Overview
The Memphis City School District (MCSD) was created in 1869 and has since grown to be the largest school district in the state of Tennessee. The district maintains 191 schools, and employs 16,500 people including 8,000 teachers. Tennessee ranks 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending - about $5,340 per student. Ninety-one percent of Memphis City School students are minorities and 71% of the student body is eligible for free and reduced-price lunches. In the 2003-04 school year, the system had a 61% graduation rate and over 140 of the system's schools were on the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) watch list as "needs improvement." In the last two years, 83 of these schools have been taken off that list and their graduation rate is steadily improving.
With Superintendent Carol Johnson's arrival in late 2003, the district has begun a noticeable turnaround, with one indicator being the many schools that have been taken off the NCLB list. To initiate this turnaround, Johnson emphasized a district vision which maintains that every single employee has a direct impact on students' ability to achieve. She also recognized that the district had a lot of untapped leadership. As a result, staff at all levels are encouraged to take ownership and leadership responsibilities where they are best able to do so. Staff are encouraged to build leadership teams around specific issues and content areas as a means of building healthy relationships and increasing the effectiveness of decisions and outcomes. MCSD also builds strong partner relationships with the higher education, businesses and local community organizations and is seeing the benefits as these groups take some responsibility for the quality of education in the district.
Memphis City School District Web site
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The Union's Story in Memphis
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Relations between the teachers union, the district and the school board have been consistently improving in recent years. The union believes that successful leadership is the key to building effective teachers and good learners. Union members understand that all stakeholders will not always agree on every decision or the same solutions. However, they have an appreciation for differing opinions among district stakeholders, thus they value compromise and the bargaining process that currently takes place in Memphis. The union leadership has appreciated Superintendent Johnson's style and the fact that she works with them on a day-to-day basis to come to agreements for teachers and principals in the district. The union places a high value on practical teaching experience in principals and it works with the school district to stress this point.
Ken Foster: Executive Director, Memphis Education Agency
Relations with the district have improved largely due to a very good personal relationship between the union leadership and the superintendent. Executive Director Ken Foster recognizes and values Superintendent Johnson's deep passion for public education and thus respects their differences of opinion. Foster knows the goals of the superintendent and the union are not always aligned, however, he feels that the healthy working relationship between the union and the district office enables all stakeholders to compromise and reach agreements that are of benefit to everyone in the system.
Charles New: President, Memphis Education Agency
Dealings between the union and the school board have been successful because of stability within the core leadership of both of groups. A primary district goal is to strengthen relationships and interactions between teaching staff and school leadership, and enable them to work more cohesively as a team. President Charles New wants to make sure there is an evaluation process in place and incentives for teachers to become leaders, as well as opportunities for leaders to improve their skills and knowledge.
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The Principal's Story in Memphis
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Principals in Memphis have been selected because they are motivated "from the heart" and are dedicated to making positive changes for students. They share an understanding that Memphis historically has been a tough, low-performing district and are committed to making it a high- performing one. MSCD principals believe strongly in sharing their leadership responsibilities with their staff so the staff as a whole takes ownership of both positive and negative outcomes. They value a sense of family and mutual respect among the entire school staff because it builds the school culture around safety and open decisionmaking.
Jim Long: Principal, Cragmont High School
Jim Long truly believes in the capabilities of his entire staff, and he sees in his staff the willingness to do the hard work that is required at Cragmont. Long has built a professional learning community around his philosophy of "no excuses" and "failure is not an option." He sees himself as a one-minute manager, responding to all problem areas personally and passionately. He is there first and foremost for the kids and given any tough decision, he will always put the kids first.
Catherine Battle: Principal, Snowden Elementary
Catherine Battle believes that healthy and positive relationships among the entire staff of her school are the key to making real change happen. Healthy relationships allow her to implement a team approach to most school operations. These teams are trusted with full leadership, responsibility and ownership of any situation. Battle sees supporting her staff as her most important role in the school, and this responsibility combined with the team structure promotes a culture of shared leadership at Snowden.
