Family Matters

This morning a mother (we'll call her Liz) related a situation in which she was trying to be an engaged parent, but was encountering resistance from her daughter's school. The school put out a brochure about a program offered for advanced students. In the very first paragraph of the brochure was as statement about materials and texts for the program being provided at no charge to the student. The statewide program is part of an initiative to close the achievement gap between students of families in poverty, and those who are not, and offered challenging and unique opportunities.When this student enrolled in the program a notice was sent home from the local school asking for payment for textbooks! For disengaged parents, the story probably would have ended there, with the student not participating in the advanced program. If the family were able to afford the text, most parents would have simply written a check at that point. Liz, however, was engaged in helping her daughter pursue learning opportunities.

Liz called the school to to talk to the program coordinator. The coordinator said it didn't matter what the brochure said "they had always done it this way" (charging students for texts and materials). After much discussion, and no change, Liz asked to speak to the principal, believing that surely this an oversight or a mistake. The principal's response was "I don't know what to tell you - we have always charged students for their texts for this program." Liz again pointed to both the brochure and the website, but the principal referred her on to the district administator. Most parents would have given up by now, but Liz persisted.

The district administrator looked at the brochure and website, and told Liz that in spite of what the materials said, and the fact that the program was funded directly by the state, this district had always charged for these textbooks. She told Liz her daughter's participation was optional. Liz, understanding that school budgets are probably as tight as her budget at home, asked the district administrator how other districts provided the texts. The district administrator not only did not have an answer, but her only offer of help was to "ask that question when they had the statewide program meeting next year."More positive family engagement.... Liz then went to the internet, and searched for the state Department of Education office that was responsible for this program, and called the state to find out if there had been a program change. FINALLY she got a response. She was told that in fact students should not be charged for materials. The woman on the phone offered to call the local district and school get the resources that students need, regardless of their financial means. The following afternoon, Liz got a call from the local school coordinator (who now was irritated that Liz had gone over her head) stating that materials and text would be provided at no expense for program participants.

This is a great example of a positive parent engagement, but how many students in our schools today have parents that would have persisted to this degree? How many students have been excluded because they could not afford the materials? What about parents or caregivers that don't speak English? There is no way they could have navigated that maze.

As educators, we all started out wanting the best for all children. But institutional culture and habits can get in the way of our real mission. When we begin to default to "we've always done it this way" and begin to see parents as a "pushy nuisance" as this school coordinator now views Liz, our culture is no longer supporting the maximum potential for ALL students. If we really want to close the achievement gap, and see all students reach their full potential, we must become vigilant about potential barriers, and do everything we can to remove them. And we must not only be grateful for engaged parents like Liz that help us to spot the barriers, but we must find ways to engage other parents to help remove obstacles as well.What examples have you found in your own school that are barriers to family engagement and student achievement? What does your school or district do to address and change those things? What other great examples of outstanding family engagement can you think of where families have helped us liberate greatness in all students?

Engaging Support Staff in Manatee County Public Schools

One of my favorite days of the school year is F-DOS, or First Day of School, when the students excitedly return to class after the summer break!

What those exuberant students may not realize when they step off the sparkling bus and enter the building with polished floors, fresh paint, and classrooms full of restocked textbooks and materials is that someone was working all summer! Without the dedication of the educational support force, the school year could not open so smoothly nor continue to operate until L-DOS! (LAST Day of School--my second most favorite day of the school year.) Every responsibility, every task completed, and every decision made by support employees filters down and impacts the education of the students in the classroom.

Manatee County Public Schools in Florida certainly embraces that concept. Their Human Resources department includes this core value: Our district employees are our most valuable asset to empower our students in reaching their goals. Manatee County knows that all district employees, not just those employees in the classroom, contribute to the educational success of the students.

Sam and I were invited to present our Building Better Schools seminar to the Manatee County’s central support staff as part of the district’s Leadership Academy 2008. Assistant Superintendent Herb Tschappat opened the session by sharing his favorite points from our book, Building Better Schools by Engaging Support Staff, and reinforcing our shared belief that support staff are professionals and are important ambassadors for the school district.

Now if you have heard Sam Bartlett speak, you know what an inspirational and motivational presenter he is! (And if you haven’t heard him speak, contact the office and get him scheduled for your district right away! www.engageinstitute.com ) Sam not only encourages audience members to become engaged ambassadors for their district, but he also gives them specific strategies and tools to make a difference. His life goal is to Liberate Greatness in others, and the principles that he shares transfer to all areas of life. Part of the seminar includes small group interactions where key points can be applied to the participants’ specific job needs. This is one of my favorite parts, since Sam and I get to interact with the groups and hear the wonderful things that they are already doing in their work and their new ideas for doing just a little bit more.

At the end of the day, the seminar participants expressed appreciation that their district had an in-service specifically geared to their needs and their responsibilities as part of the educational mission of Manatee County Public Schools.And Sam and I left Florida greatly impressed with the value that Manatee County Public Schools places on each of their employees. They have dedicated support employees who are, indeed, making positive contributions to the educational mission of the district! Have a great school year, Manatee!

