out what is the current reality.

I really like the suggestion of the first 90 days process.  Spend 45 days finding out the internal workings and the next 45 days focus on the external relationships of community.

Distrust of management in the past will keep employee holding back their ideas.[Bills note – find people who will tell you the truth.  It saves time].  Leaders must find time to listen to employees. Honest communication cannot be overstated, LISTEN

External stakeholders. [In education it is the students, parents, and community].  They are the suppliers of information and the receivers of your product or process. Don’t be surprised if you hear, ‘we are so busy inside the organization, we rarely get information from external sources.

Hope to hear, ‘thanks for telling us what you are going to do about it.  [stand up and make the case to your team and organization]. There are financial, status, reputation, and workplace relationships to deal with.

Workers did not feel empowered to do their jobs.  They were doing what they were told and not much more.  [they are closest to the work, listen to them]

Infighting can destroy organizations.  Conflict, complaints, badmouthing, and gossip was the norm.  Favoritism run rampant, [Edward Toynbee:  Civilizations don’t die of takeover, they die of suicide]  The problem was cultural.

The conclusion was if they had no authority to make decisions, they wanted to make a difference, it is difficult to make positive change.

An important point made – First, I needed to recover the trust and morale of the staff.  Understand the company culture.

Next, Learn to ask the right questions. [Attributing blame rarely creates positive solutions]  Knowing the organizational culture is an essential but overlooked aspect of leading change and restoring thriving companies.

Repair the Foundation – Businesses are run by people, not machines.  Trust must exist for businesses to flourish. [same for education]

Three important aspects of repairing and rebuilding an organization’s foundation:

• Establish the vision – leaders need to determine and convey a clear vision or the organization.
• Define what is mission critical – leaders must identify and invest in mission critical processes and people
• Grow from within – every great organization requires excellent, committed team members.

Vision: why we exist.  Murkami is known by – “supplier of choice” and employer of choice” [Is your school or district a supplier/employer of choice?  Love this].  What are the goals and actions that can make this happen?

In education we are awash in data.  What data is the most significant?  How can we use data to determine the actions for getting  better results?

Find people with extensive experience. They have learned from success AND failure. This proved to be a key factor in becoming an ‘employer of choice.’  We identified ;people who wanted to grow and learn, and then we provided them with opportunities to advance in their careers.

Growing people from within has been remarkable. Growing leaders from within is a critical part of repairing.  You’re investing in the future.

Bridge the Gap between education, business, and government.

[Go and see some of the new ways high schools are evolving.  Career Tech Centers are engaging students in new (old) ways.  Once we find the student’s passion, motivation is less of a problem]  The ‘go and see’ principle can give leaders a broader vision for the future. We need to constantly see ways to gain a clearer picture of the future.  Without that, how can we know how to get to the other side?

A primary long-term need for every company is personnel-finding and retaining high quality people to operate the company. [This is becoming more of a problem in education.  Superintendents, principals, and teachers are leaving the profession in higher numbers every day.  Attracting, retaining, and sustaining strong staff will be the differentiator]

If you don’t have a very deep bench, developing talents is a must.  Long-term employees have deep knowledge that can’t be transferred only by reading.  Hire second string players and train them with veterans.

Leaders must look at the big picture and see that every individual is important.  If we lose sight of the we lose a major opportunity.  [Coach ‘em UP]

Our relationships with local schools were important.  We did not have any relationships with superintendents, principals, or other education leaders.  Schools as a potential pipeline for our future employees.

I highly recommend this book for guidance in changing systems for the better.

[ ] are Bill’s personal comments

Alley, Leith Reagan, Lageman, Heather, & McKenzie, Walter. (2025).  School Seasons

 xSELeratED.  Washington DC:  The Worthy Educator Press.

