MAKING SCHOOLS WORK FOR EVERYBODY

R. Buckminster Fuller once said he wanted to be a trim tab: the little rudder that turns the big rudder that turns the ship. He further added that "The child is really the trim tab of the future."In this module you'll find some trim tabs ways for helping to transform our schools.

Schools can't be reformed; they need to be transformed - - turned into places that work for everyone. They need to turn away from the outdated bureaucratic, command and control management model of the industrial era, and instead turning to the successful model of democratic collaboration practiced by many businesses and schools.

In transformed schools, everyone is mutually RESPECTED, APPRECIATED, RECOGNIZED, and RESPONSIBLE. This is especially accomplished through three management practices explained in my book. There you will also find compelling evidence of successful organizations where these practices are being used.

TRIM TAB ACTIONS
Transforming our schools may seem like a tall order, but if we remember the trim tab concept, then all that is needed is for someone to do a simple trim tab action. Here are simple trim tab actions anyone can take to begin to turn around the large ship of education.

AS A PARENT:
1. Get other parents, teachers and students to join in collecting, writing, and publishing (hard copy and web site) the school's history and the school's best practices. Gather information from alumnae, long time residents of the area, newspaper archives, politicians, business people. Explain the history behind the school's name (or number). Tell about any famous people who went to the school, and if possible, get them to make a visit to the school. Have a school history recognition day.

2. Start a study group to read/discuss books related to building an organization in which everyone matters. Some are listed above in this lens and others are in my book. Invite anyone to attend: school people, students, parents, politicians, business people, community leaders. Encourage everyone to put into practice in all aspects of their personal lives as well as in school such practices as appreciative inquiry, servant leadership, transparency, recognition, respect, and responsibility.

AS A STUDENT:
1. Initiate a newsletter of the school's history, best practices and strengths. 2. Practice being appreciative of teachers' best practices.

(Board members and administrators, see my book CRISIS IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT at www.jamesevers.com.)

Administrator
1. Bring together stakeholders to collect statements about what's good about the school or district, what's working well, and what are its best practices, and its history. (See APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY SUMMIT)
2. Become a Servant Leader to all stakeholders and ask all stakeholders to regularly evaluate your strengths as a servant to their needs.
3. Make all finances transparent.

School Board Member
1. Encourage chief administrator to initiate activities above.
2. Ask all board members and the administrators to read The Great Game of Business and/or A Stake in the Action.
3. Read CRISIS IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT (free download at http://jamesevers.com)

Teacher
1. Begin practicing the art of supporting students' strengths before making suggestions for improvement.
2. Be a servant leader to students, parents, fellow teachers, and administrators
3. Get a group of colleagues together to share best practices. (A good model of these practices can be found in Writing IQ Program, a free download for teachers at http?? http//www.jamesevers.com.)
4. Have students collect stories of the school's history from any source: parents, alumnae, senior citizens, retired teachers, and retired administrators.

Key Resources:
CRISIS IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT (http://www.jamesevers.com)
SERVANT LEADERSHIP (amazon.com)
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY SUMMIT (amazon.com)
GREAT GAME OF BUSINESS (amazon.com)
A STAKE IN THE ACTION (amazon.com)
DEVELOPING THE WRITING IQ PROGRAM (http://www.jamesevers.com)

COMPUTERS FOR THE POOR
In the early days of PCs, I had suggested to several CEOs of corporations that giving a PC to each poor child would be a good way to help them improve their reading and writing. The cost then was too prohibitive. However, under the inspiration and guidance of Nicholas Negroponte at MIT a $100,highly effective laptop has been developed for poor kids and poor nations. It's called the X-O Laptop. Negroponte then organized One Laptop Per Child an organization helping to distribute the computer and the vision. Go to their web site at http:www.laptop.org

To help you start an understanding of some of the practices used in organizations that work well for everyone, here is a glossary of these practices. I write in detail about these in my book Crisis in School Management (free download at jamesevers.com).

