The School Growth Lab in Philadelphia this week achieved a new milestone for leadership, with four schools committed to a culture of growth and innovation. Learning with a beautiful view of the city from the top floor of People for People Charter School made the experience even more meaningful.
Four Schools--A Record High
This was the first time we were able to guide four schools simultaneously through our unique process for training and building momentum for improvement. Previously we've hosted up to three schools in a single Lab program, but based on the reviews from the participants increasing the number of schools actually improved the results because of the sharing of ideas and relationships that were established.
Success favors those leaders with the best combination of talented people and a collaborative culture. Through the Lab we helped these schools clarify the families they really seek to serve, how to meet the genuine needs of those parents and students, and what steps could be taken to significantly improve relationships with families and faculty. We considered the impact of talent selection and coaching for the board and employees of the school, and how to leverage the entire ecosystem throughout the community.
Philly Feedback
"This was one of the best training classes I've been to in quite a long time. This was just fun and enjoyable for everybody. I look forward to implementing our strategies from this excellent training."--Michael McIntyre
"We've thought about these things in our big picture thinking but haven't been able to revisit them in a while given our day-to-day busyness, but this gave us time away to setup priorities and bigger picture goals which has been fantastic."--Susan Talbot
"I've come up with a couple of strategies to achieve growth through the Lab, and look forward to taking this back to my board and administrative team. Thank you for providing this opportunity."--Andre Williams
"This was a great experience. We developed five initiatives that we'll take back and really do something special. This is a plan that we can really execute."--Frank Aloise
One of my favorite comments during the session: "You're making planning way too easy."
More to Come
In June we have Labs scheduled in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Columbia, and Minneapolis that will likely include at least ten schools each, so we have the privilege of introducing this enjoyable professional development experience to a broader range of educators. Very exciting! Hopefully you can join us for a Lab or Workshop in the near future.
