Leading Schools

Research shows that managers see far more leadership potential in their employees when their companies adopt a growth mindset — the belief that talent should be developed in everyone, not viewed as a fixed, innate gift that some have and others don’t. But what are those organizations doing to nurture their talent?

To explore this question, let’s look at Microsoft, which is deliberately creating a growth-mindset culture and, in that context, rethinking its approach to development. As a result, previously unidentified — yet skilled — leaders are rising to levels they might not have in a traditional development model.

Before the start of every school year, I was always gripped by the tension between two things that felt equally urgent in the first days: On one hand there was the long term imperative of establishing strong procedures and routines for the things my class would do over and over during the year, and on the other there was the urgency of digging into rich academic content- there was just no time to wait in getting started learning.

Sometimes these imperatives seemed to conflict – how could I find the time to reinforce both strong procedures and deep academics in the first days of school? By focusing on one, wouldn’t I be sacrificing the other?

Research is clear that emotions have a direct impact on learning and how we process and interpret our surrounding environment. "Students learn and perform more successfully when they feel secure, happy, and excited about the subject matter" (Boekaerts, 1993; Oatly & Nundy,1996). Emotions are the fast lane to the brain!

Regardless of one's title, every interaction with a student, no matter how brief, sends a message about the organization's philosophy on the role of positive connections and importance of a safe, welcoming learning environment. Addressing students' social and emotional needs is a foundational step toward delivering on academics. As I say, "You can't get to Bloom's Taxonomy without going through Maslow's Hierarchy." As much as some may want to focus primarily on rigor, without the relationship and relevance, the motivational on-switch won't flip.

If a student doesn't feel supported, accepted, and emotionally and physically safe, engagement and motivation won't exist because their basic needs aren't being met. The brain will remain in the hyperactive state of protection and vigilance until steps are taken to allow for a feeling of safety to enter. School communities that spend time and intentional effort putting emotional deposits in the bank accounts of students see tremendous benefits both academically and socially.

An average of 16 percent of public school teachers change schools or leave teaching every year. This is over half a million teachers nationwide.

Welcome to the world of teacher turnover – a problem that can potentially set a child’s learning experience back significantly. Teacher turnover is one of the more disruptive things that I’ve discovered in my research on education policy and school improvement.

if you focus on goal-setting without considering the larger vision, you are likely to end up with goals that don’t matter.

When a teacher makes a student feel seen—and understood—it can lead to incredible learning, says educational consultant Nat Damon. And that doesn’t call for grand gestures: Taking few seconds to tell a student she was great in the soccer game can be profound. “These micro moments matter,” Damon says. “When students sense their teachers know them as people, amazing things can happen.”

That is the core of relational teaching, an educational approach that emphasizes the importance of connectivity and relationships. It’s also what Damon believes is the key to helping students really learn. When a student feels valued and part of a safe community, they will be open to expanding their mind, to exploring and engaging. “Only through this connection can you really challenge,” Damon says. “Learning is hard. And long-term retention doesn’t happen in a passive manner.”

Damon says that he “proselytizes the message” of how important connection in the classroom is in his new book, Time to Teach, Time to Reach. Published by the Relational Schools Foundation, the book explores the how behind teaching. Damon interviewed more than one hundred K through 12 teachers and educational experts from the United States, Finland, and England about their processes. How do they make students feel seen? How do they create a safe space for authenticity? How do they incorporate relational teaching? Each educator makes a compelling case that teaching is equally cognitive and emotional. Connection isn’t just obvious for successful teaching (and learning)—it’s essential. “We’re all wondering how we can grow our kids to give them confidence but also to be human with each other,” Damon says. “The best thing we can do is invest in them.”

Research has shown chronic absenteeism is linked to negative outcomes for students, including lower test scores, higher dropout rates, and even a greater risk of entering the criminal justice system.

Absenteeism has such a large impact on learning, districts are under pressure from new national legislation to include chronic absenteeism data in how they evaluate schools.

A widely cited 2007 study claimed that teachers greeting students at the classroom door led to a 27 percent increase in academic engagement. The problem? It included just three students.

Now a new, much larger and more credible study—comprising 203 students in 10 classrooms—validates that claim: Greeting students at the door sets a positive tone and can increase engagement and reduce disruptive behavior. Spending a few moments welcoming students promotes a sense of belonging, giving them social and emotional support that helps them feel invested in their learning.

The first few minutes of class are often the most chaotic, as students transition from busy areas such as the hallway or playground. Left unchecked, disruptions can become difficult to manage, but a proactive approach to classroom management can help students get focused and ready to learn. Rather than address disruptive behavior as it happens, proactive techniques—like greeting students at the door and modeling good behavior—reduce the occurrence of such behavior as teachers and students build a positive classroom culture together.