Leading by Convening is a new approach to stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Today we will: Share lessons learned. Introduce tools and information.  Discuss options that fit your needs. Offer tangible activities to get started. What is your picture of collaboration? www.ideapartnership.org

Thi Thanks for inviting me! This is the first of four in the series on Leading by Convening We will: Describe the changes in special education accountability and leadership demands Explore a new approach to leadership Conceptualize ‘stakeholders as allies’ in achieving sustainable change .

By the end of today’s session You will: Be able to describe three critical ‘habits of interaction’ that support sustainable change Discern the difference between technical and adaptive strategies to achieve practice change Identify difference in stakeholder role at four deepening level of engagement Identify a professional situation to which they will apply the principals of Leading by Convening (LbC

The ideas we will begin to explore t in our four sessions together are grounded in major points of change in Special Education: 1997: IDEA ‘97 Amendments 2014: Results Driven Accountability ( RDA) What are the implications for leadership? What are the implications for local practice? What is your ‘picture’ of Collaboration? Use the 8 images to generate ideas about interaction and shared work

Recognizing the Need for Change... Implementing 1997 Amendments to IDEA Access to the general curriculum Evidence based practice Participation in assessments Placement neutral funding A little history of Leading by Convening.... The Reauthorization of IDEA was the challenge that united more than 50 national organizations and family groups: Bringing policy and practice together Building appreciation for stakeholders expertise Creating ways for stakeholder voice to be heard and valued We had knowledge and skill gaps but most importantly … We had relationship gaps with the partners We needed to accomplish the new vision! With this understanding The IDEA Partnership was born! Although the issues may be different as we undertake the SSIP, do we still have knowledge shill and relationship gaps? We had knowledge and skill gaps but most importantly We had relationship gaps.

Can We Share Leadership across Groups with Differing Perspectives? Yes! We Can! The IDEA Partnership 55 National Organizations Developing shared learning opportunities that connect decision-makers and stakeholders After forming the unified partnership, we continued to learn from and with each other … Exploring shared leadership and action by uniting people with authority and people with influence … And, building capacity across roles, networks and levels of the system. www.ideapartnership.org

Bill East, Jr., Ed.D. National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), 2012 There will never be enough laws, policies, processes or documents to force change. Change is best realized through the relationships we build with those people and groups that have a common interest toward solving a persistent problem or seizing an opportunity. Importance of Relationships in Change This understanding speaks to the current move away from compliance as the single indicator of success. OSEP has led on this and NASDSE agrees. The Results Driven Accountability and the State Systemic Improvement Plans are built on this understanding. The Partnership work on Authentic Engagement and Leading by Convening is built on this understanding.

Leading … and Leading by Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement: Stakeholders as Allies We’ve learned some valuable lessons about who the stakeholders are...how they want to be engaged...and what they might do if asked... Stakeholders as Allies!!!! ...designed to convey the lessons learned over 15+ years

Turn of the Table: Authority Thinking about leadership on special education.... What is the best thing about authority? What is the worst thing about authority?

What is an ‘ally relationship’? Board and table work

Convening as a ‘New Discipline’ Convening is: More than a meeting More than facilitation Bringing people together in face to face and virtual ways is just the start … we have to find ways for people to contribute … and help them do it! This is the new role as a convener. We are talking about convening across school and community efforts … and sometimes across agencies … a ‘system convener’ role So…why convene? We need to become allies in making the changes in order for practice to stick … We have evidence based practices … but face continual challenges to implementation and fidelity. No group, agency or organization can do it alone. Predictable changes in leadership make it critically important to have deep understanding in the field that will help the work go on across leadership changes. In the connected world we live in now…stakeholders expect to be engaged…to have a role. If we do not engage them authentically and as allies in accomplishing goals…..we risk having opposing groups undermine efforts with misinformation The beginning of a relationship focused on practice change

RDA: Focus on Compliance and Results Core Tenants: Developed with stakeholders Transparent and understandable Drives improved outcomes Ensures protection of individual rights Differentiated incentives, supports and incentives Direct resources for the greatest impact Responsive to the needs of children and youth with disabilities and their families

Turn of the Table: RDA Thinking about leadership on special education.... What is the best thing about compliance? What is the worst thing about a focus on results?

