In this photo:

Ralph C. Mahar Regional School Superintendent Michael Baldassarre (left) talks about the Pathways Early College Innovation School with Governor Deval Patrick, State Representative Christopher Donelan, Orange Teachers Assocation President, Kelli Gervais and District Attorney Candidate, Dave Sullivan.

To learn about the Pathways Early College Innovation School and the Innovation Schools Initiative in Massachusetts the link below will take you to the July 23, 2010 feature that appeared on WFCR (NPR).

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfcr/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1679351/WFCR.Local.Features/Flexibility.and.%27Charter.Like%27.Options.for.Districts.with.MA.Innovation.Schools

Displays of Leadership: Dr. Edward McCaul

I recall some time ago when Southwest Airlines CEO, Gary Kelly was videoed working at a Southwest baggage drop off counter at an airport. His actions were caught on camera and used in Southwest Airline commercials, and seemed to be a hit among customers and Southwest employees alike. Earlier this year CBS began airing a show called “Undercover Boss”, a program in which the head of an organization shows up to work with a disguise on and learns of employee behaviors that are often untoward in the world of business.

Early last year, former Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District Superintendent surprised staff members in the Westbrook Public Schools when he took a rake and went outside of the Central Office Building in Westbrook, ME to do his part to clean up leaves and debris that were in front of the building. In doing so, Dr. Namin expressed to the faculty and staff in his district how important that he felt a neat and orderly presentation was for parents and students. I have learned and continued to learn that small actions such as these can make a huge difference in the attitudes and beliefs of those who work in every facet of a school or any other organization for that matter.

Tremendous research on the topic of Leadership now exists along with publications and websites that were created and maintained by successful leaders in all facets of business and education. The Institute of Leader Arts has a website that provides 30 pieces of advice to would be leaders. I have posted the website at the bottom of this post. Some of the highlights are:

Make others feel important. People will follow you when you make them feel important, not when you make yourself feel important.

Promote your vision. No one will follow you simply because you decide you want to lead. You must have a clear idea where you want to take the group you lead - then you must promote it and convince those you lead that the goal is worthwhile.

See and be seen. You've got to get around to really know what's going on, to fix what's wrong, and to capitalize on what's right. It's also the only way those you lead can be sure you're for real.

Recently I was told about a school district in which the budget was so tight that it was not possible for the teachers and staff to enjoy a cup of coffee or juice prior to their welcome back assembly as they have for dozens of years. Rather than go out and purchase a few pounds of coffee, a couple of gallons of juice and some pastries, the leader of the district informed all of the staff in writing that the organization would not be able to supply the usual accompaniment of juice, coffee, and cookies before their opening day assembly. A more equipped leader might have spent a small portion of his/her $150,000.00 + salary on a small token of appreciation for those who do the bulk of the work and just said, “Thank you for all that you do.”

So why do I point all of this out today?

On Friday I noticed my friend and colleague, CAPS Educational Collaborative Executive Director, Dr. Edward McCaul in and around our school several times. At one point he was wearing polo shirt, and then later in the day he was wearing his sports coat, a dress shirt and a tie. Then at the end of the day he was outside with his polo shirt on again, only this time over his dress shirt and tie. I went out to ask him what he was doing. I discovered that in the absence of one of the bus drivers he decided that he would drive the wheelchair van to pick students up and drop them off at home. Many people might find this surprising, but I did not.

Actions such as this define Dr. McCaul as the type of leader that we all have the potential to be. Our actions do not always have to be as profound as an Executive Director who decides to also drive the busses. It could be in a Superintendent who believes that his or her staff deserves a cup of coffee. It can be in a seventh grader who stops in the hall to pick up debris on the floor that he or she did not put there. It is in a Director of Food Services who also does the dishes and in a counselor who drives to the home of a student for a signature on a form. This leadership is in all of us, and each and every time it is displayed our school becomes an even better place to be.

http://www.stuffofheroes.com/30_vital_leadership_actions.htm

Day Two Already???