Some General Comments from Bill:

• I like the acronym with SEL for ED. Content acquisition was fine for the Industrial Age.  The so called ‘soft skills’ are now the ‘hard skills.’
• SAVE TIME and deliver SEL knowledge and skills to students AND staff.
• The month-by-month strategies offered will help leaders (administration, teacher, and staff) prepare and offer solid learnings for many groups.
• Each chapter contains multiple activities to engage and support SEL learning in classrooms and collegial learning.
• These activities can be used in business and non-profits organizations as well.

Sustainable change in education isn’t built on programs; it is create and delivered by committed individual and groups. Educators must create the container for this to happen for a better organization leading to a better world.

The authors talk about the “power of mattering.”  People (young and older) want to know they matter.  For schools, parents, and organizations, how do we model and recognize people for their contributions.  Show people they matter, and they will provide more creativity, collaboration, and community integration.

How Our xSELeratED Schools Framework Powers School Seasons

Five Competencies:

1. Understanding Myself
2. Nurturing Myself
3. Understanding Others
4. Nurturing Others
5. Building a Better World

August – Begin with Belonging by Heather Lageman

This chapter starts by identifying a fundamental human need that underlies all meaningful education: the deep knowing that we are seen, valued, and safe in our learning communities. Setting the respect agreements in classroom and schools creates positive learning cultures.  Activities included in each chapter.

[Bill] There is a Zulu saying, “Sawubona” which means, “I see you, and by seeing you, I bring you into being.”  Ripple Effects, systems/rituals, and activities help to initiate and sustain a sense of belonging.

September – Teaching from the Inside Out by Leigh Reagan Alley

For the hearted centered leader and understanding ourselves is core in modeling for others.

Permission not perfection:

• Permission to slow down
• Permission to feel (also the name of Marc Brackett’s book)
• Permission to lead with heart, not hustle

October – Trust Take Practice by Walter McKenzie

There is a trust audit on page 54 that can be used for the staff.

Repair Activities on page 73 has some useful opportunities when trust withdrawals happen.

November – Holding Gratitude & Grief by Leigh Reagan Alley

The ache of grief and the balm of gratitude.  Nice metaphor.  Practices for Emotional Honesty & Reflection based on Brené Brown, Amy Edmondson, etc. is a strong practice.  Gratitude Tree with Roots of Grief caught my eye.  This exercise can be very productive.

December – Boundaries Are Love in Practice by Walter McKenzie

This chapter has mainly a leadership focus.  Leadership happens at all levels of the organization in positional authority, site teams, and in developing students for leadership roles now and in the future.

January – Begin Again, Softly by Heather Lageman

As most of us in education know, after winter break, there is a need to re-norm systems, boundaries, and behavior expectations.  Relationships are the heart of renewal. Three pathways to Soft Renewal

1. “What’s Working” celebration circles
2. New Year Intentions Letter to a Future Self. It is always amazing to read what we agreed to 5-6 months afterward. Writing it down increases the chance of aligned behavior.
3. Small Team Gratitude Practices

These activities are step-by-step to help save time and ensure success. The community connection resources are also something for outreach to the world beyond the school.  Begin with belonging

February – Love is a Collective Practice by Leigh Reagan Alley

“What I see in you” caught Bill’s eye.  Too often we do not anchor positive behavior.  If you want conformity, praise it.  Indigenous cultures have survived and thrived for thousands of  years.  None that I know of had a three-ring binder of policies.  They transmitted their cultural norms via proverb, stories, and elders who guided the young girls and boys.

Joy Inventory Mapping on page 133 was a new concept for me.   Bill was coaching a new principal who shared with me that the seniors from the school prior left a message on the sidewalk, “return joy to our school.”

March – Every Heart, Every Voice by Walter McKenzie’

One part was on Inclusion. Bill also recommend the book “Inclusify” by Stephanie Johnston.  The author talks about students who have ‘tailwinds’ which helps them move ahead and ‘headwinds’ that impede progress.  Consider this as we teach a full range of our children.

One activity was the ‘leaning tower of pasta’ which is a creativity exercise.  Researchers gave this exercise to Kindergartners through PhDs.  Kindergartners did the best by building the tallest structure.  WHY?  They tried ideas out rather than sit around and pontificate about right or wrong.

