As we enter this season of giving thanks, I simply want to simply say 'thank you' for the challenging, yet critically important work you lead everyday. You are making a difference in the lives of children and adults by providing them with the necessary tools they need to create the life they choose. One way you do this by reaching out your hand to provide some type of much needed support. It may be a pat on the back for a job well-done, or to provide assistance to someone who needs a little extra help. Many of those we lead express their appreciation immediately. Others are less obviously responding to the hand you tirelessly extend; yet they, too, are storing away these moments and will remember you and your steady hand for years to come. With that said, don't forget to give yourself a 'hand' for a job well-done!

• Turnaround Academy - November 29
• Quarterly Financial Check-ins - December 4-6

On October 25th we had a virtual Turnaround Academy session. The focus was on managing behaviors. HERE are the presentation slides.

Before our next Turnaround Academy meeting on November 29th, schools should complete the following tasks:

• Administer the self-assessment to all faculty and staff

• Gather and analyze results

• Complete the “Next steps” form for each Turnaround School - Keep in mind that you must have district input/support for your next steps!

The November meeting will continue our conversation regarding behavior management to include mental health support.

This spring (2024), each of our 15 Turnaround Schools will have their second instructional audit. This audit will be just like the first in that interviews will be conducted with administrators, teachers, students and various stakeholders along with classroom observations. The audits provide critical benchmark data to determine areas in which to celebrate accomplishments, while providing clarity on processes and practices that need adjustments.

Your OSI Specialist will be working with school leaders over the next few weeks to determine the dates for their audit.

Below are a few areas to focus on for November:

Turnaround Leadership

• Meet with your school leadership team to take a temperature check on how things are going. What is going well and needs to be celebrated, and what areas are causing the greatest frustrations along with some possible solutions.

Talent Development

• Meet with your new staff members and redefine expectations. Now that they have a little experience under their belt, this conversation can be even more productive than at the start of the year.

Instructional Transformation

• Based on your beginning of year data, where is your greatest need for support? Reach out to your OSI Specialist to discuss the needs of your faculty and determine what supports can be put in place to support their needs.

Culture Shift

• Administer and analyze your behavior self-assessment survey from the Turnaround Academy. Begin working with you leadership team to determine possible next steps to address areas of need.

One of the great things about working with our Turnaround Schools is learning about the awesome things each has to offer and being able to share these ideas with all of our schools. A program that has a proven track record of success and could be a model for schools looking for a way to create a whole child focus is Bright Key®.

Bright Key® is a revolutionary concept that turns schools into energized centers for services focused on the whole child.

The process starts with meetings where stakeholders talk about their school and offer their ideas to strengthen student achievement. From there a Lead Team is formed, consisting of the school’s resource coordinator, teachers, faculty, parents and community members to narrow organize those ideas, propose a mission, long and short term goals, and program areas. These are presented back to the stakeholders for approval, and work begins. Each program area has its owns Team to design and implement the activities. Programs focus on the students, but activities are developed for families as well. The Bright Key® Resource Coordinator assists by running the daily activities, pulling in resources from the community and neighboring businesses, and finding organizations to partner with the school to accomplish the stakeholder goals.

Once programs are in place, the stakeholders evaluate the success of the program and determine if the next steps for Bright Key® at their school. For more information, check out their website at https://brightkeywiregrass.org/default.aspx

The Alabama Department of Education’s Courtney Wilburn recently discussed the positive progress made by Gov. Kay Ivey’s Turnaround Schools Initiative, with Todd Stacy, host of the Capital Journal.

Wilburn noted that despite the official designations the selected schools had when selected for the initiative, they were chosen for their potential, not their shortcomings.

“This list is not a list of failing schools,” Wilburn stressed, noting that each school already had some “incredible things” in place. “This is a list of schools that we really see enough promise in that they can then be a blueprint for other schools,” she said.

To watch the full interview, go to the 41:45 mark of the Youtube video above.

July 2023

August 2023

September 2023

October 2023

Email: tim.solley@alsde.edu
Website: https://sway.office.com/x6GMkvnr5n1z2O6F
Twitter: @Tim_Solley