Category: Thought Leaders

Years ago, when I was an education student at a small, rural university, one of my professors lectured over the authorship of effective lesson plans.  He said, “When you are teaching class—when you are teaching anything, for that matter—your students only want to know one thing—WIIFM.”  He pronounced it, “wiff-em.”

I can remember looking around the room for affirmation that I was not alone in my confusion at Dr. Thatcher’s curious inflection of that uncertain term.  Nope.  I’mgood, I discovered.  Others like me.  Their eyes dancing like mine.  Our all-inclusive powers of collegiate-level intellectualism are swinging and missing, waiting now, somewhat impatiently, for the big reveal.

At the time, the world did not speak acronym as plainly nor as often as it does today.  Ultimately, though, our small class was indoctrinated that day into the mysteries of WIIFM. Whether or not the term will find its way to Wikipedia and the broader masses is still a matter of some conjecture.  “What’s In It For Me?” he elucidated.  I was stunned.

It was hard for me—a future elementary teacher—to believe that the young minds I was dreaming of educating would think that way.  Was I naïve? Had I been operating that way, myself, as a student?  Or had I been—was I, in fact, being—misguided?  There was really only one way to find out.

I landed my first job in bi-lingual kindergarten, but, as I have continued that journey through nearly every grade level and even into administration, I have found Dr. Thatcher’s lesson to be, invariably, true. Over the years, however, as is the destiny of some lessons, I have chosen to condense its contents, as much for the sake of simplicity as for the need to make its magic more authentic to me.  So I no longer consider What’s In It For Me? when teaching. I only ask Why? No acronym intended.  No confusion necessary.  From before kindergarten and all the way through to the end of our academic and professional careers, our charges will always and only really need to know “Why?”

Simon Sinek says in his book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, “There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”

Let’s be honest, it is easy to manipulate students’ and teachers’ schedules to fit our visions, but choosing, instead, to inspire them to aspire to those visions requires some real work.  Most of the time, we can easily explain to stakeholders WHAT we are envisioning; usually, we can also fairly easily verbalize HOW we plan to reach those visions, but getting everyone to understand our WHY can be tricky.

            Why are we making the decisions we are making?

            Why challenge the status quo?

            Why should stakeholders buy what the district is selling?

I would like to challenge each of us to consider our WHY and to work toward our own authentic methods of inspiring others to see…especially if they’re wondering, What’s in it for me?

Why always matters.  WAM.  Eureka!  I need an ‘H!’

The wisest leaders I know are relentless focusers. Or, RE-focusers.

These leaders understand that their personal time, energy, and resources are finite. They know full well that they cannot do everything, meet with everybody, read every book, invest in every project, or attend every meeting.

Thus, these wise leaders decide with laser-like clarity the most important things in need of their attention (the late Stephen Covey described them as “the BIG rocks”) and they relentlessly focus and re-focus on those elements of highest import.

The words, the calendars, the schedules, the efforts, and the expenditures of these wise leaders send an undeniably clear message about what they deem important.

Failing to do so is what former Secretary of State Colin Powell describes as “mission creep,” the inevitable dilution of our impact and effectiveness when we allow the myriad competitors for our attention to de-focus us.

Time to (re)FOCUS?

Likely. Always.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “ You cannot go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”.

The phrase “traditional education” can be interpreted many different ways. The perspective of educators, administrators, law makers, parents and students, can and will, always have a different spin. “It worked for me and I turned out just fine”, “ we need to let our children slow down and enjoy high school, they can figure out what they are going to do in college”, “ Why do I need to take that class?”, “this is not fun” and the list goes on and on. The world in which we live is a rapidly changing and evolving mix of culture, economy, technology, and politics. Moving the hands of Father Time as it relates to education must fast forward into the 21^stcentury incorporating and requiring relevance, rigor and agency for our students; thus enabling them to become successful contributing citizens in our everchanging world. I believe this to be true for ALL students. I emphatically believe that this holds true for our RURAL population of students.

