Universal Success for Each and Every Child - an ambitious goal for schools, districts, and our nation. To arrive at universal success, principal leaders today walk the fine line between establishing and leading innovative and resourceful communities driven by local needs and passions and meeting the basic requirements of their districts and states. Not an enviable position as there is often conflict and contradictions between local concerns and requirements. With the increased pressure to meet high academic standards, more and more principals are finding it difficult to pursue those special projects that in the past created communities of excellence. Whereas in the past, principals might meet with parents, teachers, and community leaders to develop a vision and establish goals, in recent years the requirements for academic advancement have been front and center.

However, with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act up for reauthorization, and with the current backlash against the Common Core State Standards, it may be that principals and teachers are entering a new era. If so, what will be ushered in, in this new era? Or where could schools focus for the greatest "common good?"

At CEI we have been relentless in urging educators to pursue the path we believe will lead to the greatest good for the planet. As stated in our mission we have reiterated our ideals of

• Principal leadership,
• 21^st century learning that is fueled by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and rigor,
• Application of advances in neuroscience, and
• Considering the whole child and implementing a Heart Centered approach.

Over the past six years we have talked with many about ways to advance this agenda. Our dialogue with educators has resulted in careful consideration of "technology guidelines" for school principals, conducting forums for deeper discussion and input, articulating the needed research and investigation, and envisioning change in the context of global concerns and global competence.

However, at this juncture, we are completing an environmental scan as a double check for our state-of-the-art recommendations. Our environmental scan has led us to reconsider issues such as barriers to change, systems change, and sustainability. In conducting this scan, we are finding some cross-cutting themes that may help schools and districts as they continue their journey to excellence.

Networks and Collaboration. Yong Zhao has suggested that "locally-driven, grass-roots, bottoms-up initiatives connected through sensible networks of innovation-minded leaders and schools are much more effective in bringing about meaningful changes to education than mandates by a centralized authority" (AASA, 2014). With a focus on building level collaboration, Gail Connelly, executive director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, has written recently about the power of collaboration and the network of human relationships as the "key enabling factor when it comes to serving the students in our charge." (p. 52). In describing the value of teacher leaders who "extend the eyes and ears of a principal" through professional learning communities, Connelly references Desmond Tutu and ubuntu, the concept of "I am because you are."

In a similar vein, Susan Bunting, Superintendent of the Delaware Indian River school district describes how in implementing the Common Core she has networked with others to promote a culture where teachers and administrators promote experimentation with and evaluation of innovative programs and practices (2014). In Delaware, the Indian River School district earned a reputation for its excellence in a district where 65% of the students receive free and reduced lunch and 16% are English Language learners. Bunting describes the path she led to this distinction-a path of collaboration, communication, and connections where principals were called upon to be not only communicators but also catalysts for change. It is indeed encouraging to hear from a district leader who set the pace by analysis, allocating resources for continuous growth, and charting a course with shared vision and shared leadership.

Courage and Fearless Leadership. It is refreshing to note that in some districts grass has not grown under anyone's feet as schools and districts have forged forward to achieve their passions. Such passion is also visible in national leadership provided by experts such as Yvette Jackson, Executive Director of the National Urban Alliance. Dr. Jackson, with Veronica McDermott has recently authored Aim High, Achieve More: How to Transform Urban Schools through Fearless Leadership (2014). Just as CEI speaks of the importance of courage, Drs. Jackson and McDermott urge school leaders to be fearless through radical presence (consciousness), confidence, and strategy. Rather than waiting for others to set the agenda for moving forward, Jackson and McDermott lay out steps for establishing communities, amplifying student voices and fostering student engagement.

Mindfulness. Valerie Brown, a yoga teacher and zen master, and Kirsten Olsen, an educator and leadership coach who is the "Chief Listening Officer" at Old Sow Coaching and Consulting, have just published a book on mindful school leadership to transform schools. In their text, The Mindful School Leader, Brown and Olsen explain the importance of mindfulness (awareness, consciousness) for school leaders. They cover territory that examines:

• Stress and its impact;
• Antidotes to stress through healthful eating, exercise, and mindfulness practices; and
• Ideas for shifting one's consciousness through small steps, practice, and community.

Their book is also filled with examples of how school leaders have implemented their recommended practices. Their unique contribution provides keys for mindful speaking, listening to your "inner leader" and self-regulation, all in the context of school leadership.

