Asking the Right Questions

Stu Silberman has been a teacher, principal, superintendent and the executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Stu was Kentucky’s superintendent of the year three times and a final four national superintendent of the year.Gay Burden has worked at school, district, and state educational levels. Currently, Gay works as an educational consultant to support district and school improvement efforts across the country.

• Table of ContentsForeward Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Four-Question Model Overview Modeling Connected LeadershipAbout the AuthorsDetermining Your Schools DNAThe Four-Question ModelCollective EfficacyStakeholder Focus Group MeetingsSample GroupsAnalyzing and Sharing the ResultsTo Sum UpReflective Questions/ActivitiesChapter 2: What is working--things you do not want to change? What’s Working and How do we Know it’s Working?District Leadership ModelingWhat’s Your Leadership Style?To Sum UpReflective Questions/Activities Chapter 3: What needs to be changed to make this a better place for kids? Christmas Trees and Kitchen SinksStudent VoiceWeeding the GardenCollege and Career ReadinessCreating Buy-in on the Front-endTo Sum UpReflective Questions/Activities Chapter 4: What needs to be changed to make this a better place for adults? Human Side of ChangeTop-Down and Grassroots EffortSymbolismRecognizing the Super StarsDealing with NaysayersThe Abilene ParadoxTo Sum UpReflective Questions/Activities Chapter 5: What can I do, as your leader, to do a better job? A Learning Leader is VulnerableVisioning and Establishing PurposeA Clear Communication PlanCelebrate VictoriesCollective CapacityA Practitioner’s StoryClearly Document the ProcessTo Sum UpReflective Questions/Activities Appendix A: Debriefing Strategy: Think-a-Thon ReferencesAbout the Author

Margaret Wheatley once stated that “real change begins with the simple act of people talking about what they care about.” Although she talked about how change happens in business, the idea is relevant to how real change happens in education. This new book, much needed and long overdue, is a perfect example. It offers a thoughtful and compelling vision for ways educational leaders can facilitate real change. Specifically, it describes a new vision of what educational leadership can be and how it can use stakeholder input to promote continuous district-wide improvement. It is based on sound theoretical principles: educational leadership is proactive and collaborative, it values the voices of all stakeholders, and it recognizes reflection and feedback as critical to the process of continuous improvement. While theoretically sound, this book is also pragmatic and practical. It describes a four-question model of leadership grounded in the notion that the key to school improvement is the process of problem-finding and problem-solving. One way to find and solve the right problems is by asking the right questions. When educational leaders ask the right questions, they create a collaborative, rather than a hierarchical, culture of learning with stakeholders. It is exactly this kind of culture that allows stakeholders (people talking about what they care about) to create a shared vision for real change. I believe this new book should not only be required reading for superintendents and principals currently in the field, but also for students in higher education who aspire to be inspiring educational leaders in the future.