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Andy Johnson: Executive Director�Dawn Adams: Assistant Director, K-8�Heather Irwin: Office Manager

INTRODUCTION

Heather Irwin:

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Office Manager for Dallas Community school.

10+ years as an office manager in the educational environment but has been bossing people around for more than 20.

Would rather be somewhere in the mountains at any given time.

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INTRODUCTION

Dawn Adams:

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Assistant Director for the K-8 program for Dallas Community School.

30+ years in education.

Really needs to be floating on the ocean with a good book.

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INTRODUCTION

Andy Johnson:

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Executive Director of Dallas Community school.

20+ years in leadership in the Non-Profit world.

Has no shame when it comes to being a “Disney Adult”.

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DISCOVERY IS WHEN YOU PAUSE TO CLARIFY WHO YOU ARE TODAY SO THAT YOU CAN EXAMINE YOUR CURRENT REALITY TO SEE IF YOU ARE ALIGNED TO YOUR MISSION AND/OR VISION.

THE ESSENTIAL ACTIONS OF THE DISCOVERY STEP:

• Collect your stories, traditions, and examples that define what your school does best.
• Name your lived out (core) values.
• Survey, survey, survey (students, staff, families, and community).
• Observe the common language, practices, and patterns that organically show up in your everyday school culture.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

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• Introduction – Quick details about your school.
• Rising Action – How has your school grown?
• Climax – Is there a ”turning point”?
• Falling Action – What did you learn?
• Resolution – What did you implement?

DISCOVERING YOUR LIVED OUT VALUES

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• What we do.�
• What we don’t do.

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• What we wish we did.

ALIGNMENT HAPPENS WHEN A COMMUNITY TAKES WHAT IT HAS DISCOVERED ABOUT THEIR LIVED OUT VALUES AND PRACTICES AND ENSURES THAT THOSE IDEAS CONSISTENTLY SHOW UP IN THEIR ACTIONS, SYSTEMS, AND CULTURE.

THE ESSENTIAL ACTIONS OF THE ALIGNMENT STEP:

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• Compare current practices with the mission and vision and document matches and areas of drifting.
• Check your policies, procedures, and budget to see if they reinforce your mission / vision.
• Assure that there is shared language across leadership, staff, and stakeholders.
• When making decisions, ask: “Does this align with our mission?”

YOUR VISION IN PRACTICE

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• Answer “quickly and honestly”.

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• Average each section.

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• Use the guide at the end of the assessment.

CHALLENGES SHOW US WHERE THE GAPS ARE BETWEEN WHAT WE SAY WE VALUE AND WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO. CHALLENGES CAN BE CIRCUMSTANCES, POLICIES, STAFF, OR EXTERNAL PRESSURES.

THE ESSENTIAL ACTIONS OF THE CHALLENGES STEP:

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• Name the obstacles that get in the way of alignment, and (when necessary) own the reason they exist.
• Differentiate between the external factors and the internal factors.
• Make the hard calls when you see them. Address issues upstream whenever possible.
• Have a growth mindset. You are an educational institution, so modelling learning and growth from a challenge is the best possible outcome.

AT THE CHALLENGE STEP, IT’S TIME TO TURN RESEARCH AND INSIGHT INTO ACTION. CONTINUOUSLY MAKE INTENTIONAL AND ONGOING ADJUSTMENTS THAT HELP YOU ALIGN MORE FULLY WITH YOUR MISSION / VISION.

THE ESSENTIAL ACTIONS OF THE IMPROVE STEP:

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• Create some concrete strategies to address the areas where you have discovered gaps and misalignment.
• Get some “quick wins” while planning ahead for some long-term goals and shifts.
• CELEBRATE EVERY TIME you see progress in an area.
• Treat improvement like a cycle, not an event.

AT THE “WHAT’S NEXT” STEP, YOU COMMIT TO ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD. AFTER DISCOVERY, ALIGNMENT, CHALLENGES, AND IMPROVE, IT IS TIME TO FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUSTAINED ALIGNED ACTIONS. MAKE YOUR MARK!

THE ESSENTIAL ACTIONS IN THE “WHAT’S NEXT” STEP:

• Create short term and long term goals.
• Develop a continuous improvement/ strategic plan.
• Identify the people or groups who will be responsible for carrying out the future work of the school.
• Build in checkpoints, celebrations, and communication loops to keep the vision UP FRONT!

THREE SMALL STEPS

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• What is one small action you can take tomorrow?�
• Why is this important?

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• Who else should be involved?

“OF ALL THE THINGS I’VE DONE, THE MOST VITAL IS COORDINATING THOSE WHO WORK WITH ME AND AIMING THEIR EFFORTS AT A CERTAIN GOAL.”� -WALT DISNEY

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Thank you for being here and learning with us today!