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00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 Now here's your host, Adam Bush. Good morning, school leaders.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:22 Welcome to Your Morning Boost by AWB Education. Happy Monday.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 Thanks for joining me today. This week, we are going to do a week-long deep
00:00:26 --> 00:00:31 dive into the MTSS process, starting with building an essential foundation that
00:00:31 --> 00:00:32 we're going to talk about today.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 But before I get to that topic, I do want to give you a quick sneak peek into this coming Wednesday.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 We have a special episode, another Your Booster Shot episode.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 This one, Dr. Chad Lang is joining me, and he's going to be sharing some of
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 his wisdom on leading curriculum work at the building level.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:52 This is a standalone episode, of course, that's on top of the work that we do
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 here with Your Morning Boost.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 So if you haven't had a chance to check these out yet, I'd recommend that you
00:00:56 --> 00:01:00 do so. We've got some really good things out there, and this Wednesday episode
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 is going to be just another one of those.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 It's certainly going to be one that you don't want to miss. Now,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 like I said, today we're going to dive into this MTSS work.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 I'm going to start with developing and defining that district mission and vision for MTSS.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:16 Now, I realize you're already saying, really, another district mission and vision?
00:01:16 --> 00:01:21 Yeah, I am. And I think the reason for this is that a strong MTSS program is
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 more than just interventions and data.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 This is something that is a process, and it is a program.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:30 It is something that all of our students have access to and need access to,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 and we need to look at this from a district level.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:37 Think of it like building a house. You wouldn't start framing without a blueprint, right?
00:01:37 --> 00:01:42 I mean, our MTSS mission and vision, that is our blueprint. It guides our efforts,
00:01:42 --> 00:01:47 it helps align our teams, and it also ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:51 A strong mission clearly states our commitment to providing equitable support
00:01:51 --> 00:01:56 for all students, and it should reflect our belief that every student can succeed with the right support.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 For example, your mission might be something like to empower every student to
00:02:01 --> 00:02:06 achieve their full potential through a proactive data-driven and collaborative MTSS framework.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:10 Now, I realize you're already saying those are just words. What does that really mean?
00:02:11 --> 00:02:15 But the words within that being proactive and collaborative are really talking
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 about what we're trying to do. These are kind of important to define.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 Proactive means we are looking for problems before they happen.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:27 And that collaborative piece means that we are working together to try to solve those problems.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 Now, that might be our mission. Our vision, on the other hand,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 is going to paint more of a picture of what success looks like.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 Imagine a school where every student feels supported, where teachers have the
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 tools and the resources they need for success and where data informs every decision.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 That's really what our vision is. It's more than just academic success.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 We want to look at the whole child.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:52 Imagine hallways where students are excited to learn. Imagine classrooms where
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 teachers are engaged and a school where parents feel like partners.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 We know Stephen Covey's famous sentence, begin with the end in mind,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 and this applies perfectly to MTSS.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 The mission and the vision, this is our end in mind.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 This habit from his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
00:03:08 --> 00:03:12 it's a habit that can be used in all areas of leadership and certainly within MTSS.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:16 Now, to develop this, you want to gather your stakeholders, get your teachers,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 get administrators, parents, even some students.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:23 Conduct a few workshops, certainly analyze some data, but in the end,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 you want to create that document that everyone can rally behind.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:30 Start by asking, what do we want our school to look like, maybe say in five years?
00:03:30 --> 00:03:34 What are the core values that are going to guide our work to get there?
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 And then try to make sure you use data from student achievement,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:42 attendance, and behavior to help inform and support what that vision is going to look like.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 So here are a couple of strategic planning suggestions. I would start with conducting
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 a SWOT analysis if you're not familiar with what these are.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:53 You can identify your school strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, SWOT.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:58 Identify what these are related to your MTSS process. It will help you understand
00:03:58 --> 00:04:02 your current situation and it will certainly help identify some areas for improvement.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 From that analysis, develop some SMART goals.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:09 Those specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for your
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 MTSS program. It's going to help provide a clear roadmap for the work that we're doing.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 And then start working on creating that action plan.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 Outline specific steps you're going to take to achieve those goals.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 Assign some responsibilities.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 Doesn't have to be just your work. Take that Superman cape off,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 and let's get some other people involved with this as well.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 But then also think about setting some deadlines, identifying some resources
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 that you might need to be able to actually work through that action plan.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:39 Communication is going to be key. Make sure you develop a plan for your communicating.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 How are you going to communicate your mission, vision, and the goals to all
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 your stakeholders? It's going to help ensure that everyone's on the same page.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 And then that last bit is think about how you're going to review this plan and
00:04:49 --> 00:04:50 how you're going to revise it.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:55 MTSS, it's a living system. The plan should be reviewed and revised regularly
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 to ensure that remains relevant and effective.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 If we get it perfect the first time and never have to review it,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 you're better than me and you should be out there touring the world telling
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 all the rest of us how you pulled that off because that's pretty impressive.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Now, this also might be where a consultant can be invaluable.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:14 A consultant can bring an objective perspective. They can provide expertise
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 in strategic planning and help facilitate the process.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:21 They can help you conduct a thorough needs assessment and they can help facilitate
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 stakeholder meetings and workshops so that you are part of the process,
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 not trying to lead the process.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 They can also help do some of the comprehensive strategic planning and providing
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 that ongoing support and coaching.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:36 And frankly, they can help you facilitate the data analysis and help you better understand the data.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Again, it helps get some of that implicit bias out of the way.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 Just remember, our goal here is that we want a strong MTSS program,
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 and it's going to start with a clear mission and vision.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:50 Start with the end in mind. It's the compass that is absolutely going to guide our journey.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 Thank you for listening to your Morning Boost. Again, have a great Monday.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:58 We will keep this topic going all week long on MTSS work, so please join us
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 for some more of these as we work through this process.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:04 Otherwise, have a great day. Thank you for listening, and we will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:09 You have been listening to Your Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.