RESOURCE 15
Affirm Cause and Effect for Strategy Development
Before meeting with the District Leadership Team to affirm causes and effect among the
data as a basis for developing strategies, the facilitator will need to meet with the DLT
chair/cochairs to build an agenda, prepare packets and make meeting arrangements. Packets
should include the list of District Priority Problems and the board approved goals. The meeting
space will need to allow for significant wall space. Someone will also need to enlarge and make
two to three copies of the District Priority Problems (one set per goal).
The Superintendent/Chair/Cochairs may want to expand to a larger audience of district- and
building-level leadership representatives at this time. It’s best to gather a team of people who
have the right skills, knowledge, and experience of the problem to collectively identify all the
reasons why the problem may be occurring. Another reason for expanding the DLT at this time
is that since the work forms the basis for developing strategies, and all district staff and schools
will be expected to use these in developing their plans, then their understanding and
involvement will help to build ownership and commitment to the final plan.
This part of the process is not simple and not easy and will require strong facilitation. The
meeting management checklist (Resource 8) can be used as an aide in preparing for the
meeting. The agenda should be sent at least a week before the meeting. Request a copy be
emailed to you. A sample agenda for this DLT meeting follows. Within each agenda item, time
should be built in for questions.
SAMPLE AGENDA
District Leadership Team Meeting
Date: January 15, 2009
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Tactful School District Office
Attendees: Superintendent T. B. Wise and Curriculum Director F. T. Child (DLT Cochairs; DLT
Members, Ima Winner and Ura Saint, OIP Facilitators
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
Meeting Purpose, Ground Rule
Review, and Assignments
Superintendent/
Chair/Cochairs
8:45 – 9:00 a.m.
Benefits of Using a Graphic Organizer
to Determine Cause and Effect
OIP Facilitators
9:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Create Tree Diagram for Each Goal
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Review Tree Diagrams
10:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Next Steps
DLT Members
Goal Work Groups
DLT Members
Superintendent
Summary of Discussion/Decisions
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008
During this meeting, the facilitator will need to introduce the concept of cause and effect.
Without an understanding of the factors that contribute to each of the goals, it is difficult to identify
strategies to address them. A cause-and-effect analysis generates and sorts hypotheses about
the possible causes of goals/problems by asking the DLT to correlate high priority problems
identified in Stage 1 to the goals generated in Stage 2. This analysis forms the basis for
identifying the strategies that the district will use to respond to the goals/problems. The cause
and effect process should take no more than a few hours. Following are talking points that
follow the above agenda.
AGENDA TOPIC
Meeting
Purpose,
Ground Rule
Review, and
Assignments
FACILITATOR TALKING POINTS
HANDOUTS
Purpose of meeting is to use the Stage 1 district priority
problems to identify primary and secondary causes of the goals
generated in Stage 2 as the basis for developing strategies (and
potentially actions).
District Priority
Needs/Problems
(generated in
Stage 1)
Review the agreed upon ground rules that were identified at the
first DLT meeting.
Board Approved
Goals (generated
in Stage 2)
Determine who will fulfill assignments for this meeting, e.g.
timekeeper, process observer, information seeker.
Explain the benefits of using a graphic organizer:
Benefits of
Using a
Graphic
Organizer to
Determine
Cause & Effect
o
Illustrates major branches reflecting categories of causes to
stimulate and broaden thinking about potential or real causes
and facilitates further examination of individual causes
o
Because all ideas can find a place on the diagram, a causeand-effect analysis helps to generate consensus about causes.
o
It can help to focus attention on where a problem is occurring
and to allow for constructive use of data.
o
Data lends credibility to possible hypotheses. The absence of
data encourages districts to revert back to opinion as the
primary rationale.
The tree diagram provides a logical structure to help move from
large, broad issues to small, specific items. It can help arrange
potential causes and effects and be used to document why a
problem exists.
Ask the DLT members to self-select into work teams for each
goal. Ask that each work group have an equal number of
members. Next, give each group the following tasks for their
assigned goal:
Create Tree
Diagram for
Each Goal
Blank Tree
Diagram –
Resource 15
Sample Tree
Diagram –
Resource 15
1. Write the goal in the form of a question (problem
statement) on the extreme left side of a wide piece of
paper, or on a landscape page of a Tree Diagram.
Note: Framing the goal as a “why” question is important because each
cause should answer the question.
2. Identify the categories/areas from the list of District
Priority Problems, e.g., Curriculum, Instruction,
Climate, Leadership and subdivide or branch off the
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008
AGENDA TOPIC
FACILITATOR TALKING POINTS
HANDOUTS
first-level tree item.
Note: There is no one right way to do this. Six boxes may be
required or only four. Make the Tree fit the problem and
categories that emerged from the data.
3. Using the District Priority Problems, sort the primary
causes onto the tree. Moving from left to right in the
tree, the items get more and more specific. Evaluate
and review each major subheading or path to ensure
that each level has a direct cause-and-effect
relationship with the one before. Analyze and confirm
that fulfilling all the levels and areas will ensure the
problem is solved.
