Discussion

 

As Fullan reminds us in his 2001 book titled “Leading In A Culture of Change,” organizational change is a slow, complex process, and challenges that surface should not be viewed as things to quickly be “solved.”  This notion was an important touchstone throughout my action research experience.  I continued returning to the idea that developing a rich adult learning community and building leadership across twelve schools in three regions simply would not happen overnight.  My personality tends toward wanting to “fix” and “improve” as efficiently and effectively as possible, and my experience throughout my action research caused me to take great pause as I reflected about my own proclivity in this regard.  I learned how important it is to step back, to be thoughtful, even to relish the uncertainty and discord.  HTH’s CEO Larry Rosenstock often reminds people that “thinking is not deciding,” underscoring the importance of taking time to explore ideas openly in the spirit of creativity, without getting bogged-down by what may or may not be realistic or possible.  This was perhaps the most important new insight that I gained through my research question.

 

A second important insight is the importance of collaborating with School Directors as I worked to build inclusive culture.  In an article that they co-authored titled “Inclusive Education in Action: Making Differences Ordinary,” McLeskey and Waldron (2002) point out that, “...an inclusive school cannot be successfully implemented without the active support of the building principal” (p. 23).  Though I think High Tech High Directors embrace full inclusion, I realized that I needed to have more dialogue and more opportunities for reflection with school Directors.  Poetter and Jetty (2001) found in their research that school administrators are quick to reduce “Special Education” to nothing more than a pesky list of legal requirements and paperwork (p. 173).  I worry that this mindset is present at some of the HTH schools.  Instead of perceiving of Special Education as a resource for improving instruction, personalization, and equity for all learners, it is sometimes seen as a lot of bureaucratic red tape that we all simply have to deal with.  A very important next step in my work is engaging in dialogue with School Directors to examine our perceptions about “special education” and “general education” with the hope of shifting to recognize that dynamic, personalized instruction is simply an equity project aimed at providing access to all.  I have already planned a first PD experience for school Directors on the topic of Mental Health, and I hope I will be welcomed back for more PD next school year!

 

I think the most successful element of my action research experience has been the creation of strong relationships within our adult learning community.  In particular, after our winter retreat, there was a palpable sense of excitement, passion and connection (reflected also in the exit card data discussed in my Findings section). I feel confident that the Inclusion Specialists at HTH feel connected with each other, know who to turn to for resources and support, and feel a sense of excitement about innovating change and building inclusive culture within our schools.  A clear next step, however, is developing the complex set of skills that are necessary for accomplishing these cultural changes.  As the literature indicates, a learning community that embraces distributed leadership must also be one in which there are ample opportunities to hone and develop strong facilitation and leadership skills (Lambert, 2002; Pederson, Yager, and Yager, 2010; Kennedy, Deuel, and Nelson, 2007).  The frustration that some of the Inclusion Specialists voiced about the division between their practice and that of classroom teachers serves to affirm this claim, because it indicates that these individuals have not yet developed the skills needed to explore this “division” in a spirit of collaboration and curiosity. 

 

I am also reflecting about Gronn’s (2008) work about the importance of giving “status” to individuals who share leadership within a “heterarchy.”  His message harmonizes with what I learned from the Director of the charter network I spoke with on the phone, who uses three incentives (“privileges, opportunities and rewards”) to encourage people to take on leadership roles in their community.  Thus, another important next step is to provide stipends to one individual in each region next year to take on a “regional organizer” role.  Though I’m not typically in favor of implying that taking on leadership responsibility should be set apart from ones’ every-day responsibilities by giving titles and stipends, I do feel that in this particular case it is necessary to afford some status and incentive to individuals who are willing to add a big responsibility to an already overflowing plate.

 

There are several implications of this work for my own practice.  First, I feel very committed to continuing to hone and foster my own leadership skills.  In particular, I would like to improve my ability to engage in shared decision making and I would also like to explore new protocols to utilize when engaging in dialogue about Inclusion with directors and classroom teachers (I will explore the National School Reform Faculty resources for this work).  Second, I need to be better coach and mentor to the Inclusion community.  I need to make more opportunities to observe peoples’ practice, and to debrief together through a coaching process.

 

To others looking to develop an adult learning community within a context where one previously did not exist, I would offer the following reflections based upon my experience:

 

-  Allow members of the learning community to identify their own path of inquiry.  Topics for PD should be identified by the community, for the community! 

 

-  Leverage expertise within the community – don’t be tempted to turn to outside “experts” when there are folks who are respected and trusted within the community who can be coached to lead great PD and develop their leadership skills for the future.

 

-  Learning Partnerships (or critical friend pairings) are wonderful tools that promote collaboration, community, and leadership.  If you choose to pursue this work, allow plenty of time to effectively frame the experience, including setting norms, modeling, and time to revise and revisit improvement questions.

 

-  Design learning experiences that allow people to actually do something that could be replicated in their own context.  Digging into evocative texts with a thoughtful protocol is a great place to start.

 

-  Build-in plenty of time for breaks and meals during PD experiences.  These informal times give way to some of the best connection and collaboration.

 

-  Don’t be afraid to be transparent about your own agenda as a leader.  Sharing leadership does not mean burying your own vision.