FTP Residential September 2016 Day Two

Elaine Hinds NZSTA Manager Operations
Effective Board - Principal Relationships

A good induction programme for new members:

Letter of congratulations from BOT Chair - "welcome challenging, exciting, BOT meeting (info pack for you), set dates for induction (walk around school and walk you through our policies and charter)."
BOT Code of Conduct and agree/sign to it.  Meet with previous team and talk about goals and aspirations for the next 12 months.

3 months in - REVIEW:


Did you have all the info you needed prior to coming in on BOT (annual report, budget, ERO report)?
Did you feel welcomed when you came onto the BOT?
Are there any changes you think we could make to this process?

Need to understand what Governance is:

Then make it fit for purpose for our school and community.
What are we trying to achieve in the next 1, 2, 3 years?  PSG need to know this also.
What are our policies?
What are the expectations and rules for our Principal?
Review process.    How will we know what we said we wanted is actually happening?
So what?  What are we here for?   2/3 meeting should be student achievement and strategic discussion.
Principal Report.  Short and focus on variance which will create discussion.

What is our Governance model?   Identify delegations in our BOT Governance Manual.  Do we know the BOT policies?

New initiatives - What difference is this proposal going to make to student achievement?
Establish BOT committees that meet when they need to meet.
Every item on the agenda should have a policy reference.  If no policy on that, then it should not be there.  (this is a Principal area).

Analogy to tennis double.  Same side, we are a leadership team.  We both need to be on the court, actively participation.   Biggest chair leader and biggest challenger.  The BOT needs to have my back.   It is a collective we.
Trying to beat under achievement - that is our foe.  

"What I want is people with me who will ride the bus with me when the limousine breaks down."

1 Charter is number one policy.   MUST be adhered to.

2 Governance Policies - Governance Manual needs to be clear around this things.

3 Operational Policies - (procedures) expectations for the Principal. (School Docs)

Principal performance Agreement should fall out of the Annual Plan alongside professional standards.

Important things at start of meeting.  Anything that requires a decision at start. Include time in agenda.  In-committee does not necessarily need to be at the end, especially if there is a big issue to be discussed.

Student Discipline Committee.  Standing committee.  Need to be up with the legislation on this matter.

Staff representative provides a staff perspective/voice to the meeting.
Is not to bring concerns of the staff to the Board.   That needs to go directly to the Principal.

Aim to be a really good school with an inferiority complex.  As soon as you think you are great, it is a slippery slope down.

Pete Burdon - Media Training

Aim to generate Positive Media Stories:

Piggybank on topical news stories, different things, human interest and send photos/articles in.

Press Release template:

• School Name
• Document Description/Date
• Headline (needs to be in email - sexy/interesting)
• Lead
• Direct Quote
• Boiler Plate (who are you, keep in basic)
• Signoff (ENDS)

The Media Interview

Five Steps:
1  Buy time and find out about the topic.
    Never comment on the spot - I am in a meeting can I get back to them in 15-20     mins.
    What's your angle?  What kind of story is it?  Who else are you talking to?

2  Prepare your media message
    The three most important points in 25 secs. (so they can't paraphrase)
    Use basic language, be very clear.
    In a tricky situation use the three Rs.  
Regret (our thoughts are with the family, our hearts go out to them) 
Response (what are you doing about it, we are doing everything we can to support the children, that is our priority).     WHAT I CAN SAY ... 
Reassure.  (ie the safety is our top priority.  we are doing a big review to       ensure this doesn't happen again).

3  Predict difficult qns
4  Create sound bites (quotes - dress up the points use analogies, emotion, rhetorical questions ie would any parent be absolutely devastated by this?, absolutes we are 100% dedicated to keeping our kids safe)
5  Practice, practice, practice

Always show empathy.  Give reassurance statement.  Show we care.   We are doing whatever we can.

Media Traps BEWARE

• Yes or No - answer my question.   Repeatedly.  What I can say or guarantee is .... If asked a third time say I believe I have asked my question.
• Avoid using negative language.   Keep it positive.   ie. I am proud of how we ...
• Be natural.  Use your body language to convey warmth and genuineness.

Crisis Communication Plan

Let BOT and MOE know ASAP.
Ensure you have a media liaison person and place for them to meet.
Back up person to take parents to a safe place and speak with them.
Spokesperson - me or BOT Chair.

Prepare holding statement ASAP to go out to media.   Message using 3 Rs.   Statement.   Put this on website.  Parent Communication.  Send out to media.




Keeping Above the Red Line - Employment Issues
Rob Gold - Principal Adviser, Employment - STA

Employment is all about relationships.

STA number for advice:
Phone: +64 4 473 4955 - 0800 782 435

Set Standards and Expectations in a Transparent way.  
Conversations around Performance Expectations at start of each year as part of Appraisal Conversation.
ie Timeliness.   Dress.   Conduct.   Preparation.    Fun.    Honesty.  Open Communication if there is a a problem. 