SERVANT LEADERSHIP (SL)
A worldwide practice, SL was initiated in the 1960s by Robert Greenleaf. It is both a philosophy and a practice calling for leaders to be resourceful servants and role models to those whom they serve (lead). And it is a call for all other members and stakeholders to do the same for those whom they serve. A key concept is that the leader is servant first but considers her/himself to be first among equals, not a boss over others.
(See www.greenleaf.org)

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY (AI)
Initiated in the 1980s by David Cooperrider, and practiced world wide, AI is a positive change or renewal process that focuses on the strengths and best practices in an organization, a systematic discovery of what gives "life" to an organization when it is most effective. (See appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/)

OPEN BOOK MANAGEMENT/TRANSPARANCY
Open book management, initiated by Jack Stack in the late 1980s, and practiced world wide, is a management process that gives all employees the key financial numbers of an organization as well as a stake (ownership) in the outcome. It makes all employees stewards of the well being of the organization and of each other. (See www.ggob.com)

In his book, The Predictable Failure of School Reforms, Seymour B. Sarason, Yale Psychology Professor Emeritus, says that we will never get school reforms right until we get the power relationships right in our schools both of administrators toward teachers and other administrators and teachers toward students. You can't have power games going on and still expect to create an environment in which everyone matters.

Here are names of some of the hundreds of organizations in which everyone does matter:

SOME ORGANIZATIONS THAT PRACTICE OPEN BOOK/TRANSPARENCY
Springfield Remanufacturing, Harley-Davidson, VeriFone, Outback Steakhouse, Herman Miller, Home Depot, Science Applications International Corporation, AES Corporation, Whole Food Market, Kingston Technology, and Service-Master. It also includes oil companies, hair salons, internet companies, a roller coaster manufacturer, fast-food chains, law firms, landscaping companies, furniture retailers, mining operations, municipal governments, non-profit organizations, and schools such as alternative and charter schools.

SOME ORGANIZATIONS THAT PRACTICE SERVANT LEADERSHIP
ServiceMaster, Toro Co., Synovus Austin Medical, Parkland Hospital, Ascension Health, hundreds more nationally and internationally, and many colleges, and universities.

SOME ORGANIZATIONS THAT PRACTICE APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
Roadway Express, Hunter Douglas, Blue Shield, EPA, U.S. Navy, City of Berkeley, City of Denver, Cleveland Clinic, hundreds more around the world, and hundreds of schools in England, Scotland, Germany, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

Here's a baker's dozen podcasts from WorldBlu's CONFERENCE ON ORGANIZATIONAL DEMOCRACY
(http://www.worldblu.com/forum/podcasts.php)
1:DAN PINK, AUTHOR, "A WHOLE NEW MIND", tells why business people need to think like designers and what design has to do with organizational democracy.

2: ANN PRICE, CEO MOTEK, a democratic company in Beverly Hills, California, talks about how her employees democratically run the business.

3: GRAHAM PARKER, GENERAL DIRECTOR, ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, talks about the world's only conductorless orchestra, the most democratic orchestra in the world.

4: FREDO ARIAS-KING, CEO, T&R CHEMICAL, tells how his boundless energy, worldwide network and strategic thinking combine to work for lasting democracy around the world.

5: BASHAR AL-NAHER, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ, representative outside of Iraq of the current Iraqi Prime Minister, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jafaari, talks about bridging the gap and harmonize the relationship between the Muslim world and the West.

6: ALEXANDER KJERULF, CEO, HAPPY AT WORK PROJECT, explains why happiness belongs in the workplace, and why it's a major success factor for organizational success.

7: RALF BEUKER, FOUNDER, DESIGN THINKING INSTITUTE, a leading expert on design, management, and business and the founder of the Design Thinking Institute, talks about design.

8: ANDREI CHERNEY, AUTHOR, "THE NEXT DEAL"
At age 21, he became the youngest speechwriter in the White House in American history. Here Andrei offers his historical insights on the evolution of workplace management and what it means to business today.

