Posted by:
Dennis Sparks
K-12 Classroom teacher
Ann Arbor, MI

Topic:
Individual Learning for Org'l Change

Message:

Capacity comes in two forms: (1) the knowledge, skills, and attitudes possessed by individuals within the organization, and (2) the cultural and structural arrangements that shape the organization's performance. The first form of capacity results from powerful forms of staff development that engage school employees in sustained, intellectually rigorous forms of learning that are essential to the organization's mission. That learning may occur through various means--mentoring and coaching, study groups, workshops and courses, action research, lesson study, school and classroom visitations, curriculum development, and the critiquing of student work, to name a few such processes.

The second form of capacity resides in the school or school system's culture and structures. An important cultural element are norms of continuous improvement, experimentation, and collaboration. Other important cultural elements include stories that are told about the organization's history, the heroes and accomplishments that are celebrated, and the symbols that are used to represent the organization's purposes. Critical structural elements include strategic plans, budgetary support for professional learning, school schedules and calendars that provide time for adult learning, and union contracts that promote school renewal.

Capacity building requires that school leaders view themselves as both promoters of individual learning and designers of organizational cultures and structures that support high performance. Both forms of capacity are essential in schools that ensure high levels of learning for all students and staff members.

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