Possip Partner Spotlight: Report Reading Team Tips from an Executive Director

Dr. Celia Conley is an incredible Executive Director (ED) in the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) district. In her role as an ED, she supports a cluster of middle schools and their principals. As a former MNPS principal herself, Dr. Conley used parent feedback from Possip’s Pulse Check Reports to strengthen her school, however, she didn’t accomplish this alone. She strategically built a report reading team–a team of school administrators and staff who routinely met to discuss parent praise, feedback, and action steps to close the feedback loop.

She says “having [a report reading] team allows you to ensure timely follow-up with families, and develop capacity for the leaders in your building [since they] assist [with report reading].” As the leader of a larger school, she decided to include her administrative team and Community Achieves (CA) manager on her report reading team because they “all worked with parents frequently.”

Now Dr. Conley is supporting other principals as an ED, and guiding them in their use of Possip. She sent her principals the following tips on communicating parent insights with staff and building a report reading team. She gave us permission to share her helpful tips with you too:

1. Share celebrations with the staff.

We all need a pick-me-up every now and then. I would often share school-wide celebrations in my Sunday emails, in my faculty meeting slide deck, etc. For individual teachers, I would immediately cut and paste and send it to them. It was always “right on time” for them (and me). (Team Possip Tip: Now, you can select the “email” button when viewing your report from the Possip site, and an email will automatically populate so you can easily share the praise).

2. Address comments quickly.

Follow-up with parents that expressed concerns, and thank parents that gave you praise.

3. Build capacity through a report reading team!

You can add additional users to Possip so they can have access to the reports. My APs, Deans, and Community Achieves (CA) manager all received the report directly from Possip. Just email jasmine@possip.com and she can add them. This way you are not the only one to review it, and the team can help divvy up the load.

4. Assign roles on your report reading team.

Our general system was that I would take the praise and any heavy issues, the dean would take the bullying comments, and the APs would take any student or teacher issues for their grade levels. The CA would handle food and technology needs.  We would forward ones that were in Spanish to our translator for follow-up.

If you’re a district leader or executive director who wants to support your principals like Dr. Conley, she recommends that a good starting point is to “Model sharing the praise with your principals by cutting snippets [from the report].”  

Let us know if you want to connect with her to learn more! Read additional Possip Partner spotlights here.

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Partner Connect 2021 Recap

Yesterday was Possip’s first retreat for our customers – PARTNER CONNECT 2021: Empowering Diversity and Equitable Decision Making. 

We’ve been dreaming about this retreat for a long time. Dreaming about a world where our partners share wisdom and problem solve side-by-side. Dreaming of a world where you – educators and district administrators – have a diverse and broad network of peers you lean on and learn from any time you need. 

This first retreat was just the beginning! So many people took time for development and considered the ways they can lead with wisdom and equity.  The retreat was full of incredible insights, and today the Experience and Support team is sharing their favorite takeaways! 

You are stressed because you care. 

Dr. Modupe Akinola, Associate Professor of Management at Columbia Business School, taught us that when we deny stress, we deny something we care about. Instead, acknowledging your stress lets you think more clearly and become proactive with it. Try this exercise next time you are stressed: Ask, “Why do I care?” Keep asking “Why do I care?” until you get to the root of your care and concern. You may feel stressed out about a parent conference, and find that the root of why you care is because you want to help a student with their self-esteem.  Dr. Akinola’s wisdom taught us that the information you focus on can determine your response to stress. Next time you, your staff or students are stressed, focus on why and remember – we are stressed because we care. 

Three Steps to Managing Stress: List → Categorize → Prioritize. 

Dr. Akinola created a workbook you can use on Rethinking Stress. Download it here. Her process starts like this: take a few minutes to list your major responsibilities in the coming month. Now, categorize these responsibilities using the chart below. As you do, consider the following questions: Which activities are the highest impact, ‘Quadrant II’ tasks for you? What concrete steps can you take to realign your priorities around these activities? Next time you are facing too many decisions and priorities, consider what is important and urgent. 

Respond to stress and negative feedback by listening.

Possip sees so much praise from parents and staff, but we know that partners also need the skills to interpret and respond to negative feedback. We asked Dave Kaval, President of the Oakland A’s, his strategy for handling hard feedback. He reminded us that listening disarms folks, saying, “Really listen… not just wait to talk and find a solution.” When he’s faced tough feedback in town halls or other venues, he takes this approach: “I just told people the truth. It made people more understanding.” We know that our partners are constantly triaging needs and making decisions. Next time you face negative feedback or an unsolvable dilemma, remember that it’s okay to not have the answer. The tone with which you listen and communicate is most important in building bridges and strengthening relationships.

