New York Voices; 503; A Year of Change, Part 5

In the spring of 2003 three aspiring principals began their academic journey through the New York City leadership academy a school created under the direction of schools Chancellor Joe Klein to train a new generation of principals for the New York public school system. The one and only way to succeed is by having the right leaders in the right place at the right time. Mayor Bloomberg has staked his job on transforming the largest public school system in the country and he's betting that leadership in the principal's office is the key to this transformation. Our three principals Mary Wilson Alexandra Norma Lisa and her Phi LSP now by Checco have challenges that are unique to their schools and challenges they're common among elementary schools and high schools across the United States. The leadership academy prepare them for their new jobs but they have been effective principals without their training is leadership innate or can it be taught. These are the questions we continue to explore as we watch each principal try to

build one good school funding for our year of change leadership in the principal's office provided by the Wallace Foundation supporting ideas sharing solutions expanding opportunities additional funding for New York Voices provided by the members of 13 Michael t MARTIN And Elise JAFFE And Jeffrey Brown. It is the fall of the first school year for three new principals in the New York public school system. Alexandra Larry and Rafaela have left the academic protection of the leadership academy and are now immersed in their schools. Over the past two months they've moved from the honeymoon to the hot seat. And each of their leadership styles is starting to emerge. Larry had a head start when his predecessor was asked to leave in the spring of 2004. Larry stepped into his new role early. He took over as principal of bread and roses integrated Arts High School in Harlem.

Thanks. When the new Fall term started Larry began by instituting high visibility changes that were the new uniform policy a stricter enforcement of student attendance. And he and his team brought in a number of new faces into the school by hiring 7000 new teachers and administrators. Good morning. How you doing. Rafaela inherited P.S. 147 pre-K through five school in Bushwick Brooklyn a school that had not experienced change for over 20 years while under the leadership of one principal. But when that principal left her placement was not welcomed by many of the teachers who had spent most of their careers in the school. And she was charged with implementing the new curriculum mandated by the Department of Education. The

combination of changes was too much for the staff and the new principal to overcome together. So Rafaela fresh out of the leadership academy took over as principal this year. Unlike her classmates who inherited schools with an existing staff and student body Alexander had the opportunity to create her own international high school. She handpicked her staff. I mean a lot of us I can see in the new school was open in the fall within the old Prospect Heights High School. A campus that is shared with four other small New York public schools. Alexandra's challenge is to create a curriculum that will prepare students who are recent immigrants to the United States all speak English as a second language and their academic skills vary widely. Alexander's leadership style is a collaborative and consensus building approach. She met with her staff early in the year to brainstorm creating the school's curriculum. My

leadership is about asking yourself questions asking questions of yours that I've been trying to follow the right path and then asking others hopefully to follow that path with you to me. And that's my name. Smart and successful. Very nurturing. So the kids to the teacher you have a problem. Go to her ask her you speak with her she listens to you and she considers what you have to say. It's not just like OK thank you. She's wonderful compared to other things. And I say this in a very kind of playful and joking way almost But there's a degree of seriousness here. She's very subversive in a lot of ways but in this and subversive in a way that's thoughtful and that these things don't make sense. And there's a lot about schools that doesn't make sense. If there's not a real rational answer for why we've always done things that

way then let's not do it that way anymore. It's almost what you have to do in order to be to be successful. Where does the milk come from. What's the last word. Grasp good energy. Alexander has a staff that believes in her. And in the school the greatest challenges are really about the process of educating the students. The biggest challenge is definitely the range of abilities that our students have as well as differences and the levels of language that they speak. And I'm referring to English in particular. What is this. It's like the plates right. Yes in French class. It's almost the same right so how do we write it. Oh there is such a wide range of academics in the same world. Yeah kids who can't count. And you have kids who can soft quadratic equations without a