April – Cultivating Curiosity by Leigh Reagan Alley

The idea of a ‘wonder wall’ for what identifies the collective curiosity of students or staff.  I can’t say this too often.  This book is full of activities for use with students and staff.  It SAVES TIME & ADDS REPERTOIRE.

May – Celebrate the WE by Heather Lageman

Recognizing the Gifts we Give Each Other.  [Bill’s Note: We are experiencing ‘emotional anorexia’ which means we do not get recognition for the contributions we make to each other, ourselves, and community.  I suggest making a commitment to tell one or more people in our daily lives, how appreciative you are for their efforts and what it means to you.]

One of Heather’s activities is “We Made It” Joy Collage.  Bill also suggests reading Joy, Inc. by Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations.  Dr. Sheridan has incorporated many strategies to include Joy in his organization, hosts many organizations desiring the same for their companies, and is helping schools to create Joyful Schools.  How about developing a Joy College?

June – Letting Go with Love by Walter McKenzie

How do you close the school year with Love?  We know from brain research that people remember the initial and the ending.  The middle gets lost sometimes.  Angeles Arrien told Bill about endings with “Honorable Closure.”  What is your ritual for honorable closure?

July – Rest Is Revolutionary by Heather Lageman

Educators know that summers are filled with ongoing staff development, continuing renewal credits at colleges, getting ready for next year.  At the same time educators must rest from the overwhelming demands on time, energy, and money they contribute to limited budgets.

Heather ends with ‘Leading the Revolution from Within.  Don’t wait for others to recognize the need to re-generate.  We must do it for ourselves.  The demands keep growing, resources keep dwindling, and we have to KEEP HOPE ALIVE .  WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US

Schleider, Jessica. (2023)  Little Treatments, Big Effects.  Great Britain: Robinson.

This book was written about the lack of resources for mental health in the world.  The premise is if we had more immediate mental health help it would reduce more expensive treatments later, less societal dysfunction, and lessen the need for police intervening as often.

The authors reported some research based on teaching Carol Dweck’s Mindset strategies. “A meta-analysis by Schleider and Weisz show that a single-session growth mindset intervention produced marked reductions in youth depression and anxiety symptoms over a period of nine months.”

One of the authors was quoted,  “Just doing hard stuff, instead of waiting to want to” woke me up.

A few interesting facts to me were:

• As mental health facilities were cut back in countries, prison population increased.
• One in four fatal police shootings in the US 2015-2020 involved a person with mental illness.
• Up to 70% of juvenile detention centers annually have diagnosable mental illness.
• People of color face added layer of discrimination and stigma, making treatment even more elusive. Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives are 2.5 times more likely than whites to be uninsured.

What patients wanted:

• Patients want solutions.
• They want to feel understood, listened to, respected, and cared for by those delivering care.

This was extremely worth the read. The  clearest connector across all the turning points was the experience of realizing hope that change might be possible, where little such hope had existed before. The word HOPE was used by nearly a third of volunteers in their written descriptions of turning points.

The following five themes were stated as the most effective.

 Five Themes:

1. Surprising yourself – doing something small you were once certain you could not.
2. Feeling seen – Experiencing newfound validation from others.
3. Seeing others – discovering other people are going through similar struggles.
4. Reclaiming your narrative – realizing the future you want and taking a first step.
5. Giving back – feeling empowered through supporting others

There are a list of activities beginning on page 160. These might be used in schools to create more access to emotional support.

Italicized portions are direct quotes from the book

These are my notes from a book based on high quality restaurants that I think apply to schools and education.  Italicized portions are direct quotes from the book.

Guidara, Will. (2022). Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power Of Giving People More Than       They Expect.  New York:  Optimism Press

Simon Sinek:  Great Service cannot exist without Great Leadership

Repetitive Change Syndrome continues in education as leaders look for THE answer.  I suggest leaders look for multiple answers to address the wide diversity of learners both in students, professional educators, and communities.

