Tokyo to Omuta City
We left the hotel this morning at around 7:30AM bound for Omuta City in the Fukuoka Prefecture on the southern island of Japan. We will be in Omuta City and the surrounding area for the next several days visiting schools and world heritage sites. It is a little sad to leave Tokyo so soon because it is such an amazing and beautiful city that we haven’t begun to scratch the surface on. However, it is exciting to travel to Omuta City since it is a part of Japan that many visitors may not get to.

Our path from Tokyo to Saga.

Map showing Omuta City.

Omuta City
Omuta City has a population of about 120,000 people. This industrial area was once home to the Mitsui Miike Coal Mine. Mining in this area began in the Kyoho era in the early 1700’s. The mine was nationalised in 1872 and operated until its closure in 1997. The mine was a major factor in supplying the energy needed for the rapid growth of Japan in the 20th century. When the mine closed there were significant effects on the local economy. Having been here only one day so far it is easy to see many similarities between Omuta City and similar towns in the United States that have been hurt by large industries and corporations moving. Where I grew up in Kentucky there were several coal mines and I can remember the impact that the closure of our local coal mines had on the surrounding communities. It doesn’t just have to be coal mining, there are numerous examples of industries moving or shutting down that have decimated local areas. There is a reason we call it the “rust belt” in the United States.

The schools in Omuta City have embraced the idea of Education for Sustainable Development. The entire purpose of ESD is to not create a present world that endangers future generations. When an area is completely dependent for its prosperity on one industry – how are problems solved when that industry goes away? It appears that Omuta City is attempting to answer that question. All 34 of the schools in Omuta City are UNECSO schools (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The board of education has embraced the idea of teaching students not to create a present that endangers the future. In Omuta City there are real life lessons to pull from to teach the students this important concept. I can’t wait to see how they are using education to combat the effects of departing industry.

The Omuta Coal Industry Science Museum

Inside the museum there are several exhibits detailing the history of the Miike Coal Mine.

Not to be bound by the past. Solar panel farms dot the landscape around Omuta City.

This evening the local board of education along with local educators and community members hosted a reception for us.

Here I am with Masanori Yasuda the superintendent of Omuta City schools.

Tomorrow will be another exciting day as we will be visiting world heritage sites around Omuta City and begin our one night homestay experience with a local educator/community member. Stay tuned.

Today was another amazing and inspiring day here in Tokyo. It was particularly special because today was spent at schools with students. One thing that was clear from today is that love of learning and watching students grow is universal among educators no matter where you are.

JIYU
Our first stop today was JIYU Gakuen. JIYU is a private school that offers Kindergarten through university on its 25 acre campus in the western suburbs of Tokyo. The name of the school JIYU means “freedom”. This was evident throughout the school. This is an learning environment that takes pride in putting the students in charge of more than just their learning. Students in junior high and high school live on campus. However, all students take part in the experience of community. Students at JIYU prepare and serve lunch, they manage the gardens and grounds, they also wash their own laundry by hand in the dormitories. However, most impressive is that the students live in the dormitories in junior high school and up with no adults. The students are in charge of managing the dormitory and each other. Students here spend approximately 6 hours a day on academics and 1-2 hours a day on preparing food, working in the gardens, or other chores. We were told that JIYU is a unique school. It attracts students from all over Japan and is quite different than public schools.

Check your shoes at the door. In Japanese schools you do not wear your outdoor shoes into the buildings. You exchange your outdoor shoes for sandals.

The first building of the school was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright after he met the founder of the school in 1921.

One of my favorite parts of the day. Getting a calligraphy lesson from a JIYU high school student.

At JIYU students prep, cook, and serve lunch. It was amazing!!!

Farm to table. Students tend to the gardens at JIYU which include these green tea plants.

The tea we were served when we arrived this morning was made by students from the very same plants.

Inagi Daini Elementary School
Going to JIYU was incredible and I wasn’t sure the day would get much better. That all changed when we spent the afternoon at Inagi Daini Elementary School. We were welcomed with a whole school assembly where the students sang the school song and presented us with gifts. Afterwards we spent time in the classrooms of several grade levels observing lessons. My major takeaway from being Inagi Daini was reaffirmation that the teacher is the single most important factor in a child’s learning. The rooms at the school were pretty sparse. There was a TV mounted in the corner of each room but other than that there was just a chalkboard, desks, bulletin boards, and students. However, in the short time I spent in the classrooms I saw incredibly high levels of engagement and creative problem solving in every classroom – all of this being led by the teacher.