doubt how I spend most of my time is trying to make sure that there's an entry point for each of the students so that they don't feel like they're wasting their time there and after something that's valuable for that are the teachers successful in trying to challenge all of their kids. It may be too early to tell but we know that some of the kids who say they are not being challenged are making their feelings known. He told me it's been a little windy to go to school next year. I think other not really sure what you think about the news. Next year we're going to do it with other classes that will send them to teachers and other teachers hand out six

other to six new teachers by the teachers. Yeah that's awesome. Talk to me later. Finally what did you get on the whole I'm bored now. What kind of English life is it that was ever subject that's kind of is it outside. I think that a lot of our students kind of know things on the surface and then they feel like Oh well I know how to do this it's easy but it's not as easy as they think it is. When you really want to do it well and you want to know it deeply so with Tencent I don't really know what his particular concerns. So I'm very curious to find out what that means to him.

Well there may be disparities in the abilities of the students. They do share the common bond of being new to this country. The International School took a trip to Ellis Island in October and used an interdisciplinary approach to explore immigration into the United States. What parts of the world is the most. From 1900 to the US by the mayor. Yes well the public schools have to follow the guidelines of the Department of Education. Alexandra for the moment almost has the flexibility of a principal in an independent school. And that's because your school has joined an experimental program called the autonomy zone. This principle is freedom to run schools without regional oversight in exchange principals have greater accountability. We were asked to agree to meet a set of benchmarks that include attendance and graduation acceptance to college. The idea is that we're giving the autonomy to decide how we're going to budget our school.

And Danny said he would be teaching here. We're here how we're going to schedule what curriculum we're going to use how we do professional development for our teachers and for ourselves. The Department of Education is trying to find out what does that help us become more productive. If this experiment of sorts works out more schools the Department of Education will move toward the time that they can run to the street. Two months have passed since we first visited Rafaela at P.S. 147 in September. The teachers were just setting up their classrooms. Now it's November and the children's work is being displayed throughout the school. Raphael has initiated a make over in parts of the school that according to the building manager was no small feat.

The colors were this action that was cool colors and by a school called Gardening that those qualities belong to the school and not to change them is actually considered taboo in the past were required in the temple sand and now wood so far with them 30 percent of the building by the time we don't we should be out 100 percent which is great you don't have to have all the books. Oh she's a very tough customer too because she's very demanding. She knows what she wants. She requires it in a minute more than the average. She knows she has a vision that I have not seen and in anyone for a long time. I think I'm a little more settled in terms of getting to know the school and getting to know the children getting to know the teachers and the students about the topic of Iraq that they already have a writing folder. The job demands a lot of energy. It demands a lot of communication and finding those people that can help you.

You can't do it by yourself. Rafaela leans on her cabinet that includes her math and literacy coaches and she found a real ally in her assistant principal Vicki Broadhurst has been in the school for four years. I see my role as I'm her assistant where like she always says I'm her husband. You know we have the same philosophy. I don't want to be a principal with anything but I have an interest of this time. I feel that my greatest contribution is to help Raffi know as much as I can meet her vision for the school. I'm in awe of her I should say are amazed because she really knows like the ballasts literacy. And so I learn something every day. So I have that in turn when I'm speaking with the teachers can make sense for them of something that is still new to us.

In September P.S. 147 had been listed as a school in need of improvement by the Board of Education. But when they received their math course this fall they were told that the school had made adequate yearly progress. But the school is still falling far short of the standards of the Department of Education. And Rafael is vision for where she wants to take the school. We're not spying on the one you are sent or the ADF or the 70th. In fact P.S. 147 has a long way to go to reach even those percentiles fourth graders tested only in the 36 percent title in English language arts. Yes it doesn't mean that the teaching is not happening. It just means we haven't found the right way to meet the needs of certain children. It is not only that there is a brand new curriculum Rafaela has to inspire her teachers to adapt to her higher expectations for student achievement. Right now try to take all your ideas with them. We don't break out the approaches through a lot of nonfiction reading to the children rather than having them have their own

