On Input and Feedback
One of the greatest educational leaders that I have ever served under was New York City’s Chancellor Joel Klein. There were a lot of things that made his leadership great, but the one which personally affected me most was his view on input and communication.
In a system that has over one million students, 135,000 educators, and 32 different school districts (32!) Joel Klein published his email address. It was well known that many children wrote to him. It was also well known that Chancellor Klein answered EVERY SINGLE EMAIL he received and often in record time.
One parent member of the PS 87 community where I taught had become a part of his inner circle. I remember her posing the question to us, “If you had 30 minutes with Chancellor Klein, what would you want to tell him?”
I ended up emailing him my answer. I received a response within 4 hours, at 2 am.
To my utter shock, the email contained an offer to have that 30-minute conversation in person. Unreal.
When we met in person, the Chancellor of the New York City school system—-this boss of superintendents in 32 districts and supervisor of over 1800 school principals——you know what he did?
He pulled out a notebook and pen. AND TOOK NOTES. ON ME.
This is a moment I will never forget.
I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between input and feedback.
Input in an invitation to the table. It is being asked for your opinion before things are put into place. It is being sought after. It is honor.
Feedback is often given without a request. And by the fact that it comes AFTER a decision has already been implemented, it is often negative because rightly or wrongly, it is things we don’t like which most often give us the impetus to speak up.
Imagine how our society might be different if INPUT of all stakeholders were a value we held.
-What if supermarkets asked us to rank our priorities when patronizing their establishment?
-What if schools were to ask students for their ideas and what they thought of new developments before they were implemented?
-What if every congressmen held an online vote by constituents for every bill they were scheduled to vote on, letting the outcome influence how they reflected the people they were voted in to represent?
I have a friend who was a teacher who became a principal who became a superintendent in Alaska. Rich valued input and he asked the students, the parents, the teachers, and the businesses in the community to speak into the challenges of learning in their remote Alaskan district and to become a committed part of the solution.
From that auspicious beginning, Chugach School District became the first district in the United States to adopt a competency based system of education. This means that students advance as they master a skill, not by time in class or earning credits. Each student can advance at their own pace. This is a unique groundbreaking approach in the field of education and Chugach School District was awarded “the nation’s only Presidential award for performance excellence” known as The Baldridge Award. (NIST).
Rich became in high demand and now travels the world helping other districts (and now whole nations) transform the way they do education. It started with caring about INPUT.
The opportunity to give feedback is not bad per se, but it is shortsighted. Organizations which truly care about their constituents will seek out input.
Photo Credit: Photo by Philippe D. on Unsplash