Quality in Education

In a previous blog titled "Managing the Change Process", I discussed the fact that organizations and schools exist in an environment of constant change.  What I didn't talk about was the typical reaction to change from an organization's stakeholders perspective- PAIN & FEAR!  (see photo below for typical reaction :-)

Here are typical reactions to the change process...  “This is a waste of time.” “Why change if it was working just fine before?” “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” “They never tell us what’s going on!”  I must be careful to not paint everyone with the same broad brush, however, these reactions to change are quite common in our line of work.

So, why is the change process so scary?  Often, as educational leaders we forget to address the basics of the change process.  In a sense, we fail to strategically "roll out" and communicate the vision for change.  We can reduce resistance to change and fear of the change process in employees by providing the following:

Awareness of the need to change
Desire to participate and support the change
Knowledge of how to change (and what the change looks like)
Ability to implement the change on a day-to-day basis
Reinforcement to keep the change in place

How can educators approach the change process in a more supportive way?  Tune in next time to learn Michael Fullan's eight "basic lessons" that can be learned about the process of change and improvement.

What have been your experiences with the change process?  What are some examples of changes in the educational setting over the past 5-10 years?  How does your school or district approach the change process?

Jay