Note: Using large sticky notes with each priority problem written
on it or cutting the priority problems into strips so they can be
moved is the best technique to use for this. There will be
significant movement of causes to the categories and the
members physically moving the causes forces discussion about
the relationship among causes. If a cause relates to more than
one category, it can be duplicated and placed under both
categories.
4. Build a detailed picture of why the problem is
happening as a team. This may require identification
of secondary causes. When possible data should be
identified to support these causes. This may require
revisiting the data from Stage 1 (Resource 10 - Data
Summaries). It may be that additional monitoring and
data collection is required to establish a solid
connection between the causes and the effects of
each problem, or the team may have to rely on
common sense and perception. When additional data
are needed, they should be identified and kept as
information for when the actions are developed.
Note: Remember that people are natural problem solvers and may
have spent years doing creative work to get over routine problems.
Indeed, these practices may be so ingrained they’re considered part
of the job. It is the job of the facilitator and DLT chair(s) to flush this
out and solve the cause of the problem by asking “why, why, why”
for each reason, and what data support team members’ hypothesis.
The question why? should be asked five times for each reason (i.e.
The Five Whys).
5. If the team identifies more than four categories, they
may wish to prioritize them. This information may be
helpful as the DLT moves into developing the few (no
more than four) focused strategies.
Review Tree
Diagrams
Have each team present their tree diagram to the whole group,
asking for feedback and comment.
Next Steps
The Chair/cochairs will need to share how these causes will
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008
AGENDA TOPIC
FACILITATOR TALKING POINTS
HANDOUTS
form the basis for the strategies that will be developed. Creating
a diagram leads to a clearer understanding of the goal (problem)
and what’s causing it so that investment of resources can be
directed toward the right strategy/solution. Jumping to a solution
without first looking at all possible causes can be a costly
mistake. Remember, a problem well stated is a problem half
solved.
Note: If time allows, the group can proceed with developing the
strategies at this time.
The chair/cochairs should summarize the next steps to
include:
o
o
Date of next meeting
Draft agenda for next meeting
After the meeting, the tree diagrams should be transferred onto an EXCEL spreadsheet or
other software, e.g., Inspiration, so that the causes and effect results can be transmitted to the
DLT.
More on Facilitation
Use the “Five Whys” method to help drill down and identify the cause of a problem. The question
“why” is asked five (or more) times. The “Five Whys” cause people to use higher order thinking
skills, cut through layers of bureaucracy to find the true meaning and cause people to challenge
their current situation or problem. For example,
1. Why are our district leadership team meetings unproductive?
Answer: We spend too much time talking and sharing stories about things that happen in the schools.
2. Why do we spend too much time talking about personal things and sharing stories about
things that happen in the schools?
Answer: We don’t have a focus for our meetings.
3. Why don’t we have a focus for our meetings?
Answer: We aren’t organized with an agenda.
4. Why aren’t we organized with an agenda?
Answer: We don’t have a process for developing an agenda.
5. Why don’t we have a process for developing an agenda?
Answer: We haven’t taken time to look at our data to assess our needs
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008
Goal:
1
The number of students scoring proficient or higher at each grade level as assessed by the reading OAT/OGT will increase
20% by 2010.
Strategies Developed Based on Tree Template
1. A
Implement a district-wide system to effectively and efficiently monitor instructional practices for consistent implementation of ELA
instruction.
2. A
Implement a standards-based curriculum and evidence-based instructional practices in ELA.
PD is not aligned to student
achievement goals, less
than 15% of PD is in
reading.
Curriculum
District does not have a
rigorous Pk-12 curriculum.
Curriculum is not aligned
to standards.
Teachers use a variety of
ELA materials to support
curriculum resulting in
inconsistency.
Principals do not regularly
observe classrooms for
curriculum implementation.
Why are
reading
scores
declining?
Most (85%) of instruction is
whole group.
The district does not
monitor the use of shortterm cycle assessment in
grades 4-12
Assessment
Limited use of higher order
questioning & advanced
organizers.
Less than 25% of teachers
use common planning time
1X/wk. Purpose of
meetings is unknown.
Not all grades have a short
cycle assessment
available to them to
measure reading progress.
Lack of coordination of
design, delivery,
evaluation, and monitoring
of PD in reading.
PD is inconsistently offered
and not supported by
follow-up & embedded
activities.
No data to show
relationship between PD
and change in teacher
practices.
Differentiated instruction is
not applied consistently.
Instruction
Use of effective instruction
is not consistent.
PD is not aligned to
achievement goals; less
than 15% of PD focused on
reading.
Data are not used
efficiently to monitor
program implementation
and drive ELA instruction
for all students.
65% of teachers report that
they do not know how to
administer and interpret
reading short-cycle or
quarterly assessments in
order to improve
instruction.
65% of teacher report that
assessment results are not
immediately accessible to
them in order to guide
instruction.
Short cycle assessment
results for reading are not
used to engage students in
self-reflection and selfassessment.
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008
DRAFT OIP Facilitator’s Guide Resources
December 2008