It was also heartwarming to see that no matter where you are in the world kids are kids. When we were in one of the primary classrooms students got to ask us questions. One of the questions that a student asked was “How do you say dinosaur in English?” It was a very sweet moment as I realized that no matter where you put a 6 year old boy in the world there will always be a need to understand all that is and ever was about dinosaurs.

The students also gave incredible presentations about their school and community. I have to say that the students at Inagi Diani seemed so happy at the school. They were the incredibly kind and fun – I couldn’t imagine spending the afternoon with more kind students or caring educators.

I am posting several pictures below that have been altered to keep students we visited today anonymous.

The students welcoming us to their school.

I captured this picture of some student artwork. This was one of several Godzilla creations on the window ledge.

In many of the classrooms students were working hands on with the teacher. In almost all cases they were making observations, collecting data, and asking/answering questions.

As part of the 5th grade curriculum students plant rice and compare how the rice grows in a bucket compared to how it grows in the patty. Students measure the rice plants and compare and contrast the differences all while integrating learning about the cultural significance of rice to the Japanese people.

As part of the 6th grade history curriculum students integrate culture by learning how to do a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Today we were lucky enough to be part of a traditional tea ceremony with the students.

Tomorrow we are flying to Omuta City on the southern island of japan for more school and cultural site visits. Each day gets better so stay tuned.

What an amazing trip it has been so far. After a long flight and a two hour delay I finally made it Tokyo at around 10 PM last night. I was exhausted which was good because I was able to go to sleep. I had been worried about that since bedtime in Tokyo is waking time in Chicago. It was great meeting back up today with the other 13 educators from all around the United States joining me in this adventure and the staff from Fulbright Japan. There are some excellent educators here that are doing powerful work in their schools and districts. It is education enough just being around them.

Tokyo Orientation
This morning was our first full day in Tokyo and we began at the offices of Fulbright Japan. This morning began with a welcome from Matthew Sussman, the executive director of Fulbright Japan. His welcome was excellent as he reminded us that the strong relationship between our two countries is a direct result of activities like this that foster mutual understanding and learning between our two societies. The Fulbright organization and Fulbright Japan have done great work to support the mission of peace and understanding by providing opportunities for thousands of individuals from both the United States and Japan to learn and research abroad since its inception shortly after WWII.

Our first lecture of the day was from Dr. Laurence MacDonald from Soka University in Tokyo that presented about the cultural background of education reform in Japan. This was very interesting as it became clear that while there are similarities between our two countries, Japan operates an entirely different educational system than the United States. For instance, high school in Japan is not compulsory. However, approximately 98% of students attend high school and there is a very low drop out rate. In addition to this cultural attitudes on the collective culture of the students and school stands in stark contrast to our emphasis on individual achievement.

Here are some major takeaways from his lecture about Japanese education:
-Larger class sizes benefit students by reducing direct instruction and encouraging students to be independent. Smaller class sizes are teacher directed and reduce problem solving by students.
-High emphasis on routines in schools to minimize lost time in class.
-Teachers travel to student classrooms – students stay in the same homeroom
-Population decline is of serious concern to Japanese society. The number of school age children has dropped rapidly in the past 20 years.
-Elementary school 6 years – Junior High School 3 years
-Japanese education heavily emphasizes Shudan Seikatsu (group life) a collectivist approach to learning.
-Cultural role of teachers is to be seen as a friend not a foe. Teachers may be highly involved in student lives.
-Japanese students attend school 220 days a year as opposed to 180 days for the United States. Japanese students only relatively recently stopped attending school on Saturdays.
-The national government plays a central role in education. For instance, the national government will approve textbooks for school usage. The prefecture can then choose the 1 textbook from the government’s approved list of maybe 6 or 7 in that subject area. Also, the curriculum for the schools is delivered from the national government and reviewed every 10 years.