textbooks. I think the workshop model could work you know I mean you know but when you have for instance 30 to kids 30 kids sitting on a rock I mean it's just ridiculous you know they're not paying attention because you know this person touch me this person doing this. There are some teachers who really love this new style. They love her new approach. And there are teachers here who are very frustrated and angry about the approach persay I'm I have to say I feel out in the middle. I don't like to be a judge mental person. I summed it somedays I come home I'm extremely frustrated. There are some days I come home I'm excited about the changes approaching teachers with feedback is an art in itself. In the beginning of the school year Rafael was leaving Post-it notes with feedback after observing a teacher's class. I switch from Post six to four because I needed a record I found that I would leave teachers notes and it was like oh I didn't see that. So now I have this memo which is to look at.

I haven't. I feel like I don't get it. So unless I see something was implemented then I suggest Well we actually don't like the notes because of the fact that we prefer personal comment. The writing really is just in passing and you just tell me change this. This looks good. It's not enough. You know where people were not people were not books. And we expect the conversation. Being in Mr. small shoes being prince was not an easy job. But I would try to not be friends with my staff but also not make enemies along the way that she is but I would really think a little more before I do things and really analyze you know is this going to you know upset my staff because we really have to be a team if you want you know the school to succeed. I like the way you use the capital. Anderson really put emphasis on the plantation. She's definitely creating an environment that is very nurturing

for the children. And some of the issues and processes that MS has been all is putting upon the teachers frustrate us because we don't feel like we're taking on that role as teachers too much anymore. We feel more like a computer more like a program. And I don't know if it's just coming from Miss Aspinall belief. It's always a trickle down theory. But we feel frustrated on that approach and I hope to see change on that because we're people too just like principal and teachers and children and we need to come together to try to find a system that works not for just one group of people but for all of us. If she has gotten the parents more involved in the school it's it might seem like a small change since there was almost no parent involvement before. I see it as probably the most dramatic change her biggest. Hindrance is that she didn't have managerial experience before she came to the

school and if she has a weakness I think it's in expressing herself to a large group of people like the faculty at the school. I think giving it her all Actually she is trying to make a change and she's only been here a few months so it's has to be gradual. The kids have to get accustomed to it just as just as a staff. And so work in progress is nothing else really. On this day the dean of the Leadership Academy Sandra Stein came to visit. You've been going around giving feedback but I try to write well. Now that you have systems in place so that you have a chunk of time in the day they are devoted to probably be able to do more right. So now the question is how are you delivering these messages and what do they understand your purpose to be. Well I can only go by different things that I might hear. So and one term that I heard was policing

and that hurt in those certain way. Like it hits you because it's like it's so not about me policing. It's about like good instruction and make it better for the children and if good things are happening then you don't have to defend yourself or you don't have to be intimidated by me coming into your classroom because if you're a good teacher you're a good teacher and I want to know what you feel passionate about and what are you an expert so that I can building expertise. But I also want to know what you want to work on and grow so that I can provide you with the professional development to you know make you better and what you feel is struggling with the first year of anything is very difficult. Newness of the challenge and questioning yourself as you make decisions. Most things you're doing for the first time in schools where you really want to make lasting change you have to temper the urgency to kind

of chase after everything else that comes up with a very clear sense of where you're trying to go and what you need to lay down what foundation you need to put before you can move in and really have a sense of how the movement will happen. Back at the economy sessions like this one allows first year principles to compare notes and get support. One day I had three faculty members assaulted by students and I had students all over the hallways it's an impact school. You know the staff was like horrified. But I left the building laughing and smiling. And everybody saw that. And there was a message that was there. We were in control and the students were led away and some in handcuffs. But the thing was we need to be positive and we need to understand that everything everybody's looking at you and they're feeding off your energy. And when they saw me smiling and laughing on top of it

everybody was more. When you say everything you two can get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the challenge that you're facing. Do you have a place where you can go be a human being who feels like a human a compassionate human being would and then get back out there with the game face on. The greatest challenge has been to build trust. I'm the six principal in this school in two years. Everybody wants to know what I'm going to last and I'm going to be here in two months from now. They don't know that. So it's a lot of trust a lot of confidence and that is a challenge. I'm having a retreat this weekend with my staff up in the mountains to build up trust so that we can build a common vision that we know that they should know that I'm not about to leave them. It's not quite what we expected but it's not to the point where you're ready to give up. I think it's just extremely challenging.