Stakeholder Engagement : A Core Tenant for Implementing RDA Your stakeholders.... Invitees Partners Allies

Break Let’s be back in 15 minutes

What Will It Take? ’: Invitees Participants Allies Who are your stakeholders? ‘Wall work’.. and table work

A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Doing the Work Together Adaptive Technical Operational Networking Collaborating Transforming Informing Depth of Interaction To download, visit: www.ideapartnership.org

Interconnected Components Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Communities of Practice Habits of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Doing the Work Together Theory Base: Etienne Wenger Communities of Practice Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction Begin by scanning for common goals and feelings of shared purpose. Recognize that we have something to learn FROM others and design learning activities so that we can learn WITH one another.

Elements of Interaction: Theory Base: Heifetz and Linsky A Convening Approach to Common Practice Problems Adaptive Technical Operational Decisions Theory Theory Base: Heifetz and Linsky Technical and Adaptive Challenges Experience Base: Stakeholders ( “Pay attention to”...) Begin by scanning for common goals and feelings of shared purpose. Recognize that we have something to learn FROM others and design learning activities so that we can learn WITH one another. Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction: A convening approach to deep engagement Informing Networking Collaborating Transforming Sharing or Disseminating; One-way Exchanging; Two-way Engaging; Working together over time Committing to engagement and consensus-building Experience Base: IDEA Partnership Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Elements of Interaction Ideas to Action Learning Activities and Tools Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Organization of Each Section Leading by Convening Very brief overview Text Box with critical content Text that gives a little more about the content Rubrics to measure progress Tools and learning activities Text Box with critical content on adaptive and technical elements Plain English Can be used as a personal guide As a training resource Written by stakeholders www.ideapartnership.org

Very Brief Overview www.ideapartnership.org

Text Box with critical content www.ideapartnership.org

Text that gives a little more about the content www.ideapartnership.org

Rubrics to measure progress www.ideapartnership.org

Tools and learning activities www.ideapartnership.org

Exploring the Blueprint through an Issue: Cradle to College and Career Readiness and Early Learning Early Childhood Literacy, Numeracy and Behavioral Health Level Elementary Subject Area Competence , Personal Growth and Active Engagement Middle School Level Application of Subject Area Knowledge; Demonstrated Mastery, Choose Own Path High School Level Continuous Learning, Personal Mastery, Continuous Adjustment and Openness to Change Post-secondary and Employment

Lunch Let’s be back in one hour

Exploring the Blueprint through an Issue: Cradle to College and Career Readiness and Early Learning Early Childhood Literacy, Numeracy and Behavioral Health Level Elementary Subject Area Competence , Personal Growth and Active Engagement Middle School Level Application of Subject Area Knowledge; Demonstrated Mastery, Choose Own Path High School Level Continuous Learning, Personal Mastery, Continuous Adjustment and Openness to Change Post-secondary and Employment

Elements of Interaction Habits of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Doing the Work Together Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Coalescing Around Issues How People Are Four Simple Questions Seeds of Trust Meet the Stakeholders Begin by scanning for common goals and feelings of shared purpose. Recognize that we have something to learn FROM others and design learning activities so that we can learn WITH one another.

Who cares about this issue Four Simple Questions Who cares about this issue and why? What work is already underway separately? These tools may be helpful in creating interaction that helps you move to more and deeper engagement. Four Simple Questions is a ‘think through’ tool. Used by a team, it permits you to take a broad look at the full array of stakeholders and your potential links to them. Used with groups, it permits you to see the issue from their perspective. http://www.ideapartnership.org/documents/NovUploads/Blueprint USB/Coalescing Around/Four Simple Questions.pdf What shared work could unite us? How can we deepen our connections?

Elements of Interaction Habits of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Doing the Work Together Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Relevant Participation Has Several Faces: Range, Frequency, and Role Power differential Supporters and critics Players at different levels of scale Frequency Episodic or ongoing Predictable interaction, sufficient to build relationships Often enough so that stakeholders can take roles Role Fixed or shared leadership roles Everybody comes as a learner

Ensuring Relevant Participation What’s In It for Me? Engaging Everyone Learn the Language: Make the Connection Web of Connections

Engaging Everybody To what extent have you gone beyond the inner circles in your work? What advantage is to be gained by involving those who might fall into the outer circles. The outer circles give us greater ‘bandwidth’. The strength of the message reaches more people and connects them actively to your work. Adaptive leaders learn to translate the core work into ways that many people can contribute. Adaptive leaders customize messages for broad dissemination in the outer circle and begin a dialogue

Elements of Interaction Habits of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Doing the Work Together Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction Transition from Debra to Mariola