Our second presentation was from Mr. Katsuhide Kushara professor emeritus from Takushoku University. This was another fascinating presentation on World Heritage and Education for Sustainable Development. World heritage focuses on preserving and protecting world cultural and natural sites. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization otherwise known as UNESCO designates schools as UNESCO schools that carry out education programs with a focus on world heritage. Currently Japan has over 900 UNESCO schools while the United States has less than 30.

Tokyo City Tour
To round out the day we were given a tour of the city in the afternoon. We began by going to the Imperial Palace, the residence of the emperor of Japan. The most amazing thing about the imperial palace to me is that you have an area approximately half the size of central park in New York City right in the center of Tokyo, the largest city in the world, and no one is allowed to enter. We then proceeded to the Meiji Shrine. This was an exceptional part of the tour as we visited important cultural sites of the Japanese people. Pictures are far better than words for this part of the journey.

Tomorrow we will be visiting two schools in Tokyo to see the education system and education for sustainable development firsthand. Stay Tuned.

Today as I was talking to a student about his plans for summer he very kindly asked me “What do principals do in the summer?” I thought that was a great question as I have found many students, particularly our youngest ones, assume that I live at the school. So naturally, I was very excited to share.

Just as summer break presents an opportunity to engage in growth and learning for our students, whether that be at camp, vacation, or even just doing some leisure reading it also presents a great opportunity for educators to explore learning that will make us better come August as well.

During the school year our attention is fully focused on the students in the building. However, when the doors open and the last bell rings educators have an opportunity for reflection and exploration that exists in few other industries. Summer for us is a time to reflect on the past school year and engage in new learning that will benefit our students and community when the first bell rings in August.

So what are we up to this summer:

All Kipling Staff

Right after school is out the entire Kipling staff is going to engage in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Signature Training Program. This two day workshop that will take place on June 15th and 16th is one of the first steps in implementing the Leader in Me at Kipling next year. Part of being able to teach the 7 habits to students next year has to do with how well we are living them ourselves. That is what makes this training different from other experiences. It begins with an investment in learning the habits for the staff. The 7 habits signature training for the Kipling staff is the same that any organization would get regardless of the industry. On Wednesday of next week the staff will engage in our Launching Leadership training. This is a full day training focused on how to launch a leadership culture among students and staff at the school. We are grateful to our PTO for supporting this training and this initiative for our school and I am grateful to our Kipling staff for volunteering their first three days of summer in order to serve our students even better next year.

Mr. McConnell and Mrs. Sutic

Mr. McConnell
This summer from June 22nd – July 5th I have the privilege to study with 14 other educators from around the United States for two weeks in Japan as part of the Japan-US Teacher Exchange Program. The program is funded by Fulbright, the Institute for International Education, and the US Dept. of Education.

We will begin our visit in Tokyo where we will learn about the Japanese educational system from educational leaders in Japan. We will also visit several elementary schools and middle schools in Tokyo where we will have the opportunity to talk with students, teachers, and administrators. After three days in Tokyo we will fly to Omuta City in the Fukuoka prefecture on the southern island of Japan. There we will visit several more schools, meet with the local board of education, and have an opportunity to engage in a homestay experience for a day. I am very excited as I recently learned that the family that is hosting me for the day are two elementary school teachers. On July 2nd we will return to Tokyo where we will meet once again with our Japanese counterparts for three days of learning and planning. This entire trip is centered around education for sustainable development and fostering cultural understanding between our two countries. It is my hope and goal to cooperatively develop a couple of joint projects for Kipling and a counterpart school in Japan to engage in together this upcoming school year.

In an interesting turn of events I will also be in Los Angeles at the same time I am in Tokyo as I will be co-presenting with Scott Schwartz of Walden Elementary School at the National Association of Elementary School Principals annual conference on July 3rd. Mr. Schwartz will be at the conference in person while I will join him via video from Tokyo. It is perfect as we are presenting about one to one learning and the possibilities of educational technology. What better way than to demonstrate how technology can be employed for learning than presenting simultaneously on two different continents.