Train, Coach and Mentor

Identify Issues

Informal Performance Management - conversations to address initial issues, document and date the conversations.   End of conversation - I will summarise our conversation in an email, let me know if it is a good summary of what we talked about.

Formal Performance Management

It a day to day basis and mostly goes unnoticed.   Important to manage EVERYONE - needs are all different.   Conversations with everyone.

Engagement Surveys are useful tools.   Annually.   Generally 25% are fully engaged.   65% are ambivalent.  10% are actively disengaged.

Leadership

Creating a vision, moving things forward and bringing people with you.
Progress meeting along the way (midyear), as well as annual review of performance.
Agenda prior to performance meeting - shared.   Talk about what to focus on in order to get performance up.   In tricky waters and conversation not going well, then set up a meeting at another time.

Recruitment

Ensure a robust interview, proper checks and vetting.  (use the STA resources, ring to get login so can access web based resources)  

What next if someone is vetting and a report comes back?  When VCA comes back for core workers - look for the intelligence info around the convictions.  Make a judgement call, bring the leadership team or BOT in to discuss put a process around and document.  Speak to individual also.

Difficult Conversations

Put some structure around it.  DESL: 
D - Describe
E - Explain the effect
S - Specify the behaviour you expect
C - Explain the consequences
L - Listen to the explanation with an open mind.

D - the planning and preparation I am seeing from you is not complete or up to date.
E - the effect I can not be assured that the children are receiving well thought out and prepared lessons.
S -  I expect your planning to be completed prior to lessons.
C - If you get this up to scratch, then we can both feel good knowing that children are receiving a better deal from you as a teacher.

Disciplinary Situations

Get advice early from STA or Graeme Jones NZEI
Follow the PROCESS
Avoid taking a position and be open-minded.  Most situations can be worked through if the process is followed.

Managing Complaints or Issues

Conversations.  How would I like to be treated and investing the 40% of time in your staff.

Seek advice early.  Often people need a good listening ear.
NZSTA for templates, guidance and specialist assistance.

Effective Appraisal

The role of inquiry is important to the appraisal Process

• Learner - centred (everyone students, staff, principal)

• Valuable, manageable

• Growth, development and accountability

• Robust - High Trust

www.educationacouncil.org.nz

PINK right hand area - Appraisal Principal/Teachers

Appraisal - What are the Characteristics of a good Appraisal System

• Manageability - clear system not too over consuming
• Relationships - trust and shared conversations-informally and formally - High Trust being knowledgeable about what is going on in our staff

Appraisal Review with Staff before going forward with adjustments to appraisal.

Questions to ask staff:

What is an effective appraisal - what makes it valuable to you?

Why do we do Appraisal?

What is Appraisal About/How does it fit with what we do?

Should be inline with what we are doing everyday not a stand alone - ALIGNED

Its about taking risks and putting yourself on the line _ GROWTH

Its a process that focus on everyones GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT but we have a clear baseline

Conversation and Dialogue - that is about learning

How do we know?  A Framework that supports us to help us know and look at our learners - this is happening all the time - How can we understand what each teacher is doing and how this plays out.

Evaluative Capability

The same process that you do when you look at inquiry

How are my learners going?

How do I Know?

PTC's - Need to cover all not 4 per year etc.

How do we get our teachers to be accountable?

Professional Leaders in the school is reponsible for setting up the system for Appraisal -Teachers are all expected to participate and be responsible for my evidence.  Evidence is what I do solely on my own and also my evidence from my participation in the appraisal system.

ERO will look for those who have had their Practiciing Certificate  renewed:

1. Appraisal documentation - observations (at least 2 per year from Principal/Team Leader)/fedeback

2. Have they been invoved in a particitory evidence

3. Teachers own practice evidence

4. Summary report at the end of each year etc

Observations can be done in different ways

• Video and have a conversation
• Outside Facilitator Feedback
• Team Leader Observations
• Principal Observations

What things are actually worth putting the magnifying glass over and that is what fits with our appraiasal in the complexity of the day to day practice

Summary Report each Year - Agansit PTC's

_ Chris did meet all the requirements for 2000 - Chris doesn't need to be carrying that data onwards for the following year.  Each teacher will need to take their copies of appraisal/feedback/summary reports.  I am not carrying information about students from one year to another when I don't need it also from school - school. ALL TEACHERS WILL HAVE A SUMMARY REPORT ON LEAVING THE SCHOOL or  AT THE END OF EACH SCHOOL YEAR

As the Principal you need to have copies of the evidence etc. I would keep all the bits that are generated out of the system, observations, meeting notes, feedback from observations and summary reports. It's also evidence that as a principal that you can say here is my evidence, all of my teachers have participated in this process etc.  EACH TEACHER HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP EVIDENCE AGAINST THEIR TEACHING AS INQUIRY

Provisionally Registered Teachers - They require more detailed evidence that they are expected etc.  They need a letter to state what induction process that they have had - time etc.

