Building Capacity

Coaching Teams and Individuals

District Leaders | Administrators | Instructional Leaders | Teacher Teams

The Challenge Schools are incredibly human endeavors. No amount of planning, scripting, standard operating procedures, or the use of protocols can remove the human factor from schooling, nor should they! Schools' success - their improvement over time, evolution, and innovation - is dependent on building the capacity of people.

A Solution Vital Schools' approach to working with teachers, administrators and teams integrates:

• Brain science. We know much more today about how the brain works, how people learn, and how the brain and emotions support or degrade our ability to shift mindsets. Therefore we apply what cognitive scientists like David Rock know, to capture realities, explore alternatives, and tap productive energies.
• Adult learning that's problem based. Children and adults learn differently. Adults are much more likely to learn to solve a problem. Sometimes this is straightforward, when adults recognize the problems they really need to face. Sometimes this is less so, when they aren't looking at the right problem, or don't see a problem at all.
• Capacity building. Everyone's job involves technical abilities, but deep organizational work and change requires that people are consistently learning how to adapt to new ideas and realities. Therefore we engage not only to solve immediate, technical problems but always to build the capacity of those throughout the organization, to engage in adaptive change, frame work and solutions into the future.
• Getting it done. School leaders and teachers are already busy. Even as they learn, re-frame their work, and build their capacity, they still are short on time to get things done. Therefore we often take on the tasks to write things up, build out tools, facilitate the training of others so that things get done and the school can see real impact.

How? Vital Schools works with district and school leaders to identify a challenge or set of challenges, and to develop cycles of coaching support. That might start with a deeper introduction, to develop a shared understanding and to start to build relationships, and then proceed through cycles of capacity building and getting work done. Each cycle is assessed, and goals are set for the next cycle of work.

"Jonathan is a great thought partner. He listens and gives my ideas back to me in a way that's clear. And he does the work necessary so that we can get started and get change done."

- Middle School Principal

Let's talk and get things done. If you're interested in talking about how to build the capacity of your team, please reach out to set up a phone call or appointment.

Email spear@vitalschools.us or

Call 718 288 1679 for more information about supporting this work in your community.