2nd Annual Summer Institute 2006              Registration Deadlines Approaching

We are offering two sessions: June 18-23 or July 23-28. If you are not familiar with our GATEWAY TO MASTERY^® week-long workshop, it is 5 days of intensive training in the Quality Management philosophy of Continuous Improvement to improve every aspect of the school and classroom. It is not a program or curriculum but a better way to manage learning and organizational practices from the district to right down into the classroom. Participants will receive all the tools needed and walk away with an action plan to implement for the next school year. See more details at our website www.gatewaytomastery.com  and register early to save $100.00.

June deadlines: Early-bird- March 15^th       Registration Deadline – April 15^th

July deadlines: Early-bird – April 15^th         Registration deadline – May 15^th 

For the third straight year, we will be speaking at the NCA-CASI Annual Meeting at the Chicago Downtown Marriot, Chicago, Illinois.  The conference takes place April 2^nd through the 5^th and we will have sessions on the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th. New this year, we will conduct a 3 hr pre-conference workshop the morning of April 2nd entitled “Data Analysis” which enables much more time for in-depth information. We will also conduct two different breakout sessions, “Culture Mastery” and “Feels Like Learning.” Each of the breakout sessions will be repeated and will take place on the 3^rd and 4^th. As always, we will have a booth available throughout the conference, so feel free to come by anytime to ask questions, say hello and pick up more information. For more information on the breakout sessions and/or to register for the pre-conference workshop, go to www.ncacasi.org/event/meeting. We’ll see you there

Mayfield City School District - Mayfield, Ohio

Teachers and administrators in the Mayfield City School District have done a terrific job in implementing what they learned at our Summer Institute and a workshop in conducted in November, 2005. Here are a few highlights:

Elementary School

The principal and teachers at the elementary school believed it was too noisy in the hallways, but they weren’t sure if the students felt the same way. They conducted a survey and found that students overwhelmingly agreed. Together, they worked out a plan to lessen the noise and carried it out. In the follow up survey a month later, the data showed nearly everyone agreed that the plan had been successful.

Middle School

One teacher collected data on the number of detentions she had each week to determine if detention was an effective consequence. She discovered the number of detentions, and therefore behaviors that result in detention, was staying the same. This insight helped her understand detention was not helping to improve the system. Armed with that awareness, she is now testing other theories to discover what will help reduce disruptive and unproductive behaviors.

High School

 Since attending the Summer Institute in July of 2005, the high school principal has been focused on utilizing the skills and tools acquired to improve staff enthusiasm. Near the end of summer, he and the union president developed a “Happy Face” survey to establish their current level of staff enthusiasm. When the survey was conducted, the staff was also given a “Plus/Delta” to uncover the causes of any dissatisfaction. The data and feedback was organized and shared with the staff and together they decided on 4 main areas where the principal could improve the school culture. Results on the first follow up survey in October actually showed a decline in enthusiasm, but the December follow-up survey showed a big turn around. Not only are the principal and his staff beginning to enjoy a more pleasant workplace, teachers have indicated that the principal has gained a tremendous amount of respect and trust as he models the process and takes the risks associated with it. It will inspire many to try the same with students in their classroom. Well done!

Keep up the great work!

If you are currently practicing any discipline of GATEWAY TO MASTERY^®, please send   your success stories, so we may share them in upcoming editions. Click here to send us your story

Thank you for your interest,

Jacquie and Jeff Burgard

Improvement Facilitators

J.J. Burgard & Associates

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