Professional Standards

Evaluative Capability Tool - knowing what good practice looks like?  

• It is everyones right to know and be aware of the expectations that are in the Employment Agreement - Resources - go to Practicing Teacher Criteria Resources - Teachers, DP's templates - Comparative Matrices - etc.  PUT THIS IN THE TEACHERS JOB DESCRIPTION. This supports the PTC's in everyday practice (Umbrella over that support teachers but can also be used for competency issues)

Building Appraisal into our Processes we do as School - TO ensure that the system is ROBUST

Look at the PTC's (12 of them) go through with Teachers - do this regualarly with staff

First 5 (blue) how we relate and values

Other 7 - is about knowledge and practice

Get a working knowledge of the criteria - When you go into the classroom you should be able to see these active in eveyday classroom.

i.e  

PTC - 1. What does and effective relationship look like?

PTC - 6. What does Coceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme at our school?

The Faster we can do the talk about how we address the criteria in what we do is KEY - include it in staff meetings/team meetings - connect it to what we do eveyday.

What to Do - Next STEPS TO START OFF

Knowing and Working with PTC's - AT OUR PLACE - This is our agreement about qualitiy practice at our place not individual appraisal (GIVES ROBUST/HIGH TRUST)

1. Do this as a staff - what are our quality practices that we do that we believe that we believe are important.  Put it up in the staffroom.

Over a couple of months have staff put up post it's against each one - in relation to quality practice at our place - DO this electronically so it can be copied and pasted elsewhere.

Consider - Colour Coding and having a co-constructed diagram for each of the staff members to work through - it is a start to getting their heads around expectations around appraisal.

1. Must do - Black

2. Might do's.... different colour

Then after a couple of months and then look at the 'national document on pacifika/maori achievement' etc. and review what we are doing.

Individual Inquiries to help Individual Appraisal - Fall out of this as to their next steps as a practitioner using their individual focus groups in TEAM/CLASSROOMS

5. Organising for Portfolio - Holistic is advocated

1. Choose between 2-6

matched to Taitaiako

Spirals of Inquiry example

Look at your inquiry model are you likely to focus on PTC's - make this connected to your inquiry - how the inquiry is generating the evidence as bi-product.  Our quality practice will generate evidence. To build our teacher confidence map the criteria around this.

Questions can be asked at anytime by principal? and each teacher should be able to demonstrate and know - Knowing about the 12 Criteria helps teacher really generate their knowledge and evidence as a practitioner

Where could you inquiry possibly generate leadership????

If this is your goal - which criteria shows this?

Page 9 - Choosing something significant for inquiry - What Stands out?  - Do this at the end of the Year to Plan for 2017 as part of Appraisal Summary

2 goals  - 1. Practice      2. Whole School Collective Focus

Page 10 - Generation of Evidence over Time - Analysing the Evidence - Having conversations - How has my practice...... et.  Observations are given and feedback notes, planning, reflections that need to be underpinned by practice.  Perspectives are shared form students, whanau, colleagues, research, reading - this should be shown and reflected in appraisal conversations etc.

Page 13 - Holistic Approach - Tool to Track their own evidence - Phase 2 resource - an Index of their appraisal at a glance and for you as a principal - Backward Planning

QUALITY PRACTICE - PLANNING FOR SUCCESSFUL APPRAISAL - ONGOING AT STAFF MEETINGS

GETTING BEYOND SHOW AND TELL  - Need to focus on Growth and Development as Individuals - Questions from Page 14 as a guide to set up for staff to use on an ongoing basis. Moving away from "I have this from PTC1..." etc.  Using these questions on Page 14 to construct conversations around appraisal on a regular basis.

SUMMARY REPORT - You can change and adjust to suit your school

it is co-constructed with the staff member - The teacher fills in the evidence, general review,

professional responsibilities, evaluation of inquiry goals, areas for future development

Harold Hillman  - The Imposter Syndrome
Becoming An Authentic Leader















The power in your leadership is connection.  Enhanced by your willingness to need people.

Listen to your conscience.  It will give you the alert that something is out of sync with your core values and what you believe.  Your true self.

The Imposter Syndrome: a self-imposed pressure to be a perfect creature.

Symptoms:

(Compensating, Guarded, Calculating, Compartmentalised, Invulnerable, Little humour, Inflexible)   Avoid being the Super Hero - doing everything ...

Our internal critic is developed by the age of six.





Authenticity is the antidote to the Imposter Syndrome 

Positivity in the face of adversity - am I affirming, am I solution focused?

Real - transparent.  What you see is what you get.

Edge.  What do you stand for?  Are you passionate about the impt stuff?  Do you have lines in the sand / stakes in the ground?  MORAL COURAGE.  Relentless in your standards.   "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept."

Clip from Lieutenant Morrison Aust Army

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaqpoeVgr8U

Vulnerability

Integrity

Connections with others

Harold Hillman - TEDex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NoAw653ck