Urban Charter School Leadership: What Is Required to Consistently Achieve Excellence? Perry White November 6, 2012

Too many mistakes, too little time. (Trust me)

Citizens Academy Founded in students 99% African American 75% Single Parent Median Household Income $20,000

Citizens Academy, Rated Excellent with Distinction National Blue Ribbon Award Rated Academy Emergency

What Turned This Around? -Higher Expectations -Better Use of Time -Better Decision Making

Exercise I: How Do You Spend Your Time? (worksheet)

School Leader Worksheet School Leader Activity What Were the 2-3 Most Time Consuming Things You Did Each Day Last Week? Of the Above, Which Do You Think Were Good Uses of Your Time? Which Weren’t Good Use? Not Good Use + Who Should Be Doing This?

Group Discussion: Right Use Of A School Leader’s Time (co-created, on board)

Best Uses of Leader’s Time Set Vision Set Vision delete Org Culture Right Resources/Great Staff Goals and Strategy Accountability Systems Inspirational Leadership Inspirational Leadership Public Relations Leadership with Board Leadership with Board

Set Vision How Can I Successfully Lead Our Community to Fulfill Our Mission if I Can’t See What the Mission When Fulfilled Will Look Like? Envision What Success Will Look Like When the Organization’s Mission is Fulfilled? How Will I Describe The Vision to Cause Our Community to Embrace It?

Design Culture What are the Values, Standards, and Social Behaviors Our Organization Needs to Enhance Our Organization’s Ability to Fulfill its Mission? Values Standards Decision-making

Identify Values What Should be your Organization’s Most Important Values and Ideals and Why? Examples We make decisions solely on doing what’s best for children We work with a sense of urgency We come to work each day at our best We take responsibility for our actions; No excuses School’s explicit values / virtues

Select Standards At What Level Are We Expected to Perform? Lousy Mediocre Good Excellent

Making the Right Decisions Professional Expertise or Intelligence of Group? Top Down or Bottom Up? Use of Intuition or Goals and Data to Measure Progress?

Devise Strategy What are our long-term goals to keep us on track as we measure progress toward fulfilling our mission? What is our overall strategy to move from current outcomes to results that fulfill our mission?

Design How to Hold Everyone Accountable Given Mission, Vision, Goals, Strategy, Culture, and Resources…. How Will You Know Where Your Organization is Succeeding and Failing? How Will You Know Where Your People Need to Change What They Do (or Who Is Doing It) to Achieve Org Goals?

Build Systems Definition – A set of things working together as part of a mechanism or an interconnecting network Why Do We Need Systems to Achieve Excellence? What are Examples of Needed Systems?

Resources Talent Time Money Partnerships

Leadership Evoke Energy to Meet Specific Goals through Defined Roles and Practices What is your Role Here? Inspire, Demonstrate Caring and Gratitude, and Lead by Example

Public Relations What Does it Mean to be the Face of Your Organization? Why Is this Important? Who Is Your Public?

Provide Leadership with Your Board Where Does Your Board Need Your Leadership? Why is this Important?

Common To All Decision Making

Making Very Good Decisions is Hard & Crucial

6 Key Risks in Decision Making – Thinking You’re Smarter Than You Are – Not Gaining Varied Perspectives – Embracing Competing Missions – Not Being Clear about Priority Goals – Avoiding Making Hard Calls – Not Making Decisions Based on the Right Data

How to Consistently Improve Your Decision Making as a Leader Be Honest & Realistic Examine What You Do & Don’t Know Surround Yourself with People Smarter Than Yourself Ask the HARD Questions Create Decision Making Methods & Processes Rigorously Assess & Manage Risks Use Data & Face Facts

Use the Wisdom of the Group Multiple Perspectives + Independently Expressed - Egos = Group Smarter Than Its Smartest Member Every Time

Let’s Get Lay of Land

Which Group Do You Want Your Students In?

Remember: Set High Expectations!

This won’t happen overnight

But with Hard Work, Humility, Alignment, Great Leadership, and a Great Team, You Can Make it Happen!

You can do this, too. Rated Excellent with Distinction Rated Academy Emergency

Work with an Executive Coach

Evaluation Form Gentle Reminder

Continuous Learning Plan Books Leverage Leadership, Bambrick – Santoyo, Paul, John Wiley and Sons, San Francisco, 2012 Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, Bossidy, Larry, Charan, Ram & Burke, Charles, Crown Business, N. Y. N. Y., 2002 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Covey, Stephen. Franklin Covey, Salt Lake City, Utah, Integrity is a Growth Market, Kolp, Alan and Rea, Peter, Atomic Dog Press, Bratton, William, article, Tipping Point Leadership, in HBR’s The 10 Must Reads on Change Management, Kim, W. Cham, Mauburne, Renee, Harvard Business Review, Cambridge, Mass., 2011

CLP Continued Web Resources School Leaders Toolbox (This terrific resource covers the waterfront on matters of talent in schools, including recruitment, hiring, evaluation, retaining, etc. It includes best practice policies, procedures, and forms.) Marshall Memo: A Weekly Round-up of Important Ideas and Research in K-12 Education - subscribe at: (A great resource at a modest cost addressing many education topics, including leadership)

CLP Continued Consulting Resources The Rock Group, school management and turnaround consultants offering an array of services Perry White Consulting This presenter offers executive coaching and other services on-site and through remote communication. The link to the PowerPoint for this presentation is available in the resources section of the PWC website.