Fads fade and cycle, but the human desire to be taken care of never goes away.

 We can perform management processes.  That is the yes or no (black or white)  of making things work. Attending to process (how we engage learners) and being inviting is another skill that adds color.  Building the learning culture can be the fringe benefit that will attract and retain our best teachers, staff, and leaders.

Service is Black and White; Hospitality Is Color.  “Black and white” means you’re doing your job with competence and efficiency; “color” means you make people feel great about the job you are doing for them.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “well–behaved women seldom make history.”  Sometimes creativity is required to meet the ever changing needs of a community and the world.  If it isn’t working, try something else.

Because no one who ever changed the game did so by being reasonable.

I learned long ago that modeling is the best teacher.  Parents are the first model young people see.  Community and schools are probably the next model.  Then, when you start working, you watch the colleagues around you and the leader to find out what is accepted and what is not.  I don’t know who said it and I have found  it to be true:  “What you permit,  you promote.”

Enthusiasm Is Contagious.  

Let your energy impact the people you’re talking to, as opposed to the other way around. Words Matter.  Actions matter more.

Language Creates Culture

 Angeles Arrien said, “the opposite of trust is control.”  People in organizations need to be safe physically and emotionally.  There must be a balance of control and creativity to keep evolving our learning.

Sometimes Control Stifles Creativity. Language is how you give intention your intuition and how you share your vision with others.  Language is how you create a culture.  Creativity is an active process not a passive one.

When I am in my whiney state of mind, “things never work out” I have to remind myself more times than not that most things do work out.  I heard 80% of our worst fears never happen and the mental/physical energy directed toward ‘what might happen’ detracts from celebrating ‘what does happen.’  So, answer the question, ‘what do you want?’  Word toward making that a reality.

Run toward what you want, as opposed to away from what you don’t want. Make Decisions Together

There are several studies, Surowiecki, James. (2004). The wisdom of crowds being one, found the more diverse a team is, the more perspectives the team gets, and the psychological safety 9Amy Edmondson) to express those thoughts, will lead to better decisions.  Better than the smartest person in the room.

Leaders Listen – You are not always going to agree with everything you hear, but you’ve got to start by listening.

In Madeline Burley-Allen’s book, Listening – The Forgotten Skill, says in communicating we spend 9% writing, 16% reading, 35% speaking, and 40% listening.  Where do we teach listening skills in schools, in leadership preparation classes, or in workplace behavior?  I have found if I listen, people tell me what I need to hear.

Hire the Person, Not the Résumé. This helped with the weeding process; if someone was going to balk at starting out as a kitchen server, they probably weren’t a good fit.  Every Hire Sends a Message. “When you hire, you should ask yourself:  Could this person become one of the top two or three on the team? They don’t necessarily have to be all the way there yet, but they should have the potential to be.” There’s no one-size fits all rule for managing people. Everyone’s oxygen is different, and we have to figure out for ourselves what we need to breath.

How do you hire.  First, of course, does the candidate have the necessary knowledge, skills, and applications to the job required.  Another question very important is, ‘do I want to work with this person.’  They may be a bit of a renegade and ‘is that what the team needs?’  Menlo Innovations, Google, etc. have the possible hire work with team members to see if they fit rather than hiring from a piece of paper.  Are they doers or posers?

Strategy is for Everyone.  “The bigger we get, the smaller we have to act.” The Best Way to Learn Is to Teach. Great Leaders Create Leaders

What are your strategies?

 Maya Angelou famously said.  “You can’t use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have.”

Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2007). Made to Stick. New York: Random House

The book “Made to Stick” by Heath and Heath discusses the principles of making ideas memorable and impactful. One metaphor presented in the book that sticks with me is the concept of “Mental Velcro.”  What helps people retrieve thoughts and algorithms that are easily remembered and a person can recall it when needed.

Here’s a summary of the key points:

Frequency of Repetition: To make ideas stick, they need to be repeated consistently, ideally 12 to 52 times a year.