Algebra is Optional

In the last decade, there have been more than 20 studies of engagement undertaken by organizations like Gallup, Towers Perrin, Blessing White, and others. There seems to be fairly universal agreement that our society is not engaged. Gallup, for example, in its survey of 3 million American workers, found that only 28% were engaged, 54% were putting in time for a paycheck, and 18% were completely disengaged, spreading their unhappiness in the workplace, actively looking for other employment, or in the worst cases, actually working against the interests of the organization.

The education division of The Engage Institute has polled more than a quarter of a million families of school aged children across the United States. The results aren't much different. The overall level of family engagement in the educational life of children looks a lot like the profile of American workers. And yet twenty years of research has shown that family engagement is the most reliable predictor of student success. Legislative initiatives like No Child Left Behind will never have their intended effect by pushing test scores as "performance indicators" unless we first find ways to re-engage families as partners in helping students succeed.

Families don't have to volunteer in a classroom, tutor Algebra, speak English, or even know how to spell chemistry to be engaged in their child's education. Research shows that if families and caregivers will do three things, they can help their child do better in school and make enormous strides toward reaching their maximum potential. Families need to (1) set high (but not unreasonable) expectations, (2) help children take responsibility for their education and take advantage of all opportunities to learn (and model this behavior in their own lives), and (3) talk to their children often about their goals and help them plan for the future.

Dancing with Deadlines

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the word deadline? According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 2008 (Accessed 13 June 2008), the word can be traced back to 1864, and referred to "a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot.” The word is used now to signify a time that something is due, and in the publishing world, the deadline is that last date that an article or manuscript can be received to make a certain publication issue.

As a writer, I need deadlines. They motivate me. What I don’t like is how they sneak up on me and then woo me into dancing late into the night. Like tonight—writing this article that I’d planned to post on Friday.

Sometimes the deadline dance occurs when I don’t plan ahead, but usually my dance is the result of my unrealistic estimate of the time needed to complete a project. Can you relate? Oh sure, I can do that for you! Nah, it won’t take much time at all. Piece of cake.

Hints for Dealing with Deadlines

1. Plan ahead!
2. Write due dates in your planner.
3. What is the first step you must take to complete the project? Write it down.
4. Break the entire project into small steps, and
5. Give yourself intermediate deadlines to complete the steps.
6. Be realistic about the amount of time needed to complete the project.
7. Trick yourself into finishing the project early by creating a due date that is several days earlier than the real deadline.
8. Expect the unexpected: there is always something else vying for your attention when you have a deadline. If you don’t wait until the last minute to finish the project, you have wiggle-room to deal with the unexpected.
9. When all else fails, join me in the Midnight Deadline Dance!

Do you have hints for dealing with deadlines? We’d love to have you share them in the comment section!

Vie Herlocker

Recognizing Treasures...

Yahoo’s Offbeat News from AFP reports that John Webber, a seventy-year old Brit, decided to get an appraisal on an ornate brass cup that he’d had since childhood. His grandfather, a scrap metal dealer, gave it to him as a cast-off, and Webber even used it as a target for his air gun in the 1940s.

The “brass” cup turned out to be a Persian artifact, hammered from one sheet of pure gold centuries before the birth of Christ. This treasure goes to auction in England on June 5—and is expected to bring close to a million dollars!

WOW!

Pack-rat that I am, I don’t believe any of the “treasures” I’ve tucked away from my grandmother’s attic have great monetary value. However, sometimes the treasures that we overlook are not material things. Granny’s gifts of love and encouragement were priceless treasures that I didn’t appreciate until many years later.

Through the years, other adults believed in me and told me so. After I joined the work-force, more mature adults mentored me and opened doors of opportunity for me. All of these persons were encouragers, treasures of great value, although I often didn’t realize it at the time.

Perhaps you now recognize a treasure from your past: a family member, a co-worker, a friend, or even a stranger who shared a kind word. If possible, contact them and let them know they touched your life in a positive way. We'd be honored if you would leave a tribute to them in our comment section as well!

In our book, Building Better Schools by Engaging Support Staff, Sam reminds readers that their words and interactions with students are powerful. You may feel that the encouragement you give students is unimportant, but the words you speak today may be the foundation for a positive and productive adulthood.

Be an encourager for those young people you deal with. Maybe one of your nuggets of encouragement will become a treasure of great value.

Vie Herlocker

Remarkable!

I settled into a corner chair at my new doctor’s office and prepared for a long wait—especially since I was early for my appointment. I’d barely opened my notebook and started writing the next great American novel when my name was called.

Imagine my surprise when I turned to see Dr. Amy Butler—not the nurse or receptionist—waving me back.

“Good afternoon! Let’s get you weighed and check your blood pressure.” I guess the shocked look on my face must have registered with the doctor as she adjusted the pressure cuff around my arm. She chuckled and said, “I’m short a nurse today, so I’m doing this myself. Now relax and think happy thoughts!”

