How can we improve our schools?
We’ve studied that question for decades at the International Center for Leadership in
Education, and we believe we’ve found the answer.
Great schools embrace a growth mindset philosophy—you may have heard me discuss this
before. But today, most schools operate with a fixed mindset
philosophy. Leaders in these schools base their decisions on what already
exists. They weigh whether or not they can, or are willing to, change anything
that is now in place.
The challenge here is that most people support change—in theory—until
it impacts them personally. Then watch out! No need to change anything, thank
you! What’s going to happen to me?
Nothing much changes in a fixed mindset school.
The World Beyond School
Schools that have
a growth mindset, a concept developed by psychologist Carol Dweck, operate differently. First
and foremost, they focus on getting their students ready for the world after school. They don’t
obsess about the next test, the next grade or even the next level of education.
Instead, they
try to envision what society and the workplace will look like in three to five
years. Then they build their academic programs back from that point. They
examine how technology, information systems and the global economy in general
will change what employers expect graduates to know and do.
Create a Culture to Support Change
These
successful schools take a systematic approach to change. First of all, they
create a culture–at all levels–that supports change. They ask questions: What
is your vision for students? What are your core values? What are your goals?
How will you achieve them? What do you believe about student learning and
achievement?
You’ve heard
this from me again and again: Culture trumps strategy. Until you can articulate a vision,
you’ll get nowhere. Until you create a positive culture for change, any
strategy you employ ultimately will fail. That’s the roadmap successful schools
use. It’s not easy. It takes time. But it will pay off for students in the long
run. And that’s what it’s all about.
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