| Praise Statements
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| As superintendent, I have found the Organizational Health improvement process to truly be a gift I can give principals to impact their schools climate. Fairman and McLean have taken the research on school leadership and translated it into a practical model and course of action for building leadership capacity and school productivity. Their intelligent and sensitive training and the data analysis provided enable principals and teachers to develop insight and powerful leadership tools. The Organizational Health concepts lead to a common language for principals and teachers that facilitate discussion and collaboration on school improvement efforts. |
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| Richard A. Middleton, PhD., Superintendent |
| North East Independent School District |
| San Antonio, Texas |
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| Superintendents who are searching for practical strategies for improving student performance should incorporate these leadership concepts into the culture of their districts. Prior to accepting my last two superintendent positions, both Boards of Education knew that a pre-condition for my accepting the position was that the Board of Education would fund and support the Organizational Health improvement process. Data from the Organizational Health Instrument and associated improvement strategies provide a systematic process for building the leadership capacity of leadership teams throughout a school district. The use of this process will clearly enhance results and assist in creating a culture that capitalizes on the skills and abilities of all team members. |
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| Bob Moore, Superintendent |
| Victoria Independent School District |
| Victoria, Texas |
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| I have worked with the Organization Health consultants in two urban school districts with phenomenal results. The impact of the Organizational Health diagnostic and development process helped us improve student achievement by strengthening the leadership capacity of instructional leadership teams in schools along with central office staff, by developing a common language for system-wide improvements, and by using perception data to enhance the culture and climate across the entire district. Organizational Health is a major tool of our reform agenda and has been a priceless investment in our development of human capital (i.e., teachers, administrators and my senior staff) to leverage the work to improve student achievement and grow the organization. |
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| Dr. Alan Ingram, Superintendent |
| Springfield Public Schools |
| Springfield, Massachusetts |
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| The Organizational Health improvement process has been a positive factor contributing to increasing our achievement levels. There has been great movement in improving the cohesiveness of our schools, which is translating to success for our students. Additionally, our high school director Mike McKenzie shared,. . . . the resource provided by Enhancing leadership Effectiveness training has served as a key tool in our ongoing leadership development program for our schools and staff. It has been an invaluable resource for our leaders in their work to transform schools. We have continued to watch our leaders grow through this process, which has increased capacity in our schools. |
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| Dr. Stu Silberman, Superintendent |
| Fayette County Public Schools |
| Lexington, Kentucky |
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Intuitively we know that effective leadership is critical for an educational organization to develop and sustain a culture of achievement for its students. Michael Fullan's work, Leading in a Culture of Change, captures the important concept that we must go beyond merely focusing on the leadership development of talented individuals for improvement, but as Fullan asserts, learning to do the right thing in the setting where you work is the key to powerful decision making in our schools. The Organizational Health assessment and strategies have helped us penetrate the layers of critical leadership into the core of the classroom where some of the most important decisions are made.
The strategies of measurement, reflection, and planning along the ten dimensions Organizational Health at the building level have led Cabell County to a place where organizational structures are designed to equip classroom and building leaders with the capacity to make decisions and solve problems in a way that is consistent with the mission and vision of the district. As a superintendent of schools in a national atmosphere where every decision seems to be scrutinized through skeptical lenses, the strategies inherent in Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness are essential to success and sustained growth. Our students deserve nothing less. |
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| William A. Smith, Superintendent |
| Cabell County Public Schools |
| Huntington, West Virginia |
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| Private sector CEO's work to ensure they have the quantitative measures that indicate the appropriateness of their focus and the impact of their efforts. With OHI, public education in America can sharpen its focus and achieve far, far more predictable and successful outcomes. This is a wakeup call for common education in America and the word can't be spread quickly enough! |
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| Clifford Hudson |
Chairman, Oklahoma City School Board, 2001-2008
Chairman and CEO, Sonic Corp. 1995-present |
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This book ( Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness ) has become one of the books in my library that I continue to use as a guide in the day-to-day work of school district leadership. It is required reading for all leaders in our district. I encourage anyone who is interested in a process leading to continuous improvement and organizational effectiveness to read and re-read this book. It will make a difference in your leadership practice.
Organizational Health continues to provide essential information and a structured process that allows our schools to plan for continuous improvement based on reliable data that strongly correlates to increasing student achievement. It is a foundational process in our school district.
As a school superintendent I have found Organizational Health to be a highly valued process as we strive for continuous improvement in our schools and throughout all departments in our school district. Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness is a must read for anyone interested in improving his or her personal leadership within any school or department setting.
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| J. Tim Mills, Ed.D. |
| North Clackamas Schools |
| Milwaukie, Oregon |
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