Mrs. Sutic
From June 21st – June 27th, at the same time I head to Japan, Mrs. Sutic will be headed to Harvard University in Cambridge MA for a weeklong workshop entitled Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership. And I thought Fulbright was a big deal :) Ms. Sutic was selected for this experience through a rigorous application process. I am extremely proud of her and cannot wait to hear what she learns. I have included the program overview of Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership below.

Program Overview – Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership
Today’s school leaders struggle to balance their roles as instructional leaders with the many other demands of the job. Through Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership, participants will develop their leadership skills, efficacy and ability to support teacher development and student achievement. Participants will also expand their understanding of leadership and explore multiple approaches for addressing leadership challenges. The program will help you identify areas of school improvement, establish priorities, develop strategies and build a base of support around a change initiative. You will explore successful models for school improvement, learn how to lead and manage change, and understand how to implement curriculum innovation. Through a research-based curriculum, you will focus on effective supervision and evaluation, approaches to solving leadership challenges with an emphasis on U.S. settings, and proven strategies that support teaching and learning. Upon completion of the program, you will have examined your own leadership challenges in the context of instructional improvement and learned how to lead and manage your school more effectively.

Stay tuned to the blog this summer as I will be blogging about all of our journeys and learning!

Here in DPS109 we are fortunate to have two instructional coaches at each of our schools.

Many schools and districts throughout the country have added instructional coaches to their list of professionals over the past few years yet the role of the instructional coach remains misunderstood in many schools. Although there is a vast amount of literature available about instructional coaching some schools continue to use instructional coaches as just another set of hands in the classroom or as a teachers assistant that works with small groups of students. While those things are fine and good they do little to accomplish the main purpose of the instructional coach which is to improve teaching and learning on broader scale.

The reason that simply pulling small groups of students or just being an extra set of hands in the classroom does not fulfill the mission of the instructional coach is because it lacks any ability to build lasting capacity in the teaching staff. When an instructional coach takes 5 students from a teacher’s class and delivers a small group lesson, the benefit of that coach ends right there. Sure, it is great that 5 students get a small group lesson but where is the enduring benefit? In this scenario, the instructional coach is providing benefit for 5 students where they could be providing benefit for an entire classroom, grade level, or school if they were focusing on helping the teacher improve their practice, as that impacts all students.

The role of the instructional coach is to support and improve teaching and learning but in such as way that the benefits continue after their involvement has ended.

Let me share a recent example from Kipling that exemplifies this.

This year we have fully moved to implement the Common Core State Standards. This past summer, groups of teachers gathered to work on curriculum maps that included new authentic extended and short connection texts that students would read. Prior to this year, reading instruction in the district was very scripted based on the LEAD 21 program the district was utilizing. This year, with implementation of the CCSS it became apparent that the “script” and the constraints of that old model would not work to raise the level of critical thinking and rigor for our students.

In turn, several grade levels began looking at new and better ways to teach reading. Our 3rd grade teachers at Kipling -Amanda Gomberg, Christi Harrison, Larissa Thurman, and Caitlin Binder-Markey worked collaboratively with our instructional coaches Taylor Meredith @ForFeedback and Michelle Primack @MBPrimack to reinvent the way they taught reading and writing. The results have been impressive. Students continue to exceed even the high expectations of their teachers. Students are leading group discussions, questioning and examining texts, and most importantly falling in love with reading and critical thinking. I have been in on these discussions with students and I am blown away by the level of their questions and thinking. Students also write daily based on what they have been reading and discussing.

Above: A short video of our instructional coaches working hand in hand with 3rd grade students and teachers.

As the coaches worked collaboratively with the 3rd grade teachers in planning and modeling lessons they were helping to improve teaching and learning in a way that would continue beyond their involvement. Once the 3rd grade teachers were off and running with the new model of instruction for reading and writing, the instructional coaches began to plan how to facilitate learning about the new process across other grade levels.

Learning Labs
Our instructional coaches planned learning labs with our 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers. Learning Labs are a model from instructional coaching guru Diane Sweeney that functions as job embedded professional development for all involved.

