Igniting a Passion for Learning
The I-SS Journey to Excellence
Dr. Terry Holliday, Superintendent
www.iss.k12.nc.us
I-SS Background
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fired superintendent
Budget problems
Low student achievement
Low community expectations
Low trust – community and staff
Low morale
Excellent staff
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Board Expectations
• System Leadership
– Systems approach
– Continuous improvement focus
– Learning centered focus
– Innovation focus
– Process management focus
– Top Ten vision
www.iss.k12.nc.us
The Clash
• Leadership Beliefs vs. Existing Culture
– Problems are system based vs. people based
– Learning system vs. teaching system
– Data driven decisions vs. decisions made with regard
to tradition
– Innovation vs. status quo
www.iss.k12.nc.us
I-SS Baldrige Journey
• Foundation for Leadership
– Leadership passion and commitment for learning
– Leadership basic beliefs
– Change management process
– Baldrige Criteria as blueprint, framework and
measure
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Passion for Learning
• All children come to school with a yearning for
learning. Our aim should be to increase the
positives and decrease the negatives so all children
keep their yearning for learning.
Edward Deming
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Leadership Beliefs – System vs. People
• If children are not learning at high levels, the adults
have not done their part
– Parents have not created a system of encouragement
and support for learning
– Teachers have teaching centered classrooms rather
than learning centered classrooms
– Principals have created adult centered schools rather
than learning centered schools
– Superintendents and school boards have created
adult centered school systems rather than
learning centered systems
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Leadership Beliefs
• The vast majority of adults want the best for children
and want children to be successful
• No one comes to work everyday and wants to fail
• A passion for learning exists in all of us
• The level above must enable the level below
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Repeating Behavior Changes
• You are more likely to act your way into a new way of
thinking than to think your way into a new way of
acting
• Start with small behavior changes tied to systemic
and systematic processes
• Early successes
Michael Fullan, Turnaround Leadership, 2007
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Modeling Expectations: Listening Process
• Three Questions
– What is getting in the way of student learning?
– What do you need to help all children learn to high
levels?
– What do you expect from me as superintendent?
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Modeling by Leadership
• Use of Quality Tools
–
–
–
–
Issue Bin
Affinity Chart
Light Voting
Budget Alignment
• Plan Do Study Act Cycle
– Attendance
• Early Success
www.iss.k12.nc.us
What We Learned
• External Blame
• Complacency
• No Sense of Urgency
www.iss.k12.nc.us
What We Learned
• At every crossway on the road that leads to the
future each progressive spirit is opposed by a
thousand men appointed to guard the past.
Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian Nobel
Laureate
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Creating Conditions for Change That Will Last
• What DOES NOT Work
– Facts alone
– Fear
– Force
Sense of Urgency, John Kotter
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Creating Conditions for Change That Will Last
• What DOES Work
– Relationships
– Repeating small behavior changes
– Reframing beliefs
Change or Die, Alan Deutschman
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Belief and Expectations are Fundamental
• Pygmalion Effect
– If we expect our actions to have an impact on student
learning then we will impact student learning
– If we do not think our actions can overcome impact of
student demographics on learning then we will not
impact student learning
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Creating a Sense of Urgency
• Bring outside in – Baldrige Feedback
• Listen to employees who interact directly with
customers (students) – Workforce Focus
• Publish results of listening – Knowledge
Management
• Public display of results - Results
Sense of Urgency, John Kotter
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Results from 2002 to 2008 (NC Rank)
•Academic Composite
55th to 9th
•Graduate Rate
53rd to 11th (61% to 81%)
•SAT
57th to 7th (991 to 1056)
•3-8 Reading
75th to 20th
•3-8 Math
68th to 12th
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Results from 2002 to 2008
•Reading Gap AA
reduced by 48%
•Reading Gap EC
reduced by 53%
•Computer Skills
68% to 90%
•Dropout Rate
106th to 10th
•Attendance Rate
55th to 3rd
www.iss.k12.nc.us
Results from 2002 to 2008
Other areas of improvement – bus discipline, energy
savings, faith based partners, highly qualified teachers,
overtime costs, child nutrition costs, maintenance,
custodial, workmen’s compensation ratio, fund balance,
credit recovery
Expenditures per Pupil – remain in NC bottom 10
$700 below state average
www.iss.k12.nc.us
My Challenge to You
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Believe in the children
Believe in yourself
Believe in your leaders
Don’t give up on the children
Don’t give up on yourself
Don’t give up on your leaders
Don’t give up on education
Model the change that you want to see and by working
together, the messengers we send forward to that time
we will not see, will thrive and carry forward
a message of hope and belief
www.iss.k12.nc.us
My Contact Information
Terry Holliday, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Iredell-Statesville Schools
isssuperintendent@iss.k12.nc.us
www.iss.k12.nc.us