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Planning for Change

The philosopher Heraclitus is credited with saying, "The only constant in life is change." Education is no outlier in this respect.  Change in education takes on many forms, and often, we find ourselves in circumstances where change is required to meet our goals and objectives.  Like other multi-faceted, complicated tasks, such as building a house or teaching a student to calculate the rate of change of a linear function, success depends upon the effort put into planning.  Many districts utilize their district or campus plans as the vehicle for change. 
 
There are three necessary steps in planning for change.
  1. Involve Varying Stakeholders to Gather Differing Perspectives
  2. Take an Honest Look Across Many Areas to Find Where Change is Most Needed
  3. Establish and Routinely Evaluate a Plan to Gauge Progress and Course Correct, if needed
The following section will delve further into each of these steps.

Step 1: Involve Varying Stakeholders to Gather Differing Perspectives

Region 7 ESC, Angela Clark, Michelle Mangrum, change, DIP, CIP, planning, needs assessment, stakeholders, evaluation
 
If your district receives Title I, Part A funding, there is a requirement to ensure that stakeholders with varying backgrounds are included in planning for district or campus change.  Even if this does not apply to your district, one must recognize the importance of harnessing differing perspectives to examine the need for change. 
 
Consider including not only staff from the district, such as administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals, but also other support staff, such as counselors, diagnosticians, and librarians.  Invite parents and guardians to participate in your planning meetings as well.  Be sure to include parents of students from different subpopulations to ensure that your assessments represent all students.  Reach out to other community members, businesses, and community organizations for a broader view.  By including these individuals, the next two steps will be more comprehensive and effective in determining where change is needed and how best to bring it about.

Step 2: Take an Honest Look Across Many Areas to Find Where Change is Most Needed

Region 7 ESC Blog, Angela Clark, Michelle Mangrum, change, DIP, CIP, planning, needs assessment, stakeholders, evaluation
 
Once you have diverse stakeholders at the table, the focus shifts to determining where your district or campus currently stands.  Just as GPS must first find your current location to set a route for you to take to your destination, so must each committee determine where the organization is to plan the best way to reach your goal.
 
Due to the nature of our business, districts and campuses place a prioritized focus on student assessment results.  While these are extremely important, looking at other performance areas is equally important.  Eight common focus areas are recommended for data analysis, as noted below.  TEA has also published a helpful graphic identifying potential data to review for these focus areas.
  1. Demographics
  2. Student Achievement
  3. School Culture and Climate
  4. Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention
  5. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
  6. Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
  7. School Context and Organization
  8. Technology
Be sure to approach this process with an open mind, as honest conversations are necessary to ascertain district or campus strengths and weaknesses. 
 
There is a wealth of data to be reviewed for each of these areas that will provide a more enhanced understanding of where the district or campus is currently performing and will better inform planning decisions.

Step 3: Establish and Routinely Evaluate a Plan to Gauge Progress and Course Correct, if needed

Region 7 ESC Blog, Angela Clark, Michelle Mangrum, change, DIP, CIP, planning, needs assessment, stakeholders, evaluation

Once the prioritized problems are identified for action by the district or campus, efforts should be made to find out the root cause(s) of the problem.  Be careful to dig deep enough to get to the true underlying reason(s) for the issue's existence.  This will enable the district or campus to create activities and strategies to address the root cause(s) and, ultimately, address the problem.
 
These activities and strategies are typically housed in the District (DIP) or Campus Improvement Plan (CIP).  It is advisable to incorporate all plans the district or campus implements into the DIP or CIP.  Board goals, school improvement, and RDA corrective plans are all in place to move the organization forward and should be incorporated into the DIP or CIP.
 
Since the DIP or CIP must be formatively evaluated at least twice a year in addition to a summative evaluation, it assures that stakeholders will monitor the plan continuously.  This will allow the opportunity for regular review and revisions as needed and the ability to gauge progress toward the ultimate goal.
 
Change is never easy, but by ensuring diverse stakeholders work together to identify prioritized needs and craft a comprehensive plan, your district or campus will be on the path to success!
Region 7 ESC State and Federal Programs, change, DIP, CIP, planning, needs assessment, stakeholders, evaluation
 
 
Region 7 ESC Angela Clark Angela Clark is an 18-year veteran of education.  She is currently an ESSA Specialist at Region 7 ESC, assisting school districts with their ESSA, ESSER, and State Compensatory Education programs.  Before working at Region 7, she was a district administrator and a classroom teacher.  She graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Economics and earned her M.B.A. at the University of Texas at Tyler.  She also earned her Principal's certification from UT-Tyler as well.
 
 
Region 7 ESC Michelle Mangrum Michele Mangrum is a twenty-seven-year veteran of education.  During that time, she has been a classroom teacher, interventionist, campus administrator, and district administrator.  She has worked as an ESSA Specialist for Region 7 ESC for the past three years.  She graduated from UT-Tyler with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and earned a Master's of Education from East Texas Baptist University in Curriculum and Instruction.  Then she earned her Master's in Educational Leadership and Principal's certification from Texas A&M University at Texarkana. 
 
References:
Texas Education Agency.  (2021, September).  Collaborative Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CCNA) Toolkit.  https://www.esc20.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2004194&type=d&pREC_ID=2246071
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