“If you really want to understand something, try changing it.” - Kurt Lewin As the Director of Learning for a school division made up of 18 schools, my job is to help lead the largest change initiative ever undertaken in our school community. One of the most important, difficult, messy things any school leader does is lead change. While we can learn from the change leadership of others, copying their work most often leads to failure. Success is more likely to come from adapting others work to our own context. In this workshop I share the journey we’ve undertaken collectively in our schools; how we developed a shared vision, cultivated collaborative cultures, maintained a focus on deep learning, and wrestle with the nuances of accountability. Informed by the latest research on change management in education, we also model strategies for fostering deep learning conversations in your schools. We’ll engage in some deeper learning conversations together and take back a wealth of ideas you can adapt to your own context. Developing collaborative cultures is careful and precise work that has profound impact when carried out well. So how do you do that? Come, let’s learn together. Good people are important, but good cultures are moreso.

1. "In the clouds - EXPLORE rules changed" flickr photo by kevin dooley https://flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/5649963074 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by dankos-unlmtd: http://flickr.com/photos/deskounlmtd/3695922896/
Leading Change
Darren Kuropatwa
Building Learning Communities
Boston, MA, July 2018

2. Hello. My name is …
Glad to be on your team today. :-)

3. from the
North Star
to the
North
Field

4. what’s your
North Star?
bit.ly/ourkidblc18

5. from the
North Star
to the
North
Field

7. why?
how?
what?

9. We develop a
collaborative culture by
collaborating.
How will you empower
people to travel this
road together?

10. Transforming
School Culture

11. Accelerators
(believers)
Transforming School Culture
“Yes we can!”

12. Tweeners
Transforming School Culture
“I don’t know”

13. Survivors
Transforming School Culture
“Just get
me through
the day”

14. Guardians
(fundamentalists)
Transforming School Culture
“No way!”

15. What is the most
important thing I just
said?“

16. Diffusion of Innovations

17. If you had to explain to a
colleague why you think this
information is important,
what would you say?
“

18. bit.ly/LeadChangeBLC18

19. The Culture Code
psychological
safety
trust
shared
purpose

20. Leadership
Focusing Direction
Cultivating
Collaborative Cultures
Leading Learning
Securing
Accountability

23. Next Steps

24. thank you
Natalie Merchant - Kind and Generous
@dkuropatwa dkuropatwa@gmail.com j.mp/whilewalking