there is no external answer that will substitute
for the complex work of changing one's own situation.
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LEADERSHIP FOR THE 21st CENTURY: BREAKING THE BONDS OF DEPENDENCY - 1 views
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It is one thing to say in most successful organizations members share a clear, common vision, which is true, but quite another to suggest that this stems primarily from direct vision-building, which is not. Vision-building is the result of a whole range of activities (pp. 208-209).
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1.Respect those you want to silence. 2.Move toward the danger in forming new alliances. 3.Manage emotionally as well as rationally. 4.Fight for lost causes.
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Are these the four guidelines they were talking about in the introduction paragraph?
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1. I think a strong leader is not afraid to listen to those who disagree with them. I think the strongest leader listens carefully and includes the best ideas. I don't think majority rule is always the best way to run things, I think going with what the group thinks is best but tempered by vocal minorities is the best way to run a group. It is certainly better than a dictatorship, even when the dictator is the smartest and most benevolant person in the room. 2. Akin to the first guideline forming alliances with people you want to stay away from is important. They will not work to sabotage your plans if they feel their feelings are being listened to and heard. People don't think they know everything, but they do think they should be heard. If a leader is one who is known for being able to work with new groups then I think new groups will be more willing to accept an offer or collaboration. 3. We cannot inspire people without a bit of passion. While some paths may seem like the most prudent financially, or whatever, in the end the only path that will work is the one that people support. Sometimes we have to be willing to break away from what we think is the best path in order to be successful on the most loved path. 4. Everyone loves an underdog. At least we do in this time and this place. Lost causes in education are usually the causes that will bring about the most dramatic change. I think most people see schools as getting the short end of the stick in most political arenas, thus we are one big lost cause.
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high priority on reculturing
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Apple - ACOT2 - Social and Emotional Connections with Students - 0 views
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For example, when students lack social and emotional connections to learning, educators, schools, and their peers, it often leads to behavior issues or disengagement, which inevitability leads to declining achievement and, in the worst cases, students dropping out of high schoo
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Researchers generally agree that learning is inherently social-it happens in the context of interactions and relationships with teachers, peers, family, experts, and others
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They find kindred spirits who fuel joint explorations and productions, reinforce understandings, and provide divergent opinions and clarification of understandings as discussions ensue. In many cases, social interactions enable levels of learning that simply wouldn’t be possible for students to accomplish on their own.
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SEDL - School Context: Bridge or Barrier to Change - 0 views
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Discipline is the overwhelming obstacle to school success.
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According to Gault and Murphy (1987), many American schools claim to practice cultural pluralism, but in reality all students are expected to fit into the white middle class culture. Students with different cultural backgrounds, values, and skills than those generally valued by American schools may be perceived as incapable of performing according to the school's standards.
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Minorities don't care about education. (p. 39)
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Welch (1989) reports that teachers assess advantages and disadvantages of collaborative consultation primarily in terms of how implementation will impact them personally, rather than how it might impact student growth
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For [many students] the main benefit of the school is the opportunity it provides to interact with close friends on a daily basis" (p. 181
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Students will participate, according to Fullan, if they understand, have the necessary skills, and are motivated to try what is expected.
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With teachers unable to explain why they were adopting this innovation, concern increased and parents put an end to the innovation.
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in situations where the school board and the district are actively working together, substantial improvements can be achieved,
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Cynicism and apathy may reflect negative experiences and produce teachers who are unwilling to proceed regardless of the content or quality of the program (Corbett, Dawson, & Firestone, 1984; Fullan, 1991).
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Lasting fundamental change (e.g. changes in teaching practices or the decision making structure) requires understanding and, often, altering the school's culture; cultural change is a slow process.
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Those new to the organization must learn the culture or suffer consequences, such as the feeling of alienation.
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a school can make significant gains, in spite of faculty weaknesses, through sound staff development. Schools, however, commonly fail to have a norm regarding the need for in-service work during implementation (Fullan, 1991)
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sharing a common vision increases the likelihood that school improvement efforts will succeed (Beer, Eisenstat, & Spector, 1990; Deal, 1985; Carlson, 1987; Miles & Louis, 1990; Norris & Reigeluth, 1991; Schlechty & Cole, 1991).
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A cultural norm supporting the involvement of teachers in decisions or plans that will affect them heightens the possibility that changes will be appropriate in a particular setting.
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Not only teachers, but students as well need to internalize the norms of the school improvement culture.
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Students are rarely informed regarding plans in spite of the fact that the plans cannot be carried out successfully when students are not committed to cooperate with the plan, and do not know what to do or how to do it. (Fullan, 1991)
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Negative side effects that may occur from accommodation are students' expectations that accommodations will always be made, a lack of active student engagement with the content of instruction and increased student boredom and apathy (Miller, Leinhardt, & Zigmond, 1988).