Six Principles of Sticky Ideas: SUCCESs Strategy:

• Simplicity: Craft a profound one-sentence statement that people can spend a lifetime learning from.
• Unexpectedness: Generate curiosity and interest by breaking predictable patterns.
• Concreteness: Use sensory information and concrete language to convey abstract truths.
• Credibility: Make ideas believable by using trustworthy sources and evidence.
• Emotions: Make people care about your ideas through emotional appeal.
• Stories: Use stories as mental simulators to convey ideas effectively.

The Curse of Knowledge: The main obstacle to effective communication is assuming that others have the same knowledge as you. To overcome it, simplify and transform your ideas.

Intent vs. Plan: Plans may not work in practice, so it’s essential to keep the intent in mind, especially in dynamic situations.

Idea Clinics: These are used to model the process of making ideas stickier, focusing on simplicity as “core + compact.”

Proverbs: Proverbs exist in many cultures because they offer simple rules of thumb for guiding individual behavior based on shared ethical or moral norms.

Getting Attention: To get someone’s attention, break predictable patterns and introduce surprise.

A Good Process for Sticky Ideas: Identify your core message, find what’s counterintuitive, break your audience’s guessing machines, and help them refine their thinking.

Examples: Companies like Disney humanize their operations, and teaching through mysteries can enhance learning.

The Power of Stories: Stories are effective teaching tools because they simulate action and provide inspiration.

Mental Simulation: Mental rehearsal and simulation can significantly improve performance in various activities.

65% of people will remember stories.  5% remember any individual statistic.

College professors take dozens of course in their areas of expertise but none on how to teach.

How to make it Stick:

1. Pay attention                                       UNEXPECTED
2. Understand and remember it              CONCRETE
3. Agree/believe                                      CREDIBLE
4. Care                                                    EMOTIONAL
5. Be able to act on it                              STORY

Three Basic Story Plots: Challenge plot, connection plot, and creativity plot can inspire and engage audiences.

Epilogue – What Sticks: People remember stories much better than statistics. To make ideas stick, they should be unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and told as a story.

In conclusion, “Made to Stick” provides insights into how to craft and communicate ideas that are memorable and impactful by

Saphier, Jon. (2024). Disrupting the Teacher Opportunity Gap. 

Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press.

After 60 years as an educator, 45 as a change agent in public schools, Jon Saphier has written a book for leaders like no other. It acknowledges the premier missing element in educational reform: high-expertise teaching understood in all its range and complexity. Then he presents a multifaceted long-term plan for improving classroom teaching across the board in any district. This plan integrates clear images of high-expertise teaching with specific leadership skills to build a learning organization. It is a how-to book that considers the full range of processes that  can be engineered cohesively to impact continuous teacher and leader learning.

Jon is one of the most ethical people and consummate professionals I know. His long-time commitment to learning, synthesizing research, and working with every level of SES and grade organizations has produced the best resources I use as a guide.  If Dr. Saphier has published it, it is correct and credible. He is my go-to foundation.

This book is a synthesis of over fifty years of research and practice that WORKS.   If practitioners, leaders, and governmental officials want to know how to make education work for all, READ THIS BOOK.  It is a step-by-step guide for people at every level to help us all learn.

Years ago, Jon published an article, “Good Seeds Grow in Strong Cultures.”  It is as valid today as it was in 1985 (ASCD).  It lays out twelve elements of building the learning culture in schools. Find it, Read it.

A few years later, Carl Glickman wrote an article (1991 ASCD), Pretending Not to Know What We Know.  We keep trying to reinvent the wheel when we have the information to do what we say is our goal.

Both of these articles supported what Ron Edmonds said in 1970s.  “We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do this. Whether we do it or not must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we have not done it so far.’’ In my opinion, this is about will, not skill or knowledge. Jon’s book provides the juice to translate that will into action.

