Sorry that I have not blogged lately, I'm excited to share that I've been working with several central office teams and schools fostering a culture of collaboration for supporting student success.  Below is a summary of the collaborative work being done throughout MNPS.

• Pre-K Department--Collaborating with the Pre-K department to develop a program effectiveness plan, which will guide the decision making and implementation of early learning throughout MNPS.  To learn more about that work, go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/mnps-early-learning-jan-2018.html
• Lakeview Elementary--Dr. Claire Jasper is using the collaborative inquiry process with her leadership team and eventually individual teachers when using data to make informed decisions for supporting student success.  To learn more about that work, go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/lakeview-elementary-jan-2018.html
• Wright Middle--This time of year signals the start of planning for next year.  Dr. Sharada Deaton used the collaborative inquiry process to engaged staff in a data dive that informed recommended school improvement plan goals for 2018-2019.  To learn more about that work, go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/wright-ms-sip-process-jan-2018.html
• Cane Ridge High--Rhonda Bledsoe, Dean of Students, is using the collaborative inquiry process for having student data chats.  During the data chats, students complete a #goalgetter sheet that she uses to follow up with them every couple of weeks.  To check out that work, go to:  www.mnpscollaboration.org/cane-ridge-hs-student-data-chats-jan-2018.html
• Antioch Middle--Dr. Celia Conley invited me on two different occasions. 
  • The first meeting was a full staff faculty meeting where the collaborative inquiry process was used to analyze the Panorama culture survey and develop recommendations for spring 2018. 
  • The second occasion was all day team meetings where the collaborative inquiry process was used to analyze achievement, attendance, and behavior data.  Each team developed action plans for the remainder of the year. 
  • In March, Antioch Middle administration will be having teacher data chats.  To learn more about the work at Antioch MS, go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/antioch-middle-spring-2018.html
• Whites Creek High--Dr. James Bailey, invited me to a faculty meeting where the collaborative inquiry process was used to have staff analyzing attendance, achievement, and behavior data to make recommendations for the supporting student success for the remainder of the school year.  To check out that work, go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/whites-creek-hs-feb-2018.html

If you would like assistance or more information about collaborative inquiry or have a story to share, please reach out to Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

This week, I received a link to an article by Learning Forward with the title, "Collaboration is the answer" (Hirsch & Crow, 2018).  Since my work is around fostering a culture of collaboration, I had to stop and read it (https://learningforward.org/publications/blog/learning-forward-blog/2018/01/30/collaboration-is-the-answer).

The thing I like best about this article is it recognizes the complex issues being faced by today's educators; hence, the reason for collaboration.  If one person knew the answer to the problem, then it would already be solved.  “No generation of educators in the history of the United States has ever been asked to do so much for so many” (DuFour & Marzano, 2011, p. 5).  The answer to beginning to support all student success is through collaboration.

The MNPS collaborative inquiry process provides a meeting structure and equips facilitators with group dynamic strategies for ensuring that meetings are productive, efficient, and honors the professional expertise in the room.  As Albert Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."  Collaborative inquiry allows the best thinking to rise to the top for addressing issues that are hindering our success.

To see MNPS schools and organizations using collaborative inquiry, please check out the Workshop Warehouse.

If you would like to share a story about collaborative inquiry or interested in assistance, please contact Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

References:
DuFour, R. & Marzano, B. (2011).  Leaders of learning: how district, school, and classroom leaders improve student achievement.  Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Hirsch, S. & Crow, T. (2018).  Collaboration is the answer. Learning Forward website.  Retrieved from https://learningforward.org/publications/blog/learning-forward-blog/2018/01/30/collaboration-is-the-answer

Research indicates the impact that culture has upon organizations.  Of course, defining and measuring culture can be difficult.  This year, MNPS is using  Panorama Education's Feedback survey to collect data from teachers and students about our culture.


Kisha Cox, Executive Principal of Margaret Allen Middle, used the student and teacher survey results to have her staff provide recommendations for improving culture during Spring 2018.  Using the collaborative inquiry process, teachers made observations of the data.  The recommendations were generated in groups using the traffic light protocol (Lipton & Wellman, 2012).

If you would like to read more about their work, please go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/margaret-allen-middle-jan-2018-culture-and-climate.html

If you and/or your staff would like more information about the collaborative inquiry process and how it supports student success, please contact Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

I hope you enjoyed the snow days.  I know that I did.  Now, it is time to get back to the important work of supporting student success.

Prior to the snow break, I had the privilege of working with to MNPS teams--Learning Technology and the SE Quadrant Leadership.  During the two meetings, the collaborative inquiry process was used to facilitate discussion to dialogue to decision making.

To learn more about the work being done by both of these outstanding teams, click on the below links.

• Learning Technology: www.mnpscollaboration.org/mnps-learning-tech-jan-2018.html
• SE Quadrant Leadership: www.mnpscollaboration.org/mnps-se-quadrant-leadership-meeting-jan-2018.html

If you have a collaborative story to share or would like to request assistance, please contact Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." ~Peter Drucker

This quote summarizes the importance of culture in an organization.  On December 12, 2017, Dr. Shelly Dunaway, Executive Principal at Two Rivers Middle, and her staff used the collaborative inquiry process to analyze culture and climate data for informing culture and climate change at Two Rivers Middle.

The meeting began with a strategy called visual synectic.  In this strategy, two seemingly unalike ideas are compared.  It is  an excellent brainstorming activity and helps develop psychological safety at the beginning of the meeting.  For this meeting, staff members engaged in a conversation about "culture is like Walt Disney World because...."