Then she ushered me into the examination room and chatted with me about my blood pressure and recent cholesterol tests. I felt like I was the only patient this popular doctor had. Although I know she was busy, she took the time to show interest in me as a person. I was important to her.

I left the office just a-sparkling! I skipped to my car! (Okay, I imagined skipping to my car. I also imagined that I was young and blithe rather than retired and fluffy.) Sure, I was thrilled that a change in diet had brought my cholesterol levels into the normal range and my blood pressure was responding to mild medication. But my exhilaration was because of the remarkable way I was treated. It was so remarkable that I’ve “remarked” about the experience to all of my friends.

I'd like for all of my interactions with co-workers, friends, parents, acquaintances, store clerks, service providers, and my readers to be remarkable, also. My greatest desire is that those I encounter—even momentarily—will know that I value them and that they are important.

Vie Herlocker

How to Lead the Overly Engaged

It seems as if everyone is talking about engagement these days, including Family Friendly Schools. We are now a division of the Engage Institute and for the last several years have been helping school districts break down barriers and create cultures that engage staff, students, and families. We now know that presenteeism (being on the job but not fully engaged) is as big a problem as absenteeism. Jessica Hagy is a popular blogger/artist who communicates with diagrams sketched on index cards. One of her recent posts boils down all the wordy definitions of engagement into a simple drawing.

In past articles and webinars, we have offered insights on how to turn clock-watchers into ambassadors. In this writing I would like to address a small, yet often abused group found in every organization - the overly engaged. You know the type. They are so "tuned-in" and dedicated to their work that they neglect family, friends, fitness, faith, and fun. They are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They take work home and miraculously end up with jobs no one else wants to do.

You are thinking, "So what's the issue? I would love to have a few 'problem' team members like this." I understand. As leaders we have all had days (or weeks) where we are tired of casting vision and rallying troops. We long for a few more employees like Susan, Jim, and Veronica who not only have embraced the vision, they work tirelessly to implement it.

The problem is that engagement is about valuing and respecting individuals for who they are, not just what they do for our organization. It is about authenticity and integrity. If I communicate to employees that they are valuable, yet allow (even encourage) an overly engaged employee to neglect health and relationships outside of work, what message am I really communicating to the team? This approach generates short-term success, but also long-term burnout and disillusionment.

Try the following strategies and watch what happens. Not only will you prevent the sudden departure of a worn-out worker, your actions will begin to break down barriers with your harshest critics. They may still have a problem with the direction you are leading the organization, but they will see you as one who truly values human resources. Leadership 101 states that people buy into the leader, before they buy into the leader's vision.

Strategies for Leading the Overly Engaged

1. Spread the praise. Recognize contributors who work to fulfill your mission, even though other priorities or their current “life-stage” prevents them from being the first to arrive and the last to leave. When a leader only rewards those with kamikaze-type dedication, others slowly resign themselves to being second-tier players who can’t compete with “whatever-it-takes-super-heroes.” Vary the praise you give the overly engaged by acknowledging other qualities besides time at work or managing multiple priorities. Say things like, “I really like the way you listened non-defensively to Jack’s feedback.” By spreading the praise in this manner, you send a powerful message to both those who need an extra push and those who need perspective. To one you offer hope that full engagement is simply giving discretionary effort to accomplish common goals and is possible for everyone. To the overly engaged, you offer a reminder that their value is multi-dimensional.

2. Encourage Diversity of Passionate Pursuits. Sometimes as leaders we just have to lead. I am not talking about a “you have worked so hard this week, take the afternoon off” kind of conversation. Why not include the following question in your annual review: “What is a personal goal that you would like to pursue this year?” Now when you interact with team members during the year you have more to discuss than work. “How are your Spanish lessons progressing?” “What book are you reading this month?” Many organizations encourage and allow time off for volunteer work in the community. Make sure your “leave it up to me” employee does not skip his or her rotation. Helping to build a home with Habit for Humanity or serving food at the local homeless shelter has a way of generating reflection, balance, and perspective.

3. Stay true to your own personal value system. Sometimes an overly engaged employee will attempt to make you feel guilty that you are not putting in the hours or energy that they expend day in and day out. Leadership is demanding and often does require long hours. Furthermore, setting boundaries is difficult, especially for those who have a hard time saying no. In spite of these challenges, do not allow others to hijack your deepest values and your commitment to family, friends, fitness, faith, and fun. Surprise your daughter or son by skipping an “important” meeting at work and joining them for their favorite activity without a cell phone. Call that old high school friend who you promised a cup a coffee and tell faded stories of youth and heroism. Inform everyone (including family) that you have an early morning meeting three days a week and go to the gym without guilt. Appointments with “you” are valid and crucial calendar items. Awaken your spiritual side and read a devotional that causes you to think about realities beyond the material. The results? Your productivity will soar instead of suffer. Others will see your authenticity and follow not because they have to, but because they want to. This is engagement at its best.