Active Learning Consultants, Richard Bernato Ed.D.

From

Shared Decision Making to
Shared Planning for School Improvement

Promoting Effective Schools through
High Involvement

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Shared Decision Making
for High Involvement
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Shared decision making, a State Education regulation since the early 90’s had only recently begun to show any relationship with student achievement.

Pricilla Wohlstetter’s research (1997) has demonstrated that shared decision making in schools can NOT be locked into a cause / effect syllogism. Rather, shared decision making is only effective when it is a part of an array of school improvement efforts.

More than that, schools or school systems that create shared decision making teams, but which NEGLECT the High Involvement factors necessary for them to be effective have wasted their time and corrupted the expectation of shared decision making.

High Involvement Elements

Power - the extent to which the group, or members of the group have real authority to plan, change, decide.

Knowledge - the extent to which the group has been trained to work collaboratively together and to have enough knowledge of the organization and its needs to identify plans and needs.

Information - the extent to which the group has the data it needs to make good decisions and also the extent to which it has sought input and communication from its constituent stakeholders.

Goals - the extent to which the group has clear and SMART goals to target.

Leadership - the extent to which leadership is dispersed among the stakeholders to move toward appropriate goals.

Resources - the extent to which the group has what it needs to meet its goals, or, the extent to which they strive to overcome obstacles to obtain resources.

Rewards - the extent to which the group receives intrinsic or extrinsic recognition and / or satisfaction for having worked together.

Shared Planning

When these elements are present and actively promoted, then shared decision making teams can get PAST the business of deciding and into active planning for meaningful CHANGE. Active Learning will help your shared decision making team make the transition from deciding in a vacuum into operational and strategic planning.

Active Learning Consultants can help you:

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your shared decision making teams.

Determine who has the authority to meet the goals that you plan for and determine how it is used.

Identify what skills it takes to know how to work together.

Obtain the data you need to make informed plans.

Analyze the real meaning behind the data you have.

Communicate your school’s needs to our stakeholders and to gather input from them.

Build leadership skills among stakeholders according to your plans’ needs.

Generate a strong sense of a common instructional mission.

Identify ways to obtain the resources you need.

Train your shared decision making teams with the knowledge and skills to be truly effective by

Mastering the skills of group and team collaboration

Using data to establish the real needs of children and the school

Developing operational plans within a strategic vision

For more information, contact us at richber1@optonline.net

	Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your shared decision making teams.
	Determine who has the authority to meet the goals that you plan for and determine how it is used.
	Identify what skills it takes to know how to work together.
	Obtain the data you need to make informed plans.
	Analyze the real meaning behind the data you have.
	Communicate your school’s needs to our stakeholders and to gather input from them.
	Build leadership skills among stakeholders according to your plans’ needs.
	Generate a strong sense of a common instructional mission.
	Identify ways to obtain the resources you need.
	Train your shared decision making teams with the knowledge and skills to be truly effective by
	Mastering the skills of group and team collaboration
	Using data to establish the real needs of children and the school
	Developing operational plans within a strategic vision