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.