We have more to do with less.

It’s a sentiment I’ve heard from education leaders across the country. With the decreases in education funding, tough decisions and cuts have had to be made.  When so many schools were already struggling to reach their student achievement goals, it’s no wonder that, for some, it can now seem like an almost  impossible task.

Any yet, there are those schools that excel in spite of the economic challenges and other issues. How- we ask ourselves?  What do those school leaders know that we don’t?

People First Cultures   

Numerous studies have found that the most effective school leaders believe that people are the key to performance. It makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider that the one constant in schools is the people. It is truly one of the things that you can most rely on- the students will come and the teachers will teach.

But there must be more to it than just that. When I asked a highly regarded, veteran superintendent what her number one challenge was this year, she shared that keeping her staff engaged and motivated was her top priority. She was very aware that the culture of her district depended on the level of engagement of all its members and that this culture greatly impacted the level of student success that they achieved.

Of course. And this correlates to what the research indicates.

Outstanding leaders understand that developing and stretching people to achieve beyond what they thought possible unleashes energy, that empowering people frees them to make a difference, and that this drives engagement.

If educators believe that the causes of student learning lie outside their influence or control, school improvement efforts can be viewed as futile. But when educators recognize and believe in their individual and collective capacity to positively impact student achievement, results follow.        

How do you purposefully empower, engage, and inspire the people in your schools?

Susan Gonzales, MA.Ed, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
Vice President, Coach Training Programs
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

This is the first in a series of blogs addressing topics for today’s educational leaders. Check back for more postings.