Universal Success, Collaboration, Courage, Mindfulness, and Heart Centeredness. Many of us entered education with the hope of making the world better, even if our impact was mainly at the local level. Over time, many have become disillusioned as the world has seemingly become more chaotic, schools have lost autonomy, and we have seen safety nets fall by the wayside. In what seems to be a time of transition, the visions of a handful of educators may be instrumental in helping all of us coalesce around key themes. These themes, we believe, are gaining in importance as part of the national conversation. Adhering to rigor and relying on Heart Centered classroom strategies will enable school leaders to move forward during this next evolutionary stage. While many of the educational themes have been with us for a long, long time, they are being articulated with more evidence and knowledge concerning the "how"-with more examples of schools and districts that have transversed the territory to embrace this common vision of shared leadership for excellence.

Note: Part II will focus on the path to excellence for early childhood education.

References

Bunting, S. (May 2014). The Common Core C's of change. School Administrator, 5, 71, 20-26.

Connelly, G. (2014). A collaborative enterprise. Principal, 94, 2, 52.

Jackson, Y. & McDermott, V. (2012). Aim high, achieve more: How to transform urban schools through fearless leadership. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Zhao, Y. (2015) .Testimonial for AASA's collaborative.  http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=33376

Our team also wanted some visible signs of using Kind Minds to be part of the program. We knew that with our young children, we needed to have reminders about Kind Minds every day, and ways to allow them to practice using their Kind Minds - we never expected that everyone would be perfect at this right at the beginning! We looked for additional resources for the teachers to bring to their classrooms.

• The book "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud, illustrated by David Messing, was an excellent match.
• The Plains School PTA purchased copies for every classroom, with a colorful bucket to collect acts of kindness, thoughtfulness and helpfulness.
• Our team decided that the symbol for our Kind Mind acts would be an orange heart, with tiger cub paws printed in the center - an idea designed by one of the children. Any adult or child could fill in a description of the kind act, and we began hanging them up in streams through our halls.

The Kind Mind Song has helped us focus on the social, emotional, physical and heart-centered development of our young learners. At Plains School, we feel these components of child development are just as important as the cognitive development of the brain. They cannot be separated, and our goal is to keep all of the developmental domains thoughtfully integrated.

The Kind Mind Song - To the tune of "High Hopes"

            By John Porcino

Verse 1

Next time you're found, with your chin on the ground,

There's a lot to be learned, so look around.

Now Ruby the dog really wanted to play

But nobody noticed, they just walked away

I bet you could guess that day she felt sad, when they went away.

But she had a Kind Mind, a Kind Mind,  

a caring and sharing and fair  mind.

So any time you're feeling low, 'stead of letting go,

Just think of what you can say -

When Ruby just asked (spoken) "Woof - Hey everybody,  

I really would love

     to play with you, can I join in the game, too?"

They all said "Hooray!"    

 Verses 2-4 can be found here, at the CEI blog.  

Principal mentoring has a promising future. Just as teacher mentoring became widely accepted and then expected, principal mentoring made slower gains, sometimes not truly accepted and rarely expected. After all, aren't leaders expected to know how to lead? Isn't that what they were hired to do? In the past, fellow principals sometimes stepped in to help. Principals who served as buddies to new colleagues believed that providing friendship, giving advice, and sharing war stories was all that was needed. These untrained mentors meant well but often failed to understand how to truly build leadership capacity. Today's principal mentors are better trained, more widely accepted, and focused on strengthening teaching and learning. Much of the work of principal mentors happens during reflective conversations.

The fact is new leaders don't inherently possess all the necessary leadership skills to build teacher capacity and impact student achievement. Although the impact of the principal on student achievement is second only to that of the teacher, many new leaders have a limited background in instruction (Seashore-Louis, 2010.) Millennial principals in particular, Seashore-Louis notes, typically have fewer years of teaching experience when compared to their veteran colleagues. The missing instructional and leadership skills can be crafted over time, a process enhanced by mentoring.

NAESP Mentor Training and Certification. The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) has provided mentor training for thousands of school leaders over the past decade, creating mentors across the nation and in pockets, internationally. As mentors work towards National Mentor Certification, patterns and themes emerge:

• Mentors may be prepared to jump into enhancing teaching and learning, but in the evolution of a mentor relationship, trust building comes first.
• Reassurances may be needed regarding confidentiality, including proof that no information will be leaked to the superintendent or to anyone else.
• There are detractors from concentrating on providing leadership for teaching and learning.
• The demands of simply managing the school, its resources and people, can be extremely time consuming.

Oakes, A. Conway, P. & Mason, C. (2013). A roadmap to rigor: A resource for principals. Alexandria, VA: National Association of Elementary School Principals