9: STEPHEN SHAPIRO, AUTHOR, "GOAL-FREE LIVING", "24/7 Innovation" and "Goal-Free Living," explains that a "compass instead of a map" in life allows for the adaptability needed into today's work, personal, and global environment.

10: ROOSEVELT FINLAYSON, CEO, FESTIVAL IN THE WORKPLACE INSTITUTE, talks about The Festival in the Workplace

PODCAST 11: US NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN, US NAVAL ACADEMY, say that not only corporations who can benefit from the principles of organizational democracy, but the military can too.

12: DAVID WEINBERGER, CO-AUTHOR, THE CLUETRAIN MANIFESTO,
speaks on the potential impact of using freedom, rather than fear, to govern the workplace.

13: RITA BAILEY, FORMER DIRECTOR, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES UNIVERSITY, former director of Southwest Airlines University, talks about how she helped build Southwest Airlines into a model democratic company.

Jeff Fifield, Curriculum Facilitator at Colegio Maya American International School of Guatemal, sent the following request to members of the Positive Change Core (Appreciative Inquiry):

"Every year at our elementary school during the month of February we promote a reading incentive month where our students begin with a school-wide read of one book that set's the tone/theme for the month. Last year's example was "The Three Questions" by Jon Muth (the story is based on Tolstoy's book of the same title) which was chosen so as to promote 'finding almost a Zen inner-peace through doing good deeds' amongst our young students. The illustrations are beautiful and complimentary.

This year, I am wondering if there might be a picture book that might lend itself to providing an 'Appreciative Inquiry' lens that might be suitable for your young readers. Any suggestions?"

Jeff has received several responses that I'm posting here for those of you interested in letting children experience through a reading context such thinking as Appreciative Inquiry, mindfulness, tolerance, etc.

"The WrongStone" by Russell Deal
www.innovativeresources.org/display_details.aspx?productcode=6050
This picture book I think is wonderfully appreciative, and which I use extensively (with adults as well as with children!) It's published in Australia by Innovative Resources. The story is a wonderful way to start the conversations about accepting people who are different and appreciating the unuique contribution everyone can make - as well as appreciating oneself!

"The Man Who Loved Boxes" by Stephen Michael King
www.aussiereviews.com/article1814.html
Sadly this is not available through Amazon and a quick search hasn't produced a purchasing source on the web. But I assume some other sources would have it - it was published in 1996.

"The Wonderful Life of a Fly Who Couldn't Fly" by Bo Lozoff
tinyurl.com/27zyn2

"The Red Tree" by Shaun Tan
tinyurl.com/2gk474

"The Spy Glass" by Richard Evans
It's about seeing the possibilities and then making it so. Although it uses the word "faith" I don't think it needs to be taken in a religious sense. If there would be sensitivity about that in your context, thought, you might substitute another word that would convey the same meaning.

"Imagine a Day" by Sarah L. Thomson with paintings by Rob Gonsalves
http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Day-Byron-Preiss-Book/dp/0689852193
This book encourages the reader to look at the world through the lens of possibility.

"Imagine a Night" by Sarah L. Thomson with paintings by Rob Gonsalves
www.amazon.com/Imagine-Night-Rob-Gonsalves/dp/0689852185

"The Pumpkin Patch" by Margaret McNamara and Mike Gordon
http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Patch-Ready-Read-Level/dp/0689858744

"The Wrong Stone" by Russell Deal
The story is a wonderful way to start the conversations about accepting people who are different and appreciating the unique contribution everyone can make - as well as appreciating oneself! (may not be available - Aussie)

"The Red Tree" by Shaun Tan
www.amazon.com/Red-Tree-Shaun-Tan/dp/0968876838

The Empty Pot by Demi
www.amazon.com/Empty-Pot-Owlet-Book/dp/0805049002
A Chinese boy with an green thumb wins the emperor's competition; PW praised the "extraordinarily delicate Oriental landscapes." Ages 4-7.