In my thirty years of being in secondary and post-secondary education, as a classroom teacher, counselor, advisor and administrator, the buzz words of reform have been circulating. Authentic, personalization, higher level thinking, fidelity, data points/driven, and best practices are several that have been on the forefront for quite some time. Have we really seen evidence of this taking place in our classrooms and on our campuses? More importantly, have we seen this develop in our rural communities and campuses?

Having one common goal of putting students first should be the foundation for growth and innovation. Students need to become intrinsically engaged and fulfilled, which will increase aspirations for growth, agency and ownership in their academic outcomes. Students need to be prepared for college and career success through authentic hands on opportunities. Students need to be aware of their community and how to study, analyze, and provide hypothesized solutions to regionally relevant problems. Putting this all together produces our future leaders and problem solvers, locally, across the state, and the nation.

Being a part of the Roscoe Collegiate ISD team and daily implementing the pillars of a fully engaged P-20 system, I am made acutely aware of the results this model is able to produce. The challenges facing rural communities are great, and often overlooked by our urban neighbors. Providing technology in multiple layers and formats for all students. Providing access to meaningful yet rigorous educational opportunities, both secondary and post-secondary. Providing career and workforce readiness skills. Providing a network of community and industry leaders to engage face to face with students and parents. Incorporating the meaning of our rural heritage and its necessary components with 4H and TX AgriLife. Each of these elements are integral to the other. Each element is necessary to complete the educational journey of our students.

It takes daily focus and work.
It takes determination.
It requires taking chances.
It is not always easy.
The result is priceless.

When asked to write a blog post about the “work,” I began agonizing over a topic.  I kept glancing at my bookshelf and each time landed on the same text: The 12 Touchstones of Good Teachingby Goodwin and Hubbell.  While the book is aimed at teachers, I believe we are all teachers.  Administrators can substitute the word “teacher” for student and the lessons still apply.  Whether you are a classroom teacher or administrator or play some other role, I would encourage you to aim for each of the following points.

Section 1 calls for us to “Be Demanding:  Articulate and Maintain High Expectations for Learning.”   Can you say that you:

1. Use standards to guide every learning opportunity?
2. Ensure that students set personal learning objectives for each lesson?
3. Peel back the curtain to make your performance expectations clear?
4. Measure understanding against high expectations?

Section 2 calls for us to “Be Supportive:  Provide a Nurturing Learning Environment.”  Can you say that you:

5. Engage student interest with every lesson?
6. Interact meaningfully with every student?
7. Use feedback to encourage effort?
8. Create an oasis of safety and respect in your classroom?

Section 3 calls for us to “Be Intentional:  Know Why You’re Doing What You’re Doing.”  Can you say that you:

9: Make the most of every minute?
10: Help students develop deep knowledge?
11: Coach students to mastery?
12: Help students do something with their learning?

I love the last paragraph on the back cover:

If there were one thing you could do each day to help one student succeed, you’d do it, wouldn’t you?  What about three things to help three students? What if there were 12 things you could do everyday to help all of your students succeed?  There are, and you’ll find them here.

(Highly recommended book study!)

I believe if each of us could answer yes to the above and complete “our work” while being demanding,supportiveand intentional– we would achieve the lofty goal and the absolute bottom line for “our work” and that is that we do what is in the best interest of the children.

One of the most impactful experiences I have had as a professional was attending Deloitte University’s Courageous Principals.

From the moment my team and I turned onto the campus compound (a gorgeous campus in the Trophy Club area), it was evident we were entering something special. It wasn’t special because it was nice, it was special because of the attention to detail and intentionality of everything in the environment. From the attendant checking our vehicle and identity as we entered, to the clerk at the front desk, to every shop attendant in the building, the intention was clear: they had prioritized taking care of the atmosphere and experience so that we could focus on learning and growing as professionals.

This experience was the brainchild of Deloitte’s CEO James H. Quigley and his team. The focus was unequivocally impact. As a business, they knew the single biggest impact of future communities will be made by children in schools right now.

