“To achieve a goal you’ve never achieved before, you must do things you’ve never done before.”
Covey et al., 2015, p. 4
It’s not news that schools were modeled after factories. At the time, the goal was standardization. As a result, everyone prepared for their future in a factory environment. Schools were not about student success, rather they delivered information and taught children how to behave (Dewey & Thorndike, 2007).
And not much has changed… yet.
In Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, we believe that what we do is about being the BEST for our students. Because of this, student success is tantamount to everything. In other words, each department, office, employee, and decision impacts our students. When we keep student success at the forefront of our minds while creating goals and making decisions in our district, we must remember that we are making these decisions for a future that looks different than the present.
To do this, we must shift the focus to where we want our students to go and who they can become. We must focus on improving the learning environment (Harapnuik, n.d.).
At the onset of the pandemic and beyond, we adapted so much of what we do to fit a digital model. This much-needed change more accurately reflects the ways humans will work alongside machines. We must continue to “ride the wave” of change that we may support our staff during a time of transition. We can use this opportunity to create a significant learning environment for students focused on the reality of their future (Harapnuik, n.d.). As a district and department, we must increase the urgency of this focus to create a solid foundation on which to build an improved organization (Kotter, 2013).
If student success is tantamount to everything, this also means that everything we do is tantamount to student success. The goals that each department chooses can support student learning (Covey et al., 2015). Where do the technology department and administration fit? Firstly, each improved workflow or process increases efficiency and improves the way our district runs. Also, each goal we set can support our larger goals centered around student success. These processes and goals can be created to model best practices and guide us toward a paperless, blended learning environment for students.
To truly be the BEST, we must move beyond the factory model of schools and treat students like the diverse, independent, individuals they are. We must change.
References
Covey, S., McChesney, C., & Huling, J. (2015). The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals. Simon & Schuster UK Limited.
Dewey, J., & Thorndike, E. (2007, August 1). Progressive Education in the 1940s. YouTube. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXKmwg8VQM
Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Change in Focus. It’s About Learning. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7495
Kotter, J. (2013, August 15). Leading Change: Establish a Sense of Urgency. YouTube. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://youtu.be/2Yfrj2Y9IlI