AASA-Phoenix

It is very nice in Phoenix for the AASA National Conference on Education. Although I heard a local coming out of the convention center exclaim that it was "freezing" out, for a northerner, it is a balmy 70 degrees. (Of course it was morning, so it might have been a "brisk" 60.)

I attended a couple of sessions this morning which caused me to reflect again on the process of asking questions as a method of transformation. In their session on central office transformation, University of Washington professor Mike Copeland, Atlanta assistant superintendent Kathy Augustine, and Springfield, MA superintendent Alan Ingram discussed the importance of the central office in helping transform schools. Although the presentation was looking at urban districts and the large number of schools in each, there were pieces that could be used by all districts, large or very small.

One of the takeaways I got centered around the monthly meetings that superintendent Beverly Hall and her senior administrative team hold with principals. During this time, the focus is on data, what's going well, and barriers that may exist to improving schools. The principals talk and senior leadership listens, then goes forward to investigate reasons behind the barriers that may exist.

In another session, Western Illinois professor Carol Webb discussed several protocols leaders can use to make meetings more productive and focus the discussion on instruction rather the managerial minutiae that sometimes get in the way of more important items.

So, in other words, ask questions, then reflect on those questions to provide direction for improvement.