Organizing for a new year is more than sorting and ranking

There's something human about wanting to organize things.  We like order.  Think about a kitchen.  We like our silverware drawers to be sorted into forks, spoons, and knives.  Our spices don't usually go with casserole dishes.  We don't store plates and bowls with dry goods.  (Just in case your kitchen is not sorted, please don't be offended.)

What else do we sort?

• Our clothes are usually sorted.  I have a sock drawer, and a shelf for sweaters, etc...
• Perhaps you sort important papers?  We have a file cabinet organized with birth certificates, mortgage papers, will, and other important documents that never gets mixed with junk mail or bills.
• I like my music collection organized.  Whether hard copies on discs or albums or electronic versions, sorting helps me find exactly what I want--quickly and easily.

You probably have things sorted in your home or business.  We sort because it makes things easier for us.  We sort because chaos is not helpful or efficient.  We sort because sometimes we can.  Not everything, however, is as easy to organize.

Our state department of education attempts to sort and organize schools and school districts.  The formula is an attempt to organize,  rank order, and score schools.  Unfortunately, the metrics used are not terribly useful or do not always convey an accurate picture of what a school or district is really doing.  Dr. Steve Matthews, the superintendent of our school district, recently posted an article attempting to explain our state's system.  Please read it here.

I understand the need to be held accountable.  As a school principal, my staff and I have a moral obligation to run the best school possible.  We are charged to help our community's most precious commodities, our young people, to be safe and successful.  I do not back away from these responsibilities.  Dr. Matthews makes an interesting point at the end of his post:

But, in my opinion, the rating ignores many of the factors that make schools truly great.

As we start a new school year, I've been thinking about the factors that make my school "truly" great.  While much research has been conducted explaining what makes for a "quality" school, here is my "unscientific" list for a new year!

• Community:  Our students need to understand that they are learning in a community with other learners.  Those learners include other students, educators, and parents with different backgrounds and experiences, but we are a community with a common goal.
• Safety:  It goes without saying, but safety is more than just fire or tornado drills.  Safety means we have the tools and experiences to respond appropriately in emergencies.  Accidents (and unfortunately emergencies) happen, but having plans in place helps us stay focused.
• Systems:  A school is part of a larger system or district.  Our district helps provide common assessments of our programs or protocols and processes that help make the system better.  Together we are stronger.
• Expectations:  High expectations for all--for ourselves and our students--are critical.  It's easy to say that we have high expectations.  Continually monitoring those expectations is the key.
• Commitment:  Quality schools don't say, "That's good enough."  Good enough is never good enough.  There's always more we can do individually or together to reach excellence.  Excellence, however, is more than just academic achievement.  We have commitments to develop the entire child.
• Teamwork:  Educators can not work in isolation.  We need to be able to collaborate, to lean on each other, or to even celebrate together.  1+1 equals more than 2 in a positive team.  Schools have multiple teams, and teammates.  At our school, students, teachers, parents, noon aides, bus drivers, secretaries, para-educators, maintenance workers, and all of the support networks that work in a school and district are part of our team.  
• Voice:  Everyone deserves a voice.  Regardless of what language is spoken at home or what holidays are celebrated, everyone deserves a voice.  Regardless of the color of skin or what style of clothes are worn, everyone deserves a voice.  Regardless of socio-economic status or learning style, everyone deserves a voice.  The best voices, however, are also great listeners.  
• Leadership:  Everyone is a leader in one way.  We teach our students that they are the leaders of themselves.  I'm fortunate to be the "leader" of a great school, but I'm even more fortunate to be surrounded with teacher leaders and so many other people who willingly accept leadership positions or roles to ensure we are moving.
• Passion:  Not unlike commitment, passion reminds us that it's OK to get frustrated with ourselves because we are not achievening the necessary results.  It's OK to be so focused that we forget what time it is.  It's critical we are doing our jobs for the right reasons.  Education is a passionate career.
• Dialogue:  Teachers, principals, and parents need to respect each other enough to be able to have deep conversations about children and their learning.  We don't always need to agree, but we do need to be able to discuss even difficult topics for the sake of our students.
• Fun:  Learning should be fun.  Learners should have fun.  Learners need to take some time to do something fun so they can return to the task.  When we don't have fun, we lose our passion.  Fun helps us maintain momentum.
• Achievement:  In the end, we are responsible for achievement.  We are held accountable by state and federal assessments.  We measure our achievment by nationally normed and local assessments.  Sometimes, however, we measure our achievement in smaller but more poignant ways.  We might measure achievement in smiles.  We might see achievement in calmness or emotional maturity.  A colleague regularly reminds me to measure achievement in baby steps.  She is wise.

This is definitely an unscientific list, but I am super-excited to start a new school year.  Let's make it a great one!!