The learning labs were split over several days with each grade level taking half a day. The day began with a meeting between the instructional coaches and the teachers for that particular grade level. At this meeting they discussed what they would see in the classroom and developed focus questions. They then went to a 3rd grade classroom for the entirety of reading and writing instruction. Teachers observed the lesson and students, took notes, and talked to students about their learning. After the observation the participating teachers and the instructional coaches met to debrief about what they had seen. At this time the 3rd grade teacher also joined the group to provide more context about the lesson and answer questions. The observing teachers were also able to give the host teacher feedback on the classroom and their teaching. This was a very powerful process for all involved that helped expand the skills of many teachers across several grade levels.

Caitlin Binder-Markey explaining the structure of the lesson to our 5th grade teachers.

Larissa Thurman debriefs and gets feedback from our 4th grade teachers and other district instructional coaches.

As a result of these learning labs, set up and facilitated by the coaches, reading and writing instruction has changed across 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades. Those grade levels are now modeling their instruction based on what 3rd grade had started and their results are looking equally impressive. Immediately, after the learning labs ,the coaches were constantly in the classrooms of our 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers helping them get going on the right foot.

Take-aways
There are so many great things about this situation. First, we have teachers learning from other teachers. We have the best teachers in the world here at Kipling. I have never seen teachers more invested in learning than I did in these learning labs. They were trusting, vulnerable, and laser focused on improving their practice for the benefit of their students. It takes a lot of trust and professionalism between teachers not only for learning to occur but for it to transfer into action.

All of this was made possible by the facilitation and expertise of our instructional coaches. It takes an enormous amount planning, communication, and instructional knowledge to be able to facilitate this job embedded learning and professional development in a school.

Although, this example comes from grades 2-5 one of the things I am most proud of is that our instructional coaches have worked with every teacher and every classroom in the school this year on improving instruction. I am proud of this, as it is further proof of the professionalism and excellence of our teachers. It is very safe to not ask for feedback. It is safe to close your door and think what you are doing is “good enough”. However, great teachers like great athletes are always looking for any support to improve their game. It is an entirely different educator altogether that, as good as they may be, is open about their practice and continually seeks new ideas on how to be even better.

I hope the example above illustrates the impact the instructional coach can have in a school when a proper model of instructional coaching is implemented in collaboration with professional and dedicated teachers.

Monday and Tuesday of this week I was privileged to travel to Denver CO to observe 21st century learning firsthand. This visit, organized by Creative Learning Systems allowed myself and Kate Schippers our Library Media Specialist as well as Jeff Zoul from the teaching and learning dept. and Scott Schwartz from Walden elementary to visit schools that are on the cutting edge of preparing students for the 21st century. Future ready schools must be places of inspiration where students are free to explore. Rather than viewing math and science as something disconnected and learned only when sitting in a desk the SmartLab engages students in hands on work and learning that fosters curiosity and creativity.

The elementary smartlab goes way beyond a computer lab or a high tech classroom. Students work in collaborative groups on a variety of projects related to Science, Technology, Math, Engineering, and Creative Media Arts. Topics of exploration include:

• Mechanics and Structures
• Computer Graphics
• Science and Data Acquisition
• Publishing and Multimedia
• Alternative and Renewable Energy
• Robotics and Control Technology
• Circuitry

At Slavens School in Denver, students in the Smartlab come in and get right to work on their projects. In one instance,

Elementary students have the opportunity to design items and print in 3D.

The elementary Smartlab at Martinez Elementary in Colorado Springs

Students explain their project to Mrs. Schippers. All engagements in the SmartLab are meant to be collaborative with at least two students working together on a project.

Students in the Smartlab explore over 300 possible engagements or learning pathways. Part of the engagements has students generate questions, as you can see in the example above. Students then predict, investigate, build, and explore in order to answer their questions. In addition to this they document their progress in a journal.

Above is functional rotating ferris wheel engineered and built by students. I was blown away by the effort, determination, and precision it took to make this.

This machine, also built by students, circulates 3 balls on different pathways throughout the mechanism simultaneously.

I was amazed at the learning taking place in the SmartLabs we visited. In addition, I was impressed at how many 21st century skills were incorporated such as teamwork and problem solving. In the elementary SmartLab students have an opportunity to synthesize their learning from math, science, as well as language arts into authentic learning experiences.

