CHAPTER SIX
What, When, and How Should I Communicate?
Listen to Others
Share With Others
One-to-One Communication
Team and Faculty Communication
Parent Communication
Student Communication
Celebrate Others
Conclusion
Action Steps for Creating a Communication Plan
Communication Plan
Our Way of Communicating
Our School’s Strengths
Sharing and Celebrating Our Work
Leading a Celebration
Here’s to You
Action Steps for Leading the Right Work
One Big Thing
Where’s My Thinking?
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Terri L. Martin is executive vice president of business development at Solution Tree and Marzano Research. Terri recently served as the director of the Regional Educational Laboratory for the central region, where she supported the creation of resources and deliverables to meet regional needs. Previously, she was the director of school improvement initiatives at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where she led large projects to develop training programs and create professional learning communities statewide. She has developed and taught several courses as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri and Columbia College while also serving as an elementary teacher and principal for almost twenty years.
Terri has provided professional development in over thirty states and several Canadian and Australian provinces. She has presented at Solution Tree, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and National Staff Development Council (currently Learning Forward) conferences. Terri is the author of Improving Student Achievement: An Educational Leader’s Guide for Developing Purposeful Schools and a chapter in The Collaborative Administrator: Working Together as a Professional Learning Community.
She earned a bachelor of science degree from Stephens College. She earned master of education degrees in early childhood education and middle school administration, a specialist degree in elementary administration, and a doctorate in education in general administration from the University of Missouri.
To learn more about Terri’s work, follow @drtlm on Twitter.
Cameron L. Rains is the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation. In this role, he is part of a team working to ensure that all students in the district learn at high levels. Cameron also serves as a Marzano Research associate, where he delivers professional development on a wide range of topics across the United States. Previously, Cameron served as a teacher and instructional coach, and he acquired almost ten years of administrative experience as a director of elementary education and director of curriculum and instruction.
Cameron is passionate about school and district leadership and applying research findings in the school environment. He coauthored an article on the importance of reading fluency for Reading and Writing Quarterly and is coauthor of the book Leading a High Reliability School.
Cameron earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education and a master of science degree in educational leadership from Indiana University. He also holds an educational specialist degree and a doctorate in educational leadership from Ball State University.
To learn more about Cameron’s work, follow @CameronRains on Twitter.
To book Terri L. Martin or Cameron L. Rains for professional development, contact [email protected].
FOREWORD
By Robert J. Marzano
Stronger Together by Terri L. Martin and Cameron L. Rains is both straightforward and unique in its approach to leadership. It is straightforward in the sense that it makes the case that no one can lead effectively in isolation. Just as it takes a village to educate a child, it takes a team to lead the school that educates that child. Interestingly, this relates directly to the burgeoning field of collective efficacy. At its most basic level and as it relates to K–12 schooling, collective efficacy means that teachers and leaders in a building truly believe that they can have more of a positive impact on students if they work as an integrated team, than they can if they operate as individuals.
While this simple premise has been articulated before, albeit expressed in different ways, it has previously not been articulated in steps as concrete as those that Martin and Rains provide. They propose six questions that, when answered, allow leaders to marshal the collaborative efforts of educators in a building or district in such a way that collective efficacy is a natural byproduct.
Question 1: What kind of leader am I? There is no correct answer to this question. However, its answer should provide a leader with clear guidance on how to interact with others. Specifically, leaders should emphasize and capitalize on their own strengths.
Question 2: How can I earn trust? The answer to this question is less open ended than is the answer to the first question. More specifically, Martin and Rains demonstrate that trust is earned by demonstrating intensity, empathy, accessibility, and humility.
Question 3: How do I build teams? The answer to this question should be guided by the growing body of work on the PLC process. Specifically, leaders should assemble different teams to meet the specific needs of their schools. When doing so, they should utilize the expertise of others and ensure stakeholder representation.
Question 4: How can I help develop a vision? This