Mr. Quigley was passionate about supporting educators to be phenomenal leaders because they have so many moments of impact. The sessions didn’t focus on what to change in others, but on us gaining better understanding of ourselves as leaders, and how to use that knowledge to gauge our relationships, and adjust our methods in order to bring out and develop the strengths of the students, teachers, and systems of the school. Virtually the concept was not to convince others to change, but to change ourselves and the environment we created in order to let the change become unstoppable. (Not a novel theme in leadership and change management, but man did it come to life that weekend!)

From the moment we walked in, the food, beverages (even Starbucks!), and snacks were 100% free. You just walked in and placed your order or just walked by and picked up what you wanted. No money was exchanged and no tips. We received a few tokens upon entering that we could gift to an employee that we felt helped us during our stay.

This made us very observant of the behaviors and attitudes of all we encountered. By the end of the weekend, it was hard to determine just a few employees to pass a token to because all were so very helpful and pleasing.

The atmosphere from the start almost felt resort”ish”, but it was also one of the most high expectation environments my team or I had been exposed to. While the environment was intentionally relaxing and accommodating, the expectation to be ready to learn and bring our “A” game was also evident. From the required dress, to the session content, and network of people assembled, it was evident we were there to learn, share, and grow as individuals and professionals. Just being there made us up our game, before we ever stepped foot in a classroom for a session.

We interacted with company executives, public school principals, and charter school principals to learn about how to make moments matter as leaders, how to leverage our strengths and our teams’ strengths or areas of growth, how to become a better communicator, and much more.

I reflect on this experience now as we venture into the CEN model. Just being in this network has increased a level of high expectation and vision not only for our students, but for ourselves as leaders, teachers, and community, and although we are in the beginning phase, we have learned very quickly that intentionality, focus, relationship, and thinking outside the box is the key to us moving mountains for our students. It is about impact.

How do we as leaders in a school and individuals create a place that sets high expectations, values relationships, allows us to keep a culture of learning and excitement about postsecondary education and skills, and keep our sanity while doing so. Be intentional. Be willing to listen. Be willing to apply what you learn. Be willing to do what it takes to get it done.

Much like being at Deloitte that weekend, being in this network has made me rethink why we do what we do, and why there is a need for models such as this in our public education arena. As a district, we are becoming more intentional about every decision. It is leading us to bring our “A” game everyday and be intentional about our impact. College and career ready is beginning to have a more tangible meaning and impact for our students and community.

There is no doubt when you visit a school like those in our network that the model is exciting, impactful, and much needed for our students, communities, and state. However, it is also very hard, intentional work that will continue to stretch our status quo of what we know to be public education, and that is ok!

We have often talked about in leadership meetings what we should be doing, or what we wished we could do. Isn’t it exciting to be in a network that is designed to make it happen, and to be surrounded by other likeminded professionals to help us all up our game in order to get it done!

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005)
Management Consultant
Quoted in Takeaways by James H. Quigley
Lessons learned in Client Conversations

As a parent, we are always quick to brag about our children. We are always excited about the new tasks they are involved in and cannot wait to tell others. Although we definitely think our children are great, our ultimate goal is for others to think as much of our children as we do.

Rural students are not given enough credit in my opinion. When there are 12 seniors and it’s a state year for band, we expect these students to rise up and be leaders, not get burned out and quit their senior year. But…. then we need them to be leaders in basketball, football, track, cross country, National Honor Society, UIL, FFA, campus leaders, oh and will you go ahead and graduate with your associate’s degree before high graduation also.

These students do not shy away from the challenges. They take the expectations and run with them. 

At the beginning of the school year, all of the junior class was on track to graduate with their associate’s degree. When August came we had two new junior students added to the class, zero dual credit hours. These students came in and went to work. Taking double the course load as the others in their class. Rising to the challenge and taking another course in December to get one more out of the way. At the end of the year, they too were on track to graduate with their associate’s degree. We think about the academic course load these students are taking and know they can handle them no problem. We sometimes forget about 5:30 a.m. arrival at the gym to lift weights for football, then practice in the evening until 6:00 p.m, youth group on Wednesday, helping out with siblings at home and suddenly these students have a full plate. Do we hear them complain at school? Not at all. We hear “what can I do to help you”, “what is next”, “how are my assignments looking?” 

