Anoka-Hennepin School Dist No 11
Report date
June 2017
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
The Anoka-Hennepin Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force included students, staff, parents, and additional community members. Having trained external facilitators engage the group in collaborative activities was essential to ensuring all voices were heard. This group served as an advisory committee to a management team, the Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Leadership Team which implemented many targeted activities and provided important insights and feedback.
Professional development for all staff across the school district that included face-to-face conversations was essential for system-wide change. Capacity to engage in and sustain the efforts was built by training and preparing teacher-leaders deliver training for their peers. Peer-to-peer training assisted with buy-in across schools and employee groups.
Student training that included teacher led lessons as well as peer leadership allowed students to see themselves as upstanders (anti-bullying leaders) and positively shape school culture.
Key lessons learned
Systemic change in a school system of this size requires both top-down and bottom-up leadership. Grassroots efforts were driven by teachers and students. Framework and support for the efforts were guided by district and school leadership. With nearly 50 schools and programs in the district, it took time to set the stage for the work. Providing district-wide professional development in a school system takes at least one year of planning before implementation due to contract stipulations. Piloting an idea or training within one school, department, or subgroup can move much faster. Piloting also allows for feedback information to determine if the idea warrants investment in wide-scale implementation.
Reflections on the community innovation process
Building capacity in the district to drive professional development and deliver peer-led professional development on equity and diversity topics was essential for preparing all staff to effectively teach and work with all students. The train-the-trainer model utilized included increasing the collective understanding of bullying and harassment and LGBT issues, generating ideas for working with LGBT students and families, and then delivering the training to nearly 8000 employees.
Progress toward an innovation
Anoka-Hennepin Schools made significant progress in providing safe and inclusive schools for all through community-based innovations to systemically develop a respectful learning environment. The District made significant gains in understanding the needs to collaborate with all stakeholders, placing significant emphasis on student voices. Systemic bystander empowerment programming included school-based and student-led initiatives. Employee professional development included a train-the-trainer model, that was carried out through the Culturally Responsive Teaching District Support Team. An Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Communication Plan was developed and implemented to create additional awareness about the issues. The community Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force provided input and feedback on all these activities. Carrying out all of these efforts and activities has resulted in significant progress. More information may be found at www.ahschools.us/antibullytf
What it will take to reach an innovation?
The district did achieve an innovation, however, additional work still needs to occur. Schools have moved from a place of passive intolerance of violence to places of proactive rejection of violence. However, in order to cultivate safe and inclusive schools for all at a deeper level, additional educational equity work is necessary. The district continues to hold safe and welcoming schools as a strategic priority. Creation of a District Equity Plan is necessary to get to the next step.
What's next?
The Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force will present its last annual report to the School Board on July 10, 2017. After that time, the advisory committee is likely to morph into a Student Support Services committee that will focus on a variety of student support needs related to safe and welcoming schools. The advisory committee model will be replicated to advise the school district on a District Equity Plan. Professional development and student education/peer leadership activities will adjust according to the District Equity Plan.
If you could do it all over again...
Dream big and also have realistic expectations for large-scale systemic implementation. In order to move big systems, and make lasting change, considerable time needs to be dedicated to planning, communicating, and leading. Capacity to implement activities needs to be realistic and part of one's workload rather than assumed and seen as an add-on. Even people who see benefit in the work will not change their practice unless they have the resources (time, tools) to do so. The work was much like building a plane and learning to fly while the plane was already up in the air. It would have been more helpful to take time to build the plane first, then learn to fly, then get the plane up in the air. However, the data shows the project was a great success!
One last thought
An added bonus of being a grant recipient has been participation in the networking and professional development activities. The Bush Foundation events have lived up to their mission of being inspiring and motivating, generating many creative thoughts about how to bring people together and approach issues from various angles. Our school district has benefited greatly directly and indirectly through interaction and involvement with the foundation. Thank you!