This has been an amazing week at Kipling school. The staff, students, and parents have helped us along the way with all of the great RED week activities. However, no one has been more valuable and worked harder this week than our assistant principal Svetlana Sutic. She had the vision to make this week amazing and so it was. She worked tirelessly and selflessly to make sure that this week was a fun learning experience for our students. I asked her to write the blog entry below about RED week because she has been the heart and soul of the effort.

by Svetlana Sutic

Kipling students and staff have been experiencing an exceptionally exciting week as we celebrate RED Week, which stands for Respecting Each Difference. Our focus for this week was acceptance and appreciation of all of our unique qualities. We have had fun activities planned each day this week. Take a look at the fun we are having while we reflect and build our students emotional awareness of the differences in the world:

Monday we launched the RED week drawing and writing contest for all of our grades answering the essential question “How do our differences contribute to making our school, our community and our world a better place?” We passed out red wrist bands to help remind us each day that our differences are what make us special.

Tuesday was Lunch with Someone Different Day, which proved to be a great opportunity for all of our students to show compassion and acceptance for each other. Many students sought out their siblings, friends in other grades and other classrooms, and Mr McConnell and I had the pleasure to be invited to join our our students!

Wednesday was Swap Teacher Day! Teachers switched classrooms or combined their classes for 30 minutes with special games to facilitate conversations and build our understanding of how we are all different. These interactions provide our students with the opportunity to grow their social competency skills which is important to their healthy well rounded development.

Thursday was the first ever Kipling Music Video recording! What a great way to build a sense of belonging and community for our students so they are proud of their school and excited about what they represent. Our music teacher along with other staff planned and organized the taping, staging and execution of the music video. “What makes you beautiful” by One Direction provided the perfect lyrics representing how we feel about each other and our Kipling community.

Friday brought this great week to an end but only in time…the memories of this week will stay with our children and our hope is in their hearts forever! K-3 had a puppet presentation from Kids on The Block and 4 / 5 heard from founder Diane Christensen, author, presenter of Red Day Pledge Campaign.

RED Day Pledge
I promise to Respect Each person’s Differences. I will show acceptance and appreciation to everyone so that I can be a part of making our school, our community and our world a kinder place.

One final note…we are reminded every day when we look into our children’s eyes how special, different, complex, and loved they are here at Kipling and by their parents! We thank you for sharing your children with us every day and honored to play a part in growing and shaping them into compassionate, accepting, and respectful young adults!

Next week is Random Acts of Kindness Week and here at Kipling we are getting ready. I am very thankful to our first grade teachers Mrs. Comitor, Mrs. Friedlander, Mrs. Winter, and Mrs. Cacioppo for heading this effort.

Each morning next week there will be a special announcement (made by students) about some topic or thought on kindness. The topic for Monday is on what an act of kindness looks like. Here is Monday’s announcement as well as the topics for the rest of the week.

Monday:
This week is National Random Acts of Kindness week. We perform Random Acts of Kindness when we go beyond what is expected of us and reach out to help another person. There are three simple steps to performing a Random Act of Kindness.
1. The first step is to find out what another person needs. For example, Sally has her hands full and she needs to open the door to get to her class.
2. The second step is to think about how you would feel if you had that need. You might feel frustrated if your hands were full and you could not easily open the door by yourself.
3. The final step to performing a Random Act of Kindness is to offer your help. Hold the door open and let Sally enter.
There are hundreds of ways to show someone that you care. This week, look for opportunities to show that you care by performing Random Acts of Kindness.

Tuesday: Kindness and Empathy
Wednesday: Showing Appreciation
Thursday: Making and Keeping Friends
Friday: Passing Kindness On

We are using the sheet below and challenging students to check off all of the boxes by the end of the week. Of course there are hundreds of other ways to do this and we encourage students to think beyond just the ones on this sheet. These help provide guidance to students by encouraging acts and taking opportunities that often occur in school.

In addition to this we have put up a large poster on main street. We want to encourage our students to fill this poster up with their acts of kindness throughout the week.

Our main hope is that this helps our students to see how easy and rewarding it is to do kind acts so that it will extend beyond just next week. This goes along very well with the themes we will be talking about with students when we implement the Leader in Me program. Leadership is not a title or a position rather it is a choice that people make everyday. Anyone can influence others in a positive way by doing small acts. That includes adults as well. A couple of weeks ago I shared with the staff this excellent video from Drew Dudley on creating what he calls “Lollipop Moments”. I am happy to share it with you. We want all of our students to learn that they can have huge positive impacts on the lives of others. Kindness, like leadership, is a choice – not a disposition.

