Do we have broad representative stakeholder groups involved in making decisions that are significant?

Function5:

Leaders of Relationship Building The primary responsibility of curriculum leads is to develop the collective capacity of the organization to assure tha tall students are successful. One of the functions of these individuals’ work to assure the capacity of the system and the success of the students is the development of relationships of stakeholders focused on student learning.“Location,location,location”maybe the man tra of real tors,but“relationships,relationships,relationships”is the foundation of any successful organization.Susan Scott, author of Fierce Conversations,advocates that the conversation is the relationship. As leaders of relationship building we must ensure meaningful,two-way communication among all stakeholders for increased student learning.We are the ones who set the expectations and provide the examples of positive internal and external communication.As we seek to build our own competency in relationship building as well as others’ skills, we must remember to…

Live by the vision,always focusing those conversations on student learning.

Listen!Listen!Listen!Seek first to understand and then to be understood.

Build skills in coaching(e.g.,Fierce,Cognitive,Crucial,Peer)and master the ORID questioning skills shared in evaluate or training.

Build cultural competence.We must reduce isolationism and open up practice in our buildings to direct observation,analysis,and criticism. Richard Elmore encourages us to center group discussions on the instructional work of the organization.To do this,direct observation of practice,analysis,and feedback must become a routine feature of our work–at every level.Our job is to help building leaders and teachers to work more collaboratively on instructional practices, to set up conditions to facilitate collaborative team work among adults,and foster personalized learning communities for students.As educators work together to improve their respective competencies,trust develops and simultaneously develops consistent and increasingly effective standards of practice.At the same time, we must increase opportunities to engage stakeholders,reflecting the demographics of our community.As we seek out ways to develop working partnerships in the community,we need to leverage their contributions(e.g.,time,dollars,expertise,experience)to expand and deepen learning opportunities in order to achieve increased learning of our students.

Questions we might answer include these:

Do we have broad representative stakeholder groups involved in making decisions that are significant?

Do we participate in public conversations to understand our stakeholders’ perspectives and concerns?

Do we as a community address anticipated changes within our community?