In the beginning I really was upset. I locked myself in the bathroom at actually home and I cried because it was very hard for me. You have a system of highs and lows and then that you that's why you we direct your focus and reassess yourself. But it's much easier than it was in September. Many of the low moments in New York City public schools involve violence red roses is a comparatively low incidence of violence. And part of lairy strategy to keep the school safe is to be a constant presence when students enter and leave the building. Now that's tough talk right. Talk about that group down there. You know what's going on down there. I don't know but I don't like the look of that group came to pick up a couple of our girls and they're not from our school. That is something they're waiting to patiently. That's something right there. Yeah that's something that everyone is a little proud Bob Noyce

what you saw today was had to do with a little name calling that blossomed into a full fledged family feud. And this is a longstanding conflict and so it came back again this year there was a conflict mediation session conducted by my dean with those young ladies earlier today. But sometimes they forget to tell the other parties that they were alerted that everything is called off. Did you bring video of them girls come over here for the express purpose of fighting I thought ya'll did a mediation today. I thought this was all over with. So then why have you not take a bow. You know I don't much like I don't think you know that's part of it. Now I'm not but most people know why because I'm going because they're with you. Yeah I know I'm not the thrill and that may have been what happened today. So the conflict is now fresh again.

And we'll deal with it again tomorrow. Until eventually someone is suspended and then they'll get the message and go away until next year until they graduate. This emotional roller coaster according to Sandra Stein is common in a school that is trying to improve. So the principals were asked to map their own highs and their own lows. You know the grass always seems greener on the other side until you hear somebody who's really dealing with another kinds of issues. I learned that I wasn't the only one not sleeping. I learned that I wasn't the only one dealing with resistance. We really were placed in the kinds of situations that we were promised we would be placed at. For Larry some of his highs and his lows have included working with his assistant principal Larry listed a fight with his AP more than once in his lows but he would not discuss the nature of the problem with us his AP would not appear on camera to discuss the situation either. Do tensions like this arise from the way leadership academy

graduates are placed in their schools. There is a perception among our naysayers that we can't handle the job that perhaps we were handed something that we weren't ready for or deserving of is probably really what people feel and we take our hits because of that. Clearly any time you go into a situation where somebody has really been busting their humps to make it work. And then here comes the golden child which is probably a little bit of how we are perceived you know from the Leadership Academy. Maybe I wanted this job. Its certainly one of the I would say Unintended Consequences by the dynamics of how we came into our positions. In any industry a real turnaround situation is the most challenging work there is and you would want to send somebody with years and years of experience into that situation. However the labor economics of the

situation there are not many veteran principals who are signing up to go into turnaround situations. So we need to prepare the first year principals as best we can to go in and make a difference. We'll continue to watch these three principles as they try to make that difference in their schools. That's good work with you in our next episode. We'll find out what Larry staff and students think of his leadership and specifically how he's trying to increase student achievement. Mr. Wilson is a great principal. He's a friend. He's father figure. Still not in uniform. You know you're also not in uniform. I understand that you're correct. I understand. Yeah. Actually he takes when he listens to the students and he hears what we have to say and what we say. He looked into it.

Funding for a year of change leadership in the principal's office provided by the Wallace Foundation supporting ideas sharing solutions expanding opportunities additional funding for New York Voices provided by the members of 13 Michael t MARTIN And Elise JAFFE And Jeffrey Brown.