You may recall at the beginning of the year we surveyed parents and staff in order to learn more about our school culture. Just to refresh your memory part of this survey was about what we want for our students at Kipling. What should be priorities for their learning? What skills will they need in the future? What changes are need to support our students? Through survey results, conversations with parents and staff what has become evident is that we want them to be academically and social-emotionally strong: equipped with relevant life skills that will help them succeed in the future. So this is where we begin.

The Kipling staff has been exploring an exciting new possibility for our school over the last few months. It is called The Leader in Me and in short it is a school transformation model that guides the way a school thinks and operates. Our staff has explored the Leader in Me thoroughly through a whole staff book study, two visits to a Leader in Me school, and a presentation from a Leader in Me representative here at Kipling.

After our study of The Leader in Me, I sent a survey to all staff before winter break asking them whether or not they thought we should pursue The Leader in Me for Kipling. The support was nothing short of overwhelmingly positive that this is something that would be great for our students and school. In fact, 100% percent of our staff said that they are committed to the success of The Leader in Me at Kipling Elementary. Therefore, we will be making plans for Kipling to become a Leader in Me school in the very near future.

What is The Leader in Me
The Leader in Me acts like a foundation or operating system for a school. It improves all other areas – academics, social-emotional, culture, life skills. It is based on Stephen Covey’s best selling 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Leader in Me brings together what are often thought of as independent facets of the school – academics, school culture, and life skills. Instruction in these life skills or habits is infused through all classes and all parts of the school. It simply becomes the way we talk, act, and conduct the business of our school.

How did it Begin
The Leader in Me began in 1999 at A.B. Combs Elementary, a magnet school in Raleigh North Carolina. The Principal, Muriel Summers, was given the task of reinventing the theme of the school or face being shut down. She surveyed parents, community, and businesses for what they wanted in their schools. What they came up with are critical 21st century skills that we want all students to have.

Leadership
Accountability
Adaptability
Initiative and Self Direction
Cross-Cultural Skills
Responsibility
Problem Solving
Communication
Creativity
Teamwork

Under Muriel Summers AB Combs adopted a theme of leadership and developed a new mission statement “To Develop Leaders One Child at a Time”. They integrated the 7 habits into the curriculum, traditions, systems, and culture of the school. AB Combs Elementary went from a school facing being shut down to being named the #1 magnet school in America. The process started at AB Combs is now in place in more than 2000 schools across the globe.

The 7 Habits for Students
At first it may seem odd to think about 5, 6, and 7 year olds learning about the 7 habits. Truthfully they are just great life skills applicable to any age. Below the 7 habits have been put into kid language and I think you will see how beneficial they could to any student of an age.

John Maxwell says that “Everyone is a leader, because everyone influences someone.” I couldn’t agree more. Schools are about more than fixing what is wrong with students. Schools are about celebrating what is right. Our job is to bring out the greatness in each and everyone of our students.

I encourage you to explore more about The Leader in Me for yourself. There is an excellent book about the program available at most all bookstores and online. Here is the link to it on amazon. The Leader in Me Book

Wednesday night I was thrilled to join other educators and parents from DPS109 at our first 1:1 in 109 Parent Tech Workshop. There were sessions on a wide variety of topics such as Edmodo, Chromebooks, Twitter, etc. I was proud to lead two sessions for parents on Elementary Digital Resources such as Discovery Techbook, SchoolCity, and Study Island. Through both sessions I was reminded that technology is not only enhancing the learning experience for our students – it is transforming it. The goal of 1:1 learning and technology is not to replace a worksheet with its digital version. The point is to allow students to learn and apply knowledge in ways not previously possible. I’m thrilled in DPS109 we have begun that journey toward transforming education. We are just getting started and we have a long way to go but every day I see our students taking steps toward that future and it is inspiring.

I’d like to share this TED talk from Richard Culatta who works for the Department of Education. Richard gives a great glimpse into the future of how learning can and is being transformed.