For the faculty and staff in the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District their first day of work was Tuesday and the 2010 – 2011 School Year officially began when our students filed into their classrooms yesterday. As has been my yearly tradition since the night before I entered Mrs. Volpe’s Kindergarten classroom, I spent the night before my first day tossing and turning. There is so much excitement in a new school year.

For our Students
In many cases our students spend their summers with a smaller group of peers. The first day back to school offers each of them an opportunity to reconnect with friends that they may not have seen for more than two months. They wonder how they will get along with their new teachers and whether or not the classes they are in are going to be hard. I heard one middle school student talking to her friend in the hallway yesterday, “I hope Mrs. Normandin doesn’t give a lot of homework.” “She does” I responded. She didn’t say anything, but looked very disappointed.

I watched yesterday as our new students in seventh grade peered at their schedules and then looked up taking in all of their new surroundings. Moments later I saw the juniors and seniors in the hallway hugging. In more than one instance I had to ask some of the boys not to jump on one another’s backs. I guess this is their way of saying, “Hello” to a friend who was sadly missed when school was not in session.

For Our Teachers
The first day of work for teachers was Tuesday, August 24. Yet on Friday and on Monday so many of them were in their classrooms setting up seating arrangements, bulletin boards, and reacquainting with their work. More than one expressed to me the impossibility of sleep with so much stirring in their minds about the start of the new school year. “They better be ready to work” said one seventh grade teacher. Since our students come in to seventh grade from three different school districts there is always the unknown of how they will all be when they are together.

I just walked the halls of the middle school and the high school. I stopped in the Guidance Office, the Special Education Office, and the library. It is as if today is just the 182nd day of last school year. There was action in every class. Guidance counselors had students and parents in their offices making final adjustments to schedules, and Mrs. Thorn is providing new students with their official Eileen Perkins Media Center orientation. The phones are ringing, parents are dropping off lunches, and our quiet bureaucratic summer is now a fully energized organization.

There are many positive changes happening this year. I will be blogging about them in the coming days. I am so excited for this year – for our faculty, faculty, parents, and community, but mostly for our students. Welcome back everyone, and best wishes for a successful school year!

Welcome Back to Faculty and Staff

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you to the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District’s 2010 – 2011 Academic Year. I hope that you enjoyed a restful summer and that you were provided many opportunities to revive and renew. I can attest that my own sense of purpose with regard to providing our students with opportunities to maximize their human potential via a strong education is more alive than it has ever been. It is my hope that you will join me in this endeavor as we embark on the next year of our journey together.

There is no doubt that the accountability standards placed upon us have brought increased and often unwelcomed pressure to our daily work lives. The pressures placed upon educators to improve student outcomes have brought about a certain “blame game.” It appears as though the only consistent message is that educators are not doing enough or are not good enough to meet the demands of the government, the media, or the communities who depend on the American Education System to make a difference.

The pressures mentioned above bring about many responses from those in positions such as ours. Some choose to attribute underperformance to an inadequately funded education system while others point to the breakdown of families. Lately many politicians have pointed to the existence and nature of teacher unions as the problem while those in colleges and universities have held the entire American Educational Model as broken or flawed when compared to those in other countries. There may be some truth to these macro-level responses along with micro-level issues such as the influence of technology in the lives of our students.

As early as 1935, an author by the name of Harry McKown recognized that schools are in the most unique position to impact the development of individuals and society as a whole. He wrote, “Because of its strategic position, as represented by setting, materials, personnel, and leadership, it [school] can assist in the development of profitable experiences through the building of concepts (generalized thinking) and confacts (generalized conduct) that will be valuable in somewhat situations outside.” I believe that these words serve to solidify our positions as educators. Seventy-five years ago, Mr. McKown recognized that schools can and will make a difference.

This is not a time to blame. This is a time for us to accept our responsibility as those who are best poised to impact, improve, and provide promise for our students, their families, and this community. We are stakeholders who will continue to see issues develop, and when we put forth the effort to be accountable, responsible, and engaged, we have and will continue to make tremendous progress in seeing our clearly defined vision and mission becoming a reality for every student in our school district.