Rural students need to be commended! They defeat many odds. Dr. Alexander made a quote in his blog post a while back that I am not sure people take to heart. “Only 13% of Rural Texas High School Graduates earn post-secondary credentials, leading to gainful employment opportunities.” 13%! That is a low number. Our goal, as a Collegiate Edu-Nation school, is to take this number and make it 90% by 2030. A task that is large but obtainable. 

We are here to support OUR children along the way and help all rural students be set for success in their future. We however can not take credit, we can only have bragging rights. These rural students put in the blood sweat and tears to make this happen. Ultimately, it is their hard work that gets them that certification and degree, and they deserve all of the bragging and celebration that we can give them. They need to know, I beat the odds and I deserve to be recognized!

I come from a long line of storytellers. My grandpa could keep my brother and my attention for hours by telling stories of cattle drives from Texas to Kansas that his grandpa told him as a youth. Today I would like to tell you a different story about a young boy with a dream.

In 1968 this young boy got his first exposure to a college campus when his grandparents took him to the Texas A&M football game. This eight year old had no clue about his future but he decided that day that he wanted, more than anything, to be an Aggie one day. I’m sure there are numerous stories about eight year olds having a dream and going on to realize this dream. However, this eight year old was different because he struggled in the classroom due to dyslexia.

During the course of this young boy’s school career he struggled but was able to maintain respectful grades. But, this young man never changed his mind about someday going to Texas A&M and becoming an Aggie. During this young man’s senior year in high school the school counselor began calling seniors down to his office to help prepare paperwork for college admission. This young man waited patiently, but never got the call. Finally, this young man went to the counselor and asked why he had not been summoned to his office. He was not prepared for the answer as the counselor stated he did not believe this young man could be successful in college…especially Texas A&M. This young man’s response to this was respectful, but very blunt, he said “just hide and watch me”.

Fast forward a few years and this same eight year old now holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Economics from Texas A&M University, a Master’s degree from Texas Tech University and a Doctorate degree from the joint Texas A&M University/Texas Tech University Doc at a Distance program.

While this story may not be as captivating as stories about cattle drives from Texas to the railheads in Kansas, but I can tell this story from first hand experience because that little boy grew up to be me.

While school was hard for me and could sometimes be frustrating, I would not trade with many individuals who are not dyslectic because of the journey it took me through and the lessons it taught me. The main reason my story turned out the way it did was because of my parent’s commitment to helping me and because of a few very special educators (including Drs. Shinn and Beyers on the CEN leadership team) who have mentored me through the years.

However, not every young person with dyslexia has such a success story. In fact, I’ve heard of educators who have labeled similar individuals as lazy, uninspired, and “just not very smart”.

The reality is that these youth are incredibly talented and most have an above average IQ.

As the 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Dr. Carol Grieder stated:

“As a scientist, one has to intuit many different things that are going on at the same time and apply those to a particular problem. Perhaps my ability to pull more information out of context and put together difficult ideas may have been affected by what I learned to do from dyslexia.”

Think just a minute about some other well-known individuals who are dyslexic and went on to be high achievers in life. A few include Charles Schwab, Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Nolan Ryan, Andrew Jackson, General George Patton, Woodrow Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Agatha Christie, and the above mentioned Nobel Prize winning microbiologist Dr. Carol Greider.

“I’m a professor at Johns Hopkins. Just because you’re dyslexic, doesn’t mean you can’t do anything you want to do.” – Dr. Grieder

There are also two more people that historians believe were dyslexic that were also pretty smart dudes – Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison*.

As we work collectively to improve rural education, I’m sure there is a young Albert Einstein sitting in a CEN classroom and it’s important to recognize they aren’t lazy, less motivated or less intelligent. These students simply learn and thinkdifferently…and they may have yet to find a special mentor to inspire them.

