Disposition toward learning

In a recent session with a district nearby, I posed the question, "Why do you feel you are so successful?".  After about 3 hours of staff discussion, it became clear that the primary reasons for the school's continued success was more based upon the values, beliefs and dispositions of the staff than any program or training.  As a group they were committed to the success of all students, and committed to working in a collaborative environment.

This is not the answer most school teams wish to hear.  Most want to find a program, textbook, or similar 'silver bullet' that will create student success.  The message that we have to first focus on shifting the culture of our school toward accountability for learning and commitment to each other is not popular.  In a school system where a critical mass of staff believe their moral imperative is to ensure that all students learn, their is a clear outcome, namely student learning outcomes improve.

A good activity to gauge the collective culture in a school, is to ask staff to complete the sentence stem, "All students can learn...".  In many locations the sentence is completed with disclaimers like, "If they are motivated", "If their parents support them", "If they are well prepared", and similar qualifying statements.  In a recent school setting I asked staff to explore what they felt were the primary factors contributing to student learning.  Among 20+ topics or influences they brainstormed, 3 were under the control of the school.  I believe this response is typical of many school systems.

In the climate of continually increasing accountability (NCLB), schools feel all the pressure, which is not shared among other groups like parents, community, students and government.  It should not be surprising that school staff seek other reasons for student learning results.  It takes courage to collectively commit to ensure student learning.  It also requires a disposition among the staff toward shared learning and mutual accountability.