And here we are these days, arguing over a specific programs that will be give us best practice.  My belief is, we don’t need best practice, we need best PRACTICES. Plural.  This is one of the reasons I often return to Dr. Saphier and his book, High Expectations Teaching (HET) (2017).  We know efficacy is the major driver in learning.  That is both for educators and students.  HET provides fifty ways to help students believe they have able brains and acquire the tools to prove it .  Please don’t tell me it won’t work with “these” kids.  I have been part of schools who can make it happen for all kids.

We complain that students are not reading.  As for principal for over forty years, I see that educators are not reading.  Nor are policy makers.  As Mark Twain said, those who don’t read have no advantage of those who can’t. Quoting Carl Glickman, “The first task of restructuring, confronting our own professional knowledge, is not easy, but it is likely to produce the courage to improve, at least in a few good schools.”

“Effective teaching is not a set of generic practices, but instead is a set of context-driven decisions about teaching. Effective teachers do not use the same set of practices for every lesson.” (Porter and Brophy 1988).

Back to the book.

Jon Saphier systematically goes through suggestions, supported by research, that people at every level can take to increase learning for all.  It is more important for people to agree on a plan rather than debate and argue about the best plan.  Angeles Arrien told me before she passed, “if your job is changing the world, GET UP, TODAY IS A WORKDAY!”

The book has are suggested plans for every part of the educational community:  Policy Makers, Boards of Education, district leaders, site leadership, etc.  The specific plans can be implemented with integrity and a vision for a preferred future.

Chapter 3 gives a way to build a learning culture.  Performance based measurement alone is not going to leader to increased learning.  If you doubt this, what has the last three decades taught us. Europe and Asia continue to outpace the U.S.  Building the adult culture also gives models for students to follow.  Knowledge workers don’t do well in a Kick A$$, Take Names culture.  Amy Edmondson’s work in psychological safety is paramount for a learning culture.

The need for leaders.

McLaughlin & Talbert are quoted, “We have never seen a school that achieved anything significant for students without a good leader.”  James Comer of Yale said, “no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.”  Figure 3.5, page 71 is a good visual about what people think is a good teacher compared to what it actually takes to be a good teacher.  On page 82 is a list of descriptors on how leaders improve teaching.

There are many studies that identify leadership is the second most important element after the classroom teacher influencing student learning.  In chapter 9 Saphier addresses the evaluation system.  People like people like themselves.  However, that may not be the best way to evaluate knowledge work. I, Bill, have found Stakeholder Centered Coaching (SCC) by Marshall Goldsmith and Frank Wagner as the most effective way to supervise, evaluate, and grow leadership.

Whether it be supervising site leaders, district administrators, or superintendents, SCC has been shown to produce a ninety-five percent success rate if the leader has the courage, humility, and the discipline to follow through.  Art Costa asked me, a principal at the time, ‘what are you doing to create a mentally stimulating environment in your school?’ I responded, ‘I have to do that too!’ Art smiled and said, ‘if you aren’t doing that for staff why do you think they will do it for students?’  He was right.

High Expertise Teaching is the critical variable in producing student learning.  When coaching district leaders, I often ask how much time do they devote to teaching, learning, and leadership in their meetings?  The usual response: it is on the agenda, but we run out of time.  Saphier’s book offers suggestions in Chapter 10 to consider.  Chapter 11, page 225, continues to supply essential questions to increase awareness and possible actions to elevate student learning.

Courage is important for leaders. That is why SCC coaching requires courage to be successful. Chapter 13 is full of specific ways to strengthen our courage to act in behalf of student learning.  The book continues to discuss superintendent roles, regional leaders, etc.

Finally, this book is a roadmap with specific actions to take at every level to focus on student and staff learning.  I have only scratched surface of some of the effective ideas in Saphier’s book.  So, in the final analysis I say:

• The research and plan are in this book.
• We can do this. Here’s how.
• We do know enough. Let’s begin.
• We can start today at every level.
• We are in this together for a better future.

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.”

Neil Postman

“If your job is waking up the dead,”

GET UP, TODAY IS A WORKDAY

Angeles Arrien