Three Focus Areas Article

As we begin 2017 and reflect on the first half of the year, I am reminded of the statement, "Keep the first things first." Recently Mike Schmoker wrote an article entitled “The Power of Focus” in Principal Leadership, January 2017 (Vol. 17, #3, p. 42-45), where he summarized the need for schools to focus on prioritizing the most importing actions. In a summary of the article linked below, Schmoker reflects on his three high-leverage area for schools to consider. Enjoy the quick read.

The Power of Focus Summary from AWSA's Marshall Memo

   Where should the focus be? Schmoker believes three areas have the strongest track record of success, are easy to understand when presented in professional development, and lend themselves to being continuously refined as they are implemented by teacher teams:

            • Consistent, schoolwide implementation of a coherent, content-rich curriculum – Teachers should have clear, specific direction on which skills and concepts to teach – the what and when – with discretion on the how to and some room each week for teachable moments and personal passions. Curriculum focus “may be the single largest factor that affects both student achievement and reading proficiency,” says Schmoker.

            • Mastery by every teacher of the components of effective, explicit instruction – Of paramount importance is ongoing checking for student understanding (minute by minute, day by day, week by week) and adjusting instruction based on assessment insights. This is especially important for project- and problem-based learning.

            • An intensive, curriculum-wide emphasis on fairly traditional literacy – “We have overcomplicated instruction in reading, speaking, and writing,” says Schmoker. “To succeed, students simply need vastly more time to purposefully read, discuss, and write about worthy, substantive literature and nonfiction across the curriculum (as often as possible, in the interpretive and argumentative mode).”

            Only a small fraction of schools are implementing these practices, but those that are (like Brockton High School in Massachusetts) are making dramatic gains. The common factor in Brockton and other successful schools is a leadership team working with colleagues in a way that is highly focused and relentless and provides plenty of opportunity for review and practice. “To the greatest extent possible,” says Schmoker (who is critical of the way teacher-evaluation rubrics are being implemented in many districts), “this should occur in a climate that emphasizes helpfulness and growth, rather than evaluation.” 

“The Power of Focus” by Mike Schmoker in Principal Leadership, January 2017 (Vol. 17, #3, p. 42-45), e-link for NASSP members; Schmoker can be reached at schmoker@futureone.com.