What We Do
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Get to Great is a new program at The Rensselaerville Institute that focuses on New York State public school districts that are good, but aspire to greatly improved results. A major premise of the program is that leaders who know how to deliver results can move schools and school districts to significantly higher student achievement and overall performance.
The second year of the Get to Great program was kicked off with the opening conference held at the Rensselaerville Meeting Center September 30th – October 2nd. Four districts (Hartford, Hoosick Falls, Palmyra-Macedon and Queensbury) are now in their second year with the program, and ten districts (Binghamton, Catskill, Edmeston, Guilderland, Lyons, Marcus Whitman, Odessa-Montour, Saratoga Springs, Union-Endicott and Voorheesville) are in their first year with the program. These districts are ready to develop their skills as superintendents, principals and other senior management in being Result Leaders.
In each case the superintendent, central office administrators, and principals have made a commitment to use tools and guidance from GTG to make improvements in critical areas. The tools include setting targets, messaging and use of data—strategies honed in TRI’s Signature Program School Turnaround and here adapted for use with higher performing schools. The focus in this first year is twofold: each school district concentrates on leverage points for system-wide improvement and each school leader masters results skills by running his/her own improvement project. Results rather than process drive the program.
Here's what a few of our workshop participants had to say:
"This is the best professional development I've experienced in my 35 years in education.” - Mike Chirco, Superintendent, Marcus Whitman CSD
"The conference was stimulating and helped me to realize that I can bring the results approach to everything I do." - Rick Amundson, Superintendent, Lyons CSD
"Get to Great is serving to galvanize our school district into truly setting achievable goals in improving the entire educational experience for our students. It is not "a new program", but instead an embedded leadership staff development effort that helps school district leaders pull together all efforts and focus them on the achievement of desired goals.” - Suzanne E. McLeod, Ed.D., Superintendent, Union-Endicott CSD
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GTG was founded within TRI by Dr. Les Loomis, who retired from Bethlehem Central Schools as Superintendent of the District in the Capital Region of upstate New York. Like most new TRI programs, the approach used is entrepreneurial: find and support a “sparkplug” who has the drive, skill, and knowledge to make a program happen; and design and implement small scale start ups that generate energy and insights critical to a broader design.
Please click on the pdf links below for more information:
What’s a world class school district?
The Building Blocks of World Class School Districts
Characteristics of Results Leaders for Districts and Schools
Contact Les Loomis if you are a "results leader" who would like to explore Getting your school district to "Great" results. leslieloomis@comcast.net 508-255-6807