The great thing about the CEN P-20 model is that it requires all students, not just the academically high achievers to make substantial academic improvements to prepare them with the skills to be successful in the future workforce.Every student is expected to achieve and instruction is designed to provide “early wins” for students enabling them to gain confidence, improve their self-esteem, and provides a window for every student to see how the future world looks and how they can contribute to the world as they see it—not as how others want them to see it.

*There is conflicting information about Edison. There are historians who disagree that He was dyslexic. He may have not been dyslexic, but authors do agree he was definitely ADD and struggled with reading.

Over the last three years, I have had the privilege of leading Texas A&M AgriLife’s, Rural Student Success Initiative (RSSI). Being that RSSI is a relatively new project, people often ask me to explain it in a nutshell.  I describe RSSI as an initiative aimed to leverage AgriLife’s 250 county-based platform and longstanding presence in the community to broaden college access opportunities for students from remote regions of the state.

One question that I do not often get and which I was just most recently asked was, “What’s your connection to rural students?” I recently delivered a keynote presentation to a conference audience of faculty, policymakers, researchers, and students.  I shared with them that what attracted me to this position was that I saw RSSI as an opportunity to be part of a project that could transform people’s lives through education.  I never saw this position as just a “rural” college access initiative, but rather as a project with the potential to transform not only students’ lives in the short term, but also of future generations. The fact that I would be doing this work for rural communities was a plus for me, as I have always appreciated the authenticity of people, and the tranquility and simple life that can be experienced in small, isolated rural regions.

RSSI builds college awareness and extends technical assistance to rural school districts that are under resourced with limited access to college information due to their geographic location. We recognize that for students to attain a college education requires both academic preparation and non-academic student support services.  RSSI focuses on the latter.  Research shows that even the most academically prepared, yet socioeconomically disadvantaged students, still do not seek a higher education and do not complete degrees/credentials at the same rate as that of their more affluent peers. Lack of social and cultural capital is a major driver of the disparity in postsecondary outcomes.

While there are several conceptual research models in higher education that help frame students’ postsecondary choices, Perna’s (2006) Model of Student College Choice is one that most closely aligns with the premise of RSSI. A student’s decision to go to college is not a simple cost and benefit analysis, but rather a decision influenced by several layers of influencers, including the student’s habitus, family, school, and community context, and social, economic and policy context (Perna, 2006). It is these multiple layers that the RSSI approach attempts to address in the long-term through its stakeholder network, college access framework, local community-based programming, and technical assistance to school districts.  We recognize that this effort is monumental and a long-term endeavor. For RSSI to make a dent in each of these layers will require extensive, deep collaboration with like-minded organizations who have a sincere desire and long-term commitment to expanding educational opportunities for underserved, rural communities.

As I reflect on RSSI’s inaugural project launch three years ago when we were one of only two rural-focused initiatives, I am energized by the growth in organizations now starting to divert more of their resources to rural regions.  At the same time, my hope is that we continue to make a concerted effort to align our respective efforts and leverage all our resources for improving the social and economic well-being of rural communities for the long run.

Perna, L. (2006). Studying college access and choice: A proposed conceptual model. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, Vol. XXI, 99–157.

In November, I attended a Zoom meeting with one of our P-TECH students who had a rough first semester. The student is capable of much greater academic success than what he had demonstrated.  In turn, each school employee softly admonished the student and vigorously encouraged him to implement a few supports that could turn his second semester into great success.  He was very apologetic and accepting of our coaching.  He was also a bit embarrassed as his mother, through tears, admonished him not quite as softly as the rest of us.  This student is 18 years old and in his first semester of university course work under the support of the RCISD P-TECH program.

As I seek out and reflect on material for my dissertation, one recurring theme to college success is student support.  I recently read an article outlining support systems for high school-aged students who had been academically disconnected, but were engaging in early college programing as an effort to reconnected them (Mathern et al., 2020).  The article describes holistic supports for students who are most at-risk of academic failure.