Listen big. 

Dave Kaval has a big, booming voice, and he also listens big. He said, “If you are just listening through one mode, you have a blind spot.” Dave has been intentional in integrating community voices into his ballpark building project. He found ways to create multiple methods of listening, starting with putting community members on his staff so they could advocate for their city and the people in it. Pre-pandemic, Dave strategically hosted town halls and block parties in different neighborhoods to hear diverse voices and lean into topics most relevant to those communities. He’s used polling, social channels, and more. This wisdom reminds our partners that Possip is a great way to hear from families, but it should not be the only way. What’s important is that you give people every opportunity, and many opportunities to share… and that you listen big. 

Visualize your contributions. 

When you are stressed, close your eyes and think of the faces of those you have helped. Naya Powell gave us the gift of a mindful leadership session. She showed us how mindful leaders express gratitude for life, others, and themselves. At Possip, we believe that praise is powerful. We love prompting families and teams to share their praise with you because you are praiseworthy. Take some time to think about how far you’ve come, and consider the ways that you have adapted, evolved, and led bravely through this time.

We will keep dreaming of building a community with you, and the ways people can find inspiration and leadership through the power of shared voices. When we close our eyes, that’s what we see. 

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Consultancy Protocol

My name is Amanda Richards and I work at Possip to lead the Reporting team and help facilitate professional development. I am a former school principal and teacher. I’m here to share a resource that I consistently used to involve community members at my school. 

A few years ago, I was able to attend one of Elena Aguilar’s conferences on her book “The Art of Coaching Teams”

Her focus is to build strong school teams and use the power of people to make collaborative decisions. 

The resource that you’ll go through today is based on Elena Aguilar’s Consultancy Protocol. While I was a principal, I mostly used this with my grade level teacher leaders and our school leadership team. It provides a structured agenda to problem-solve and make decisions with trusted community or team members. 

As a result of using this protocol, I found that it helped my teachers, school leaders, and myself. When we are able to hear more voices and perspectives it leads to more equitable decision-making for everyone.

I hope you find this group work time helpful and you’re able to use this tangible tool. 

Consultancy Protocol Steps

While you’re walking through these steps, make sure to check out this resource you can use as well!

1. Firstly, a presenter prepares a dilemma or decision for the consultancy meeting.
2. The first part of the meeting, the Presenter shares the dilemma or decision verbally or through artifacts like data, emails, or other information. The Presenter can ask for feedback or input on one key question or decision.
3. Group asks the presenter clarifying questions that require yes–no or short answers only so everyone can get clarity on the decision or dilemma efficiently.
4. The group silently reflects on the presenter’s dilemma or decision and prepares for discussion.
5. Next, there’s a Group Fishbowl Discussion where the Presenter doesn’t participate and just take notes. In the discussion, group members can ask probing questions, share insights they gained, and voice any other ideas or reflections they came up with.
6. The presenter takes One Minute of Silence to reflect and share their takeaway with the group.
7. Lastly, the Presenter shares any reactions, insights, or next steps they want to take based on the community input during the consultancy. 

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Possip Partner Spotlight: Inglewood Elementary

This week our Partner Spotlight is on Inglewood Elementary in Nashville, TN. Their dynamic principal, Ashley Croft, uses parent praise from Pulse Checks to celebrate her team. Inglewood Elementary’s staff spotlights appear in their “Tuesday Newsday” parent newsletter and on social media. Read our Q&A with Principal Croft to learn more about staff celebrations. Let …

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Possip Partner Spotlight: STRIVE Collegiate Academy

This week our Partner Spotlight is on STRIVE Collegiate Academy based in Nashville, TN. Their wonderful Founder and Executive Director, LaKendra Butler, shares parent feedback updates in STRIVE’s weekly communications, which include parent calls and a parent newsletter shared via text and email. Read our Q&A with LaKendra to learn strategies for closing the parent-school …

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Sharing Feedback: A Quick How To Guide

Sharing feedback can be hard!  Sharing feedback with your child’s school can be really hard!  At Possip, we’re all about feedback, so here are some tips for sharing feedback with your child’s school:   Build a Relationship: It’s never too late to cultivate relationships with the people that are invested in your child’s success– teachers, …

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How School Closures Gave Our Son a Fresh Start

Stephanie Fuhs shared her reflections on how school closures gave her son a fresh start.  Stephanie is an Assistant School Leader at KIPP Bessie Coleman Academy in Jacksonville, FL. She has been working in education for over 12 years and is passionate about ensuring kids have a strong start in their earliest years of learning. …

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