Dr. Timothy Mitchell
Rapid City Area Schools
10/22/11
All Kids Can Learn Activity
Why do we exist?
This question challenges us to reflect on the
fundamental purpose and the very reason for
our existence
This question requires us to clarify priorities
and gives us direction for our classrooms
On the activity sheet you will find
descriptions of four schools that operate
under very different assumptions. Even
though the educators within these schools
would contend that they believe “all kids can
learn,” they would respond to students who
are not learning in very different ways
Please complete Activity
-The first school views failure to learn as an
indication that the student lacks the ability or
motivation to master content. Based on this
assessment, the school offers a less rigorous
program as a solution
-The second school considers failure an
important part of the learning processstudents who do not put forth the necessary
effort must be taught individual responsibility
and they are allowed to fail
-The third school is prepared to accept
responsibility for helping each student
demonstrate some growth but is unwilling to
establish high standards for all students.
Here, too, the faculty members contend that
they have little influence over the extent of an
individual’s learning
Clearly then, it is only the fourth
school in the activity that offers a
viable, modern-day approach to
students who are not learning
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Significant finding: The most
successful schools function as a
professional learning community:
◦ Teachers pursue a clear shared
purpose
◦ Engage in collaborative work
◦ Take collective responsibility for
student learning
We expect our students to
learn, and we work to fulfill
our collective responsibility
to ensure that this learning
takes place for all students
 Community
Support
 Community Involvement
 Community Trust
Building a
community of life
long learners, one
student at a time.
All Rapid City Area
School students will
achieve to their full
potential.
◦ Guaranteed, viable, relevant curriculum
◦ Life and career skills
◦ Technology literacy (21st century skills)
◦ Staff effectiveness and organizational
capacity-building
◦ Comprehensive system of assessment
◦ Diverse opportunities for students to learn
and be academically successful
To embrace learning rather than teaching as a
school’s mission, to work collaboratively to
help all students learn, to focus on results to
foster continuous improvement and to
assume individual responsibility to take steps
to create such a school.
I provide the leadership to create
a purposeful learning community
that creates high quality learning
experiences for all community
members.
Confront the Brutal Facts
Communication (Effective)
Collaboration
 Function
of two things:
◦Integrity
◦Competence

Integrity
◦ Honesty-telling the truth & leaving the right
impression
◦ Congruence-no gaps between intent and behavior
“walk your talk”
◦ Humility-recognize principles before yourself
◦ Courage-do the right thing-even when hard
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Competence
◦
◦
◦
◦
Your
Your
Your
Your
capabilities
skills
results
track record
◦ They are both vital-one without the other will not
work
Clarify Expectations-to create
shared vision and agreement
about what is to be done up
front
Practice Accountability-Hold yourself
accountable. Hold others accountable. Take
responsibility for results. Be clear on how
you’ll communicate how you’re doing and
how others are doing. Don’t avoid or shirk
responsibility. Don’t blame others or point
fingers when things go wrong.
Educational leaders know that what
matters is whether schools can offer
their neediest students good
teachers trained in effective
strategies to teach strong academic
knowledge and skills.
Harry K. Wong
Major Theme
(Federal Education Acts/Civil Rights Statues)
“Fairness means giving each student
what they educationally need.
Fairness is not treating each student
equally”
John Copenhaver, Director-Mountain Plains
Regional Resource Center
The Individualized Education Program (IEP)
must include accommodations, modifications,
and any special services that the child need to
participate in the general curriculum, as well
as identify support teachers needed to carry
out the child’s program.
At least one classroom teacher must, to the
extent appropriate, participate in the
development, review, and revision of the child’s
IEP, including the determination of:


Appropriate positive behavioral
interventions and strategies for the child.
Supplementary aids and services, program
modifications, and supports for school
personnel that will be provided for the child
The child’s IEP must be accessible to each
classroom teacher, who is responsible for its
implementation. The teacher must be
informed of the specific accommodations,
modifications, and supports that must be
provided for the child in accordance with the
IEP.
Accommodation-alters the delivery of
instruction or method of student performance
in a way that does not change the content or
conceptual difficulty of the curriculum.
Accommodations-Changes in course/test
preparation, location, timing, student
response, or other attribute which are
necessary to provide access for a student
with a disability to participate and
demonstrate “academic achievement and
functional performance” an do not
fundamentally alter or lower standard or
expectations
Modification-alters the delivery of
instruction or method of student performance
in such a way as to change the content or
conceptual difficulty of the curriculum.
Modification-Changes in course/test
preparation, location, timing, student
response, or other attribute which are
necessary to provide access for a student
with a disability to participate and
demonstrate “academic achievement and
functional performance” an do fundamentally
alter and/or lower standard or expectations


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Accommodations respond to a student’s need
Accommodations do not give the student an
unfair advantage
Accommodations enable students to participate
in instruction and show what they know
without being impeded by their disability
“The void created by the
failure to communicate is
soon filled with poison,
drivel, and
misinterpretation.”
C. Northcote Parkinson
“The difference between the best school
districts and the good or the worst is not the
number of problems they have. All school
districts deal with problems. In the best
school districts, key individuals and groups
find a way to engage in healthy dialogue.
They talk through important issues.
Definition
A discussion between two or
more people where (1) stakes
are high (2) opinions vary, (3)
emotions run strong
How are they handled ?
1) We can avoid them
2) We can face them and handle them poorly
3) We can face them and handle them
well
The results can have a huge impact on
the quality of your success in the
classroom!
Dialogue-The free-flow of meaning between
two or more people
The more willing people are willing to share
information, the larger the pool
The sooner we notice we are not in dialogue,
the quicker we can get back to dialogue and
lower the cost
The first thing that degrades during a crucial
conversation is not our behavior (that comes
second), but our motives
We need to focus on what we really want!
When we take responsibility for our own
behaviors, we also take control of our lives
Learn how to step out of the content, create
mutual purpose, resolve conflict, and return
to healthy dialogue
“They are not resistant because they don’t care
about me or my views. They’re resistant
because they think we don’t care about what
they care about.”
Watch for the three clever stories:
Victim-Villain- Helpless
To take control of your emotion take control
of your story. To take control of your story,
separate facts from the stories.
First control your story. Then your story
controls you. If you want to change results,
change your story
“One of the paradoxes of dialogue is
that when we share controversial,
touchy, or otherwise risky views, the
more forceful we are, the less
persuasive we are. With touch
subjects, tentativeness increases
influence”
When we shift our purpose from
winning our way to adding to the
shared pool-When we give up
trying to convince, we become
more convincing-Taking time to
fill the pool leads to faster and
more effective results
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Crucial Conversations
Crucial Confrontations
The Influencer
You Can Change Anything
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