As we implement systems that increase student access to higher education, it is important to remember that student support is a critical element to student success.  The article offers numerous supports from tutoring to coaching to social services.  However, the underlying foundation of those supports is relationship.  The article describes life coaches who meet with students weekly.  They form relationships with the students and, in time, they come to know what the students need in order to be successful.  The article describes coaches who take soup to sick students in order to address attendance issues, walk students to social services when needed, and help students find jobs – not to mention academic tutoring and coaching. One student in the article recounted that the coaches were “on your back” and “wouldn’t let me quit” (Mathern et al., 2020). He further states that for him, it was a good thing.

During the fall semester (2020), I had the privilege of sitting around the table of one of San Angelo’s finest Mexican restaurants with several Roscoe Collegiate ISD P-TECH students. As they went around the table telling us stories of their first semester on the Angelo State campus, I was amazed at their excitement to be going to school.  I was also amazed at how well Morgan Martin (Dean of Continuing Education at RCISD) knew each of their stories, successes, and struggles. Another thing that was evident was the relationship between the students and their coach, Bailey Thompson.

We should not only be mindful of student support systems as we plan for and implement college access programs, but we should be careful to hire people who understand the critical role of relationship while supporting students.  “Personalizing supports starts with authentic relationships” (Mathern et al., 2020).

Mathern, N., Toner, M., & Achieving the Dream, I. (2020). A gateway to college for high school students. Equity in design for holistic student supports. A series of four briefs examining the support needs of different community college student populations. https://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED606168&site=ehost-live

The journey of life is filled with valleys, which prove to be the classroom to prepare us for the battles we will face. On August 29, 2014 at 2:58 p.m. I watched as my wife of nearly 24 years take her last breath and pass into the arms of our Heavenly Father. At 44 years of age the wife, the mother and the teacher was instantly cancer free and delivered from a world that developed her into a solider of Christ. As I walked out to my pickup and settled in for the drive back home, I sat in silence and reflected on the last 18 months and how I had walked away from the school business to take care of her. Now 18 months later I had to determine the next steps and find a way to not only make a living, but also be a single parent with three children. I knew at that point I had to get back into the school business.

In the eight years following her death, my son has graduated from TAMU and operates a 10,000 acre ranch in central Kansas, my oldest daughter will be graduating from TAMU in May going to work in Southlake and my youngest who is actively involved in all activities at school will be the first class in Sunray to be fully immersed in the P-20 Model. I have by the grace of God continued to raise my children as a single working Dad. The unexpected personal and professional journey is truly a grace and faith filled journey.

In 2017 I accepted and moved to Sunray to be their Superintendent. The morning after I interviewed the Board President told me that they believed God placed me into their school system for a pathway to break the ‘dark cloud’ over their school. In August, 2019 I was exposed to the P-20 model and at that point every aspect of my professional and personal life came together. Growing up in poverty, being a first generation college graduate and my career as an Ag Teacher brought to light that my heart and soul is working with children of poverty and minority children, while at the same time leveling the ‘playing field’ for all children no matter their background.

In August, 2019 we changed our bond election from an athletic facility bond, to a CTE facility bond to allow us to fully implement the P-20 model. On a cold night in November, 2019 at around midnight the vote came in and our bond passed by ‘1’ vote. Leaning on the belief that God’s will was for us to implement this model, we moved forward with issuing bonds and the implementation of the P-20 model.

The full implementation of the P-20 brings, many challenges with every decision being grounded in the cornerstone of faith. Once God determines the will of anyone person or organization, Heaven and Earth will be parted to fulfill His will. I could list several pages of the daily challenges we have had implementing the model, but I also could list beside each challenge how God provided a solution and blessed the challenge with positive human capital outcomes.

My overlaying point is that throughout all of our lives true risk develops deeper faith. Each of us will be challenged to revert back to a status ‘quo’ of educating children, due to challenges that will come. Every part of my life has been preparing for the hill to either die on or raise the flag of success upon.

We must each day grab ahold of the fact that each of our lives will be remembered by the impact we make on people we will never meet. My life is grounded in my faith and through the will of God I will steward my district, my community and my family in a direction that will raise a flag on a hill to the glory of the God that will outshine for generations to come with changed lives in my district, my community and my family.