The Answer Is in the Room

Award-winning author and educational leader, Alan Blankstein served for 25 years as President of the HOPE Foundation, which he founded and whose honorary chair is Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A former “high-risk” youth, Alan began his career in education as a music teacher. He worked for Phi Delta Kappa, March of Dimes, and Solution Tree, which he founded in 1987 and directed for 12 years while launching Professional Learning Communities beginning in the late 1980s. He is the author of the best-selling book Failure Is Not an Option®: Six Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools, which received the Book of the Year award from Learning Forward. Alan is Senior Editor, lead contributor, and/or author of 18 books, including Excellence Through Equity with Pedro Noguera,.  He also authored some 20 articles in leading education print including Education Week, Educational Leadership, The Principal, and Executive Educator. Alan has provided keynote presentations and workshops for virtually every major U.S. Ed Org, and throughout the UK, Africa, and the Middle East.  Alan has served on the Harvard International Principals Centers advisory board, and the Jewish Child Care Agency, where he once was a youth in residence.

"A common-sense approach to addressing the obstacles and barriers that often stymie school success. By drawing on examples from schools that have a track record of beating the odds, Blankstein and his collaborators have created a resource that will be invaluable for educators who are searching for answers to the challenges they face. Insightful, enlightening and accessible."

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorDedicationFigures and Tools to Help Answer the Questions in the Room1. Why We Can′t Wait to Scale Student Success!The Power of Positive Deviance Saves Millions of Children in VietnamApplying Positive Deviance to EducationGood News for Scaling Student SuccessAbout This Book and ChapterSome Common Core Principles of Networking and PDChallenges to Scaling Success in US EducationThe Moral and Economic Imperative for Change is NowWhat Works, What Doesn’t, What’s Next?The Big QuestionReferences2. A Process to CREATE Sustained Student SuccessA Movement is Born in U.S. Education – and Exported to Other NationsThe Catalyst to ChangeThe CREATE ProcessThe Advantages of the CREATE ProcessThe Big QuestionReferences3. The Courage to Commit to the WorkDefining CourageCommitment: A Pillar of CourageBuilding a Collective Commitment to Scale Up Student Success7 Tools for Constructing a Large-Scale Community CommitmentCultivating the Community: Qualities of the Courageous LeaderThe Big QuestionReferences4. Resources are in the RoomThe Most Valuable Resource: Focused Commitment Over TimeThe Second Major Resource: Patience and UrgencyThird Major Resource: Steering CommitteeHow to Get TIME to CollaborateGetting Down to the DetailsThe Big QuestionReferences5. Taking Stock of Excellence in the RoomIs there Excellence or Positive Deviance to be Found?Defining Excellence is Done Twice by the Lead TeamsDeveloping a Community to Question the Answer: Language, Purpose and NormsImproving Instructional Practice: Change the Methods and You Will Change the OutcomesChange the Methods and You Will Change the OutcomesThe Big QuestionReferences6. An Action Plan for Engaging the Entire Learning CommunityDeveloping a Common Language for the Action PlanKey Challenges to Address in the Action PlanReentry Plans to Engage the Larger School Community, Build Trust and TransparencyDeveloping SMART Goals That the School Community Wants to AchieveSuccessful Implementation of SMART GoalsIdentifying and Assessing ExcellenceNext StepsThe Big QuestionReferences7. Transference of Knowledge and Skills Throughout the Learning CommunityTransferring Knowledge and Skills within the SchoolTransferring Knowledge and Skills Through-out the DistrictWhat Are Tuning Protocols?The Big QuestionReferences8. Embedding the New Learning in the Culture for SustainabilityThree Pillars of Embedding the Process in the School CultureThe Big QuestionReferencesTools to Help Answer the Questions in the RoomTool A: Writing an Instructional SMART Goal WorksheetTool B: Strategies for Making TimeTool C: Agreement of PURPOSE WorksheetTool D: Creating Group Norms: Facilitator Guide ExampleTool E: An Example Participant Handout for Creating Group NormsTool F: Steps of "Instructional Learning Walks"Tool G: Indicators of Quality Instructional Learning Walks Observation SheetIndex