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The Leadership Community's Story in Memphis
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Memphis City Schools, New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS) and the local business community have been working closely to make sure that principal leadership in Memphis is as strong as it can be because this role serves as the linchpin to increased student achievement in the district. The partnership with NLNS has brought a network of local leadership to the district, quickly exposing schools and the district to a host of resources that might not otherwise be available. New Leaders for New Schools focuses heavily on leaders' personal professional development and on tailoring leadership styles to best fit the needs of students. Some elements of the NLNS training programs are part of a national program, but many are specific to the Memphis community. In addition, district executives receive training from The Leadership Academy in Memphis. The academy is a resource to business executives throughout the city of Memphis and has partnered with Memphis City Schools to provide professional development to central office staff.
Linda Bailey: Principal and CEO, The Leadership Academy
http://www.leadershipacademy.org/
Linda Bailey has developed her leadership development program to train business leaders in Memphis so that the city remains economically vital and business leaders see the importance of supporting the community where their businesses reside. She believes that an individual's creativity and personality are vitally important to build into her training. She values each trainee's unique worldview, and she tries to utilize that uniqueness, not stifle it. People leave her training program feeling empowered to challenge the status quo when necessary and to make real change where it is needed. This is especially important for district leaders to feel they can make changes and push new ideas and practices to improve the learning for students.
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The District Office Story in Memphis
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The district office staff in Memphis seek to implement the superintendent's vision at all levels of district and school administration. The district leadership has taken a team approach to the decisionmaking process, making healthy and trusted relationships integral to the daily operation of the district. Transparency is crucial to these efforts and in order to keep the entire district on the same page, monthly meetings are held with all the school and district leadership. The district office process is validated through support for teachers and principals, and changes are made if the process does not serve and support principals adequately. The district office staff believe that in order to continue the positive trends in Memphis, some risks have to be taken – such as bringing in the new principal development program called New Leaders for New Schools. Staff hope that most results will be positive, but they are comfortable with failures as long as it serves the learning process.
Michael Goar: Chief Operating Officer and head of Human Resources, MCSD
Michael Goar has been devoted to exploring and developing the organization culture of MCSD since he began his tenure with Carol Johnson in 2003. He has been trying to create a culture – even in the physical operations of the schools – which is based entirely on the students. To accomplish this he wants every single staff member in the district – bus drivers, tech support staff, cleaning crew – to be able to directly link his or her work to student achievement. Goar takes it personally when kids do not achieve, and he wants other staff members to feel personally connected to achievement just as he does. He is developing an in-house pipeline for the professional development of operational staff to formalize the promotion process. He sees a lot of potential leaders on this side of the education system capable of facilitating change, and he wants to make sure they have the tools to do so.
Mira Whitney: Elementary Superintendent, MCSD
Mira Whitney has focused efforts on creating a sustainable professional learning community for her principals and she is a driving force behind Memphis' attempts to align the district curriculum and assessments properly with state and federal standards. She strongly believes that a key part of this process is a high level of communication and transparency among district staff so that everyone has access to the same student achievement, program evaluation and district data. She has monthly meetings with her principals and the superintendent to ensure the whole district is on the same page with the curriculum, standards and assessment alignment processes.
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The Superintendent's Story in Memphis
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Carol Johnson: Superintendent, Memphis City Schools
Before Superintendent Johnson arrived at Memphis City Schools, she did not see the state of the district as challenging; rather she saw its overwhelming potential for success. Her initial task was to get the right leadership in the right places in the district. She searched the district for staff whose colleagues believed they possessed confidence, leadership capacity and integrity. Using this "leadership inventory" she recognized that these were people with great potential to help her lead change in the district – and they were in need of cultivation. Johnson understands that often there are obstacles and political barriers to implementing change but because of her willingness to challenge the status quo, but she is not deterred. Rather, she uses these opportunities to get the entire school board to seek formal school governance training. She values differences among the community and organizational stakeholders in Memphis City Schools because she knows that varying input and opinions from the community are an important part of the democratic process and will strengthen the ownership and resolve of the community to improve.
Johnson believes that her principals are in the most important leadership position, and she has tried to create an environment where the good leaders are self-selecting. Healthy relationships are integral to this process as they allow for a degree of openness and deeper knowledge of where leaders need development. Good relationships also allow for a shared sense of responsibility among leaders who are willing to rely on others when necessary.
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