Planting Seeds for Student Growth

As a former farmer/rancher and avid gardener, I associate
spring with the labor-intensive work of preparing the soil, planting crops, and
planning for the upcoming growing season. The fruits of my labor pay off in
high dividends as I am ready to respond to weather conditions, insect
infestations, and other unforeseen calamities because I have created an environment
where my crops and plants can grow, thrive, and perhaps resist problems before
they occur. Ironically, our school year is based on the same agrarian calendar
but we rarely allow time in the spring to till the soil and plant new seeds to
help ensure that students learn skills that allow them to resist the problems
they might encounter within their own environments.

In education, spring labor entails completing standardized
testing, ensuring the required curriculum is taught, grading student work for
report cards, and dealing with families and students stressed about upcoming
changes. The fast-paced rush to the school year’s end results in exhausted teachers
and administrators who are struggling to cross the finish line. There is little
time to reflect on accomplishments, identify opportunities for improvement, and
develop a plan that ensures student growth and ongoing success. If we are not
taking the time with our staff to thoughtfully assess how well our systems are
working, come up with solutions to problems and develop plans to address
lagging student achievement, we will never be able to plant the seeds that help
move the dial in school improvement.  

Administrators are likely to save time by taking time out to meet with staff in the spring and assess whether or not goals have been met and begin strategizing for the upcoming year. The National Center for Rural School Mental Health has made this a little easier by creating a variety of tools to help leadership teams assess current practices through the Early Identification System (EIS). The EIS helps to identify gaps and needs with the intervention alignment form and develop implementation plans with the installation form that increases the probability that the upcoming year will yield better results. Your team can be guided through this process by taking the Creating Lasting Change Course on our website. Your students will reap many benefits from this planning in the years to come.