2017.11.17
Tri-State Consortium Visit to NCPS
A professional, collaborative approach to continuous improvement
“Outtakes”. A snippet of thoughts to kick off this blog post:
Critical friends, continuous improvement, and a commitment to educating the whole child are foundational components of a successful school environment.
What I am looking forward to putting into practice, or continuing:
Looking at ways to improve myself and our school through the responses from the Tri-State consultancy.
Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:
~ No matter how busy you are, take a moment to notice the wonderful things that surround us every day.
~ Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
This week, we had the Tri-State Consortium visit the New Canaan Public Schools for a three-day visit to evaluate an essential question, “to what extent are all students cognitively engaged in rigorous and relevant learning in our classrooms.” NCHS Principal, @WEganprincipal, provides some more detail in his weekly update, but I wanted to reflect on what an experience like a Tri-State visit means from a personal and professional perspective.
The visit includes dedicated professionals from Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The visiting team members are not paid to do these visits. Some know each other from “being in the field” for a while, others are meeting for the first time. They all have been trained by the consortium and calibrated in their view of what they should be looking for on a visit. Kathleen and Marty from the consortium lead/guide the process and have experience and a critical eye for maintaining focus on the guiding question(s) for each respective visit. The common denominator for each individual is that they all care about quality instruction in a healthy school environment.
The process for the host district is an intense one. Work is done for months in advance, over the summer, and after school hours. We are asking professional colleagues to come into our schools and process what is going on over the course of three days from a critical perspective. It is not always easy to “put yourself out there”, but it is a process that we all benefit from. Everyone. Every stakeholder in the district is getting exposure to common language that is grounded in best practice and what we expect of our employees in the New Canaan Public Schools. This process allows us to be comfortable getting uncomfortable.
This was one of the most authentic visits that I have seen. I have been on a visiting team and I have on the side of different host districts. It is easy to try and “up your game” and put on a show in a situation like this but I saw a level of respectful confidence that NCPS is proud to show where we shine and a willingness to hear about where we can and should consider improvements. At the end of the day, we are fortunate to be in a district that values critical feedback, continuous improvement, and ultimately, what is best for all students. I am looking forward to hearing how the team felt about their time spent in the New Canaan Public Schools later this morning...
Please feel free to contact or follow me:
Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org
Here a few pictures from around NCHS this week showcasing what we have to offer our students and school community:
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