One-Way, Two Way Learning Doing Work Together Problems Come Bundled Building Engagement Defining Our Core One-Way, Two Way Learning

Challenges Adaptive Principles Communication Understanding Agreement Willingness to make personal change Technical Experts Checklists Manuals Tools Protocols Technical Challenge Requires information, knowledge or tools Adaptive (Relationship) Challenges Requires understanding and a willingness to make behavior changes

The Leadership Challenge Knowing when a persistent problem needs an adaptive (relationship) solution Learning that technical solutions are necessary but often not sufficient Building adaptive skills as a part of strategy Think about how Heifetz describes “work in a pressure cooker” relationships as the container that has to be strong enough to ‘hold the pressure’ interaction active enough to keep people engaged until they can make the change” Let’s listen to Heifetz on Adaptive Leadership

Problems Come Bundled Every issue has both a technical and an adaptive side ... defining both is critical when we want to engage stakeholders. Checking your perceptions is even more important!

One Way and Two Way Learning

Plotting Learning Activities in Four Quadrants Informal Learning From With Formal Learning

Elements of Interaction Habits of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Doing the Work Together Habits of Interaction Elements of Interaction Depth of Interaction

Leading by Convening means we…. Convene the stakeholders to discover why a practice is important and how it will improve practice. “From your perspective....” “In your experience...”

Break Let’s be back in 15 minutes

From Invitees to Allies Authentic Engagement Active engagement Translate complex work into ways that individuals can participate Everyone is a leader and learner!

Bridging Tool: Dialogue Guides Pat

There are gaps between research, policy and practice Information gaps Gaps in prior knowledge Skill gaps Gaps between the dispositions needed to implement and the dispositions currently held We must learn how to communicate simply We must build multiple opportunities for engagement!

Dialogue : An important strategy Pat Dialogue : An important strategy To implement IDEA as envisioned we need to develop shared meaning To create shared meaning, we need to understand what others see in an issue Dialogue is a way to learn what others see in an issue and share our own perceptions Stakeholder engagement demands dialogue!

What do we mean by ‘Dialogue’? Pat Debate Discussion Dialogue Accepts assumptions as Truth Surfaces various assumptions Examines assumptions Point – Counterpoint Majority rules; agree to disagree Seeks common ground; supports consensus Persuasive Informative Reflective

How Do We Create Dialogue? Pat Invite the stakeholders Read and reflect on the issues Exchange perspectives on the issues Generate Reaction Questions that will permit stakeholders in the field to express their perspective. Generate Application Questions that will help stakeholders in the field to use the dialogue to build new understanding or take action on an issue. Offer a Facilitator’s Guide to help others hold dialogue in the field.

www.ideapartnership.org Pat Handout – DG facilitator guide

Pat Reaction questions permit stakeholders in the field to express their perspective. Reaction questions are intended to help people make their mental models explicit. They are designed to help people see that there are multiple perspectives that need to be bridged for IDEA to be successfully implemented Reaction questions should help participants appreciate the differences in perspective across roles and provide insight into the shared interests that could unite them.

Sample Reaction Questions Stems Some sample starters: Why is ______________important to you … In terms of program and services In terms of relationships between ________and _______ In your experience, ________________ What do your colleagues say about ______________

Pat Application questions are intended to help people begin to think about the future state of practice. Application questions are framed so as to point the way to the involvement of the various stakeholder groups. Application questions should generate ideas about how to find out what is currently in progress, become more knowledgeable and/or move forward. Application questions move us toward shared action

Sample Application Starter Stems Recall a time when …. How might the new knowledge have changed that story? How might ….. be expected to respond to the new information? Where will this new information impact practice? How might ….. be better prepared to understand the changes? Do you know what is happening with ….. in your state? How can you find out? Do you know the level of awareness of ….. in your district? Your school? How can you support new understanding?

Creating a DG for Local Engagement

Creating a DG for Local Engagement

Measuring Progress Qualitative Rubrics to Quantitative Comparisons Using the rubrics, you can begin to reflect on engagement. By inviting stakeholders to participate, you can learn how your stakeholders think you are doing. Leading by Convening: Bringing It All Together

Next Steps: Next Sessions Choose and issue that is important to your work Develop a plan to lead with your stakeholders on this issue Use the session as ‘real time coaching’ or a ‘planning venue ‘ for future work Participate in survey of individual needs and targeted issues Participate in November planning webinar for the December session Receive invitations to participate in national work on bridging tools