Getting It Done

Karin Chenoweth & Christina Theokas GETTING IT DONE —Leading Academic Success in Unexpected Schools

“Getting It Done” is the third book for Chenoweth on what leaders of successful high poverty and high-minority schools are doing to support and sustain student achievement. The first book, “It’s Being Done,” gives us examples of schools who are prioritizing student learning and consistently showing results.  The second book, “How It’s Being Done”, provides insights into the structures and systems needed for achievement.

So who are these “It’s Being Done” leaders? Chenoweth, with the help of Theokas, went out and found them, studied them, interviewed them, compared their practices, and discovered the following:They are not superheroes, but instructional lead learners. (?) Their knowledge of teaching and learning is extensive and they share what they know to develop teachers as instructional leaders.

1. They are not superheroes, but instructional lead learners. Their knowledge of teaching and learning is extensive and they share what they know to develop teachers as instructional leaders.
2. They are leaders who have a vision and a mission for students and never lose sight of that in the myriad of their other responsibilities. All children can learn and it’s our job to figure out how to teach then so they do.
3. Day to day you will find them in the classrooms monitoring instruction, providing targeted feedback, and observing student learning. These principals are relentlessly respectful and respectfully relentless, with a “balance of pressure and support.”
4. They are your organizers and conductors of the system. They collaborate in professional learning communities, actively engage shareholders, give 100% of their effort and never give up on student success.
5. They are leading the way and Getting It Done by focusing on what we can do rather than what we can’t.

Getting it done principals are visible. Not through their office window, but in classrooms, hallways, data team meetings, professional learning sessions, and community events. They are Getting It Done with continued critical conversations to make student learning equitable and a priority.