Reacting to extreme turbulence

​Colleagues,
 
Yesterday I suggested organizations that experience extreme turbulence were not good candidates for big change, even if big changes are needed. Today let’s look at how the pandemic created extreme turbulence in p-12 education, how schools reacted, and what the path is moving forward. 
 
Schools basically serve two purposes: care for and educate students. Closing buildings threw schools into extreme turbulence as most systems and structures became obsolete overnight. 
Schools faced two immediate priorities:

1. Get food to students (in 2016 over 30 million US students received free or reduced lunches) 
2. Teach students

 
In poor rural counties like mine, many students depend on school meals and many of the same families lack reliable internet access, so schools had to be creative in feeding and teaching.
 
I’ve seen three visible stages, each corresponding to a different level of turbulence:

1. Existing systems no longer worked, and schools suffered extreme turbulence resulting in high levels of stress and pressure for school personnel.
2. Schools used existing resources and knowledge to adapt systems to minimally meet immediate needs, moving the school from extreme to severe turbulence.
3. Schools refocused training to help teachers implement strategies for distance education. In many schools, training focused on helping teachers adapt what they already did. This allowed for relatively quick progress and stabilized schools into moderate turbulence.

 
Now that leaders and teachers can breathe, they are able to more closely examine the remaining problems and approach them more strategically. Ultimately, many schools will fundamentally reshape teaching by “flipping” the classroom. Flipping essentially moves the teacher from providing information to facilitating learning experiences.
 
Flipping is a BIG change, but now that schools are more stable, they can begin that work. More tomorrow.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick