A Summer Institute Leadership Program

Co-sponsored by Teachers21 and William James College

Leading Schools in a Demanding & Rapidly Changing World:

Applying Innovations from Organizational Psychology

Kathryn Stanley, PhD, John D'Auria, EdD, Matt King, EdD, and Arlene Silva, PhD, instructors

This Institute will provide models and tools to help leaders manage key elements of organizational culture and develop their own leadership capacity to shape the conditions that impact adult learning. The intense impact of the organizational culture on individuals supersedes all other elements in human systems.  Organizational culture is often underestimated in terms of leadership and intervention. When seeking to solve problems we typically look to build capacity within individuals without also influencing the context. Consequently, this Institute will focus on “systems thinking” by drawing from the works of seminal organizational thinkers such as David Kantor, William Isaacs, Amy Edmonson, Richard Boyatzis, Bob Kegan, Lisa Lahey, and Anthony Bryk, and applying their ideas to timely problems of school practice. 

In this three-day Institute, we will explore cutting edge leadership tools, assessment models, self-reflection, and dialogue practices and learn how to apply these strategies and approaches to the challenges leaders face in promoting vibrant learning organizations. The faculty for this workshop are experts in educational leadership and organizational systems psychology and development.

Before the workshop, participants will take a scientifically validated, online self-assessment- the Kantor Baseline Instrument- to begin understanding their communication style. This highly regarded instrument is widely used in organizations like the World Bank and Johns Hopkins University. Following the workshop, lead faculty will hold two webinars in late fall and early spring to assist participants with their application of ideas and principles to their contexts.

This Institute is a unique collaboration between Teachers21, an innovator in school improvement and leadership development and William James College, a pioneer in graduate psychology and leadership education.  We hope this will be the first of many exciting projects emanating from this partnership.

Specific learning objectives:

1. Discuss the importance and the powerful impact of organizational culture on adult and student learning 

2. Examine how to create and sustain organizational cultures that support agile adult learning in order to navigate the rapid pace of change

3. Balance the use of authority and influence to overcome resistance to change

4. Explore a powerful model of interpersonal communication (Kantor’s Model of Structural Dynamics)

5. Describe and harness the power of perspective-taking and dialog to increase team effectiveness

6. Identify and create a plan to address a persistent problem of practice

Program Code: IOP17
18 CE/PDP Credits
Location: William James College, One Wells Avenue, Newton, MA

Fee: $1,250; (For each group of 3 people from the same organization registering at the same time, a 4^th person can be registered with them for free. Please call 617-564-9324 for more information.)

John D’Auria, EdD, moved from directing the Canton Public Schools as Superintendent to becoming President of Teachers21. In a career that has spanned four decades as a math teacher, guidance counselor, principal and superintendent, John has worked with hundreds of school leaders around sharpening the academic focus of school teams, developing a vibrant school culture, and managing conflict in the workplace. He was recently appointed to the Rennie Center Condition of Education Advisory Committee.  John’s research focuses on the ways in which the assumptions that people hold about intelligence significantly influence their learning.  His newest book, School Systems That Learn, was co-authored with Paul Ash (Corwin Press, 2012).  John is also the author of Ten Lessons in Leadership and Learning (2010), a helpful resource to new and experienced leaders, as well as “The DNA of Leadership”—a curriculum for aspiring school leaders.  Additionally, John co-authored with Jon Saphier,  How To Bring Vision to School Improvement (Research for Better Teaching, 1993). Numerous other articles include “The Superintendent as Teacher,” Phi Delta Kappan Online Edition, Fall, 2009; “A Principal’s Dilemma,” jointly with Matt King in Schools: Studies in Education, University of Chicago Press, Spring, 2009; and “3 Strands Form Strong School Leadership,” jointly with Jon Saphier and Matt King, National Staff Development Council, Spring, 2006.  He is a frequent speaker at national and regional educational conferences. You can follow John on twitter @jdauria.

Kathryn Stanley, PhD, has enjoyed working as an organizational development consultant for the past 25 years. She works with leaders and teams to help them to strategically respond to and positively thrive in challenging market environments. She specializes in building capacity for collaborative teaming through dialogue, creating structures and cultures that engender innovation, and coaching leaders to be more authentic. Her ability to work with international teams across organizational siloes has ensured the success of large-scale change initiatives including mergers and acquisitions, culture change, strategic realignment and organizational redesign. 

Her research includes the creation of two psychometric instruments including the Authentic Presence Inventory (API©) that has helped hundreds of leaders enhance their executive presence and the Radical Innovation Readiness Inventory (RIR©) that assesses an organizations capacity to radically innovate. She has presented at the Academy of Management on her research on Mindfulness. She is Co-Principal Investigator with David Kantor on the Reading the Room project to test Structural Dynamics in high performance teams.  She also coauthored the popular management book, Which Bird Gets Heard? How to Have Impact Even In a Flock. Her organizational development clients include Bose, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and nonprofits like Thompson Island.

She is the Chair of the Organizational and Leadership Psychology department and a Professor of Organizational and Leadership studies at William James College. Kathryn earned her Ph.D. and M.S. from California School of Professional Psychology in Organizational Psychology and her B.A. in Philosophy, cum laude and her B.F.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. She is a Level 2 Certified Kantor/Dialogix Training Provider.

Matt King, EdD, is a consultant at Teachers 21 and a coach in the Massachusetts New Superintendents’ Induction Program. Previously he led three Massachusetts school districts for 28 years: superintendent of the Wellesley Public Schools (1996-2007), superintendent/principal of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (1989-1996), and superintendent/principal of the Carlisle Public Schools (1979-1989).  He has published numerous articles and consulted with school administrators throughout the country on school leadership and strengthening school culture. Matt has taught graduate courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Wheelock College and currently teaches in the Leadership Licensure Program, a statewide program for teachers seeking to become principals run by Teachers 21. He has served on the boards of numerous organizations including Outward Bound and the Regional Anti-Defamation League. A graduate of Colgate University, Matt received an M.A.T. from Smith College and an Ed.D. from Harvard University.

Arlene Silva, PhD, is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Licensed Educational Psychologist. She is Chair of the William James College School Psychology Department, Director of the MA/CAGS School Psychology Program, and an Associate Professor. A graduate of Amherst College, Dr. Silva received her MA, CAGS, and PhD in School Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining William James College, Dr. Silva garnered a broad range of professional experiences in public school, university, and clinical settings. Dr. Silva’s research interests include consultee-centered consultation, supervision, and culturally responsive practice. She has presented at national conventions (NASP and APA) and co-authored chapters in the Handbook of Research in School Consultation and in Best Practices in School Psychology. Dr. Silva has been involved in NASP Leadership since 2006, serving as Chair of the Student Development Workgroup (2007-09) and the inaugural Chair of the Early Career Workgroup (2009-13). She continues to serve as a Member of the NASP Professional Growth Workgroup.