This ongoing series provides real-time updates on our innovative USDOE-funded program, Equity Leader Accelerator Program (ELAP), currently underway in Massachusetts.
Todd Simendinger, Continuous Improvement Facilitator and Coach
“Ah-ha” moments frequently occur at the most unexpected times, and this case is no exception. To strengthen her facilitative leadership skills, we engaged in the Atlas protocol, a protocol designed to support participants to make sense of data and identify implications for practice. The objective for our session was to analyze disaggregated MCAS data to identify potential inequities. In the midst of our discussion about the data it suddenly clicked for her. She excitedly asked “what if instead of me presenting the data to staff with my interpretations, I give them the data and have them make meaning of it using the protocol”? ‘Ah-ha’ moment unlocked! All of the concerns she voiced earlier suddenly disappeared because she understood – as a participant – the power of facilitative leadership and the benefits of providing staff structured processes to engage in their own meaning making.
A few weeks later she facilitated a professional development session which utilized the Atlas protocol to make sense of data and discuss potential root causes for the inequities they identified. Observing her lead the session served as an important reminder that the combination of a facilitative leadership approach and the use of protocols are a powerful combination when leading equity work. As she put it “independent discovery and reflection facilitates a depth of understanding and an urgency to address equity issues that would otherwise be impossible to achieve using traditional leadership approaches.” That was my coaching ‘ah-ha’ moment for the day!
ATLAS Looking at Data Protocol
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