After activating and engaging staff members in the conversation about culture, the staff participated in the culture and climate data dive.  During the data dive, staff members were asked to make observations of the following culture and climate data sets:

• SEL Walkthrough Data and Rubric
• Teacher Panorama Data
• Student Panorama Data

The observations were organized and integrated using the Traffic Light protocol (Lipton & Wellman, 2012) to discuss what might be some next steps to stop, continue, and start for Spring 2018.

If you'd like to learn more about their work, go here: www.mnpscollaboration.org/two-rivers-dec-2017-culture-and-climate.html

GOOD NEWS!!
A BIG SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to everyone who has been part of the MNPS Collaborative Inquiry work as you are part of work that's being recognized nationally by others.

• Chapter 9 in the book, Data Leadership for K-12 Schools in a Time of Accountability features MNPS' Collaborative Inquiry work.  You can email me for a copy of the chapter OR access it on the MNPS Collaborative Inquiry Toolkit website on this page (scroll down a little to access it): www.mnpscollaboration.org/about.html
• Dr. Joellen Killion updated her book, Assessing Impact: Evaluating Professional Learning.  In the appendixes, you will find MNPS' Collaborative Inquiry logic models, Teacher Data Use Survey, Evaluation Plan interview protocols, and MNPS Collaborative Inquiry Innovation Configuration Map.  You can find her book here: www.amazon.com/Assessing-Impact-Evaluating-Professional-Learning-ebook/dp/B077L5VDX6

References:
Lipton, L., & Wellman, B. (2011).  Groups at work: Strategies and structures for professional learning.  Sherman, VT: MiraVia, LLC.

On November 16th, Katherine Thrash, Cole Elementary's numeracy coach, and Denise Brown, Cole's data coach, co-facilitated a collaborative inquiry session.  Taking the teacher recommendations for the math BHAG from the Oct. 26th grade level meetings, the leadership team established a math BHAG for Cole Elementary.  The outcome for this meeting was to share the math BHAG and have grade level teams develop action plans for achieving the math BHAG.

To learn more about their work and action plans, check out www.mnpscollaboration.org/cole-elem-bhag-fall-2017.html

OTHER GOOD NEWS
On December 4, 2017, Dr. Shelly Dunaway and Dr. Margie Johnson shared about MNPS' Collaborative Inquiry practices in a 3 hour workshop at the 2017 Learning Forward conference.  The session was entitled, Fostering a Culture of Collaborative Professionalism.  Approximately 20 educators from across the US attended the session where the collaborative inquiry process was modeled and best practices in facilitating collaborative teams were shared.

To access the workshop materials, go here: http://www.mnpscollaboration.org/2017-learning-forward-workshop.html

If you have a collaborative story to share or would like to request assistance, please contact Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

On November 16, 2017, Margie Johnson and Brad Redmond shared MNPS' Data-Informed Decision Making Ecosystem and how it was used to improve how MNPS uses attendance data for making informed decisions.  To teach participants about the heart of the ecosystem, which is a culture of collaborative inquiry, participants engaged in the collaborative inquiry process by looking at attendance data and making recommendations for improving it.  Using this process, data conversations were fostered and several departments approached us about having continued conversations for supporting student success. 

If you'd like to learn more about the collaborative inquiry process used during this meeting, check out the video recording at: https://youtu.be/j-MtCuusP3Q.

You are also welcome to access the resources, such as the PowerPoint, used during the meeting at: www.mnpscollaboration.org/metro-data-coord-meeting-nov-16-2017.html

If you have a collaborative story to share or would like to request assistance, please contact Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

References:
Johnson, M. (in press). Empowering educators to make data-informed decisions: A district’s journey of effective data use.  In E. Mense and M. Crain-Dorough (Eds.), Data leadership for K-12 schools in a time of accountability.  Hershey, PA: IGI Global. 

Johnson, M. (2016).  Experience from the field. In J. Rankin, How to make data work: A guide for educational leaders (pp. 171). New York City, NY: Routledge.

I have been fortunate to be on a learning journey with the MNPS Exceptional Education Department.  This fall, we have been using the collaborative inquiry process to use multiple sources of data to inform their work for supporting student success throughout MNPS.  This learning journey is an  example of leveraging professional expertise to support student success. 

During the first session on September 20th, coaches worked in an assigned expert group and used a fishbone analysis to identify root issues.  After a gallery walk for feedback from the entire group, each group identified one root issue to focus on this semester.

In the second meeting on October 18th, expert groups participated in a data dive to inform their work.  Multiple sources of data was used to inform the creation of action plans for their respective root issue.

On November 15th, the groups convened to share their action plans.  A critical friends protocol was used for feedback.  Teams then had time to finish the creation of their plans, which will be presented to the MNPS Exceptional Education leadership team, and implemented next year.

To read about their learning journey, go to: www.mnpscollaboration.org/exceptional-education-coaches.html

If you have a collaborative story to share or would like to request assistance, please contact Margie Johnson at margie.johnson@mnps.org.

Thanks to the following middle schools and organizations that participated in the collaborative inquiry data dive.

The session began with an Activating and Engaging activity called Looking Back...Looking Ahead (Lipton & Wellman, 2011) where participants shared how family involvement in schools has changed from the past to now and then their vision for future family involvement.

We Organized and Integrated the observations using the Traffic Light protocol (Lipton & Wellman, 2011) to discuss actions to stop, continue, and start.

References:
Learning Hero. (2017, August).  Parents 2017: Unleashing their power & potential.  New York, NY: Learning Heroes.

Lipton, L. & Wellman, B. (2011).  Groups at work: Strategies and structures for professional learning.  Charlotte, VT: MiraVia, LLC.