In the section titled "Some Advice for District Leaders", the writers provide the following corollary story:
A well-accepted principle taught to Top Gun Navy fighter pilots is that the safest move when encountering an enemy during air-to-air combat is to "turn into the threat" (Driscoll, 2005). If a fighter pilot's first move is to turn away from an oncoming enemy plane, he or she lose sight of the situation and forfeits the ability to make necessary corrections in behavior. The same principle seems to apply to district leaders when faced with "threats" regarding their second-order change initiatives. Turning into the threat means being proactive regarding the change process.
Marzano and Waters make the following recommendations for proactive district leadership regarding the change process. I will relate it to the 1:1 iPad initiative my district is undertaking.
Recommendation #1: Know the Implications of Your Initiatives
The implications of going 1:1 in a school are vast. We have to consider the effects on curriculum, teaching strategies, learning styles, logistics of the school day, assessment, funding, parents, students, administrators, and of course teachers. In our case we have had the great pleasure to learn from some districts who have already taken on this change. We have visited Defiance High School in Ohio and New Lexington High School in Ohio. I have also engaged in many twitter chat sessions on #1to1techat and exchanged emails and phone conversations with district leaders around the country. This is where I believe our 1 year phase in process has helped us the most. We have been able to fully discuss the implications and have been adjusting policies and procedures accordingly.
Recommendation #2: Maintain a United Front
This is where the rubber meets the road in district leadership. This takes me back to "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." We, as district leaders, must not be afraid to adjust on the fly and privately recognize any problems with the change as they happen. It is then critical that we engage all appropriate stakeholders and make changes as we need. Most vital though, is that we stay true to our vision and support the process no matter how hard it gets.
Recommendation #3: Keep the Big Ideas in the Forefront
Changing our instructional, curricular, assessment, and logistics can be a daunting task. We, as district leaders, must make sure that we keep emphasizing with all stakeholders the ideas, theories, and best practices involved in impacting student learning. Again, we are fortunate that we have taken a 1 year phase in process for our 1:1 implementation. I believe that when we launch in August 2013 our teachers and administrators will be properly prepared for the most part. We may experience some backlash from parents and students as we are conducting school differently than has been done in the past. We must make sure that we continue to communicate with our parents and students about these best practices so they understand how it will benefit all students and better prepare them to be college and career ready upon graduation.
Recommendation #4: Use What is Known about Acceptance of New Ideas
On page 110, Marzano and Waters reference work by Everett Rogers (Diffusion of Innovations, 2003). Rogers documented through research how to create an atmosphere in which radical ideas or innovations are adopted. In his research, Rogers concludes that individuals are more likely to adopt an innovation or accept a new idea when they see in them the following four attributes:
1. Relative advantage - individuals need to understand how and why new ideas or innovations are better for them personally or for the people they care most about. In this case, our teachers are the ones who had to buy in early on this change and they did. Our teachers recognized before we began our 1:1 initiative that this was what was best for students and how it would have a positive on impact on instruction and student learning. Most parents and students have been voicing positive comments at this point. It is important that we continue to communicate with them as we implement the change.
2. Compatibility - stakeholders are more likely to adopt new ideas or innovations when they are viewed as compatible with personal values and prior experience. In this case, again, our amazing teachers value technology and its impact on student learning. Our 1 year phase in implementation process has enabled our teachers to further refine their instructional practices to take them to higher level. We have some teachers who are still apprehensive but the 1 year process has helped to bring them along. We will not start on day one in August with 100% of our teachers ready for this change and that is OK. What is important is that we continue to support them when they need it and encourage them to implement as they are ready.
3. Trialability - pilot testing new ideas or innovations in safe low-stakes settings will increase the rate of their adoption. In the case of Lancaster High School, our pilot group was formed when we applied for and received the Transforming Teaching and Learning Grant in May 2011. This group was then trained in Project-Based Learning and embarked upon using iPads in their classrooms. This group and their expertise set the stage for the rest of the building to see the success and desire to implement on a mass scale.
4. Evidence - people are more likely to adopt an idea or innovation when the idea is associated with evidence that it works. Again, our pilot group of teachers from the Transforming Teaching and Learning grant provided the rest of our high school staff with the evidence they needed to accept the 1:1 program.
Recommendation #5: Communicate with "Sticky Messages"
On page 111, Marzano and Waters reference the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell (2002). In the book, Gladwell introduces the concept of "sticky messages". His premise is the idea that ideas or innovations "catch on" because there is something about them that sticks with people. The "sticky message" in our case was fostered by our pilot group of teachers and the subsequent inclusion of the goal to establish a 1:1 program from our district written in Technology Plan in May 2012. The first goal and strategy in the plan, which was unanimously approved by the board of education reads as follows:
Goal 1 – Engage students in learning activities that promote 21st Century Skills –
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Collaboration and Communication, Creativity, and
Innovation
Strategy 1 - Establish a one-to-one student to computer (tablet) ratio at the high school
during the 2013-2014 school year.
As we embark upon full implementation of the 1:1 program in August 2013 and beyond we, as district leaders, must continue to communicate the simple messages that are the staple of this change initiative. We must use these "sticky messages" to continue to reinforce the change to all our stakeholders.
Recommendation #6: Manage Personal Transitions
On page 112, Marzano and Waters reference a book by W. Bridges (1980) titled "Transitions: Making sense of life's changes". Bridges makes a distinction between change and transitions. Simply put, change is external and transition is internal. In our case, this change is is a gain for our students. However, it is a transition for our teachers and for some teachers they are losing some of their tried and true teaching practices. One key to managing the process of personal transition is for leaders to treat the experience the same way they would the process of grieving. When leaders recognize that for some individuals in the district, second-order change represents significant personal loss (loss of expertise, loss of confidence, loss of relationships, and loss of status), they will respond as they would following the loss of loved ones. They will organize and schedule events intended to honor the past: the people and initiatives that helped move the organization forward. It is important as leaders to allow our teachers to go through the grieving process, acknowledge the past success and the people involved, and allow time for the teachers to mourn the past.
Bridges (1980) refers to this period of mourning as the "neutral zone." The neutral zone is a period of time when people are letting go of the past, accepting what has ended and what has started, assimilating new knowledge and skills, and building confidence in themselves and in the future.
We may shorten the period of time our teachers spend in the neutral zone through what Bridges refers to as the four P's to a new beginning:
- Purpose - our teachers need to know why our school has changed and why it is necessary (Student Learning, College and Career Readiness)
- Picture - people need a vision or picture of what the future will look like as a result of the change (Pilot teachers, Technology Plan)
- Plan - people need to know the plans for implementing the changes (our Technology Plan)
- Part - people need to know what part they can and will be asked to play in the future (Teacher Based Teams)
In conclusion I want to emphasize the importance of district leadership stability in the change process. In our case, the change was started by our pilot group of teachers. Once they experienced success and other teachers recognized the impact, they demanded more technology to implement in their classrooms. The demand created a need for the district to put a plan of action together to build upon the momentum and seize the moment. The plan was approved by the board of education and put into place. Board approval of the plan is vital to the long-term success of the change because district leadership changes. Continuity in district leadership can make or break second-order change. In our case, our superintendent changed immediately after the passage of the Technology Plan in the summer of 2012. We were fortunate that the new superintendent came from within the district and new the support the board of education had for the program.
