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Making Math Count at LAUSD
Something unusual is afoot in Mrs. K’s fourth-grade downtown Los Angeles classroom. From the look of things, a student’s incorrect answer to the previous evening’s math homework has sparked a veteran elementary school instructor to break into a smile.
“Mistakes are opportunities for learning,” K. said. “I’m as interested in how a student arrived at their answer as the answer itself.”
Indeed, a half-dozen hands had shot up as students explained the method each had used to arrive at his or her answer to a particularly fanciful math question. Their homework: Measure the area of your bedroom and its furniture and calculate whether you have room for a 3’ by 2’ metal cage for a 2-pound white bunny named Fluffy.
The Role of Values and Leadership in Organizational Transformation
An organization’s culture i.e., its soul, is comprised of the collective values of the individuals that make up the organization. Each individual has their beliefs which translate into their personal values which, expressed collectively, define an organization’s culture.
Values define an organization’s standards and norms of behavior, i.e., the framework within which an organization operates. Individuals’ values must align with organizational values for there to be shared vision within the organization.
In living organizations, values are clear and operationalized, and are the basis on which decisions are made. They provide stability for employees; contribute insight and direction when facing unpleasant decisions; provide a rudder for steering to higher ethical conduct, respect and dignity for the individual; and increase employee motivation; all of which create a competitive edge. When employees share organizational values, they feel more loyal and committed, and identify more strongly with the organization.
Why Can't We Be Friends - Challenging School Districts and Teachers' Unions to Work Together
The #1 reason that we do not have better performing schools is that there is no shared vision for education in schools or school districts.
Why do I say this?
Because in my 30 plus years in the workforce, rarely have I seen stakeholder groups more at odds with one another than in the area of education.
