Welcome to Loden’s Leadership Conversations!
Today’s Topic: Focus on What Matters
Gather Around, Growth Alliance Members:
When I stepped into my first superintendency, I had an entry plan ready to go. The district was small, fewer than 2,000 students, and well-regarded in the community. But before the year even began, the state unveiled a new accountability model. Overnight, this “good, solid” district was stamped with a Academic Watch – D rating.
So what did we do to meet this challenge? We focused on the fundamentals and we aligned them tightly:
- Relationships first. Before systems can thrive, people have to trust each other. I spent intentional time with teachers, principals, and board members to ensure we were aligned around the mission.
- Protecting instructional time. Every minute in the classroom mattered. We cut unnecessary interruptions and doubled down on maximizing engaged learning. Meetings were streamlined so teachers could focus on teaching.
- Meeting students where they were. Grade-level instruction was the baseline, but we refused to leave struggling students behind. We built “spiral back” supports to accelerate catch-up growth, aiming for at least a year and a half of progress in a single year.
- Providing extension opportunities. For students already thriving, we designed enrichment and extension activities to challenge them further and keep engagement high. Excellence was not capped, it was extended.
- Common formative assessments. These gave teachers shared data to adjust instruction in real time.
- Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Teams worked together to ask: What do we expect students to learn? How will we know they’ve learned it? How will we respond if they haven’t? How will we extend learning if they already have?
- Administrative team alignment. Instead of each school working independently, we met consistently to share best practices and reinforce district-wide consistency.
The results?
- Year 1: We jumped from a “D” to a solid “B.”
- Year 3: Nearly an “A,” ranked in the top 7% of the state.
- Long-term: The district continues to sustain those results today, years later, because the systems stayed in place.
The deeper truth? Our turnaround wasn’t about shiny tools, it was about relationships, alignment, and a relentless protection of instructional time and high expectations for our studentrs. When leaders commit to meeting students where they are and stretching those who are ready for more, momentum builds across the entire system.
Action Steps for Leaders
- Audit your focus. Write down the three biggest initiatives currently on your plate. Do they directly tie to instruction, culture, or strategy? If not, question why they’re still taking energy.
- Protect instructional time. Ask: What interruptions or inefficiencies steal time from classrooms? Eliminate or restructure them.
- Check alignment. Are your board, admin team, and teachers telling the same story about your top priorities? If not, close the gap.
- Meet people where they are. Build intentional catch-up growth systems to accelerate those behind.
- Extend for the advanced. Ensure your top performers are provided opportunities for extended learning.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I spreading resources too thin instead of doubling down on what really matters?
- How well am I protecting instructional time in my district or organization?
- How would my teachers or staff describe the alignment of our leadership team, in one sentence?
- Are we truly meeting people where they are and extending opportunities for those ahead?
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Closing Thought
May your leadership journey be rich with purpose, relationships, resilience, and discovery. I look forward to exploring new insights together in our next post.
Impactfully,
Gearl
