Beyond Abilene: Fueling School Improvement with Intentional Decision-Making
Beyond Abilene On a sweltering summer afternoon in Coleman, Texas, a family of four reluctantly agreed to embark on a journey to Abilene—a trip that, as it turned [...]
How do you eat a whole elephant? Three options for tackling a school improvement plan
Three options for tackling a school improvement plan School improvement consultants and coaches often play a vital role in guiding leaders and leadership teams through education improvement processes. [...]
School Improvement Consulting Framework: Commitment to Results
Commitment to Results Martina Navratilova once said, “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” Consultants and [...]
What School Improvement Consultants Need to Know and Be Able to Do
There are many different paths that lead education professionals into the world of school improvement consulting. Often, stellar classroom teachers or administrators who have had success leading their [...]
Masterful questioners harness the power of questioning
One of my younger sisters asked a lot of questions when she was a little girl, so many questions that my other sisters and I asked our mother, [...]
Beyond style: Playing a variety of consultant roles to meet clients’ needs
A colleague recently asked me to describe my “consulting style.” I interpreted their question as wanting to learn more about how I see and enact my role [...]
Three ways to improve your listening skills to build trust and understanding
“You can listen like a blank wall or like a splendid auditorium where every sound comes back fuller and richer.” ―Alice Duer Miller, American poet “The word ‘listen’ [...]
Outcomes matter: Helping school teams maintain focus and achieve their goals
I feel grounded and most productive when my house is well-organized and tidy. But using an annual “spring cleaning” approach doesn’t work for me—I start with great gusto [...]
What content expertise do school improvement consultants need to bring to the table?
As a member of a team of school improvement consultants, I often participated in the hiring process when we had openings for additional consultants. The process began with [...]
What does it mean to be good at change?
Change is the only constant. (Heraclitus) Things change. Nothing ever stays the same, yo. You ain’t never gonna stay 25 or 30 or 40. You always gonna [...]